Save for one tiny verse (5:23), nothing raised an eyebrow in today's passages. But 5:23 is Paul's recommendation that Timothy stop drinking only water and have a little wine for his stomach. In the ancient world, the beneficial effects of alcohol against "dyspeptic complaints, as a tonic, and as counteracting the effects of impure water' were widely known. Modern medicine confirms the value of alcohol in such medicinal cases. Earlier in this letter, Paul warned Timothy about false teachers who would say that "it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods", (4:3). Perhaps Timothy had fallen under some legalistic teaching that absolute abstention from alcohol was required in order to be a "good Christian" and Paul was releasing him from that bondage so that his sickness might be relieved. Paul qualified his advice with the words "a little alcohol", which indicates that he did not advocate drunkenness. This is also clear from other instructions in the letter to deacons and elders who should not be "heavy drinkers". This is another example of how Christians need to concern themselves not with the letter of the law but the spirit therein.
Tomorrow's reading: 1 Tim. 6:11-21; Titus 1:1-3:15; 2 Tim. 1:1-3:18
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