Are You Being Poisoned?
A man walks into a bar. The bartender greets him and asks, “What’s your poison?” This is not uncommon. The barkeep is simply asking what libation the patron desires. It is the job and function of one in such an establishment to determine the specific wants of the customer and fill these in order for the business to make a profit. The question asked by the mixologist is no more than a clever way to ask what drink can he/she mix or pour for the customer.
However, the question, “What’s your poison?” is prophetic, in that the drink that is requested and received is harmful. It has been since man accumulated the knowledge of fermentation and distillation. Many years before the Christ came, God’s people were warned against the harm that is done when one’s mind is “dulled” by intoxicating beverages. In Proverbs 20:1, we have one of the many admonitions on this subject. Solomon was directed to write, Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. We won’t reference the many other passages from the Holy Spirit on this, as this single verse is quite sufficient.
Of course, as man has always done, attempts are made to circumvent God’s Law and directives so man can follow his own will rather than that of God. I recall conversations in which brethren and non-brethren alike, seeking to find justification for their actions, (drinking) quote 2Timothy 5:23. Many fail to see the huge difference in “medicinal alcohol” and “beverage alcohol”. Strangely, many that memorize “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.”, seem to be “sick” quite often. Even more strange is that the “sickness” that results from copious imbibing, often fails to limit one’s participation.
In 2Kings 4:40, as pottage with gourds was seethed and served, those who were to eat of it, alarmingly cried out “there is death in the pot” supposing poison mushrooms or such was used in the formulation of the soup. They refused to eat until the man of God cast meal into the pot, performed a miracle, and bid them eat. “And there was no harm in the pot.” (2Kings 4:41)
Alarmingly, man willingly ingests “poison” on many levels. Many, because doctors are “trained”, act like baby birds, eagerly ‘opening wide’ for every morsel offered, assuming because it comes from a “trusted source”, is for their well-being. It should be so, but can every source be trusted? Simply because one is in a position that should be trusted is not reason to trust. Does one trust a mechanic simply because he works on engines? Do we trust a doctor simply if he claims to know medicine? Is that trust based on our ‘feelings’, or do we check out reputation or certification? Ever wondered why certain medicines become outdated or recalled, or those who created or prescribe them are sometimes litigated? Ever wonder why certain medical practices are no longer regularly performed? Hmmmm- Something to think about huh? Don’t get me wrong. I understand that doctors, medicines, and knowledge of the body, things God Providentially has given, have their place and often are helpful in this life. But beware, most all God has provided, can, and will be perverted by humanity.
Take for instance, the pure Word of God. We don’t usually think of “eating” the Word of God, but in Ezekiel 2:8 through 3:7, this is what Jehovah had the prophet do. The prophet was to figuratively eat (consume) God’s Word as God provided it, and was to speak it to God’s people. God’s Word was sweetness in his mouth - (3:3). It was to be spoken to Israel without alteration (3:4). It was not to be perverted in any way. It was delivered to call Israel to repentance once again. Any Word that was not God’s pure Word was poison to them.
As we look into the New Testament, we find it no different. The Word has changed some, as we are no longer under the same covenant God had with Israel, but God’s New Testament Word is also pure, and provides life for those that will partake, learn it, rightly divide it, and live in full accordance with it. In 2Timothy 2:2, the Spirit had Paul write his young protégé, direct him to “Preach the Word”. This explicitly prohibits the preaching of man-made doctrine, traditions, or fables. He was to preach it when convenient and when it was not convenient. He was to preach it to admonish, to censure, and to encourage the hearers. This was for the good of members of the body, the church, as well as to teach alien sinners. In the verses that follow, we are told he was to do this because the time would come when the hearers would desire “poison” rather than the Word of God.
As we consider Romans 3:10-18, surely we realize the Spirit is having Paul describe all who refuse His rightly divided Word. Those who are “gone out of the way”, who have “become unprofitable”, have “poison of asps” under their lips, and “whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”, are those who have no fear of God. James 3:8 describes the tongue as something no man can tame, being “full of deadly poison”. This is because without God’s Word, man cannot declare God’s Will. All that man can offer is, in contrast, poison.
In John 6:63, in the context of the “hard sayings” of Jesus, our Lord stated “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” These modern so-called Bibles with modern translations that promote man-made doctrine are poison. They have added to the Word of God and are poisoning the souls of those who partake and follow. Would you like the poison man offers, or what God offers that you might have eternal life? Why not follow the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, and rid your soul of the poison of the world, religious and secular, in full and continual obedience to it? Your soul’s destiny depends on it.
Dennis Strickland – Mooresville church of Christ
