The Wine of Judgment

Psalm 75 “ But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.” (7-8)

Of all the stains that are most difficult to remove, red wine is likely one of the most difficult. When it accidently drops into carpet, the red wine seems to find its way deep into the threads of carpet and it gets absorbed into foundation of the fabric. The judgment of God is much like the diffusion of a dark red wine. It not only falls upon mans sinful fabric, but even the nature nature at the foundation brings holy condemnation throughout our being. The judgment of God is presented as an analogy of fermented and potent wine (full of mixture) in this passage. Wine is also known to have a particular influence on those who consume it. When moderately consumed the way in which it impacts us may not be noticeable at first, but within ten minutes alcohol begins to affect our reaction time, judgment and behavior. Euphoria is often experienced early due to the release of a neurotransmitter known as dopamine, a “feel good” chemical in our brain. After a while alcohol tends to make people more confident and they often report feeling more relaxed. However, much of the change is due to disinhibition, when self regulation and tight control of impulses become hampered and the constraints on our behavior become loosened. In a way, we become much more verbal , transparent about what we think and who we are in a less guarded state. The impact of wine upon our minds make us more vulnerable & less defensive depicts how we will face God’s judgment even when we believe our true character is “hidden”. We may feel confident or proud about our acts of righteousness or good deeds but in the end we really have no quality that is truly good. Under the exacting judgment of God we will seen as our true self, with the stain of our unrighteous. We tend to forget that God already knows us better than we know ourselves. We may fool most people in our portrayal of good people, and we may even fool ourselves in our rationalization, but God is not deceived nor can he be manipulated.

When we stand before God in our sincerity, we will either be found justified in receiving honor (lifted up) or deserving of rebuke (put down) and his judgment will be in full (the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out,the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out,) . Either way, the manner in which we will be judged will be established fair, true and in measure to what our nature deems. Eventually, all people will be judged (all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them) and no one will be able to hide from God’s judgment. Thank God for his mercy which is able to save us completely from the wrath our sins deserve because of the sacrifice paid for us through his son.