The Dog's Bread or The Swine's Pearls

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Psalm 22:16
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

A "ravenous wolf" (of the dog family) by spiritual connotations is actually a religious devil or devils. Ravenous birds are similar.

Swine contains similar "as" notes in the O.T. for references and represent more base practices.

Dogs and ravenous wolves are found in the city. Ravenous birds and swine are outside the city.

These descriptive's are spiritual in nature.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Yet a dog will ask for bread. It would be wrong to feed dogs before children, but that doesn't mean dogs who beg can't be fed.

The difference for the 'dog' in the story was that she had faith. That's what opened up everything for her and made her 'clean' and, therefore, qualified for inclusion into the things reserved for the children of God, just as God explained to Peter through the vision of the sheet full of unclean animals that he was not to consider the gentiles categorically unclean any longer because the door of faith had been opened to them:

“What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” (Acts 10:15 NASB italics in original)

"God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean." (Acts 10:28 NASB)

"9 and He made no distinction between us and them (the gentiles), cleansing their hearts by faith." (Acts 15:9 NASB parenthesis mine)

In context 'dogs' and 'swine' refer only to the Gentiles of Jesus' day, as compared with the Jewish people to whom Jesus was originally sent.

The point being they were not a part of the people of God. The people outside of the people of God are still dogs and swine in that they are unclean....and vicious when provoked. Do not cast the holy things of God before them or you'll just be inviting a beating and allowing the holy things of God to be profaned by them being needlessly trampled upon. It's only where a measure of faith exists that we are to expose the holy things of God. Of course, finding that out when and in whom that measure of faith exists is where the challenge is for us.

If you as a Christian desire to look down on other people as subhuman dogs or swine, then that vanity is on you.

I make no apologies for doing it...that is, when that is truly the case. Paul himself teaches us to make the distinction between us and unclean people (dogs, swine, etc.) and to maintain that distinction in a separating of ourselves from them:

"14Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

16Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
“I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.

17“Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord.
“AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.

18“And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty."

(2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NASB capitals in original)

 

[Not_Now.Soon]

What do you think about when Jesus said for us to not cast pearls before swine or give bread to dogs?

What do you think that He meant? One was said as part of the Sermon on the mount...the other in another location.

I know what got questions dot org says and what Matthew Henry says....and what the world thinks (don't be extravagant and waateful.... LOL as if)

But what do you think?
And most importantly WHY?

When I read the verses to not give pearls to swine and what is holy to dogs. I always thought of it by the context of the next description first, more then what are dogs and pigs. The next discription and explanation for why to not do either is because they would trample you and tare you apart.

So my first thought is who would do this, and do they fit the discription of swine and pearls or dogs and what is holy? It might sound too simple but don't throw pearls to the greedy, or what is holy to murders seems to be the best context I can find. The greedy will only ask for more and more, even trample you or tare you apart to get at it. And those who are hateful and ful of malice will only hate you more for showing yourself as holier then they are, or jealous and vengeful because of what is holy that you have.

Those discription boths also seem to fit Jesus's ministry. Though Jesus said to everyone to turn from their sins he was expecially vocal towards the religous leaders. Even through right teaching and miracles that won over great crowds of people, the religous leaders only smoldered and grew in malice and hate until they succeeded in killing Jesus. As for the greedy, at leas once Jesus turned a people away because they asked for a sign that he was from God, like the prophets of old did, such as giving mana from heaven. Jesus turned them away and called them a greedy generation. Instead of satisfying their lusts with miracles, Jesus went back onto the boat and left.

At least that's the best answer I can offer. Swine would be the greedy who's hunger for more will not cease. Dogs would be those who are vengeful and full of evil that they would act on hurting you for offering good gifts, or even offering the good news of the gospel and spiritual healings,(as well as corrections to).

After all it can't be that we aren't to spread the word to sinners and sinners of every kind. Jesus's ministry was given to those in Isreal who were considered sinners by everyone. He even ate and drank with them.

 

[Malachi]

What do you think about when Jesus said for us to not cast pearls before swine or give bread to dogs?

After the Gospel is preached or shared, there will be some who choose to despise the Gospel, mock the Gospel, or reject Christ, or reject Christianity, or reject the existence of God. These individuals may be likened to dogs and swine (unclean animals) who should not be given any further Bible truth, which they will either trample or tear to bits. This ties in with shaking the dust off our feet and moving on when the Gospel is resisted or rejected.

