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“Cautious as Serpents”

Jesus Christ once told his followers that they should be “cautious as serpents” when doing their preaching work among hostile people. (Matt. 10:16) Are snakes cautious creatures? They are among the most cautious of all. In fact, a recent volume, Grzimek’s “Animal Life Encyclopedia,” states: “There is no snake which preys on man. Any snake will flee from him, if it has time; only when one approaches so closely that the snake is threatened is it likely to defend itself by biting, using its poison fangs as well. Many venomous snakes even refuse to use this weapon; for example, banded kraits—at least in the daytime—and many species of sea snake, at all times, are extremely reluctant to bite, and adopt this defense only when severely annoyed.”—Vol. 6, p. 31.