Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies; 7 for as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. 8 The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, and waste your pleasant words. 9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
--Proverbs 23:6-9 NKJV
One morning, that latter phrase in verse 8, “and waste your pleasant words,” came to mind, and it reminded me of the passage where Jesus says not to cast one’s pearls before swine:
“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.”
--Matthew 7:6 NASB1995
If one gives to dogs what is sacred or casts their pearls to pigs, that is a picture of wasting one’s pleasant words that could otherwise bring healing to a person’s life, emotions, relationships, bones, and entire body.
The phrase before wasting one’s pleasant words in Proverbs 23:8 speaks of vomiting up the morsel one has eaten. Ancient writings say that the dog returns to his vomit (see 2 Peter 2:22 and Proverbs 26:11). Returning to one’s vomit is a picture of repeating the same old unhealthy patterns of thinking and behaving, remaining stuck in the same old cycle. Spiritually speaking, a “dog” is often a biblical metaphor for a foolish person who remains stuck in the cycle of addiction. (1)
Right after the verse about vomiting up the morsel you have eaten and wasting your pleasant words, Proverbs 23:9 says not to speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the words of your wisdom. This verse is another parallel to Jesus’ words not to give to dogs what is sacred nor to cast your pearls to pigs. If you give your life-giving "bread" to dogs, the dogs will vomit it up and it won’t have the intended positive result in their lives.
What does Jesus mean by "Do not give to dogs what is sacred"? The term "dogs" appears again later in Matthew's gospel account, providing us with clues for the proper interpretation:
Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
--Matthew 15:21-28 NKJV
Sometimes, if dogs eat too much bread, they may actually vomit it up because many dogs tend to be gluten intolerant (2). What did Jesus mean when he told a Canaanite (Gentile) woman that “it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to their dogs”?
If "dogs" represent people outside of a covenant relationship with God who act foolishly and wickedly (with rebellious, self-seeking, narcissistic, and/or toxic thinking and relational patterns), then Jesus is saying not to waste one’s “pearls of wisdom” with somebody who is so close-minded and hard-hearted that doing so will go unappreciated, ineffective, and only get oneself abuse.
Healing is for those who have a relationship with God based on genuine love, obedient trust, and undying commitment. Pride, bitterness, shame, fear, anxiety, and chronic grief will short-circuit healing like toxic chemicals will stunt the healthy growth of a tree. "Giving to dogs what is sacred" would further close the heart of the emotionally wounded "fool" who rejects the knowledge that can help them and give them true joy and freedom (see Proverbs 9:7-8).
Dogs are often biblical metaphors for those who are outside of God's covenant relationship. The Canaanite people were outside of God's covenant with the Jewish people, and their lifestyles were contrary to the healthy standards, boundaries, and laws that God gave to His own children. These laws were given to the Jewish people for their maximal happiness, protection, provision, safety, health, prosperity, blessing, and freedom when those commandments to love God and to love others were kept diligently.
This Canaanite woman, however, demonstrated that she did not have a foolish, dog-like mindset. Rather, she thought like a true sheep (or disciple) of Jesus Christ. A "dog," spiritual outsider, or "fool'' will despise words of wisdom. A foolish person cannot digest revelation-truth, or the bread (or "manna") of the Word of God, for it is foolishness to him. (see 1 Corinthians 2:14). A dog-like mindset cannot digest (process or properly take in) spiritual things just as sometimes a dog cannot properly digest bread.
However, the Canaanite woman demonstrated a confidence in Jesus that would not take “no” for an answer. She was confident that God created her for freedom and abundant life, and that the promises of God’s covenant would soon come to Gentile outsiders like her. Her reply to Jesus indicated that she was not like the ancient queen, Jezebel, who came from her hometown hundreds of years before.
Jezebel was an unsubmissive leader who defied God's order in marriage, politics, worship, the legal system, conflict resolution, etc., but this Canaanite woman from Sidon submitted to Jesus’ leadership as she called him “Lord” and believed in Him.
Queen Jezebel was eaten by dogs because of her rebellious, narcissistic, self-seeking lifestyle and mindsets. Jezebel did not submit to God’s ways, but called evil “good, satisfying, liberating, etc.” and she called good “evil, oppressive, joyless, restrictive, etc.” However, this Canaanite woman came to Jesus as her Source of freedom, hope, life, healing, authority, and sustenance.
