Angry Javelina with Tusks
Holy ones,
“…correcting those who will not receive correction is futile; one should discerningly continue to offer wisdom or the gift of the kingdom only to those willing to receive what one offers, just as God does.” Craig Keener
We once had a wonderful dog named Jake who was a West Highland terrier and a close companion. He was affectionate, energetic, loved to play, and killed vermin with ferociousness! He was perfect for his role in life as a farm ratter and loyal servant to his masters. Alas..he met an untimely death when he ingested rat poison I thought I had effectively hidden to weed out field rats in the country where we lived at the time.
I even knew a family who acquired pot-bellied pigs that were like domestic pets on their little ranchette. They were interesting, could be petted, but hardly what one might say is cute.
This is a far, far cry from what our Lord and Savior Jesus had in mind when He taught on the hillside on the shores of Galilee. In ancient Palestine, life was certainly more Spartan and dangerous that those of us in the West find in our daily lives.
Rich religious people like the upper crust Pharisees lived in “mansions” of 2,000 square feet or so. Nowadays, that might serve as the vehicle garage for TD Jakes, Benny Hinn, or Joyce Meyer. Nah. Probably too small.
In those past days, money was far more scarce. So, animals were much less frequently kept as pets who like today have no economic purpose. Food was primarily for the family. It was a common thread that stray dogs were hungry…they were looking for food all the time as scavengers…and they were dangerous.
Often traveling in packs, even today one can see them attack people in their pursuit of food, survival, and domination in second and third world countries. These dogs even growled at those persons feeding them as much as strangers who passed by.
One more thing about wild dogs then. When Jesus taught on the eternal punishment of fiery hell, He likened it to Gehenna or the Valley of Hinnom on the southwest edge of Jerusalem. Not only was it the town garbage dump and place for unclean dead things, people carried the excrement to it through the south Dung Gate. And 24-7 the fires burned and the smell was putrid. Everyone knew the place.
And the dogs were there.
They ate the rotting garbage and corpses of dead things.
These were the same dogs that ran the roads of Palestine while gnawing on the dead corpses of crucified men that lined the way. These naked men were deliberately placed low to the ground so as they slowly died, their example showed to other would-be zealot patriots who dared the dominion of Rome. And their decaying bodies emitting the stench of death weren’t hidden under caved in buildings of earthquake stricken Haiti.
No. They were left out in the open so the rotting stench of decomposing beaten bodies were for all to see. Including the dogs who feasted on them…including the genital area. Brutal.
And nasty. This is not nice. But real life. Jesus is full of reality and shocking details. Just like the time He declared in Isaiah 64 that all our good (pre-salvation) deeds are just like filthy menstrual rags. Pretty descriptive.
And pigs were, well…pigs. They looked for any edible thing to eat, even acorns and peas which, incidentally, look similar to pearls. They had no appreciation of anything of value, and trampled underfoot that very thing.
Just like some created humans, the Master warns.
When was the last time (or ever?), you heard a message like this from Matthew 5-7 know in institutional circles as the Sermon on the Mount?
In the teaching context of surrounding verses, Jesus is teaching people who are His believers to judge others. Not the silly, stupid, foolish modern notion not to judge. But rather how to judge. The next time someone utters the now-classic misapplied phrase “Don’t judge,” ask them if they made a judgment to tell you not to judge! All of life is about making judgments. But make them righteously just like Jesus did.
Let’s see again what He’s driving home in Matthew 7:1-5:
“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
Who’s He speaking to here? Believers. He certainly means don’t judge sinfully with condemnation, self-righteousness, bitterness, arrogance, hatred, etc…but judge with the love of God Himself.
OK so far…now to the passage in view, verse 6. Not losing a beat He then quickly gives another command. It’s not a suggestion.
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw (cast in KJV) your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
Who, again, is the audience? Believers.
Are we obeying this?
In a nutshell: No.
How can we when by-and-large the leaders, teachers, and Bible study leaders just avoid this passage? This has no place in the Religion of Niceness (RON) where everyone has a place at God’s table. NO one is excluded. Well…that’s not entirely true. People who subscribe and practice RON with full force do hypocritically only exclude below the belt sinners: homosexuals and abortionists. But everyone else can belly up for some grub when Jesus returns.
Now then, who are the people that God characterizes as pigs and dogs? Who are the folks we need not attempt to lovingly correct, to offer the great benefits of holy living? Who are those souls that we need not proclaim the life of grace that so pleases God and He loves to see…and demands to enter into His eternal presence?
Again…it has to be the believer. We have to preach the whole counsel of Jesus to the unbeliever and we may be killed for the gracious privilege. But notice the verse on judging is helping our “brother” see clearly. Of course, we need to be squeaky clean in that particular area before we can approach the person.
Furthermore, it follows that we’re relieved of the responsibility of proclaiming holy truth to those who find it valueless. Worse than that, they trample it underfoot like pigs. Or like the wild dogs of Gehenna and crucified rotting corpses, turn on you with a vengeance and tear you to pieces like their prey.
