**Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.** Proverbs 31:6,7
Yesterday’s post dealt with alcohol and its abuse and its effect on our judgment.
Today, Bathsheba is teaching her son that there are times when a little wine or spirits can be a help.
Sounds like a contradiction, right?
I don’t think it is though.
Let’s remember what we have seen about Bathsheba these past few days. She was a victim of sexual abuse. It seems that she was abandoned by Uriah her husband, who chose to be at war and with his troops longer than necessary instead of being a husband. She mourned for her child who died because of God’s judgment on David for his sins.
Bathsheba went through some dark days in her life. She learned compassion. She learned kindness. She learned to not be hard lined and unmovable. She learned that there may be some specific circumstances when alcohol takes away the bitterness of life. Not on a daily basis. But in those last hours.
I understand that everyone will not agree with me on this. But I think of the morphine given to cancer patients in their last hours. Is that not to help them to bear those final moments with less pain and suffering? Is morphine, an addictive and harmful substance when abused, not have value for specific moments?
Philippians 4 tells us that we should ** let our moderation be known unto all men**. The right stuff at the right time is a help. Too much of anything without discernment is harmful.
So, I believe that Bathsheba learned over time that there are appropriate uses for something that can also be abused. Some would put marijuana in this same category.
It’s a tough topic for many. Studying the lives of biblical characters, especially that of Jesus when He lived here on earth, will give us some insight. I hope that Bathsheba’s perspective helps each of us to not discount the need to have compassion over hardline-ism, grace over law.
We all know that God works all things for good to them that love God. Maybe this is a way that Bathsheba allowed God to give her tenderness out of a harsh life.