PT-2 "The Right Ballance" (Matt. 7:5b-6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/20/2021 3:21 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  PT-2 “The Right Balance”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Matt. 7:5b-6

 

            Message of the verses:  “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. 6 "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

 

            Looks like we will be talking at sometime in this SD about “dogs” and “hogs,” so I hope that sounds interesting.

 

            We have been talking about humility, for that is one thing that we truly must desire as we walk with our Lord.  We are not to play the hypocrite—blaming others while we excuse ourselves.  This is what we ended up looking at from our last SD, but today we must talk about some dangers even for the truly humble and repentant believer.  Let us look at the first danger which already has been mentioned and that is of concluding that we have no right to oppose wrong doctrine or wrong practices in the church.  We just can “judge not or you will be judged” in cases pertaining in the church.  I suppose another case would be if you were a juror deciding on a case of law.  In the church we have to be able to confront a sinning brother.  Jesus talks about this in the 18^th chapter of Matthew as He gives the church an order in dealing with sin. 

 

            John MacArthur writes “Jesus closes this illustration with a thunderbolt that completely shatters the sentimental interpretation that, in the name of humility and love, we are never to oppose wrong or correct wrongdoers.  It is clear that Jesus does not exclude every kind of judgment.  In fact, He just as plainly commands a certain kind of right judgment here as He forbids a wrong kind in the preceding verses.  ‘Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine.’ To obey that command it is obviously necessary to be able to determine who are ‘dogs’ and ‘swine.’”

 

            I don’t want you to misunderstand about what the dogs were in Jesus’ day and what they are in our day as we live in the United States of America.  In Jesus’ day the dogs were wild, and they certainly were not kept in houses.  Much different today than in His day.

 

            I Jew would never want to take some meat that was offered as a sacrifice and throw it to the dogs, this just would never happen.  In the Law there were certain practices on what to do with the different parts of the sacrifices as some were burnt up, some parts were eaten by the priests, and some would often be taken home and eaten by the family who made the sacrifice.  Now the part that was left on the altar was the part which was consecrated exclusively to the Lord, and therefore it was holy and very special.  Now you can better understand what Jesus is talking about here.

 

            Most people probably know what the Jews thought about swine.  One of the Jews great enemies, Antiochus Epiphanes, a picture of the coming antichrist, sacrificed a pig on the Jewish altar, and in the future the antichrist will do something similar.  When Epiphanes did this in 168 B.C. it touched off the Maccabean revolt against Greece.

 

            I believe that Jesus’ point here is that certain truths and blessings of our faith are not to be shared with people who are totally antagonistic to the things of God.  Most of them would probably just make fun of it because they are spiritually dead.  MacArthur adds “Such people are spiritual dogs and swine, who have no appreciation for that which is holy and righteous.  They will take that which is holy, the pearls (the rarest and most valuable of jewels; see Matt. 13:45-46) of God’s Word, as foolishness and as insult.”

 

            Giving a wild animal whose primary concern is scavenging for food a pearl would hardly be something he appreciates.  The animal will resent its not being something to eat and possibly attack the one who is throwing it to him.

 

            Looks like one more SD to do on this section, and Lord willing we will do this tomorrow.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I like to talk to people about the Lord who seem to me to be a divine connection, as this seems to be the best way to me.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Seek the Lord’s help in bringing revival to me, my family, our Sunday school class, and our church.  Then if it is the plan of the Lord it will spread to our land and eventually around the world before the Lord comes to take His church home to be with Him.

 

1/20/2021 4:02 PM