OF SHEEP, SNAKES AND DOVES

Sunday Devotional ....  6/23/13

Have you ever been called a sheep?  It has several possible meanings.  Some people use it to mean lacking independence, unable to think for yourself, or even stupid.  Or they might be meaning "docile" or "bashful".  Sheep can also refer to being a member of the church, as in "the sheep of his flock".  Sometimes in the Bible, reference to sheep means the good people and goats refers to wicked people.

What about a snake?  We often think of it as something that bites and might be venomous.  When we refer to someone as a snake, it is often thought of as a negative term: sneaky, manipulative, deceitful, evil.  We hear of the serpent in the Garden of Eden as being the Devil himself, and upon being cursed by God he was made to crawl on his belly all the days of his life. But there is also the bronze snake on a pole that when looked at, healed people of venomous snake bites (Numbers 21).

And how about a dove?  That is usually a positive one!  It can mean kind, peaceful or even a sexually attractive woman. The Bible uses "dove" to describe a beautiful woman's eyes (Song of Songs) but also as easily deceived and senseless (Ephraim in Hosea 7).  The dove is also how the Holy Spirit appears in the Bible.

But there is one verse in the Bible where the disciples were told they would be like all three of these animals. This should also apply to us as believers today sent out into the world to share the Gospel.

"Listen! I am sending you, and you will be like sheep among wolves. So be smart like snakes. But also be like doves and do nothing wrong." Matthew 10:16 ESV 

"You will be like sheep among wolves": you will be persecuted.

"So be smart like snakes": be shrewd and sly, clever about what you are doing.

"Be like doves and do nothing wrong": be pure in what you do.

May God always help us to be clever and pure in our witness, even and especially when persecuted! 

written by Jan Andersen