Guarding Your Pearls (Proverbs 23:9)
Listen Here:
Proverbs 23:9
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
for he will despise the good sense of your words.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:6, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”
This verse — Proverbs 23:9 — is saying something similar. It’s the Old Testament echo of Jesus’ warning. Don’t give the dogs what is holy. Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for they will despise your words. Don’t throw your pearls to the pigs.
Both Solomon and Jesus are saying: wisdom is holy — don’t waste it where it will only be ridiculed. Truth is precious — don’t toss it where it will be trampled.
Why waste your life giving words to someone who despises life itself? To someone who would rather remain in the darkness than be brought to the light?
Sometimes, silence is not cowardice. It’s good stewardship. Even Jesus refused to speak before Herod, because some ears are not ready for the gospel.
In other words, there’s a holy restraint here. A call to discernment.
Not every argument deserves your pearls. Not every listener is a learner.
At the end of the day, the gospel is too glorious to be treated like gossip. The words of life are too weighty for the mocker’s game. Holy things lose their shine in profane ears — but oh do they sparkle in a humble heart.
So today, maybe the call isn’t to speak more — but to speak wiser.
Ask the Spirit, “Where are my words welcome? Where is the soil soft?”
When He shows you, sow freely. But when He instructs you to be silent, trust that too.
Because the same Jesus who told us not to throw pearls before pigs also told us to go make disciples. He’s not shutting our mouths — He’s just refining our aim.
Let’s pray:
Lord, teach us when to speak and when to stay silent. Guard our words like treasures, and guide them to hearts that are ready. Give us discernment to know when to wait — and courage to speak when the door opens. May our words carry Your fragrance, not our frustration. In Jesus’ name, amen.
