Drinking Part 4 - You Can Unwind, But Don't Unravel

502 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 11:13 Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. Let's talk about drinking. But before we begin I want to speak to those who are recovering alcoholics. May God bless your sobriety, may He continue to give you the strength to say no to even one drink, because you know that in your situation, one drink is too many. The Bible does not forbid drinking but more important for the alcoholic....it doesn't command drinking either. You'll do just fine if you never put another drink to your lips. The Bible has much to say about the matter of drinking and the sin of drunkenness. We hear an awful lot about the evils of alcohol and rightly so. Alcohol abuse is responsible for much pain and carnage in our lives and we would do well to respect it's negative impact. However, the Bible also has some positive things to say about wine and it's relationship to celebration, relaxation, and it's use for medicinal purposes. I have always hesitated to speak about these things because I'm afraid it will be misinterpreted by those who are looking for an excuse to get drunk. So before I dive into these other purposes let me pass along one more reminder from Pr 20:1 Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” Don't allow the biblical use of wine to lead you astray. Do not cross that line into drunkenness and alcohol abuse! Let's start with the biblical usage of wine for medicinal purposes. Pr 31:6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. 7 Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more. Note the two types of wine used here. Strong drink (undiluted) for the perishing, and wine (diluted) for the bitter of heart. In biblical times strong drink was pretty much all they had for pain, and it was okay to use it as a painkiller for the dying. But what about the bitter of heart, the destitute, and those who are just beaten down by their current circumstances. Is it okay to have a drink for the sole purpose of helping you unwind? Apparently, but be very cautious here, you can unwind but don't unravel. And if you don't know the difference, then stay away from alcohol. Always remember that the Bible never condones the abuse of alcohol or drunkenness, but it was valued in biblical times for use as medication and relaxation, and celebration. Father, everything you have created is good, for this we give you thanks. Help us to not abuse the goodness of Your created things.