Something the Lord showed me concerning Proverbs 23:31-32...
Proverbs 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
Proverbs 23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
In the above verses, we see an interesting piece of wisdom being given by the wise king Solomon to his son. The advice is to not even look upon wine when it has begun to ferment. Verse 31 is speaking of the wine when it has begun to ferment. “when it moveth itself aright” is speaking of the boiling, the effervescence… the fermenting process. When it has begun to ferment, it is best not to even look upon it. For, looking intently upon it, one will surely be deceived by it into approving of it and subsequently enjoying it.
So, the wise advice is to turn away from it when it is fermenting. Why?
Because verse 32 reveals that once it is fully fermented, it is highly dangerous. “at the last", when the fermentation process is completed, "it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder.” It is just as poisonous to the organs of the human body as a poisonous snake. It has toxins in it that damage the vital organs of the human body. “whosoever is deceived by it is not wise.”
When one partakes of the intoxicant, it does not just go to the stomach and out into the draught. The poison enters the bloodstream, coursing through the veins and arteries, traveling with the blood into every vital organ; brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, etc.. Not much different than the bite of a venomous snake. The body is poisoned in both cases.