Wine – 1 Timothy 5:23

1 Timothy 5:23 Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

Some people have problems in life caused by the use of substances that alter the person’s reality. It can be a really good brownie or methamphetamine. Both will alter your mood, one leading to the need to diet, and the other the need for a prepaid funeral. Obviously the brownie normally causes a little less disruption.

So if you drink alcohol, this is the verse for you. It will give you the great excuse to drink, since “the Bible says I should drink wine.” Go ahead and use the excuse, on me! But is this really what this passage says?

Let’s back up and think about the time in history when this passage was written. It is before the days of CVS, Rite Aid & Walgreens. It was even before WallMart or Amazon! Imagine that! How did they exist?

There weren’t even medical Urgent Cares or hospitals. Physicians didn’t really exist. Most medicines were herbal, plants and various minerals, all administered without knowing whether it would work or not, based on intuition and the accumulated practice of those who came before.

This is before microbiology or even the microscope. They didn’t know about bacteria or viruses. They just drank water if it looked clear. If it wasn’t clear, they didn’t drink it.

But someone along the way found out that if you added a little wine to your water, then you didn’t get stomach troubles. We of course know that it is the alcohol in the water that kills the bacterial that cause the stomach problems, but they didn’t know the reason for the helpful combination.

What we have in our text is a prescription for stomach problems of that day. We don’t know the reason Timothy hadn’t already tried this remedy. Maybe it was a religious practice. Maybe Timothy’s father was an alcoholic, and he decided to not drink because he didn’t want to turn out like his old man. We just don’t know.

As I read this verse I hear something very important. The Scriptures don’t prohibit the use of medical knowledge and technology. Paul recommended the best treatment of his day. It involved the use of alcohol as a sterilizer. (Do you remember the run on hand sanitizer?)

I sometimes hear some Christians creating a false dichotomy between faith and medicine. They say something like, “I am trusting the LORD, so I don’t need to go to the doctor.” I won’t judge their particular position on their case.

But I will challenge them when they try to apply their conviction before the LORD, perhaps even a confirmation from the LORD, to all people. When we hear from the LORD, it is us who is hearing, not a directive to the whole Christian community. When the LORD speaks to the whole, He will speak to the whole through many channels and means.

So in the time of COVID, let’s not make judgments about the practices of others. Some will use the available medicines and some won’t. Some will take the road spelled out by the government, and some will take a less travelled path. The LORD allows a freedom to do either.

Timothy could have rejected Paul’s advice to purify his water before consumption. He had every right to continue the diarrhea. He had every right to be in discomfort. Or he could listen to his trusted mentor and spiritual leader and add some wine.

We have this same freedom. Use it wisely.