Proverbs 23:29-35 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 23:29-35, which read,

Who has woe?  Who has sorrow?  Who has contentions?  Who has complaining?  Who has wounds without cause?  Who has redness of eyes?

Those who linger long over wine, those who go to taste mixed wine.

Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper.

Your eyes will see strange things and your mind will utter perverse things.

And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.

"They struck me, but I did not become ill; they beat me, but I did not know it.  When shall I awake?  I will seek another drink."

This is a long proverb about one thing:  drunkenness.  

I still remember my father pointing out to us a man who was drunk along side of the road stuck in the ditch in his car in the winter.  He was revving the car but the tires were just spinning.  He was talking to my father like he was actually going somewhere and didn't even realize he wasn't even moving.  After my father took us home, he went back with the tractor and pulled out the man's car and drove him home.  I think that was the first picture I ever saw of someone drunk. 

The proverb starts with some questions or maybe better a riddle to solve.  You probably could come up with some other answers to all those questions so the proverb answers the questions or riddle in the next verse.  

To "linger long" is another way to say that someone is drinking heavily and often.  This is someone who is hooked to the bottle.  A slang term in years by was a "wino."  

The wine that is described in the next verse is of the type that is at full fermentation that has quicker effect on the body because the alcohol content is very high.  The proverb then goes into a very detailed account of what happens to people when they are drunk.

Maybe you have experienced this or maybe you have observed this is in others.  Needless to say, the drunk is not in control of what he does or what he says.  It also gives us the knowledge we have today about drunk driving accidents in the last verse.  Usually a drunk person will survive the accident while the innocent sober person will die because the drunk's body is so relaxed and flexible it goes with the momentum of the crash rather than resisting against it.  

The very sad part of the proverb is the last line when the one who is drunk is waiting to get up to seek another drink.  It has become his life.  It has overcome him and nothing else is starting to matter anymore.  Full bore addiction has taken it toll not only on the person but everyone around him and those especially who love him.

It is speaking of drunkenness of wine here but you could put any addictive behavior here.  The physical results might be a little different but the spiritual results are the same.  This is why it is so important to be drunk with the Spirit rather than drunk with anything else.  Be overcome with God.  When you are overcome by God you will not neglect those around you.  You will not harm others and yourself because who is in control of you is God.  You will say and do things because you are under the influence of God.

Has anything in your life become something of a "drunkenness" to you?  It could be alcohol.  It could be gambling.  It could be pornography.  It could be greed, hoarding instead of helping.  It could be pride, always concerned with being first.  It could be materialism, having the latest and the greatest no matter the cost.

May we rise in the morning seeking another drink from God.  Wouldn't that be a great goal?  Surrender those bad habits to the Lord and ask to be filled with Him so that what comes out of you actually helps others to see God too.  Let's pray.

"Lord, how descriptive Your word gets at times.  I marvel at Your use of what is around us to teach us the lessons of life.  Help us to spot anything that we have gotten drunk on that is not You.  Help us through the detox and withdrawal symptoms to get back to the experience of being filled with You.  Help us to call out to You and others used by You for help.  Amen."

Pastor Adam