Wisdom for Wednesday
Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities. 1 Timothy 5:23
Part of this verse appears to be one of the best-known portions of Scripture! Especially among the unsaved. I’ve heard it quoted (and misquoted) many a time by people, as an excuse for them to drink, although they ignore the ‘little’ part and drink to excess. Properly read, and placed in its context, this verse does NOT give us license to drink. Properly read and placed in its context, this verse called Timothy to engage in wise and proper behaviour, as it calls for us today to do the same.
No, Paul was not telling Timothy to abandon his intake of water and replace it with wine. No, he was not encouraging Timothy to become a regular partaker of alcohol. What was Paul telling Timothy? First of all, look at the verse just before today’s text… the last phrase says ‘Keep thyself pure’. In light of the admonition to keep himself pure, Paul reminds Timothy that his zeal for purity does not deprive him of the opportunity to use wine in a medicinal way. According to my Scofield notes, Paul was telling Timothy not to drink only water. Paul was telling his younger brother that he could use a little wine as his stomach required it, and still remain pure. We need to recognize these caveats that Scripture gives us in the use of alcoholic drinks.
For one thing, Timothy was to use only a little. Just what was needed, no more. Secondly, the wine was to be used as a medicine. Timothy had ailments. The wine was to ease his discomfort and improve his condition. Thirdly, it was to be used as a supplement to the water, not as a replacement. In all these things, Timothy was at no time encouraged to abuse alcohol nor given a license to use it recreationally.
There are many Christians today who don’t see anything wrong with alcohol, in moderation. It becomes one of the little foxes that creep into the garden and eventually destroy the grapes of testimony and service. To those who ask, ‘what’s wrong with it? I respond, ‘why bother with it at all? Why does anybody need it? What purpose would it serve? Those in the world things they need it in order to have a good time. But if Christians can’t have a good time without booze we are a long ways away from the Lord and from each other.
Rightly dividing the Word of Truth means we don’t use the Bible as an excuse for wrong. As Paul told Timothy, keep yourself pure. -Jim MacIntosh