Command 22 : Be Wise as Serpents | Day 148

Glory in Weaknesses!

I was intrigued by an advertisement I saw when I was a young boy. It appealed to my manly instincts. In the first panel, a scrawny boy was being pushed around by neighborhood bullies while his girlfriend looked on. The second picture showed the boy lifting weights to build his muscles. The final scene showed the muscular young man conquering the bullies with an admiring girlfriend watching. This is how we like to picture ourselves—able to build up our strength so that we can protect others and ourselves. What a contrast this is to the command Jesus gave to His followers!

Command Twenty-Two: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).

What is the likelihood of sheep surviving in the midst of a pack of hungry wolves? Their survival time could no doubt be measured in minutes! Sheep do not have powerful jaws or sharp teeth or claws. They cannot run fast or far. They do not even have a loud roar or howl with which to frighten potential predators. There must be more to this command than meets the eye, because sheep have no inherent strengths that would go very far in saving them from certain destruction.

We can look in the Old Testament and see a parallel between this command and the way God dealt with the nation of Israel. God led His people out of Egypt like a "flock." The devouring armies of Pharaoh pursued them, and they were trapped against the Red Sea. The hearts of God's people melted within them as they realized their helpless and vulnerable position.

However, they used wisdom by crying out to God for help, and He opened the sea before them and closed it upon their enemies. Scripture states that God “made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies" (Psalm 78:52-53; see also Exodus 14).

What could have been a massive slaughter turned out to be one of the most spectacular dramas in history. God delights to show His great power in impossible situations!

Helpless sheep can overcome ravening wolves by staying close to their shepherd and by crying out in times of attack.

David understood the need for putting confidence in God rather than in his own abilities. “Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me ... . What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. ... When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me” (Psalm 56:2-3, 9).

The Apostle Paul developed this same perspective when Jesus told him, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Paul responded, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (II Corinthians 12:9).

Rather than being discouraged by our personal weaknesses and limitations, let's view them as our greatest strengths, knowing that through them we will have opportunities to experience more of the power of Christ.