Her reply to Jesus was saying in effect, “Yes, Jesus. By your grace, as I submit myself to your authority as Lord, a few crumbs from your table is enough to heal my daughter. I trust that You are good and compassionate and that You will supply whatever I need to remove this demon for my daughter’s life in Your perfect timing. I may not be yet ready to fully digest what it means to have a covenant with You (the Bread of life) until later, but a few crumbs from you now will be sufficient to heal my family. I trust that whatever you have to give me at this stage will be sufficient sustenance for my situation…Father, through Your holy servant, Jesus, I trust You to give me this day the bread that I need.”
"The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. 25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."
--Proverbs 16:23-25 NKJV
The passage at the beginning of this article from Proverbs 23:6-9 speaks of wasting one’s “pleasant words” on a greedy fool with an insatiable appetite, addiction, and/or toxic relational patterns. This passage from Proverbs 16:23-25 describes the positive effects when a wise person receives a person’s “pleasant words” of wisdom, encouragement, grace, and truth.
As our hearts become teachable before God, we will learn from God and increase in the intimate knowledge of God (see Proverbs 2:1-6; Colossians 1:9-12; 2 Corinthians 10:5). Consequently, God’s pleasant words will be sweet to our intellect, will, and emotions and health to our entire bodies. How does this work?
What does it mean that pleasant words are “health to the bones''? Our immune system is primarily contained within our bone marrow. The immune system is compromised (or weakened) by excess cortisol drip in response to any mindset that is ridden with fear, guilt, and shame, the byproduct of which is disease or sickness.
But when we truly believe the good news of God, our bone marrow gets replenished (see Proverbs 15:30). Coming into alignment and agreement with God’s pleasant words removes the guilt, shame, and fear that is causing the excess cortisol drip, which is causing the compromised immune system, which is causing the sickness.
According to the next verse (Proverbs 16:25), there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. We may have certain mindsets that seem or feel right to us, but that are actually sabotaging our relationships and our physical health. Fear, guilt, and shame may feel right to us. We may listen to the voices of guilt, fear, and condemnation, and we may feel more comfortable beating ourselves up with accusation than listening to that still, small voice that tells us that we are lovely and the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
A rejection mindset may feel right to us. The fear of rejection promises to protect us from getting hurt again. “Don’t go up and talk to that person in an attempt to get to know them beyond the surface level. They may reject you and it may not work out.” That voice may seem and feel so right and comfortable to us. It promises safety and comfort. But could that voice actually be hindering us from true connection with others and the freedom for which we were made?
Sure there are times when bonding or connecting with others may be toxic or unhealthy. That’s why Jesus said not to cast one’s pearls to pigs or to give to dogs what is sacred. However, when that still small voice prompts us to take a step of faith (risk) by talking to somebody in another situation, how will we respond? We were created for deep, close, bonded, healthy relationships with others.
Jesus was a “friend of tax collectors and sinners” (see Matthew 11:19; Luke 15:1-2; Mark 2:14-16). Yet he never walked “in the counsel of the ungodly,” stood “in the path of sinners,” nor “sat in the seat of scoffers.” (see Psalm 1:1) In other words, Jesus perfectly modeled listening to God the Father’s voice by loving and accepting others. Yet in His demonstration of such loving acceptance, Jesus never compromised his integrity, called evil “good,” mocked God’s spiritual ways, or sought his pleasure in ultimately unsatisfying or unfulfilling ways.
Jesus was like a tree that was planted by streams of life-giving water (see Psalm 1:2-3; John 7:37-39). He always listened to God’s voice, found his identity in His Father, and was empowered to love and accept others in life-transforming ways as a result.
It says in the Ancient Writings that “A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22 AMPC) “The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.“ (Proverbs 15:30 ESV). To learn more about entering into a personal relationship with God, see any of the articles found on my “Good news” page here.
(1) This does not necessarily mean that it is foolish to have dogs as a pet. Dogs were scavengers in the ancient times, and their promiscuous tendencies made them likewise comparable to prostitutes (see Deuteronomy 23:18; 1 Kings 22:38). Certain animals are used as metaphors throughout the Scriptures. E.g. Serpents represent “deceiving spirits;” lions often represent “accusing spirits;” ostriches represent rejection; wolves represent hypocritical and judgmental false teachers; swine represent arrogant “know--it-alls;” oxen represent ministers; etc.
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