Life on Wings - A Tribute to Dr Ern Baxter

The Holy Spirit as Wine by Dr Ern Baxter.

Establishing the Symbol.

- Ephesians 5:18 - "Be not drunk with WINE wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit".
- Weymouth - "Do not indulge in much WINE - a thing in which excess is so easy - but drink deeply of God's Spirit".

1. Wine Gladdens Life.

- Eccl 10:19 - " ... WINE maketh merry".
The word rendered "merry" is a compound word in the Hebrew (sameach-chayim), meaning "to gladden life". "Wine maketh glad the life" (ASV). "Wine gladdenth life" (Rotherham). The "New-Wine" Christian knows a perpetual joy for the "kingdom of God is ... JOY in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17).

2. Wine Makes Good or Pleasant.

- Esther 1:10 - " ... the heart of the king was merry with WINE".
It would appear at first that this Scripture is synonymous in meaning with the one above. The word rendered "merry" however, is a different word (TOB) and means "good" (it is translated 356 times), better, good, well and pleasant.

3. Wine Makes Joyful.

- Psalm 104:15 - "WINE maketh glad the heart of man".
The word "glad" is a rendering of the most common word for this emotion in the Hebrew (SAMEACH). It means "to shine, rejoice, joy, be glad". It is translated "rejoice" in the following Scripture, but gives a very significant meaning when translated "shine". "They of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall REJOICE (SHINE) as through wine; yea their children shall see it, and be glad (same word)" (Zech 10:7). Moses had this holy "shine" (2 Cor 3:7), more we who have the "glory that excelleth" (2 Cor 3:10).

4. Wine Makes to Flourish and Grow.

- Zech 9:17 - " ... corn shall make the young man cheerful, and NEW WINE the maids".
The word translated "cheerful" (NUB) means "to grow, be fruitful (in words)". The ASV, Rotherham and others translate it "flourish" Here we see in symbol that "corn" (type of the Word) and "New wine" (type of joy in the Spirit) are the necessities of a good "spiritual diet". These two are always together - "the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God" (Eph 6:17).

5. Wine Revives the Fainting.

- 2 Samuel 16:2 - " ... WINE that such as faint in the wilderness may drink".
How often in the "wilderness journey", we need reviving! Then we need to be "strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph 3:16).

6. Wine Overcomes.

- Jer 23:9 - "I am like a man ... whom WINE has overcome, because of the Lord and because of the words of His holiness".

What utter abandonment to the Holy Spirit's power is here described. To be so utterly under the Spirit's sway as to be overcome is the divine intention for every believer.

7. Wine Stimulates Speech. - another argument against C J Mahaney's literalism is found here.

- Song of Solomon 7:9 - " ... the best WINE for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak".

Only the Holy Spirit can make to speak those who are spiritually sleepy. A mighty visitation of the Holy Ghost can do more to restore backsliders to a place of fellowship and witness than anything else.