1 Timothy 5:23 Drink Wine

1 Timothy 5:23 Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

We get the impression that Timothy was a rather timid and, it seems, a fastidious man. This verse suggests that he was in the habit of drinking only water rather than wine, no doubt for reasons of sobriety. The problem was that it was not doing his stomach any good and he was frequently ill. Given the unreliable nature of the water supply in those days he was pursuing a risky strategy and Paul very practically advises that he should abandon this practice and start drinking wine, which being alcoholic was, of course, much safer. This raises a number of issues including the need to look after our health, especially if we are preachers, and the danger of over-conscientiousness being detrimental to a person's overall usefulness. It is Paul's ability to cut through issues and see what really matters that is part of his genius. He sees that fastidiousness about drinking wine is ruining Timothy's health and so must not be allowed to continue. Better to drink wine and be well. The applications of such an understanding are many.