“Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder” (Proverbs 23:31,32 ESV).

The lure of alcohol is undeniable. It “sparkles in the cup” and “goes down smoothly.” It would be foolish to pretend that there aren’t pleasures associated with drinking it, so the Wise Man of Proverbs uses another tactic. Though there are pleasures to drinking, there is a sudden reality check, too. “In the end it bites like a snake,” he points out, “and poisons like a viper.”

“Your eyes will see strange things” (like pink elephants, perhaps?). “You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, on top of the rigging.”

The writer uses humor to dispel the notion (ancient and modern) that the drunk is sophisticated and cool. Instead, he points out the indignities of this supposedly suave hero in his drunken, sodden state.

This is pretty shrewd psychology; tell a young person that alcohol is forbidden, and you may heighten his curiosity to try the forbidden fruit; explain how silly the drunk looks, and most young people will avoid looking foolish at all costs!

Young people, if you’re looking for a mentor and a wise influence in your life, it’s most unlikely that he will be sitting at a bar with a Bud Lite in his hand!

Stan Mitchell @ www.forthright.net