When you love someone, and you see their danger, all the forces of your heart and spirit cry out to warn, to plead, to help turn them from their sin…and most certain destruction. Thus Paul wisely writes:
“We proclaim Him, admonishing (shaping the will with warning) every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.” Col. 1:28
But there comes a time, maybe from the get-go in a Christian relationship, when Jesus says stop. No more, or maybe never begin…the person is a stonewaller. But…but..they say they supposedly follow Him. That really hurts our soul.
“…holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” 2 Tim. 3:5
Many of you reading this know exactly what I’m trying to describe. You’ve been rejected, vilified, trashed, wounded, and put out of people’s lives (or churches) all for trying to prevent a train wreck that’s bound to happen. And when it does happen, the backwash of their lives and the lives of those affected, including yours, can be painfully astronomical. And both saddens and angers God.
This is the hardest restraint for a prophet if you have that gift or follow Paul’s teaching to practice prophecy as primary. It’s good to remember that prophecy in its basic application is calling people to or back to faithfulness in God. This person trying to restrain themselves needs every weapon in the Holy Spirit arsenal to remain quiet and temper his heaven-given love to save others from the ungodliness of their lives.
Why would God command such a thing? I can suggest some thoughts for your consideration.
He knows our limitations. He knows there’s only so much we can do…and take. Then He brings direct action and circumstances into that person’s life. It’s often not a pretty sight. But God is more interested in our souls and our holiness than the circumstances He has to put us through.
“Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification (holiness) without which no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14
If we’re not peace-pursuers, we won’t inherit the kingdom of God. God is faithful to His word. If we’re not holiness-pursuers, we won’t inherit the kingdom of God. This is practical, Holy Spirit, grace filled, daily sin-no-more walking with God as Jesus empowers us. Sin is a fluke in the life of a true born-again overcoming believer.
There’re some of you that the Spirit is prompting to obey Jesus in this area. To not give what is holy to the “dogs.” To not cast your pearls of holiness before “pigs.” This may be one of (or the) hardest things He might call you to obey at this time.
This is a hard, hard saying.
We have people in our own families that qualify as pigs and dogs.
We have people in our church gatherings that qualify as pigs and dogs. Hopefully, we don’t qualify. And if we do as a practicing stonewaller, we need to get right with Jesus and repent. His grace is more than sufficient as we know!
Personally, as one of God’s prophets, I’d had more than my share of run-ins with these pigs and dogs I’m sad to say. In a deliverance session once, the men saw in the Spirit gaping wounds in my flesh from all the people in the church who had set their hearts against all we were doing. I can’t think of anything more emotionally and spiritually painful than this at the hands of those who claim to be His.
There has been as least two occasions when going through this agony that I asked God if this is what it felt like to begin to die.
You may be there now…obey Him in the valley and He will deliver you to the mountaintop in His time.
We all need to remember every day in a cushy culture like the west we’re called to suffer for His names sake. It’s good to know Jesus said to Saul on the road to Damascus in regards to His precious ones, “why are you persecuting Me?”
If we don’t obey God in this (and it is not easy at all when all the voices are crying out to just be “nice” to them), then we may actually be fighting against what the Almighty wants to do in their lives. You very well could be preventing the very thing you desire. And that they need so desperately.
I leave you with a quote from Craig Keener’s marvelous commentary in Matthew as he writes on 7.6 on page 244:
One commentator suggests that just as people are careful how they measure and to whom they give, God will do likewise, giving only to those willing to receive from him, forgiving the forgivers and being merciful to the merciful…correcting those who will not receive correction is futile; one should discerningly continue to offer wisdom or the gift of the kingdom only to those willing to receive what one offers, just as God does. In this case the test sounds a note of reciprocity to be repeated in 7.12 (The Golden Rule).
If 7.6 means something along these lines, it does not allow one to prejudge who may receive one’s message (Matt. 13.3-23), but does forbid one to try to force it on those who show no inclination to accept it.
For those of us still struggling with the 90% + stonewallers in the western church who reject and despise (1 Thes. 5.20) any word of face-to-face individual admonishment or something “negative,” we again offer you these links to our articles in dealing with them:
ARE YOU A SEEKER OR STONEWALLER? [MONDAY MANNA 73]
THE NEGATIVE OF ALWAYS BEING POSITIVE [MONDAY MANNA 140]
Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Your friend and brother in fighting the good fight,
Marc
+++
Saints, we’re one day closer to Home, and Him! Love Him wholeheartedly!
Marc and Walk Worthy are supported in part by the body of Jesus Christ. Please consider donating on a regular basis:
You may view our Archives here: MONDAY MANNA – ARCHIVES; Complete Archives. May our Father richly bless you with His grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in order to walk worthy of His name.
Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Marc White, Director, Walk Worthy Ministries, www.WalkWorthy.org
