Philippians 3:2-6 – “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”  NASB

Many of you have either heard the song or heard of the song, “Who Let the Dogs Out?”  It was performed by a Bahamian group called “Baha Men” and released as a single on July 26, 2000.  It was not about dogs but men who women would consider dogs and in a great sense the idea here in Philippians is not about the canine creature but about human beings who are like scavenging dogs seeking destruction.

We have all seen the warning signs on fences, BEWARE OF DOG or BEWARE THE DOG.  We understood the warning to be valid and that should we dare to venture into the space behind the warning it could be hazardous to our health as we might be attacked by a creature bent on our destruction.  I find it interesting that Paul would begin his address with a warning about dogs and connected it to evil workers, and those who were false in their faith.  He was lumping them all into one basket and virtually every society understands the danger of a dog not tamed or one that is trained to guard or destroy. 

A particularly unpleasant verse is Proverbs 26:11 where we are reminded that one of the natural tendencies of a dog is quite disgusting.  He uses this illustration to compare that to a life that is not rooted and grounded in God.  I don’t know if you recall the passage in Psalm 59 where the Psalmist is addressing God’s punishment and judgment and the prayer for God to not show any graciousness to the treacherous.  The next sentence is, “They return at evening, they howl like a dog…” 

In a pack of dogs if one decides to attack the others will follow and they will turn on each other following the strongest dog in the pack.  In Psalm 22:20 the dog is once again mentioned in a negative light, “Deliver my soul from the sword, my only life from the power of the dog.”  Dogs are often used in the Bible to represent agents of destruction and we need to BEWARE of the lurking destruction the enemy plans for us. 

I recall years ago, I was working as an Insurance Debit Agent and had to collect payments as well as sell insurance.  I stopped at one house and saw a dog pen away from the house and a dog was obviously angry and seeking to be freed.  After conducting my business, I was walking back to my car and a hound dog came to meet me.  She was acting timid and I patted her head, then she rolled over on her back and I rubbed her tummy, not thinking anything was wrong.  I took about two steps toward my car and she nailed me behind the knee. 

That dog was not what she appeared and fooled me, which is a rarity for me regarding animals.  The bite was bad, but the sneakiness of the dog was more infuriating than the bite.  I should have been more alert and remembered the pen away from the house, but I was deceived. 

Agents of Destruction use deception as their primary weapon. We must always be on the alert and BEWARE of DOGS!  There are dogs in religious circles who are false and working evil behind the scenes.  They will appear as that timid cute dog that wants you to pat its head or rub its tummy but once you turn your back, they will seek to destroy you.  We are ignorant of the devices and schemes of the devil and this is another reason to put on the Whole Armor of God and Pray Always!

God, bless you as you enjoy this day in Him!