Special Study
29/09/2014
Topic: THE NECESSITY OF DISCERNMENT AND
WISDOM IN MINISTRY
Matthew 7:6
“Give not that which is holy unto
the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine ...” Many Christians find this verse difficult to understand.
And still, many more find it difficult to apply. Are the words,
“that which is holy”, “pearls”, “dogs”, “swine”
literal or symbolic? They are symbolic. Obviously, “that
which is holy” is sacred and “pearls” are
precious, peculiar treasures. There are sacred, precious, peculiar treasures
that will not be recognized, appreciated or even needed by dogs and pigs that
they will “trample under their feet.” Throwing
such treasures to them will also arouse their wild nature so they will “turn
again and rend you”.
Apart from “that
which is holy” or a sacred thing which dogs do not recognize,
appreciate or need, are there things we can give to dogs? “Any
flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.” “The
dogs... eat of the children’s crumbs.” “Everyone that lappeth of
the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself”
(Exodus 22:31; Mark 7:28; Judges 7:5). The dogs need and appreciate food
and water and these common necessities we can give to the dogs. “A
jewel of gold in a swine’s snout” (Proverbs 11:22) will be
ridiculous and unsightly but “the husks that the swine did
eat” (Luke 15:15,16) are necessary for their sustenance. We must not
give that which is holy or sacred to dogs, neither should we cast our pearls or
precious treasures to swine but we cannot deny them bread and water. The love
of God compels us to present the bread of life and the water of life to
everyone while the deep mysteries of the Kingdom are kept only for the children
of the King.
1. DESCRIPTION
OF MEN AS DOGS AND SWINE
Matthew
7:6; Philippians 3:2; 2 Kings 8:11-13; Psalm 22:16-18; Isaiah 56:10-12; Psalm
59:2-7; 2 Peter 2:20-22; Matthew 15:21-28; 10:5,6,11-20; Revelation 22:15-17.
“Give
not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine”. It is very important and significant to identify who the
dogs and swine represent. But before we do this, we must remember that we are
to “preach the gospel to every creature”; Jesus tasted “death
for every man”; “Christ died for the ungodly”; “The
Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance”; “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the
Barbarians”; “the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth”. “If thine enemy hunger, feed
him; if he thirst, give him drink.” We must not withhold food
and water from anyone, neither should we deny anyone the privilege of hearing
the gospel. Christ, the Bread of Life and the Water of Life is for
everyone (John 6:48-51; 4:10,14;
Revelation 22:17). Special, sacred, deep mysteries of the Kingdom, the great
doctrines of God’s Word are not for strangers outside the Kingdom, but all must
hear the gospel of salvation.
To
the Israelites, dogs and swine are unclean animals. The dog was the scavenger
of the village and was generally fierce and dangerous. The swine was also
regarded as dirty and unclean in every way. So, dogs signify men who are still
in their sins, who delight in their foolishness and wickedness, unashamedly
practising what decent people detest (Proverbs 26:11). The swine also denote
men of iniquity and impurity who have no mind or sense of dignity. Their
understanding is so darkened that they “glory in their
shame”, they “wallow in the mire.” Dogs and
swine, these men of corrupt mind and deadened conscience, have no appreciation
for holy things and pearls – “they trample them under their feet”. Their nature is vile and violent, like wild dogs
and vile swine, they would rather rend, tear or persecute ministers of “the
mystery of Christ” and proclaimers of “the unsearchable riches of
Christ” (Ephesians 3:4-13).
2. DISCERNMENT
IN MINISTRY TOWARDS DANGEROUS SINNERS
Matthew 7:6; Exodus 29:32,33; Leviticus 22:10; 1 Samuel
21:3-6; Matthew 2:7-13; Mark 6:17-28; Acts 13:45-47; 18:5-11; Jude 22,23; 2 Corinthians 12:1-4.
Matthew
chapter seven, verse six is beautifully set and arranged: “Give
not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine,
lest they (the swine) trample them under their feet, and turn
again (that is, the dogs) and rend you”. The
Lord is instructing us to be wise and discerning in ministering to different
kinds of people. We are not to offer the great doctrines of God’s Word to
violent, unconverted men who would curse and blaspheme, nor to peculiarly
debased and profligate people who would not perceive their value.
No
son of Aaron would think of giving the holy things of the sanctuary or the
shewbread from the holy place to an unclean or common person. No servant of
Christ, our great High Priest, should give the holy thing or the peculiar treasures
of the Kingdom to “dogs and swine”, to unclean,
unconverted people. Let us also remember that “the holy
thing”, the emblem of Christ’s body and blood must
not be given to unconverted men and women (1 Corinthians 11:23-29). “He
that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself.”
