A.When the Lord sent His disciples to preach the gospel of God’s kingdom, He warned them about the people they would encounter and instructed them about dealing with such people.
1.When Jesus sent the twelve apostles on the limited commission, He said, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16)
2.Later, He sent seventy other disciples to preach, and He told them, "Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” (Luke 10:3).
3.In both cases, the Lord described His disciples as sheep or lambs and the people of the world as wolves.These descriptions meant that the disciples were to be on guard for the dangers that exist among worldly people while maintaining their innocence and simplicity.
B.As we are now sent by Christ into the world as messengers of His gospel, let us apply these warnings and instructions to our dealings with the "wolves” of the world.
II.SHREWDNESS AND INNOCENCE
A.Let us define the terms "shrewd” and "innocent” from Matthew 10:16.
1.The word translated as "shrewd” (NASB) or "wise” (KJV) means intelligent, wise, prudent, or mindful of one’s own interests.In the NASB, it is variously translated as "wise” five times, "prudent” five times, "sensible” twice, and "shrewd” twice.
a.This word was used by Jesus to describe those who hear His word and act upon it in Matthew 7:24 ("wise” NASB & KJV).
b.It was used by Jesus to describe the slave whom the master put in charge of his household in Matthew 24:45 and Luke 12:42 ("sensible” NASB or "wise” KJV).
c.Jesus used it to describe the five prepared virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 ("prudent” NASB or "wise” KJV).
d.It was used by Jesus to characterize an unrighteous steward who used his master’s stewardship to gain the favor of others in Luke 16:8 ("more shrewd” or "wiser”).
2.The word translated as "innocent” (NASB) or "harmless” (KJV) means unmixed or pure (as in wines or metals).In regards to the mind or heart, it means without a mixture of evil, free from guile, innocent, or simple.It is also found in Romans 16:19 and Philippians 2:15 (see below).
B.The combination of shrewdness and innocence is a necessary characteristic for all Christians who live as sheep in the midst of wolves in this world.
1.We are to be wise regarding good things, while we are to remain inexperienced (lit. unmixed) in the evil that surrounds us in the world.
a.Notice the words of the apostle Paul to the church at the wicked capital of Rome in Romans 16:19 – "For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.”
b.A similar message is recorded in 1Corinthians 14:20 – "Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.”(Note: the word translated as "thinking” here is from the same root word as "shrewd” in Matt. 10:16.)
c.Notice that we can be mature in our thinking and understanding without having personal experience of evil.
i.We can be wise to Satan’s schemes and prepared to fight against them without participating in them (2Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:11).
ii.This maturity is obtained through the word of God (see Ps. 119).
2.The worldly people of this generation could rightly be described as wolves who are hostile toward Christianity, so we must stand out as innocent in our dealings with them.
a.Notice Philippians 2:14-15 – "Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”
b.In Matthew 5:13-16, the Lord commended us to be "the salt of the earth” and "the light of the world.”Therefore, we must stand out and be separated (sanctified) from unbelievers and sinners (see 2Cor. 6:14-18).
c.Even so, we must learn to be as shrewd as people of the world while yet maintaining our innocence.Jesus said, "The sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8).
III.EXAMPLES OF SHREWDNESS AND INNOCENCE
A.The Bible is filled with examples of men and women who acted in shrewdness and innocence.
1.As a different approach from many lessons, let us consider only women who acted in this way.
2.All of these are challenging examples, for all appear to involve unlawful deeds – deceit, harlotry, and murder.Nevertheless, the shrewdness of these women who dealt with wolves was rewarded.Their faithful efforts to achieve godly purposes justified them as innocent, for they were unmixed and pure with regards to the wickedness of the truly evil wolves they overcame.
B.In Genesis 38, Tamar acted shrewdly and innocently to carry on the lineage of her deceased husband.
1.Tamar was the wife of Judah’s son Er.When Er died, it was the godly duty of his brothers to take Tamar as wife and raise up offspring to their brother (Leviratic marriage – see Ruth, Matt. 22:23-33).
2.When Judah and his sons failed in their obligation, Tamar shrewdly disguised herself as a harlot to induce Judah to fulfill the obligation.Afterwards, Judah said, "She is more righteous than I…”
3.Tamar’s shrewdness was rewarded, for she is in the lineage of Christ through Joseph (Matt. 1:3).
C.In Exodus 1:15-21, Shiphrah and Puah acted shrewdly and innocently to save the Hebrew sons.
1.When these Hebrew midwives were commanded by the king of Egypt to kill the Hebrew sons at birth, they "feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.”
2.When the king called upon them to explain themselves, they falsely claimed that the Hebrew women gave birth before the midwives could get to them.
3.As a result, "God was good to the midwives,” and "He established households for them.”
D.In Joshua 2:1-21, Rahab acted shrewdly and innocently to save her own family.
1.When the Hebrew spies came into Jericho, Rahab the harlot kept them in her house and deceived her own king about them in exchange for their promise to spare her family from destruction.
2.When Israel attacked Jericho, Joshua spared the household of Rahab’s father because of her shrewdness about the spies, and Rahab’s family lived with Israel thereafter (Josh. 6:17, 23, 25).
3.Like Tamar, Rahab received as place in the lineage of Christ (Matt. 1:5).She also is noted twice in the New Testament as an example of great faith (Heb. 11:31; Jas. 2:25).
E.In Judges 4:17-22, the Kenite woman Jael acted shrewdly and innocently to become a hero in Israel.
1.When Israel had routed Canaanites under Deborah and Barak, the Canaanite commander of the army, Sisera, fled to the tent of Jael.
2.After she assured him of safety, gave him milk to drink, and covered him with a rug, he fell asleep in the tent.She then drove a tent peg through his head and killed him.
3.Because of Jael’s deeds, she was honored in the song of Deborah and Barak (Judg. 5:24-27).
F.In 1Samuel 25, Abigail acted shrewdly and innocently to save her husband’s household.
1.Abigail’s husband Nabal was "harsh and evil in his dealings” (v. 3), and he refused to compensate David’s men with provisions.Therefore, David prepared to destroy Nabal and his household.
2.However, Abigail "was intelligent and beautiful in appearance” (v. 3), and she shrewdly interceded without her husband’s knowledge to turn David back with her pleading and gifts.
3.When God struck Nabal so that he died, David rewarded Abigail by taking her as his wife.
IV.CONCLUSION
A.These examples should not trouble any of us nor cause us any conflict, but rather they should inspire us to behave shrewdly and innocently ourselves.
1.While these women were ultimately justified by God for what they did, their examples are not justification for so-called "situation ethics.”Deceit, harlotry, murder, and all sins are wrong for us, and no one can rightly justify practicing these things because of the examples of these women.
2.However, these examples should open our eyes to the possibility of situations among the "wolves” where our only choices may be between something bad and something worse.This is where shrewdness and innocence are so important for our success.
B.Therefore, let us always follow the lead of God’s word in shrewdness and innocence among the wolves of the world."Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5).
