HARMLESS AAS DOVES PART 2 OF 2
"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. Matthew 10:16-20
"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made." Genesis 3:1
Jesus charged them, as they went about doing their calling, that they needed to understand the wisdom (the cunning ways) of serpents; not to be like serpents nor to operate according to their ways, but rather to be keenly aware of their tactics and not to fall prey to them out of ignorance or naivete.
The scriptures tell us that the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field. He is a master of lies. He is the father of lies, deception, manipulation, seduction, and misdirection. To the corrupt Pharisees, Jesus said,
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44
The devil's ways are cunning and he can be very persuasive because he plays on our emotions and our old sense of rationalization. His arguments appeal to our baser passions, to our old sinful nature, our old appetites, and former lusts. Even when we intellectually know something is not good for us, we can be easily be swayed by his thoughts that enter our minds to justify do it anyway. "It's not that bad!" "Besides, it's just practical for the moment." "It's justifiable in this situation," "It's of no consequence just this one time," "You can make up for it later,"
And he is using the same tactics today. It is astounding how many otherwise seemingly intelligent people are so vested in their false perceptions and blind indoctrinations that they no longer are capable of considering that they could possibly be wrong, and quickly seek to suppress all arguments or considerations of fact that would challenge their positions on any matter.
Professing themselves to be wise they have become fools, believing themselves to be more righteous than God, more loving and compassionate than Jesus. Even their acronym of choice for their movement of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, DEI, also just happens to spell DIE. (DEviL and EvIl are also related words.)
Inspired by the devil they support neither diversity, nor equity, nor inclusion, but rather a narrow anti-God, anti-Christian, anti-Jewish anti-traditional family, anti-life, anti-masculinity, anti-femininity, anti-gender identity as God created them male and female and no other. They are anti-democracy and a representative republic form of government, where free enterprise and the God-given rights of all men to determine their own destiny without government manipulation and control is respected and protected.
These self-appointed god-men are the spawn of their father, the devil, who sought to establish his own kingdom in Heaven and to rule above God and all His creation.
"And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, that thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! 5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. 6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. 7The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. 8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. 9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 10 All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." Isaiah 14:3-14
First, this created being who, though he, among all the "sons of God," was present with God at the creation of the world [See: Job 38;4-7],
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Job 38:4-7
after he was created and given a place of exalted honor, significance, and function above all other Heavenly creatures, as the covering Cherub, who had exclusive access to the inner most workings of creation, decided one day to just raise his status to that which would subjugate the God who created him, to a place of subordination to him. Ridiculous!
Secondly, He could not create himself. It was God alone who gave him life and then adorned him with every precious stone as his covering. The bedazzling light that surrounded him was not his own. It was a reflection of the light of God's glory. He was obviously an intelligent being capable of rational thought and of choosing obedience, or disobedience, submission to God's authority and majesty, or to descend into iniquity and open rebellion. He chose iniquity and rebelled against God.
"Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."Ezek. 28:11-15
And for his crime he was cast out of Heaven, to await his final destiny in the fires of hell for all eternity. So, what is the serpent wisdom that the disciples were exhorted to be as wise as? 1) It was to be alert to his evil ways, 2) to expect him to act according to his ungodly nature, 3) to temp them to become distracted from their mission, 4) to compromise their calling, and 5) to deny the sovereignty of God. These were the same tactics he used against Eve and Adam with her, and they are the same tactics he attempts so use against us daily.
Being wise as serpents meant they would not be caught off guard, or be persuaded by human logic, empty promises and hell-conceived as lies. They would not be seduced by a deceptive emotional appeal. Just as Jesus could not be fooled by the ways of the devil, so they were to operate from the same mind as He. And we are called to do likewise.
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour..." 1 Peter 5:8