Title: Wisdom and Purity
Contents
♡♥♡ Be wise and pure / Matthew 10:16
*** Introduction
"Purple. I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
If you think about these words, you can feel that the Lord cares for and loves His disciples a lot. Sending out disciples who are still young in faith to the world is like a parent who asks for a new religion with a sad heart. It is the heart of a parent who throws out a child who knows nothing like a lamb to the river. The Lord commands His disciples to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
The Lord is asking us to do the same now. The Lord teaches the principles of living to the “sheep” saints who live without any defense in a harsh world like a wolf. The principle of life of the saints living as strangers in the world the Lord said is 'living wisely and purely' The Lord is making a strong impression by using the images of two animals, a 'serpent' and a 'dove'. This is what the Lord wanted His disciples to remember and not forget.
‘Snake’ is a representative image of ‘Tempter’. He tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and also tempted her husband to separate mankind from God. The Lord describes the identity of this serpent as follows: Revelation 20:2. “The dragon was slain, the old serpent, the devil, and Satan.” And in Revelation 12:9, “The great dragon was cast out, the old serpent, also called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. And he was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” The “old serpent” refers to the very serpent that tempted Eve.
Satan and the devil are seducers who deceive people from the creation of the world until now and are judged and imprisoned in hell, leading them to distance themselves from God. The Lord speaks of the source of this tempter: This is John 8:44. “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. I was a murderer from the beginning, and I do not stand in the truth, because the truth is not in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” Satan accomplishes his will through greed, murder, lawlessness, and lies. This is the wisdom of the world.
Then, did the Lord tell his disciples to have the wisdom of this world, which is Satan's? Never. It's not about having the wisdom of a snake, it's about having a mind that is wise like a snake. At the same time, the Lord enumerates the wise heart that the disciples should have in verse 17 and below. Let's look at verses 19-20 for example.
“Do not worry about how or what you will say when you hand them over. At that time he will give you something to say, and it will not be you who speak, but the Holy Spirit of your Father who speaks within you.”
The Lord speaks of a time when the disciples are caught by the people while preaching the gospel and are handed over to the officials. He tells us not to try to escape with worldly tricks when we are faced with such a difficult situation. At such times, you may be worried and embarrassed, but he told us not to use human tricks and rely on the Lord. He said that if you rely on the Lord and go boldly, the Holy Spirit will give you the words to answer. This is the wisdom the Lord speaks of. It is “relying on the help of the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit is a God who is always with the saints and helps them.
Moreover, He does not tell us to face persecution and face challenges for the sake of the Lord. The Holy Spirit guides our steps, sometimes even avoiding them (verses 22-23). If it's not worth fighting for, you should avoid it. The best way to avoid such things as gossip, criticism, worldly temptations and heresies, is to avoid them. Dealing with things like this will only lead to useless arguments. 1 Timothy 6:20 says, “O Timothy, keep what I have entrusted you with, and avoid the vain and vain speeches and arguments of knowledge that are false.” Avoid strife against the law, for this is useless and vain.” Wisdom is to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who guides us in this way, thoughtfully and carefully.
The Lord then says, “Be innocent as doves.” The dove has a gentle character, and the image of purity and obedience. That is why the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove. In the original language, 'pure' has the meanings of 'unmixed', 'naive', 'no sin', 'simple', etc. In other words, not mixing with injustice is 'not compromising with the world', and not mixing with the world's filth is 'pure character'. And it is simply looking to the Lord without using worldly tricks.
Some people say, ‘Even if you believe in Jesus, you have to believe as much as you can. Even among the members of the congregation, it is said, ‘Do the work of the church, the work of service, and the work of service in moderation.’ When used in a tactful, appropriate, or good sense, it can be said to be “wisdom that does not go beyond the limits while doing the best”. However, in a commonly used meaning, it is not a good thing to say, “As much as you can, taking into account your own interests and the opinions of others.” This is a form that God hates.
In the days of King Ahab, the Israelites were behaving properly between idols and God. From a worldly point of view, it would be a wise move. However, God said in 1 Kings 18:21, “How long will you hesitate between the two? If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal is God, follow him.” Among the churches in Asia Minor, the church in Laodicea was also acting appropriately and sensibly between the world and God. It was a way of avoiding persecution and maintaining a livelihood. But the Lord said in Revelation 3:15-16, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I want you to be cold or hot. Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.”
If it is a matter for you or your family's livelihood or life at stake, will you do it in a reasonable and sensible way? He'll probably do the best he can to die. As God's saints, we must rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the work given to us in this way. And we must do our best with a pure heart that does not compromise with injustice and the world, and simple faith that only looks to the Lord. You should try to live every moment of every day with this kind of heart.
In this way, wisdom and purity make it possible to stand as safe and secure as two feet. If either one is missing, it will be precarious and unstable.
An Indian tribe in the United States says that when their daughters are mature, they take them to a corn field to educate them on life. A father puts his daughter in a furrow in a cornfield and says, 'Follow the best corn along the way to the end of the field.' But we must not turn back the steps we have taken or look at the corn we have seen once.
It is said that most of the daughters who passed this test could not pick corn all the way to the furrow. The reason is simple. Even if good corn catches your eye, you don't pick it because you think better corn will appear next, and you end up failing to pick it and leaving empty-handed. It is said that through this process, the Indians taught their daughters to choose a husband well.
The world right now is a world like a keystone, a world that stimulates the desires of the flesh, and seducers are tempting you into this endless deep puddle. It is very difficult to choose which one is right. But let us follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, looking to the Lord with consideration, prudence, and uncompromising with the world. Living so wisely and chastely, we will never end our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity empty-handed. Because our Lord will be with you. I pray that all of us will live a blessed life that harvests the best fruits with wisdom and purity that depend on the Lord.