17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
This expresses a similar idea to verse sixteen, but the "wherefore" transition makes it a direct result of recognizing that the days are evil. Being foolish is being unwise, and being unwise means not understanding the will of the Lord. The Lord's will on various matters is revealed throughout Scripture, however His will as directly relates to the born-again believer is found in the first chapter of Ephesians, which we have already discussed.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
This would imply a correlation between drunkenness and lacking wisdom back in verse seventeen. Instead of being filled with wine, we are to be filled with the Spirit. The former brings temporary singing and melody in the flesh, and provokes a host of other sins in its excesses. The latter brings lasting singing and melody, and provokes all of the righteousness listed here as present-progressive verbs. It reveals the important role of song in our walk, as well as giving thanks and humility. I think we could all agree that music has a way of bypassing our heads and going directly to our hearts, which we are told to keep with all diligence because “out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
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