It’s is true that we believers in Christ are known more in the world for what we don’t do as to what we do. People have painted us to be gloomy and joy killers. Yet, we come to this portion of psalm 104 and we read verse 15 and there is no gloom to be seen but -Wine, Oil and Bread. Meaning gladness, glow and grow. Let me explain that.
Wine is broadly used in the Bible as a ‘drink of gladness’.
It used to be and still is an essential ingredient for any celebration tables and shared happiness. Weddings, festivals and parties prize good wine as good hospitality.
When wine is taken in moderate quantity has the ability to revive and refresh the human heart. When wine is consumed outside the moderate levels has got the opposite effect of weakening the human body and intellect. That is an abuse of the usage of wine and no longer fits the ‘glad’ description that the Bible illustrates here.
Oil makes us glow and has so many benefits to our daily living. By consuming and using the oil we are kept healthy and purified. Our skin is smooth and shiny. Oil was used to lightning lamps so light might enter the house and people see each other faces.
Bread or grain is the chief substance in our lives. Bread helps us grow. It strengthen our hearts and sustains us. Bread preserve and maintain the body.
Jesus used these ingredients in Eucharist to illustrate the new covenant we have in Him ( Bread and wine ) and the oil as a symbol of His anointing ( Messiah, the anointed one). Jesus is the true vine, the olive tree and the bread of life. In Him, we are renewed and our hearts are filled with Joy.
( See Ecclesiastes 9:7, 1 John 2:20, Hebrews 1:9, Mark 14:22-25)