Contending for the Oil of Conversation

Noah S. Sweat - Whiskey Speech

"My friends,

"I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey.

"If when you say whiskey you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it.

"But;

"If when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman's step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for a little while, life's great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it.

"This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise."

Job's Relief

^{"Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress;} 

^{let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more."}

^{Pr 31:6-7}

^{In light of what we have seen of Job's sufferings thus far,} 

^{I do wonder about his drinking habits.}

 

Fighting Despondency A Bit More

I continue to think of the battle against depression, or despondency, or sadness that seems to come from nowhere, by suggesting another tool: alcohol. The Apostle Paul commands Pastor Timothy to "use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments" (1 Ti 5:23). Here, Paul seems to separate Timothy's stomach issues from his ailments; meaning they are not the same things. Is it possible that Paul's reference here speaks to stomach problems caused by brain problems? Did Timothy have what my mother would call a nervous stomach? In other words, Timothy's stomach woes were caused by his anxiety. There a number of instances within 1 & 2 Timothy where Paul exhorts Tim to be the man God demands he be as a pastor; to be the man the church needs. Apparently, Timothy was sometimes slow to exert himself in a pastoral sense. He was relatively young and in charge and this caused him distress. (I feel his pain). So maybe Paul's words are meant to convey that the way to treat the stomach issue is to treat the brain to "a little wine". I say this because of texts like Pr 31:6f; Ec 23ff, 9:7, etc; and the places where the Bible speaks of wine "gladdening the heart (Dt 14:16; Ps 104:14f), or being used in celebration (Jn 2). So my point is not that we should drown our sorrows in booze (God condemns drunkenness), but that there may be a place for easing them via a "little" drink.