“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” Matthew 7:6.
The dogs of the first century were not the domesticated pets that we are fond of today. They were known as the “pariah.” These animals were scavengers. They would travel through cities in packs and feed on the garbage. On occasion they were known to attack people. They were not to be given anything which was holy; not even the scraps that the priests may have had left over from the animal sacrifices (Leviticus 2:3). They could not distinguish or appreciate one scrap of food from another.
The swine were unclean animals (Leviticus 11:7). Like the dogs, they also were scavengers; eating whatever trash or refuse that was put before them. These animals had no appreciation of one item over another. Even pearls, though valuable, would be trampled “under their feet.”
The lesson in this is the hard realization that some people we try to teach have no appreciation for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some, like the dogs, “attack and bite” those who would teach them the truth and tragically even the truth itself. Others, in their worldly living, are like the swine in that they trample the pearls of truth right under their feet.
Difficult as it may be, we must leave these souls and move on to others who are willing to hear and obey the gospel. Or, to express it as Jesus did to the disciples when He sent them on the limited commission, you have to “shake the dust off of your feet,” and go on (Matthew 10:14). We must deliver the mail, but it is not our job to make anyone believe and obey.
The overriding thought that we must grasp is that there are too many souls in need of the gospel, that have never heard the truth, for us to spend our time on those who will not appreciate the word of God and obey it!
Do not be discouraged when someone does not obey the gospel as if you have failed. Similar to the displeasure of Samuel when Israel demanded a physical king to reign over them; we need to be reminded of God’s message to Samuel: “….they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” (I Samuel 8:7)