“No longer drink Ol1ly water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent illnesses.”
I Timothy 5:23

In the middle of instruction to Timothy on how to select and install elders, Paul takes a parenthesis and gives Timothy some fatherly council.
Although it is really impossible to know why (we can only speculate as to the reason) Timothy had broken with the common practice and was drinking water without any wine.The purpose of mixing wine into water in the ancient world was to purify it.

Water is Iife- but it is also death! Water borne illnesses like cholera; bacterial infections like giardia; and contamination from raw sewage have always been a problem with the world’s fresh water supply.
It was not until well’s were sunk deep into the ground, sewer systems advanced and plumbing to transport water into homes was standard practice that much of this danger was eliminated.

So what do we learn from Paul’s advice? First, we are to trust God- but we are also to use our brains.
Just like we saw earlier in this chapter, financial planning and faith are not polar opposites. So too, good health practices only make common sense.
Secondly, God would have us seek to prevent disease whenever we can. Good hygiene, proper nutrition, healthy diets and exercise glorify God. Lazy habits don’t!
Thirdly, God would have us make use of means. Wine was considered to be not only a purifier of water- it was also considered to be medicine.

Timothy was frequently ill. Paul said: treat your illness with the medicine you have available. Again, it does not honor God when we are ill to just say “I’m trusting God to make me better,” and then not go to the Dr. for help.
Christianity is not a pie in the sky religion- it is of all things most practical. It not only fits us for eternity and Heaven.
It shows us how to live right now. So, when in doubt: trust God and use a little wine.
Because of grace,
Tim

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