Wisdom
and discernment on the part of preachers, ministers and Christ’s witnesses and
ambassadors demand that we limit ourselves to the basic fundamentals of the
gospel when preaching to sinners. Even new converts are to be fed with the milk
of the Word (John 16:12,13; 1 Corinthians 3:1,2; Hebrews 5:13;1 Peter 2:2). “Strong
meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use
have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews
5:14).
3. DECLARATION
OF THE MASTER TO HIS DISCIPLES AND SERVANTS
Matthew
7:6; Genesis 37:5-20; Judges 16:6,15-21; Proverbs 31:3; 5:9-13; Acts 8:18-24;
Psalm 50:16-22; Ezra 4:1-6; Nehemiah 13:28-30; Matthew 17:1-9.
“Give
not that which is holy unto the dogs.”
This is Christ’s command to all His disciples and servants in all generations
of believers. The command has a very wide application. He does not restrict our
ministering to the world but He calls us to spiritual discernment and discretion
as we preach the gospel to every creature. Our Lord is concerned about
preserving “that which is holy” and the “pearls”
of the gospel. He also gives us this command for the preservation of
His ministers and His Church, lest they “turn again and
rend” us. Herod rejected the message of John the Baptist, imprisoned
him, thereby hindering his ministry to those who desired the Truth, and
eventually killed him.
We
are not to give “that which is holy” to “dogs
and swine”, that is, to the unclean, the unrighteous. What does
the Scripture regard as “that which is holy”? (1) Great, deep truths of God’s Law
(Hosea 8:12; Romans 7:12). (2) Sacred privilege of priesthood, reserved only
for the called, cleansed and consecrated (Nehemiah 7:64). (3) Special service of
the Levites that no stranger is permitted to intrude into (Numbers 4:4,19). (4)
The gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:18-24; 1 Timothy 5:22). (5) The ministry to
which only the sanctified are commissioned
(Acts 1:17,21-26; 2 Timothy 2:21). (6) Work and service in the church
(Acts 6:2-4). (7) Water baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 8:36-39; 1
Corinthians 11:23-29). A commentary on the Gospels says, “In particular, the
early Church was very careful about whom it admitted to the Lord’s Table, and
this text became associated with the Lord’s Table. The Lord’s Supper began with
the announcement: “Holy things for holy people.”
Dogs and swine, men and women whose nature and lives
have not been changed and transformed do not know the spiritual value of holy
things and pearls of the Kingdom. The frightening consequence of giving holy
things and pearls to dogs and swine is that truth is trampled upon, the
sanctuary is polluted and the believers and ministers are rent and destroyed
(Lamentations 1:10; Ezekiel 44:7-9; Isaiah 59:14,15; Jeremiah 7:28).
*
* * *
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Congregational Songs:
O TO BE LIKE THEE
1. O to
be like Thee, blessed Redeemer,
This
is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly
I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures.
Jesus,
Thy perfect likeness to wear.
O,
to be like Thee, O, to be like Thee.
Blessed
Redeemer, pure as thou art;
Come
in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fulness;
Stamp
Thine own image deep on my heart.
2. O to
be like Thee, full of compassion,
Loving,
forgiving, tender and kind
Helping
the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking
the wand’ring sinner to find.
3. O to
be like Thee, lowly in spirit,
Holy
and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly
enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing
to suffer, others to save.
4. O to
be like Thee, Lord, I am coming,
Now
to receive th’anointing divine,
All
that I am and have I am bringing,
Lord,
from this moment all shall be Thine.
5. O to
be like Thee, while I am pleading,
Pour
out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love,
Make
me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and
heaven above.
BREAK THOU THE BREAD OF LIFE
1. Break
Thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
As
Thou didst break the loaves beside the sea;
Beyond
the sacred page I seek thee, Lord;
My
spirit pants for Thee, O Living Word!
2. Break
Thou the bread of life, O Lord, to me,
That
hid within my heart Thy Word may be:
Mould
Thou each inward thought, from self set free,
And
let my steps be all controlled by Thee.
3. Open
Thy Word of Truth, that I may see
Thy
message written clear and plain for me;
Then
in sweet fellowship walking with Thee,
Thine
image on my life engraved will be.
4. O
send Thy Spirit, Lord now unto me,
That
He may touch my eyes, and make me see;
Show
me the truth concealed within Thy Word.
And
in Thy Book revealed I see the Lord.
5. Bless
thou the truth, dear Lord, To me, to me,
As
Thou didst bless the bread by Galilee:
Then
shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall;
And
I shall find my peace, my All in All!
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