MINISTERS OF THE NEW COVENANT
  • Home
  • Law
  • Gospel
  • About
  • Contact
  • Store

Wine Maketh Merry

11/16/2008

0 Comments

 
Picture
We need to be able to read the Bible with are eyes wide open. I have found that people generally (not always) read Scripture from the perspective of their upbringing. Baptists read the Bible as though it was written by Baptists, Presbyterians as Presbyterians, Sacred Name groups as Sacred Name groups. It is difficult for most to read Scripture apart from what they were or are being taught Scripture states. What we've have to learn to do is to read Scripture in the original context in which it was written. We must also understand the author of the text, the people to whom the text was written to, and the culture at the time. When we are not commmitted to reading Scripture in this way we will often come away from our Bible reading thinking that this verse or that verse really shouldn't be in our Bibles. It's not our "denominational" way, so to speak.

One verse that may seem out of place to some is Ecclesiastes 10:19. The Scripture reads (KJV), "A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry, but money answereth all things." Alot of people will be able to "stomach" the portion of this text that talks about a feast. I've attended many a feast in my life, a get together of sorts with family and/or friends where there is much, much food to the liking. When a feast like this is held there will inevitably be laughter, and why not? It is enjoyable to laugh with others in a clean, fun way. It is enjoyable to here someone say or speak of something that is humorous to the ear. The Bible agrees and not many will argue - a feast is made for laughter.

The next sentence in the passage says that wine maketh merry. This is more difficult to swallow for the average Bible reader, but is it not just as true as the sentence previous to it? If we have no problem accepting the first part of the verse what makes us what to rip out and throw away the second part? And after all, doesn't wine make merry the heart? According to the Psalmist it does.

"He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; and wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart." [Psalm 104:14-15]

Once again, notice the surrounding context here. People will have no problem whatsoever about grass for cattle, and herbs for the service of man. Not one will argue about oil making a man's face shine and bread strengthening a mans heart. However, when we come to the phrase that says wine which makes the heart of man glad we seem to balk. "Oh that can't really mean what it says, can it?" we wonder. Yet the text speaks clearly, agreeing with the author of Ecclesiastes, and with numerous other texts in Scripture. Wine truly makes merry the heart. This is not a statement of sarcasm or rebuke; the author is not here trying to speak in such a way as to warn the reader not to make his heart merry. He is just giving a simple statement of truth, right along with a feast, and right along with grass, herbs, oil, and bread.

Matthew Janzen

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Blog by Matthew Janzen. Lover of Yahweh, Yeshua, my wife and 5 children. All else is commentary.

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    May 2021
    June 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    February 2016
    August 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    June 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    July 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    March 2008
    February 2008
    January 2008
    December 2007
    November 2007
    October 2007

    Categories

    All
    70 Weeks
    Abortion
    America
    Annual Festivals
    Atheism
    Atonement
    Baptism
    Bible Study
    Biblical Law
    Calendar
    Children
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Christology
    Church
    Culture
    Daniel
    Day Of Atonement
    Death
    Debates
    Denomination
    Dietary
    Doctrine
    Easter
    Exodus
    Faith
    Family
    Fasting
    Fellowship
    Forgiveness
    Giving
    Gospel
    Government
    Hanukkah
    Harold Camping
    Hebrew Idioms
    Homosexuality
    John 1:1
    Judaizer
    Luke 7
    Marriage
    Mercy
    Modesty
    Monotheism
    Natural Disasters
    New Moon
    Oral Torah
    Paganism
    Parents
    Pastoring
    Pharisees
    Phylacteries
    Poems
    Politics
    Prayer
    Pre-existence
    Problems
    Prophecy
    Repentance
    Resurrection
    Revelation
    Sabbath
    Sacrifices
    Salvation
    Sexual Purity
    Sin
    Songs
    Study
    Textual Variants
    Thanksgiving
    Tithing
    Tradition
    Translation
    Trinity
    Voting
    Voy Wilks
    Wine
    Witnessing
    Worship
    Yeshua

    RSS Feed

©2022 Ministers of the New Covenant

  • Home
  • Law
  • Gospel
  • About
  • Contact
  • Store