THE HEART OF ADDICTION
CHAPTER 8
The Depiction of Substance Abuse from Proverbs 23
In addition to Noah and Lot, the Lord gives another biblical example of the tragic experience of a person who drinks to excess in Proverb 23:29-35: 29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. 31Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. 32In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. 33Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things. 34You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast. 35”They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink. Unlike most proverbs, this one begins by asking questions similar to a riddle. The answer to the riddle comes in verse 30. Clearly, this situation results from the specific sin of drinking wine to excess. Interestingly, God does not assign the specific name of “drunkard” to the person in this proverb. Not using the label of “drunkard” suggests that this proverb is directed toward anyone who occasionally abuses alcohol, prescription drugs, or the like, in an excessive manner. There is a tendency for Christian abusers to deceive themselves into thinking that the problem of using alcohol or drugs to excess as addressed in the Bible only applies to the “drunkard” whose life is dominated by the addiction. God knows that any excessive use of a substance is a heart attitude of selfishness and self-worship. Proverbs 23 Typically, as verse 29 states, someone who uses an intoxicant to excess has “woe, sorrow, strife, and complaining.” Most people drink and drug to excess to cover emotional pain with something temporarily pleasurable, but the proverb tells us that drinking behavior leads to more pain and problems. The “wounds without cause” come from awakening from a drunken stupor and realizing you have aches, pains, bruises, cuts, and even broken bones of unknown cause. While you were intoxicated, you were clumsy with an unsteady gait causing your sense of reality to have been altered. As a result of your intoxicated state, you do not remember clearly. The “redness of eyes” describes the physical manifestation of redness but also may be referring to the look of despair that accompanies and follows the drunken stupor. Many addicts have a hopeless look whether they are intoxicated or sober. Verse 30 refers to “tarrying long” at the wine. Drinking for an extended period of time like this is obviously drinking to excess. Apply verse 31, “Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.” to your own thought life and allow it to be a challenge for you. Similar to the command that Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 5:27-29 to guard their eyes and hearts, God commands you not to gaze at the wine when it is “red” and when it “sparkles in the cup” because of its inviting appearance of temporarily fulfilling an appetite. Jesus taught that your heart’s desire is the problem, not the object that you desire. Jesus knew that the eyes are like windows that open up and what your eyes dwell on will be what your thoughts dwell on.73 The problem for you in verse 31 is that by staring at the substance with your eyes, your thoughts are those of glorifying, “romancing the substance” so to speak, and remembering what it did and can do for you. Your eyes lead you to think on the alcohol or drug as if it is your friend. God explains in this verse that the wine has the temporal power to look and feel good as it “goes down smoothly” yet partaking of the wine in this manner will lead to potentially harmful and deadly consequences as it “stings like an adder” (verse 32). The Bible never says that sin does not feel good, temporarily speaking. Instead, the Bible warns that temporarily, good-feeling sins will lead to devastating consequences and complicating problems. If you do not die physically, your spiritual vitality suffers as you become more separated from God by your continued drinking. Abusive alcohol and drug use also separates you from your family and close friends. You are no longer controlled by the Holy Spirit but are controlled by the “spirit” of the intoxicating substance. Evidence of your being controlled by the intoxicating substance is found in verse 33 of Proverbs 23: you begin to “see strange things” and out of your mouth you begin to “utter perverse things” revealing your wicked heart. Obviously, the Holy Spirit does not cause you to do these sinful things; it is the “spirit” of the substance that “frees” you by bringing out some of the worst, sinful thoughts and deeds from within your self-centered heart. Next, your entire body - eyes, mouth, and heart - is further out of control. This feels as if you are lying down in the middle of the “sea” on the most unstable, wavy, and ‘tossed about’ part of the boat: the “mast” (verse 34). Finally, in verse 35, you are so out of it that you do not feel pain from such things as a striking or beating from someone else and you are oblivious to the reality around you. That is the goal for most Christian addicts: escape from the pain by feeling extreme pleasure. Verse 35 ends by saying, “when shall I awake?” You are in your own, self-absorbed dream world of make-believe where you cease to have meaningful relationships with anyone else and nothing seems real. It’s as though you are asleep. Obviously, the person in this proverb prefers to be alone, in a pain-free state, enjoying selfish pleasure of his drunken state as evidenced by the final statement that he “must have another drink.” God tells it like it is, doesn’t He, in Proverbs 23? The tragedy of this picture is that in spite of all the consequences and problems that drunkenness brings into the person’s life, the person