Psalm 75:8 In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.
Some things just shouldn’t be drunk. My wife tells the story of a moment in our marriage when, unknown to her, I had put a small amount of bleach in the bottom of a mug to remove the stains from the mug. We were getting ready for a funeral and she was in a hurry, so she just grabbed the mug and added water and down it went. And then her brain registered “BLEACH!” But it was too late.
She survived and can laugh about it today. She electrocuted me and I poisoned her with bleach. But that is another story. Some things just shouldn’t be swallowed.
But there are some things that can be swallowed, but they are not very pleasant. In the process of making wine ingredients are added early on to enhance the flavor and then filtered out before bottling. Various spices can be added for flavor.
Our text speaks about foaming wine. The foam is a result of the fermentation process. All wine ferments and foams, some to a greater degree than others. But the foaming is part of the initial stages of wine making. Once the yeast has used up the sugar, the foaming goes away.
Part of the wine making process is the filtering to remove sediment and any remaining non-liquids from the wine before it is bottled. You don’t want to drink those spices!
But that is exactly what our text says. Those under God’s judgment will have to drink this wine while it is still in the fermentation process, unfinished, and drink all the sediment at the bottom of the glass! Yuck! Judgment will not be pleasant, just like drinking the spices would not be pleasant.
There will be no escaping the impact of God’s judgment if you are under it. No shortcuts. What God puts in the cup for you will be consumed by you. God’s judgment will have its affect.
But there is hope! Those who trust in the LORD will be lifted up. Instead of feeling the weight of God’s full judgment, those of us who trust in Him, will enter into a place of freedom and joy. Our strength, which for the believer is the LORD, will be shown true in that moment. He will shine through. His greatness will be revealed.
The Arnold Journey 