" . . . Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." This is a commandment. Jesus requires us to know the thought process of snakes . . . and to learn from them. This is interesting because we know that the serpent has been used as a symbol for satan and now Jesus is asking us to think like him?! Maybe we can learn something from ‘snake thought’.1. Serpents know where to hide.
They are keenly aware of their environment and always have an escape route. (story of 4wheeler ride and finding snake that slithered into a tree trunk where a tunnel was located)
Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
cir·cum·spect (sûr"k…m-spµkt") adj. Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences; prudent.
2. Serpents rarely attack unprovoked.
Don’t go out looking for a fight; at the same time, don’t back down when confronted about issues worth fighting for!
3. Serpents are cold-blooded - they know their weaknesses.
Serpents are extremely vulnerable to their environment. You’ll never find a snake swimming a river in the dead of winter. It is amazing how many Christians fall into moral sin completely aware of their surroundings and consequences. We must learn to be honest about our weaknesses and be proactive about protecting ourselves against them.
Here’s the text again, Mat 10:16 . . . be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
There are two ideas presented here that are linked by the conjunction ‘and’ - wise as serpents AND harmless as doves. Very few, if any, have ever been attacked by a dove. Doves spend most of their time in flight; therefore, doves look over, literally, most things. To be harmless as a dove could refer to one’s ability to overlook offenses.
Here’s the premise: NIV Prov 19:11 A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
So there it is . . . one of the great keys to true spirituality lies in the ability to think like a snake so that you can soar like a bird. ;)
