Living Wisely Among Enemies To Avoid Premature Death

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

Every human being has enemies no matter where and how one lives their lives. Usually, one’s enemies are among people they closely associate with. 

The Lord Jesus discloses that a man’s enemies shall be members of his own household (Matthew 10:36). Enemies are people who want you poor, wretched, disgraced, sick, destroyed and ultimately dead.

Disciples of Jesus Christ are not detached from enemies. A decision to believe in Jesus, confess Him as Lord and Saviour and preach the gospel attract many enemies and unceasing hatred.

Christians, therefore, should not be naive, foolish or be deceived into thinking that they can carelessly walk around anywhere  and at anytime, because they have faith or are under the divine protection of God. We must live wisely in the midst of our enemies. 

When Jesus Christ sent His early disciples, He warned them to be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. The same word of caution applies to all Jesus Christ’s followers everywhere and in every generation.

Interestingly, Jesus applied the same knowledge Himself when He lived among His enemies such as the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Jewish religious leaders, who opposed Him in the first-century Israel. 

Jesus lived with them according to wisdom and in the spirit of innocence. Though Jesus was the Son of God with measureless anointing, He walked away or hid Himself when He realised that danger was looming. 

“Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples” (John 11:54).

“So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple” (John 8:59).

Similarly, Paul would not take his security for granted when he realised his life was in immediate danger. One day, he was put in a basket and helped to escape arrest.

“At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands” (2 Corinthians 11:32-33).

The same security lesson can be learnt from David when he saw that Saul wanted to put him to death. He fled from Saul (1 Samuel 21:10). Sometimes, too, David pretended to be mad in order to escape death. 

The Bible urges believers to add knowledge to their faith (2 Peter 1:5). This means that faith alone cannot guarantee our success, especially in the area of ensuring security and survival to enable us to fulfil the ministries God has given to us. 

We need wisdom, innocence, purity, righteousness, carefulness, patience, and other virtues to be able to navigate through challenges that threaten our lives as we live among our enemies.

By James Quansah