Tag: Drug addiction

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Beer Brawlers.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” Proverbs‬ ‭20:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Honestly, I choose NIV because of their witty play on words. The Hebrew words are interesting. The word for wine isn’t unique it’s just yayin: wine. Ah, but shekar: intoxicating drink, strong drink is different and the word shakar is to be drunk. You can be “shakar” on wine or strong drink.

I believe Noah (Genesis 9:21) is the first guy to be written up for being drunk and the first thing he does is strip naked and lay around in his tent! After what Noah had been through, I can’t blame him for IMMEDIATELY planting a vineyard, patiently waiting for the grapes to ripen and quickly making booze so he could get drunk fast. I’m not saying it was right, but I get it.

History is filled with fermented fruits, then later barley. Then even later, the stronger, aged process of liquor came along. Wine and beer, apparently, have been around for a very long time. The Bible makes a clear distinction between “drinking” and “drunkenness.” One is permitted, the other is just wrong!

The wisdom writers catch a perspective that most drinkers and non-drinkers seem to miss. Anything to do with excessive alcohol or similarly controlled substances that impair judgment and directly leads to unintended consequences should be seen as dangerous and is not worth the momentary relief, levity or fun it proposes!

Proverbs personifies wine and beer as mockers and brawlers (hamah: to murmur, growl, roar, be boisterous) and tells us THEY can LEAD us astray. Like a pair of permanently invisible handcuffs, these excesses carry their victims away and pave a path of addiction, shame-cycles, broken relationships and possibly worse when driving a murder-weapon down the street.

The evidence is clear, one too many means YOU are not in control any longer. I’ve seen this hundreds of times in my family of origin. We had the wine, beer and whiskey drinkers. And although my wine-bibbing kin faired better, because of their restraint, my beer and hard liquor crew were constantly cursing, fighting, bleeding and bashing into other vehicles while driving. I knew one thing when my family gathered – if booze showed up, there was going to be a regrettable, never forgettable brawl! It was enough that slurred speech or boozy-breath can trigger a PTSD response in me.

The Apostle Paul gives the believer an alternative high. I know folks don’t want to look at it this way, but he says “don’t get drunk on booze, get high on the Spirit of God!” (Eph 5:18). Paul even proceeds those words with this, “don’t be foolish.” You want to drink away your sorrows or shoot up to disconnect with the harsh reality and stress – drink in, get “soaked” in the Spirit, shoot up or snort the presence of the living God by the power of the Holy Spirit! Get yourself before your Holy God and let His peace comfort and hold you. Don’t give in, don’t give up – get into God’s presence. Everything else is just a fake and dangerous substitute playing on your pain.

Prayer

Dad,
I’m sure that we often feel like Noah, overwhelmed with the circumstances or even consequences of our life. But we are so desperate for you and it shows up in such lousy ways. We feel trapped, surrounded and see no other way out, so we REACH for the drink, pill, puff or needle. Help us to reach for you! And when we do, please meet us, save us from ourselves and our selfishness. Amen.

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Similar biases about the poor and rich.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Then I said, “But what can we expect from the poor? They are ignorant. They don’t know the ways of the Lord. They don’t understand God’s laws. So I will go and speak to their leaders. Surely they know the ways of the Lord and understand God’s laws.” But the leaders, too, as one man, had thrown off God’s yoke and broken his chains.” Jeremiah‬ ‭5:4-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I read Jeremiah’s words spoken to himself and I agree with him – we both have these strange stereotypes and biases about the poor (followers) and the rich (leaders).

Fair warning, there are some big assumptions coming up next.

I struggle with a belief that the poor, and disenfranchised do NOT have sin. I don’t quite think they are perfect, but I have a weird framework that puts them in a far more angelic posture than the rich. They’re poor! How can they possibly do any wrong or get into trouble – they are broke!

I dismiss so many behaviors for them. They lie, well it’s because they’re poor. They cheat, they steal because they’re poor. They are angry, violent at times, aimless, weak and frail – all because they are poor. How can they possibly be wrong? How can they sin, they’ve been sinned against so many times?

I live in a “below poverty level” neighborhood. And for the majority of my neighbors I just feel sorry for them. They work so hard to make money, mostly with side hustles. They walk or bicycle everywhere. They drive slow and cautious. They do so many things together as families. Many of my neighbors still WALK with grandparents, parents and children to a local church!

But It’s not just poorer families, we’ve got more homeless wandering the streets than anywhere else in our County. They are not just poor, they are mentally unstable, like a scene out of the walking dead. They walk across traffic without looking. They wander about ranting and raving, cussing at the air while standing on the corners. They walk our sidewalks completely naked, except for shoes. They huddle against the walls and front doors of our local businesses and stores, shaking from drug use and frightening anyone who just wants to be a customer.

Other than constant annoyance and pure pity, I still can’t judge, blame or otherwise see them as sinners. I agree with Jeremiah – they seem ignorant of God!

Oh, but the rich, the wealthy, the powerful – oooh baby, they are the sinners. They know better, they have more! They live a better life. Yeah, they should be judged, blamed and held accountable for their behaviors. Like Jeremiah insinuates, they are NOT ignorant! Earlier in this text, God tells Jeremiah something we all know to be true, “Run up and down every street in Jerusalem,” says the Lord. “Look high and low; search throughout the city! If you can find even one just and honest person, I will not destroy the city.”

It is ridiculous for me or Jeremiah to believe that the poor are angelic and the rich (leaders) are just evil monsters. It’s not right for me to excuse, my behavior, the poor’s behavior or the rich’s behavior based on these equitable qualities of money or influence. All of us have sin! All of us do sin well in our own ways! All of us find ways to be creative in our sin to get what we want, when we want it. Sadly, none of us are innocent and should be given a “pass” or excuses to make wrong choices.

I’m neither poor nor rich, but I could easily blame my past or my parents for my bad choices today. And it would just be the same smokescreen justification as the rest of humanity. It’s not my fault! Well, it’s a hard reality – it is my fault, and yours too.

Prayer

Dad,
Wherever I go, whatever I do, I cannot get away from who I am. I am still just a regular old sinner saved by grace. And, as I look at the world around me, rich and poor, I have to remember that we are all at fault for own decisions. We are all responsible for those choices. As much as I do not want judge nor pity, I have to give every person their own dignity of being human, created in your image. And still keep in mind that we are all broken and in need of rescue and redemption.