PROFITING FROM PROVERBS

“Wine is a mocker,” some folks mock God, but there are things that we do that mocks us, showing how foolish we can be. “strong drink is raging,” to rage is to become imbalanced, a mad man. Many believers drank heavily before they were saved, and by God’s grace they were able to have victory over it. From unfortunate experience, they know what alcohol can do in their lives. In many instances, they are still reaping the results of a previous drunken lifestyle.

“. . . wine is a mocker.” Wine makes fools out of otherwise intelligent men. People just don’t know how close they are to death whenever they are messing around with that stuff. People die as a result of free-for-all bar fights. On occasion, a drunk will be thrown out of a bar, and then go home and get a gun and go back to the bar. In one heartbeat a man can step into eternity either for heaven or hell. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

These new Bible versions are not very hard on liquor.

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” (RSV). In other words, they are saying it is the wine that leads you astray. That is, if you can handle it, you are all right, but if you can’t you are not wise. It’s okay to drink a little bit. No! wine is a mocker. It’ll make a fool out of you whatever you do with it or how it leads you.

In the ASV it changes I Timothy 3:2 from “Not given to wine,” to “not addicted to wine,” the RSV says, “no drunkard.” You know, if you get to the place where you are staying at the city mission it’s been bad for you, but “moderate” drinking is all right. Every guy that ever end up in a city mission started out as a moderate drinker. These new Bibles, they always tend to just sugarcoat everything.

There are a number of verses that deal with drinking in the Scriptures. The Bible is not silent when it comes to liquor. (Habakkuk 2:12-14; Proverbs 23:29-35, 31:4; Leviticus 10:9: Deuteronomy 29:19; 1 Sam 1:15-16; Isaiah 28:7; Luke 12:45. Proverbs 23:29-35 is the best passage in the Bible on drinking. You can’t talk about liquor and not read this passage. It says so much that is just so obviously true of anybody that has ever been involved with drinking. The writer of Proverbs knew people inside and out.

Christian, be thankful to God that He has delivered you from a sin that once overwhelmed you. If any need proof of what God can do in a man’s life, just look at a man that was once a drunkard who is now a faithful saint. It is one of the best responses to, “Can you prove that God exists?”

“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:17-20 KJV).

Let’s read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let’s keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread!

If anyone would like to be added to the ping list, please let me know either by post or by p.m.

Can’t disagree with the fact that drinking wine can ruin lives. Yet Jesus made it by the gallon and in his last supper he told us to remember Him by breaking bread and sharing a the cup of wine. Strange huh?

In the Bible wine is referred to as “new wine” and “old wine.”

New wine is pure fruit of the vine, unfermented.
Old wine, which “moveth itself” (Provers 23:31) has gone through the process of fermentation and has to a degree actually spoiled.

Jesus did not created fermented wine at the wedding.