Pearls, Pigs, & the Law

If you care about defending obedience to God and explaining Torah to other believers, you already know what it feels like to care deeply about something only to be told you are taking it too seriously. The more seriously you treat God’s commandments, the more resistance you get, especially when your conviction exposes someone else’s comfort or tradition.

People who reject Torah observance often frame it as no big deal. They talk about God’s commandments as restrictive, burdensome, or unnecessary, like they are optional suggestions instead of covenant instructions. The claim is usually that obedience is overkill, that God does not really care about the details, and that insisting on them is taking things too far. That mindset sounds harmless, but it completely misunderstands how God views His own Law.

From Scripture’s perspective, obedience is not a casual issue. God repeatedly treats rejection of His instructions as rebellion, not as a personality difference or theological preference. When someone dismisses Torah as bondage, they are not disagreeing with a group of people, they are disagreeing with God’s definition of holiness, covenant faithfulness, and righteousness. That is why this subject matters far more than people want to admit.

Anyone who is walking in His commandments for any length of time learns a hard lesson. You can present verse after verse. You can lay out the pattern from Moses to the prophets to Jesus to the apostles. You can show that obedience never earned salvation, but was always the expected response to redemption. And still, many people will not hear it. Not because the evidence is weak, but because the heart is closed. Scripture itself says that truth is not merely seen, it is received.

Second Corinthians 3:14-16 says, "But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away. But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. But whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."

If the veil is still there, no amount of proof will force someone to love what God calls holy.

In Matthew 7:6 Jesus said, "Don't give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."

This was not a warning about pagans or atheists. He was speaking within a Jewish context, addressing people who claimed to belong to God. In other words, He was talking about fellow believers who treat holy things with contempt.

Torah is holy. God calls it good, just, and life-giving. Psalm 19:7-9 says, "YHVH's law is perfect, restoring the soul. YHVH's testimony is sure, making wise the simple. YHVH's precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. YHVH's commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of YHVH is clean, enduring forever. YHVHP's ordinances are true, and righteous altogether."

Romans 7:12 says,

"Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous, and good."

When someone continually mocks it, minimizes it, or tramples it under foot, there comes a point where continuing to argue is no longer productive. Not because the truth changed, but because the listener has already decided they do not want it. Jesus was teaching discernment, not cowardice. There is a difference between patience and repeatedly placing sacred things into hostile hands.

Proverbs 9:8 gives the same warning from another angle, "Don't reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise person, and he will love you."

Proverbs 23:9 adds, "Don't speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words."

So Scripture does not just tell you to speak the truth, it tells you to pay attention to what kind of person you are speaking to. If someone shows you over and over that they hate correction and despise wisdom, you are not being unloving when you stop pushing the point, you are obeying what God already told you about fools and scoffers.

This is one of the most frustrating parts of walking in obedience. You eventually realize that seeing the truth does not mean others will see it too. It is not arrogance to acknowledge that. Scripture says God opens eyes and ears. If He has opened yours, that is not a license to argue endlessly, it is a responsibility to guard what is holy.

Walking in His commandments teaches restraint, humility, and wisdom, not just in how we live, but in how we speak. There are times to teach, times to answer, and times to stop casting pearls. That line is not unloving. It is biblical. Second Timothy 2:23 says, "But refuse foolish and ignorant questionings, knowing that they generate strife."

If you are walking in obedience and it feels lonely or frustrating, that does not mean you are doing it wrong. It means you value what God calls holy. Discernment is part of faithfulness. Guarding truth is not quitting, and silence is not compromise when wisdom says to stop casting pearls.

So if you are the one out here defending Torah, explaining obedience, and contending for God’s commandments, take Jesus’ warning and the wisdom of Proverbs seriously. Ask Him to show you who is wise, who is still teachable, and who has already decided to trample what is holy. Speak boldly where hearts are open, but be just as obedient when it is time to walk away and save those pearls for someone who will actually treasure them.