The Sermon on the Mount - Wise use of that which is Holy
WISE USE OF THAT WHICH IS HOLY
Mt. 7:6 1/14/07 a.m.
Sermon on the Mt. –Message Series
Mt.7:6 6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
As we saw in last weeks message, Jesus did not forbid us to judge but He forbid us to condemn. We as Christian are commanded to use wise judgment and discernment.
This verse is an additional insight to that truth.
The Lord isn’t telling us to pick and choose who we minister to, because He’s not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance, but to use wise judgment and discernment in doing so.
Good counsel and reproof are a holy thing, and a pearl: they are ordinances of God,
They are precious;
Prov. 25:11-12 11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
In settings of silver.
So is the wise reprover
12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold
Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.
And a wise reproof is like an excellent oil
Ps. 141:5 5 Let the righteous strike me;
It shall be a kindness.
And let him rebuke me;
It shall be as excellent oil;
Let my head not refuse it.
The things of God are Holy and Precious and we are to be wise in the use of them.
Not everyone we minister to will receive the gospel, instruction or correction,
Acts 13:41 41 ‘Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish!
For I work a work in your days, A work which you will by no means believe,
Though one were to declare it to you.’ ”
Reproofs will be called reproaches by those that reject them
Lu. 11:45 45 Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.”
Jer. 6:10 10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,
That they may hear?
Indeed their ear is uncircumcised,
And they cannot give heed.
Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
Acts 13:45 … contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.
Clearly these are people who do not value what we have to offer them;
And the Lord referrers to them as dogs and swine
Pigs and dogs were considered unclean animals (Prov 26:11; 2 Pet 2:22), and were peculiarly repulsive to the Jews, and indeed to the ancients generally
Pigs
Pigs in Palestine were wild and vicious, as well as “unclean.”
Pigs typically ate the vilest foods,
Had no appreciation for valuable things
Prov 11:22 22 As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout,
So is a lovely woman who lacks 8discretion.
Dogs
Dogs were scavengers, consuming even human blood.
In the East, dogs are wilder and more gregarious, and, feeding on carrion and garbage, are coarser and fiercer than the same animals in the West.
Stray dogs were known to growl at those who tossed them food as well as those who ignored them.
The word “dog” is often used to signify contempt or the inferiority of a person or item.[1]
The image would thus be forceful and beyond dispute for ancient hearers.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs neither cast ye your pearls before swine
To share something of value (pearls) with those who will not appreciate it.
—haters of truth and righteousness.
—the impure or coarse,
---who are incapable of appreciating the priceless jewels of Christianity.
PROV.23:9 9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will despise the wisdom of your words.
v6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
Turn (στραφέντες). The Rev. properly omits again.
The word graphically pictures the quick, sharp turn of the boar.
Rend (ῥήξωσιν). Lit., break; and well chosen to express the peculiar character of the wound made by the boar’s tusk, which is not a cut, but a long tear or rip.[2]
The metaphor that some will reject the Gospel and the disciple’s way of life with contempt and scorn
Mt.10:16 16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless 6as doves.
Prov.9:7-8 7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
Those who lack the capacity for appreciating the intrinsic worth and value of the gospel often respond with vicious scorn and hardened contempt.
Correcting those who will not receive correction is futile
There is a time to speak and a time to be silent
Ec. 3:7 7 ……………;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
Even Jesus refused to talk to Herod (Luke 23:9),
and Paul refused to argue with people who resisted the Word
Acts 13:44–49 6 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.
.
The disciple must be keenly sensitive to when it is appropriate to move to a more receptive environment
MT10:14 14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!
Even When You Are Right, Do Not Impose the Truth on Others
He is instructing us not to force the Holy and Precious things of God upon them that have been instructed out of the things of God and yet refuse it.
Tqmwpqzxcvgfdloouijwet6683210jjhhhhhhhnn hjofdhbngbgbgvvvgvvggvytgnv v b igu6ggnhgnhy bmmhbhhvhbv nvvtbvgv (Nate writes his name & others)
Have you accepted the HOLY THINGS of God?
If so, are you using them wisely?
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8 taste
[1]Freeman, James M. ; Chadwick, Harold J.: Manners & Customs of the Bible. Rev. ed.]. North Brunswick, NJ : Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998, S. 418
Rev. Revised Version of the New Testament.
Lit. Literally.
[2]Vincent, Marvin Richardson: Word Studies in the New Testament. Bellingham, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2002, S. 1:50
6 innocent