Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
If you have that which is holy, you are not to give it to dogs. If you have the pearls of holiness, you are not to cast them before swine. In order to be obedient to these words of Christ you must know two things. You must have that which is holy, and you must be able to discern the dogs and swine.
To whom is Christ giving these instructions? He is speaking to His disciples, for they are the ones that have the pearls and holy things of God. And seeing the multitudes, He went up into the mountain; and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him. Matthew 5:1. Notice that while the multitudes were there it was to the disciples that He was speaking, for only they came unto Him.
Who are the dogs and swine? They are the ones Jesus refers to in verses 1-5. Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye; but consider not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote of thy brother’s eye. These hypocrites are the dogs and swine of verse 6.
The pearls and holy things are the mystical truths of God’s Word that are given to those entering the strait gate that leads into life (Matthew 7:13-14). The Lord also holds to these instructions. He will not reveal the mystical truths of His Word to pharisaic Christians. He only gives them to the ones who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Have you ever wondered why the deeper truths of the Word are easily seen by some Christians but are completely obscure to others? The Holy Scriptures are written in such a way that only the hungry heart finds them.
Jesus spoke of the pearls and holy things in the parables of Matthew chapter 13.
Matthew 13:44 The Kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
The holy things are a treasure hidden in the field of the Scriptures. They are found by a man who regards them of more value than anything else. He gives all that he is and has for the field and hides the holy things in his heart. This is also what the Lord Jesus has done. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in Him (Colossians 2:3), and He only reveals them to those who treasure them.
Matthew 13:45-46 Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man,
seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that had,
and bought it.
Would you like to find the pearl of great price? It will cost all that you are.
It is to those who find the pearls and holy things of God that He says, “Do not give that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine.”
Copyright © 2007 by Henry DuBose