still desires another drink at the end of the proverb in verse 35. Remember that this person could be an occasional drug abuser, addict, or drunkard, but regardless, when will this insanity end? Sin is Deceptive and Powerful When some people think of sin, they imagine horrible and extreme acts of murder, violence, sexual abuse, rape, and the like. But to God, the sin of thinking about committing adultery is the same as committing the actual act of adultery.74 Obviously, the temporary, or earthly, consequences of the sins are very different. However, do not minimize your sin actions or sinful attitudes in your heart and mind before God who gave His Son to pay the penalty for sin. Sin simply means “to miss the mark or standard set by God.” Think of an archer who shoots his bow and arrow at a target. If his aim is slightly off the mark, he will shoot the arrow wide of the bull’s eye. If his aim is off just a little more, he may miss the entire target altogether. Sin does not have to be a large or extreme act. It is often very insidious and may have the appearance of being “no big deal.” But be warned, it will surely lead one down the path resulting in a huge deal! To demonstrate how powerful sin is, consider this flight analogy. You want to fly from Birmingham, Alabama, to San Diego, California. You get on the plane in Birmingham. During the flight, the pilot does not realize that the plane’s compass is off one degree. You wouldn’t think one degree would make much difference, but when the pilot lands the plane, he realizes that he has ended up in Canada near Seattle, Washington. He is over one thousand miles north of where he wanted to land the plane. He is very far from his planned destination! Acts and even thoughts of sin can be represented by the compass that is one tiny degree off the mark. The compass is inaccurate by only one degree! Sin can be defined as missing the perfect target that God requires. If not corrected, the sin of one degree leads to traveling away from the original destination. Over time, “little” sins cause Christians to land far from the intended destination. Therefore, you can see there is no such thing as a “little” sin. All sin has the power to lead someone astray in a big way. Sin is walking down the pathway of self rather than the pathway of the Lord and His best for your life.
Prayer of Heart Change and Application:
Dear Heavenly Father, I have minimized my sin, but I can see that it did not and does not please you to do so. Therefore, I ask you to forgive me and to enable me to forsake my sin so that I can end up in the place that you have called me to be. I do not want to live for me, but I want to live for you alone. Help me to not drink or take drugs if it means that I am not going to glorify you when I do so. By faith, Lord, I trust in you to work in my heart by the Holy Spirit working through Your Word. Amen.
In addition to Noah and Lot, the Lord gives another biblical example of the tragic experience of a person who drinks to excess in Proverb 23:29-35: 29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. 31Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. 32In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. 33Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things. 34You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast. 35”They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink. Unlike most proverbs, this one begins by asking questions similar to a riddle. The answer to the riddle comes in verse 30. Clearly, this situation results from the specific sin of drinking wine to excess. Interestingly, God does not assign the specific name of “drunkard” to the person in this proverb. Not using the label of “drunkard” suggests that this proverb is directed toward anyone who occasionally abuses alcohol, prescription drugs, or the like, in an excessive manner. There is a tendency for Christian abusers to deceive themselves into thinking that the problem of using alcohol or drugs to excess as addressed in the Bible only applies to the “drunkard” whose life is dominated by the addiction. God knows that any excessive use of a substance is a heart attitude of selfishness and self-worship. Proverbs 23 Typically, as verse 29 states, someone who uses an intoxicant to excess has “woe, sorrow, strife, and complaining.” Most people drink and drug to excess to cover emotional pain with something temporarily pleasurable, but the proverb tells us that drinking behavior leads to more pain and problems. The “wounds without cause” come from awakening from a drunken stupor and realizing you have aches, pains, bruises, cuts, and even broken bones of unknown cause. While you were intoxicated, you were clumsy with an unsteady gait causing your sense of reality to have been altered. As a result of your intoxicated state, you do not remember clearly. The “redness of eyes” describes the physical manifestation of redness but also may be referring to the look of despair that accompanies and follows the drunken stupor. Many addicts have a hopeless look whether they are intoxicated or sober. Verse 30 refers to “tarrying long” at the wine. Drinking for an extended period of time like this is obviously drinking to excess. Apply verse 31, “Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.” to your own thought life and allow it to be a challenge for you. Similar to the command that Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 5:27-29 to guard their eyes and hearts, God commands you not to gaze at the wine when it is “red” and when it “sparkles in the cup” because of its inviting appearance of temporarily fulfilling an appetite. Jesus taught that your heart’s