As far as the incident with the Syrophoenician woman was concerned, this was not applicable. There it was a matter of Christ being sent primarily to the Jews, but more importantly, Jesus wanted to test this woman's faith (knowing that she would have great faith).

 

[Douglas Summers]

The difference for the 'dog' in the story was that she had faith. That's what opened up everything for her and made her 'clean' and, therefore, qualified for inclusion into the things reserved for the children of God, just as God explained to Peter through the vision of the sheet full of unclean animals that he was not to consider the gentiles categorically unclean any longer because the door of faith had been opened to them:

“What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” (Acts 10:15 NASB italics in original)

"God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean." (Acts 10:28 NASB)

"9 and He made no distinction between us and them (the gentiles), cleansing their hearts by faith." (Acts 15:9 NASB parenthesis mine)


The point being they were not a part of the people of God. The people outside of the people of God are still dogs and swine in that they are unclean....and vicious when provoked. Do not cast the holy things of God before them or you'll just be inviting a beating and allowing the holy things of God to be profaned by them being needlessly trampled upon. It's only where a measure of faith exists that we are to expose the holy things of God. Of course, finding that out when and in whom that measure of faith exists is where the challenge is for us.



I make no apologies for doing it...that is, when that is truly the case. Paul himself teaches us to make the distinction between us and unclean people (dogs, swine, etc.) and to maintain that distinction in a separating of ourselves from them:

"14Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

16Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
“I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.

17“Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord.
“AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.

18“And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty."

(2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NASB capitals in original)

A good and Godly pastoring / teaching Jethro, by the word of God in Scripture.

Thanks, It lifted me, TRUTH is funny that way.

 

[JohnDB]

Herod, would read scriptures on Holy days publicly....even shedding tears when passages about his Edomite ancestry were read.

But he wanted an audience with Jesus.

Jesus refused.

But in the Old Testament we have Gentiles becoming believers. Nebadchadnezzar and Namaan and several others.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

A good and Godly pastoring / teaching Jethro, by the word of God in Scripture.

Thanks, It lifted me, TRUTH is funny that way.

Thank you, kind sir.
It's neat how open Biblical discussion solicits the blessing of the Holy Spirit in each of us. I'm hooked on it.

 

[stovebolts]

What do you think about when Jesus said for us to not cast pearls before swine or give bread to dogs?

What do you think that He meant? One was said as part of the Sermon on the mount...the other in another location.

I know what got questions dot org says and what Matthew Henry says....and what the world thinks (don't be extravagant and waateful.... LOL as if)

But what do you think?
And most importantly WHY?

Well, since you asked what I thought, here goes the old college try. Did I mention I went to community college?

The way I see it, we are part of God's family. Jesus commanded his disciples to go from town to town preaching the gospel, and if they rejected it, then they were to kick the dust off their feet, take their peace back and move on along. In other words, you can bring a horse to water, but you cant' make it drink, and Jesus says you shouldn't try to make it. It doesn't work... The harvest is plentiful, so don't worry about the weeds or be consumed where that's where your energy is spent. They'll be pulled up and burnt and we were never tasked with that job.

We learn something from Paul at Mars Hill. He's strolling through minding his own business when they asked him. And that was the key. He wasn't out there telling the gentiles, but he certainly took advantage of the opportunity when they asked.

Through the years, I've seen a fair share of athiest groups come and go across this forum, and I am guilty of sharing some of my most precious moments in Christ in hopes of swaying them to no avail. In actuality, more often than not it was twisted and used against me. Without a strong faith, I could see them stripping the faith away from a young believer.

Going back to Paul, and I'll put this out there just to keep with my theme, but we see Jesus having a very open dialog with a Gentile.

Mark 7:25-30 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

We see here that she comes to Jesus asking for something He has... healing power. She got a pearl, and it was appreciated. And I think that's the key. Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

and that's about my nickle's worth

 

[LovethroughDove]

Maybe the swine reference, is to those people who are pretty much demon possessed.

Mark 5:12 The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them."

I have first hand experience with this. If someone is almost totally under the control of demons, they will twist scripture and spew venom back at you. It's horrible!