You Shall Not Call Unclean, What God Called Clean

The history of production of wine is prehistoric somewhere  in the Near East, attributed to Noah (Gn. 9:20ff). In the Bible, Noah was the first to experience intoxication. Though Noah gets drunk with wine, the Bible does not condemn his action; instead the bible condemns the behaviour of his son Ham, and blesses the action of his sons Shem and Japheth.

As frequently mentioned in the Bible, wine was the usual drink with meals, even today it is so in many countries. Palestine itself was a wine producing country.  Some wines of other regions are mentioned as especially good. Bible glorifies the wine of Lebanon and Helbon (Ho.14:8; Ez.27:18).

Wine is a gift and blessing of Yahweh

Dt. 7:13,    – “God will love and bless you, ………..he will bless your grain and wine and oil…”

Prov.3:10f  –  “……with new wine your vats will over-flow”.

Hos. 2:10   – “…..it was I (God) who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil…..”

Joel 2:24   – “ …..and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil”

Gn.49:11f  – “….in wine he washes his garments..” Wine here is  a sign prosperity.

Si.31:27    –  “Wine is life for man when he drinks it with moderation”.

God withdraws wine in Punishment  

Dt. 28:30,39 –,  …….Though you plant a vineyard, God will not allow you to enjoy its fruits.

Hosea 2:11   – “…..I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season…”

Hosea 9:2    – “Threshing floor and wine press shall not nourish them, the new wine shall fail Them”.

Am.5:11    -“…because you have trampled upon the weak…….though you have planted Choice vineyards, you shall not drink their wine”

The use of wine in the Bible

1.            Wine was taken with meals. Wine was the usual drink with meals (even today it is so in many countries). In the holy land wine, wheat, and oil are staples of everyday diet (Dt.8:8; 11:14; 1Ch.12:41).

2.            Wine was carried as part of the provision of the traveller,(Jgs.19:19).

3.            Wine was included as part of the provision garrison troops. (2Ch.11:11)

4.            Wine was used in big quantities at festivities. (1 Sam.25: 36; Is. 5: 12; 1Ch.12:440-41;  Jn.2:1-11)

5.            Wine was used as medication. Lk.10:34 suggests that wine used as a soothing external medication and 1Tim.5:23 recommends it as good for the stomach.

6.            Wine was used as a cup of consolation at the time of the death of a dear one,(Jer.167)

7.            Wine was used in worship, as offering to God (1Sm.1:24; Ex.29:40; Nm.15:5,10; Ho.9:4).

8.            Wine is also part of the first-fruits given over to the priests (Dt.18:4; Nm.18:12; 2Ch.31:5).

Wine is praised in the Bible

1.            Wine rejoices gods and men.  “The vine answered them, ‘Must I give up my wine that cheers gods and men”(Jgs.9:13).

2.            Wine gladdens the hearts of man, (Ps.104:15).

3.            Wine makes the heart exult, (Zec.10;7)

4.            Wine cheers the spirits of the depressed, “Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to the sorely depressed; When they drink, they will forget their misery, and think no more of their burdens” (Pr.31:6).

5.            Wine is used as a figure of the delights of love. (SS.5:1; 8:2)

 The attitude of Jesus toward wine

The attitude of Jesus toward wine, like that of the entire Bible, is neutral, praising its use and finding fault in its misuse. Jesus’ participation at the wedding of Cana and the miraculous making of the wine (Jn.2:1-11), can be regarded as the attitude of Jesus toward wine as neutral, not sinful in itself. Further, in Mt.15:11, Jesus proclaims, “It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth that is what defiles one”.

Bible does not prohibit or condemn the use of wine, condemns the misuse

Bible does not prohibit or condemn the use of wine, but counsels moderation in its use(Si.31:27). In the pastoral letter of Paul to Timothy and Titus, Paul advises moderate and discreet use of wine (1Tm.3:3,8; 1Tm.5:23; Tt.2:3).  Jesus himself drank wine even at the risk of appearing in a bad light, “The son of man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘look, he is a glutton and a drunkard…..”(Mt.11:19).

The Bible only condemns the misuse of Wine. The man who swerves from moderation will fall into all kinds of dangers. Paul emphasises that drunkenness (not drinking wine) leads to dissolute living and injures the life of the Spirit in a Christian (Ep.5:18).

For the Christians, therefore, the use of wine is not only a reason for giving thanks (Col.3:17) but also an opportunity to recall to mind the sacrifice which is the source of salvation and of eternal joy (1Cor.11:25f). Wine is a gift and blessing of God and as such wine is good and not evil in itself. Let us learn to use it moderately and responsibly like everything else.

God, the creator and Provider of everything, does not prohibit the rightful use of anything, but only prohibit the misuse or abuse of his created things, because everything God created is good (1Timothy 4:4-5; Gen.1:31).

“I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live” (Dt.30:19; Leviticus 30 19). Our life here on earth is one of choice, choice between good and evil. It is a struggle between good and evil. God wants us to exercise this choice responsibly. It is this right choice that make us grow, that make us live with God.

The first parents had to keep on making the right choice to stay on in the Paradise. For God said to them, “From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die (Gen.2:17-18)”. God could very well have prevented the first parents from sinning, by not planting tree of knowledge of good and bad or he could have allowed them to eat from it freely. Then there is no choice. Personal choice is important, the choice for or against God, the choice for good or evil, the choice for life or death. It is this choice that we make that will ensure our eternal life. It is our Choice for God at all times that makes us live with God always.

Fr. James M. D

chakocan@gmail.com