Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things. You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast. “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink.” (Pro 23:29-35)
When I read this section of scripture I’m reminded of Genesis 9:20-27. For the benefit of the exercise the CD cut goes something like this. Noah and his sons have finally endured to the end of the flood and are resettling on the earth. Noah takes up wine-dressing and gets a bit too involved with his merchandise getting sozzled out of his head with the wine. The booze licks his upside the head and he ends up spreading out in all his nakedness before taking a snooze. His youngest Ham comes across this hilarious sight and immediately gets his brothers in on it in a bid to join in the japes. Shem and Japheth, however, in respect to their father choose to cover him up. When Noah discovers what happened, he blesses Shem and curses Ham. Just goes to show what happens to a man with a hangover when he hears bad news – steer well clear unless you’re taking part in the cover-up!
The driving factor of the story, however, is the powerful role of alcohol which is the centrepiece of the extended reference in this chapter of Proverbs. Some would read this along with other scriptures to suggest that God prefers His creation to be absolutely teetotal and have a zero tolerance for alcohol consumption. That works for some people, after all you’re unlikely to get drunk if you’re not drinking. As yet, no one has died because of passive drinking and the suggestion is a commendable and noble one.
It was kind of implied in my own background that I’d be better off without drinking as such. I never witnessed either of my parents in any shape or form compromised because of the effects of alcohol. I in fact have little recollection if any at all of my dad anywhere near the stuff. So it was implied – never explicitly mooted – that not drinking was the best way to go to avoid the dangers of excesses linked to alcohol. This, sadly, had a negative effect on my understanding of alcohol to the point that I regarded a pub as just a place where people went to get drunk and all who frequented such locations had serious alcohol problems. Thus established as one of the dwelling places of the devil himself (along with the bookies and of course the cinema), for the sake of my own purity, it was crucial to stay away from such establishments.
The irony of it all is that while this was being implicitly conveyed in some of the readings of holiness, there were some who actually still enjoyed a bit of a tipple. Indeed some ‘wine for you stomach’s sake’ that Paul advised to Timothy had been neatly transferred to other alcoholic beverages for questionable medicinal purposes. I saw some stalwart members of the Body of Christ more than partial to supping some good rum or a pint of bitter – to keep the body of man in good condition. Eventually such duplicity lead to a healthier perspective on the role of alcohol. That as well as a nasty wake up call at university that for the sake of wisdom and the cry of compassion, I needed to get God right on what was His point about alcohol.
Drinking is a well established part of the culture and it is a rite of passage to be able to quaff some sort of alcoholic beverage and develop your own tolerance to it via obliterating previously held tolerance levels. The weekend feeling is often associated with the thought of going out on ‘the lash’ which involves some level of significant alcohol consumption. Inebriation is sometimes mandatory for those who are part of this social ritual and there’s nothing wrong with it, apparently. What the writer of Proverbs points out, however, is that such an aptitude to alcohol is dangerous and counters the sensible relationship with these kind of influences that the God would wish us to have. Having fun is one thing, and having a good time out socialising with friends is not a problem, but the level of lacking in control and general negative contribution of the drunken approach does not reflect a reverential concern for the body God has given you and the senses you’ve been blessed with to deal with issues.
It’s not a clamp down on what makes for a good time. I don’t read the Bible as abolishing alcohol consumption. What I read is the path that an unhealthy approach to alcohol can have on those who go beyond moderation. In a society where alcohol is the legal drug of choice and promoted as having redeeming qualities, which are disguises for such dependencies to take hold, it’s important for those who would be wise to shun these enticements. It’s the responsibility of those would would be wise to consider again the litany of history that says quite clearly that enjoying life is truly experienced without getting drunk and if anything counteracting that with a preference for being filled with a Spirit of a different kind, one that leads to sober-minded and pure joyful living.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
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