Read: Proverbs 21:20; 29-35
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler, whoever is led astray by them is not wise. Proverbs 20:1.
Before there was Tums, there was wine. In the rough days of the first century, back in the pre-Pepcid-AD era, if you had an upset stomach, you’d reach for a jug of some of the grape stuff.
It’s true! First Timothy 5:23 has Paul telling Timothy, “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.”
I hate alcohol. I hate, when it does to people, how it destroys families, the way it leads to traffic deaths, domestic, violence, bad decisions, premature death, disease, and expenses for the community. I hate how it is portrayed in ads, making men look like idiots who can’t live without a beer. I hate our society’s preoccupation with getting drunk, wasted, blasted, and all the other words that prove the truthfulness of Proverbs 20:1.
But there is that verse, with the great passage about Jesus turning good, old-fashioned Jewish water into wine. Apparently, 2,000 years ago, it was okay to drink wine for medicinal purposes and to celebrate nuptials.
I hate alcohol . . . I love God’s Word. Can it be both ways? I believe it can. Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:12 that “everything is permissible for me—but not everything is beneficial.” Seventy-five times in the Bible, we are told that substances that lead to drunkenness cause instability (Proverbs 23:34), confusion (v.33), gross behavior (Isaiah 19:14), bad judgment (Isaiah 28:7), shame (Habakkuk 2:16), and countless other problems.
Got a bad stomach? There’s medicine for that. Looking for a good time? Be filled with the Spirit. – Dave Branon
R E F L E C T I O N
● I will remember Probers 20:1 when I am tempted.
Source: “ Our Daily Journey – Meditations of God’s Leading Through Life “ Vol.11
