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What Is The Spiritual Significance Of Swine

Hi J____,

I am very thankful to be a messenger for God, and I am grateful that you are receiving the message.

Thank you for your question.

You ask:

"In Mat. 7:6 what is the spiritual meaning of the swine?  I have an overwhelming desire to talk to my friends and family about what I have learned but I don't want to cast my pearls before the swine.  I have been keeping most of it to myself unless asked but inside I am ready to burst."

Each animal in scripture has a separate spiritual message which our Lord wants to convey to us.  Very often animals in scripture are used to convey the thought of negative beastly attributes of mankind, who himself is but a mere beast who is being made into the image of God's son:

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Ecc 3:19  For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath [Hebrew, ruach - spirit]; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
Ecc 3:20  All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
Without a resurrection "a man hath no preeminence above a beast.' Even the apostle Paul informs us that if there is no resurrection of the death, then those who have "fallen asleep in Christ are perished."

1Co 15:17  And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
1Co 15:18  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished
So man is a beast and as such he has within him all the features of all the beasts of scripture. In order to answer your question we need to understand what the scriptures mean when speaking of swine. The Hebrew word for swine is chaziyr, and it appears only seven times in the Old Testament. Here is what the scriptures reveal to us about swine:

Lev 11:3  Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
Lev 11:4  Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev 11:5  And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev 11:6  And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev 11:7  And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
Lev 11:8  Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
While the spiritual significance of clean and unclean meats is a most revealing and instructive study, I will only note here that swine are similar to clean meat inasmuch as they part the hoof with two claws. Those "instructed unto the kingdom of heaven" understand that we are always to have two witnesses to every word we teach as the Truth of the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven, and those two witnesses must be of both the Old and the New Testaments:

Mat 13:52  Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
Any teacher who violates this directive must be suspect, and that spirit will always be tried and found wanting of obedience to the Truth of this verse. No prophecy of scripture is ever to be of its own interpretation. It is all to be understood in the light of the rest of God's Word.

2Pe 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private [Greek - idios - its own] interpretation.
So swine, in scripture, are seen as being similar to what is clean, yet because swine do not chew the cud, because they do not ruminate, because swine do not have the ability to "meditate on God's word day and night," they are not to be considered as clean. Those who cannot discern unclean swine, will eat them and touch them and become, themselves, unclean.

Swine, in scripture, are not to be thought of as wild beasts but as herd animals, under the care of and the direction of men.

Mar 5:11  Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
Mar 5:12  And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
Mar 5:13  And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
Christ himself sends evil spirits into the swine. Swine receive unclean spirits and receive the rewards of doing so. They are "choked in the sea."

There are two verses of scripture which reveal that swine are closely associated with, but have no appreciation for, the valuable things of the spirit:

Pro 11:22  As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.
This verse alone answers your question, "a fair woman without discretion," is God's own people who cannot receive his words, and they spiritually equate to swine with God's valuables. They have God's gold, but they have no appreciation of it. Here is a Biblical example of those who spiritually have been given, but do not receive and appreciate the valuable ornaments and jewels and gold of God's Word. Here is a Biblical example of what are spiritual swine:

Joh 8:30  As he [Christ] spake these words, many [of God's own people, Jews, the established church] believed on him.
Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Spiritual 'swine' believe on Christ and are indeed Abraham's seed by the bondwoman. But they are "unclean" and do not appreciate things of spiritual value any more than Esau appreciated the value of his birthright. Look now at how 'Jews that believe on Christ' but do not value His doctrine, treat the valuable things of the spirit:
Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Joh 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Spiritual 'swine' have no appreciation for Christ's spiritual words. "My word has no place in you ... ["Jews which believe on me"]."
Joh 8:38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
Joh 8:39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Joh 8:40  But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
Joh 8:41  Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, [even] God.
Joh 8:42  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Joh 8:45  And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Joh 8:46  Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
Joh 8:47  He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
Joh 8:48  Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
Why do spiritual 'swine' want to kill Christ? Three reasons are given in this passage, and all three amount to the same thing; spiritual swine have no appreciation for the valuable gold and ornaments of Christ's words and His doctrine. What they do really appreciate is wallowing in the mud of the ground from which they were taken. Spiritual 'swine,' like Esau, appreciate the things of this world, wallowing in the mud of this earth. Esau preferred the red pottage of this world to the blessings of his birthright, which typifies our spiritual blessings of our spiritual birthright.

Gen 25:30  And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
Gen 25:31  And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
Gen 25:32  And Esau said, Behold, I [am] at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
Gen 25:33  And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Gen 25:34  Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
Esau, like Ishmael, really is Abraham's seed. But like King Saul who was anointed by Samuel but replaced by King David, Esau typifies God's rejected anointed. Which brings us now to the verse which provoked your question:

Mat 7:6  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.
The "many called but [not] chosen" are spiritually 'swine' who have God's Word and who give God's Word much lip service, but who in reality would crucify Christ rather than to keep His commandments to "love thine enemies... resist not evil, bid them not into your house..."  etc.

I hope this helps you see that spiritual swine are those who cannot receive Christ's doctrine and who prefer the things of this world to spiritual values. Swine are not wild beasts in the sense that they are not even Abraham's seed. Swine are Abraham's seed and they do split the hoof, and to that degree they are familiar with and "believe on Christ." But spiritual swine, are those who, even though they "believe on Him," "cannot receive Christ's Words" and His doctrine. Spiritual swine lack the ability to appreciate the things of the spirit. They much prefer the things of this earth.

Your brother in Christ,

Mike