Daily Word
Prepared By: Suzy Naber
People in Bible times drank a primitive wine that contained low levels of alcohol, yet was sufficient that a person could get drunk if they consumed enough of it. Consequently, the Bible does address this question and generally speaking, the Bible condemns drunkenness and warns the righteous to carefully avoid alcohol.
I would like to faithfully quote all scriptures on drunkenness. I will start with the New Testament:
Peter attributed drunkenness to pagans' deeds, and wrote in 1 Peter 4:3-4 "For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you".
Paul writes in Romans 13:13 "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy". Ephesians 5:18 "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit". .
Luke 21:34 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.
1 Corinthians 6:10 "….nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the
Galatians 5:19-21 "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the
Matthew 24:49 …"and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards."
As far as the Old Testament is concerned, it was common for prophets to make a list of the things a nation had done wrong against God. This list usually came in form of "woes" or cursing pronounced on a certain group.
Isaiah 5:11-12, 22 Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. 12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets, tambourines and flutes and wine, but they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD, no respect for the work of his hands. 22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks….
Isaiah declares God's displeasure by pronouncing these woes and describes a drunkard as one who drinks in the morning and into the night; neglecting and ignoring his duties and putting drinking and feasting first. The judgment pronounced here on the drunkard (verse 13) is that "their men of rank will die of hunger and their masses will parched with thirst."
§ Wine was prohibited for priests in service (Leviticus 10:9) and kings and rulers.
Ezekiel 44:21 21"No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court".
Proverbs 31:4 "It is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer."
Proverbs 20:1 "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise".
Proverbs 23:20-21 "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
Isaiah 28:7 "And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions".
Scriptures to read: 1 Corinthians 10:23-33
Prayers: Dear Lord, I repent of any sin in my life. I repent of any idol in my life. Help me put you first in everything; You are my and only God and there is no one beside you. Help me live my life the way you want us to live. Amen.
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