desire is the problem, not the object that you desire. Jesus knew that the eyes are like windows that open up and what your eyes dwell on will be what your thoughts dwell on.73 The problem for you in verse 31 is that by staring at the substance with your eyes, your thoughts are those of glorifying, “romancing the substance” so to speak, and remembering what it did and can do for you. Your eyes lead you to think on the alcohol or drug as if it is your friend. God explains in this verse that the wine has the temporal power to look and feel good as it “goes down smoothly” yet partaking of the wine in this manner will lead to potentially harmful and deadly consequences as it “stings like an adder” (verse 32). The Bible never says that sin does not feel good, temporarily speaking. Instead, the Bible warns that temporarily, good-feeling sins will lead to devastating consequences and complicating problems. If you do not die physically, your spiritual vitality suffers as you become more separated from God by your continued drinking. Abusive alcohol and drug use also separates you from your family and close friends. You are no longer controlled by the Holy Spirit but are controlled by the “spirit” of the intoxicating substance. Evidence of your being controlled by the intoxicating substance is found in verse 33 of Proverbs 23: you begin to “see strange things” and out of your mouth you begin to “utter perverse things” revealing your wicked heart. Obviously, the Holy Spirit does not cause you to do these sinful things; it is the “spirit” of the substance that “frees” you by bringing out some of the worst, sinful thoughts and deeds from within your self-centered heart. Next, your entire body - eyes, mouth, and heart - is further out of control. This feels as if you are lying down in the middle of the “sea” on the most unstable, wavy, and ‘tossed about’ part of the boat: the “mast” (verse 34). Finally, in verse 35, you are so out of it that you do not feel pain from such things as a striking or beating from someone else and you are oblivious to the reality around you. That is the goal for most Christian addicts: escape from the pain by feeling extreme pleasure. Verse 35 ends by saying, “when shall I awake?” You are in your own, self-absorbed dream world of make-believe where you cease to have meaningful relationships with anyone else and nothing seems real. It’s as though you are asleep. Obviously, the person in this proverb prefers to be alone, in a pain-free state, enjoying selfish pleasure of his drunken state as evidenced by the final statement that he “must have another drink.” God tells it like it is, doesn’t He, in Proverbs 23? The tragedy of this picture is that in spite of all the consequences and problems that drunkenness brings into the person’s life, the person still desires another drink at the end of the proverb in verse 35. Remember that this person could be an occasional drug abuser, addict, or drunkard, but regardless, when will this insanity end? Sin is Deceptive and Powerful When some people think of sin, they imagine horrible and extreme acts of murder, violence, sexual abuse, rape, and the like. But to God, the sin of thinking about committing adultery is the same as committing the actual act of adultery.74 Obviously, the temporary, or earthly, consequences of the sins are very different. However, do not minimize your sin actions or sinful attitudes in your heart and mind before God who gave His Son to pay the penalty for sin. Sin simply means “to miss the mark or standard set by God.” Think of an archer who shoots his bow and arrow at a target. If his aim is slightly off the mark, he will shoot the arrow wide of the bull’s eye. If his aim is off just a little more, he may miss the entire target altogether. Sin does not have to be a large or extreme act. It is often very insidious and may have the appearance of being “no big deal.” But be warned, it will surely lead one down the path resulting in a huge deal! To demonstrate how powerful sin is, consider this flight analogy. You want to fly from Birmingham, Alabama, to San Diego, California. You get on the plane in Birmingham. During the flight, the pilot does not realize that the plane’s compass is off one degree. You wouldn’t think one degree would make much difference, but when the pilot lands the plane, he realizes that he has ended up in Canada near Seattle, Washington. He is over one thousand miles north of where he wanted to land the plane. He is very far from his planned destination! Acts and even thoughts of sin can be represented by the compass that is one tiny degree off the mark. The compass is inaccurate by only one degree! Sin can be defined as missing the perfect target that God requires. If not corrected, the sin of one degree leads to traveling away from the original destination. Over time, “little” sins cause Christians to land far from the intended destination. Therefore, you can see there is no such thing as a “little” sin. All sin has the power to lead someone astray in a big way. Sin is walking down the pathway of self rather than the pathway of the Lord and His best for your life.
Prayer of Heart Change and Application:
Dear Heavenly Father, I have minimized my sin, but I can see that it did not and does not please you to do so. Therefore, I ask you to forgive me and to enable me to forsake my sin so that I can end up in the place that you have called me to be. I do not want to live for me, but I want to live for you alone. Help me to not drink or take drugs if it means that I am not going to glorify you when I do so. By faith, Lord, I trust in you to work in my heart by the Holy Spirit working through Your Word. Amen.