Are we talking to pigs?
I was spending time with God this morning and I heard "do not cast your pearls before the swine." I'm pretty familiar with the scripture and it surprised me a little so I decided to study a little deeper into that verse to see exactly what God was saying.
This scripture is in Matthew 7 and I believe to get the full meaning of what is being said in scripture we need to read around it. What was going on, what else was being said, what place did it come from.
This is all part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus just finished telling the people (and I'm paraphrasing) don't judge others, don't be a hypocrite, don't criticize because in the same way you exam others you'll be examined! Jesus is also saying don't go after the speck in your brother or sister's eye when there's a plank in your own. Pretty direct and intense and truthfully I think we forget that a lot and we critique everyone that doesn't completely line up with us but that's not the point of this morning's blog.
Now, to my point, vs. 6 "Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn and tear you in pieces." WOW pretty intense but what is Jesus meaning by this?
So I'm going to break it down a little.
Let's start with the dogs, I word searched "dogs" in bible gateway and the scripture in Proverbs 26:11 comes up "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." If you are sharing the gospel over and over again, teaching God's word over and over again, bringing someone to deliverance or breakthrough over and over again and they keep turning around and going back to their vomit, how long will you do that? How long does that keep you locked up in a place?
Next, the swine, what do swine do? They trample around in mud, it's where Jesus sent the legion of demons to. Actually, it's where the demons asked to be sent, they wanted to go into the pigs. Why? Was it their uncleanliness?
Here's something really interesting...In 2 Peter 2 Peter talks about both the dog and the swine in one verse! "There has befallen them the thing spoken of in the true proverb, the dog turns back to his own vomit, and, the sow (pig/swine) is washed only to wallow again in the mire." A clean pig doesn't want to be clean, it runs back to the mud. We've seen it in the natural a dog will literally eat it's own vomit (completely disgusting.)
So what's the point Jesus is really making here?
A few things I believe...
1. He is warning us that we will be ridiculed for sharing the gospel.
2. Not everyone will receive the truths we are carrying.
3. There will be those that even desire to trample us.
4. If people don't welcome the gift GOD has placed in you, go where they do.
5. Jesus did tell us if we're not welcome to shake the dust off and move on.
BUT BE ENCOURAGED...
6. Always treasure the gift God has given you, know it is valuable.
7. Know there is a people hungry for the truths God has given you.
8. Pray for God to prepare the people's hearts to hear truth before you share.
9. Always be directed by God where you go and what you say.
10. There's always a Cornelius continually crying out to God to send someone.
Wrapping it up here, when it becomes more than clear that the gifting of revelation God has placed in us is falling on deaf ears continually over and over and people are closing off their hearts to the word God has placed in us it really is time to shake off the dust like Matthew 10:14 says and be led to a place where people are ready to hear, hungry to grow and desperate to change.
Remember this, you are responsible to be obedient to God BUT you are not responsible for how people react to you and your words or actions. Jesus has told us not to cast our pearls before swine and I believe He will show us when we are and when it's time to wipe the dust off and move on.
This scripture is in Matthew 7 and I believe to get the full meaning of what is being said in scripture we need to read around it. What was going on, what else was being said, what place did it come from.
This is all part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus just finished telling the people (and I'm paraphrasing) don't judge others, don't be a hypocrite, don't criticize because in the same way you exam others you'll be examined! Jesus is also saying don't go after the speck in your brother or sister's eye when there's a plank in your own. Pretty direct and intense and truthfully I think we forget that a lot and we critique everyone that doesn't completely line up with us but that's not the point of this morning's blog.
Now, to my point, vs. 6 "Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn and tear you in pieces." WOW pretty intense but what is Jesus meaning by this?
So I'm going to break it down a little.
Let's start with the dogs, I word searched "dogs" in bible gateway and the scripture in Proverbs 26:11 comes up "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." If you are sharing the gospel over and over again, teaching God's word over and over again, bringing someone to deliverance or breakthrough over and over again and they keep turning around and going back to their vomit, how long will you do that? How long does that keep you locked up in a place?
Next, the swine, what do swine do? They trample around in mud, it's where Jesus sent the legion of demons to. Actually, it's where the demons asked to be sent, they wanted to go into the pigs. Why? Was it their uncleanliness?
Here's something really interesting...In 2 Peter 2 Peter talks about both the dog and the swine in one verse! "There has befallen them the thing spoken of in the true proverb, the dog turns back to his own vomit, and, the sow (pig/swine) is washed only to wallow again in the mire." A clean pig doesn't want to be clean, it runs back to the mud. We've seen it in the natural a dog will literally eat it's own vomit (completely disgusting.)
So what's the point Jesus is really making here?
A few things I believe...
1. He is warning us that we will be ridiculed for sharing the gospel.
2. Not everyone will receive the truths we are carrying.
3. There will be those that even desire to trample us.
4. If people don't welcome the gift GOD has placed in you, go where they do.
5. Jesus did tell us if we're not welcome to shake the dust off and move on.
BUT BE ENCOURAGED...
6. Always treasure the gift God has given you, know it is valuable.
7. Know there is a people hungry for the truths God has given you.
8. Pray for God to prepare the people's hearts to hear truth before you share.
9. Always be directed by God where you go and what you say.
10. There's always a Cornelius continually crying out to God to send someone.
Wrapping it up here, when it becomes more than clear that the gifting of revelation God has placed in us is falling on deaf ears continually over and over and people are closing off their hearts to the word God has placed in us it really is time to shake off the dust like Matthew 10:14 says and be led to a place where people are ready to hear, hungry to grow and desperate to change.
Remember this, you are responsible to be obedient to God BUT you are not responsible for how people react to you and your words or actions. Jesus has told us not to cast our pearls before swine and I believe He will show us when we are and when it's time to wipe the dust off and move on.
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