Of the many endeavors the Lord and I have been involved in over our many years together was a return to natural farming experience. One of the activities of the varied farm related projects was raising pigs (more accurately hogs). Like all else on the farm this was done the more natural way than the modern hog parlors and such. I gained much insight into spiritual reality as the Lord and I experienced the many projects involving livestock and almost all forms of natural food growing or production.
The pigs helped to open my understanding to the scripture where He had spoken regarding swine. First I want to clarify that most people have a very unreal mental picture of swine. In many cultures to be called a swine is a very bad insult. Swine generally seen as filthy, stupid, and gross animals.
In the their natural habitat none of these things are completely true characteristics of swine. They are proven to be the second most intelligent of all domestic animals second only to the horse. My experience bares this out. They are also naturally clean in that they do not do their droppings randomly and then walk in them as some domestic animals do. They pick a place apart from their living area to deposit their waste. They do not sweat and do not have sufficient cooling facilities in their bodies to handle hot weather. Therefore, in hot weather, they will be found close to the water of a stream if possible. They will root out a place in the edge of the water and lay in the clean mud to coat themselves with a natural cooling layer of wet mud and then can go about their business in the heat. This is how they get the reputation of being filthy.
There are many other examples of intelligence but I will only mention one more and then move on to other characteristics of swine. Winters are usually mild in North East Texas where my farms were located but there can be some cold spells well below freezing. When the weather turns really cold the larger hogs will root out a perfectly round bowl shaped hole in the ground. Usually about five to six feet wide and up to three feet or more deep in the center. In the cold night the hogs will all pile up in a pile in the hole. The larger ones will wiggle their way to the bottom and the smaller ones wind up on top. Inside the pile is warm as toast. The little ones squeal and do the best they can to get down further into the pile. This brings me to the next big characteristic of swine.
The big one that makes the scriptures about them come to life is they are extremely selfish and greedy which causes them to be very competitive. The major negative characteristic of swine is their self centered ness. They do have strong protective skills for their young pigs and know how to circle up with the big hogs on the outside to ward of predators. But beyond protecting their own they are all out for what they can get for themselves before the others get it. They rush like mad and dive into the feed trough all the while trying to push the one next to them out. They eat very aggressively gulping food down to get it before another can get it. Though swine are intelligent, clean animals there values are very base and crude.
Swine are very versatile, hearty survivors. They can survive on their on in any part of the world except the coldest and hottest parts of the planet. The can eat almost anything. They will find food above ground or below ground either grazing on plants or fruit or rooting below ground for roots and grubs. There is hardly a situation where they cannot find food for survival. Eggs of ground birds and small animals add protein to their diets as well. Even when other animals can find no food and starve to death the hog will eat their carcasses and survive. They will also on some occasions eat their new born piglets especially if the piglet is deformed or weak.
Mat 7:6:"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
So the moral is to not cast your pearls among people who may be intelligent and resourceful but are also self-centered and greedy.
