Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?--like it, indeed, but only to sting him.
Ask like a beggar; seek like one hunting for treasure; knock like a stranger at the door. Those who would grow rich in grace must take up the poor trade of begging, and it shall thrive. Yet prayer alone is not enough, second your prayers with earnest effort in the appointed means, else you tempt God.
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Commenting on Matthew 7:7-11
A serpent resembles a fish, especially an eel, which makes the comparison apt; but Christ chose these examples because fish and bread were common food in Galilee, where He spoke and His fishermen disciples came from. The point is plain: no man, unless he be a monster, would mock his child's hunger by offering harm instead of help. This absurdity shows how much more our Father in Heaven, being good and all-knowing, will give good gifts to those who ask Him.
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