“Many things in life are neither bad nor good but are to be used with discretion. It is wisdom to know what they are and how to use them wisely. Failure to discern has ruined many lives.” (# 51)
One such example given in the Bible is the use (or abuse) of alcoholic beverages.
Speaking of God’s provision for mankind, the psalmist says they include: wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread that sustains their hearts. (Psalm 104:15)
But then there are the warnings against excessive use of this provision in Proverbs:
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
whoever is led astray by them is not wise. (20:1)
According to Wikipedia, “The oldest evidence of ancient wine production has been found in Georgia from c. 6000 BC (the earliest known traces of grape wine),Greece from c. 4500 BC, Armenia from c. 4100 BC (large-scale production), and Sicily from c. 4000 BC. The earliest evidence of fermented alcoholic beverage of rice, honey and fruit, sometimes compared to wine, is claimed in China (c. 7000 BC)..”. (History of wine – Wikipedia)
So, it’s been around for a long time, but, sadly, due to the abuse of alcoholic beverages, the WHO has some disturbing data as follows:
“Worldwide, around 2.6 million deaths were caused by alcohol consumption in 2019. Of these, 1.6 million deaths were from noncommunicable diseases, 700 000 deaths from injuries and 300 000 deaths from communicable diseases. The alcohol-attributable mortality was heaviest among men, accounting for 2 million deaths compared to 600 000 deaths among women, in 2019. An estimated 400 million people, or 7% of the world’s population aged 15 years and older, lived with alcohol use disorders. Of this, 209 million people (3.7% of the adult world population) lived with alcohol dependence.” (Alcohol)
A sad state of affairs from what was God’s provision to gladden human hearts!
In his daily devotions on Proverbs Timothy Keller places this topic under the heading “The Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony.” (# 51)
Commenting on Proverbs 21:15, 17, 20, he suggests that “wine and olive oil were consumed at feasts and were a great good (Psalm 104:15). But when the love of pleasurable physical sensation dominates, it is the deadly sin of ‘gluttony’ [which he defines as] the inability to live a life of delayed gratification… [which] may lead to literal addictions to food, drink, [sex, gambling, social media, gaming, etc] … but even if it does not, the spirit of gluttony is always to take the easy way out.” (# 51)
Proverbs 21:7 states that whoever loves pleasure will become poor and quoting Kidner, Keller writes that “The pleasure-lover strikes out towards joy itself, and finds poverty” (# 51)
Paul also writes concerning these matters, but not so much concerning the dangerous effects ‘gluttony’ has upon oneself, but it’s negative impacts on others. He says:
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. (Romans 14:19-21)
Let me conclude with the words of Keller:
“The wise person recognizes that ‘these two aspects of wine … its benefits and its curse, its acceptance in God’s sight and its abhorrence, are interwoven into the fabric of the Old Testament, so that it may gladden the heart of man … and [yet may] cause his mind to err (Proverbs 28:7)’”
He then asks the questions:
“Do you have the ‘appreciative ambivalence’ of Proverbs towards alcoholic drinks? What measures are you taking to avoid their dangers?” He then prays “Protect me and my loved ones from foolishness in regard to food and drink. Amen”. (# 51) Maybe there are other things in your life where these questions and this prayer would be applicable? Talk to the Lord about them before it’s too late.
Worship and Wisdom - Psalms and Proverbs 