I only drink on two
occasions: When I am with friends, and
when I am alone.
Opening
Statement: I would like begin by
saying that most of the time we really do not know if the wine mentioned in the
Bible was alcoholic or not. We do know
that new wine was not. Wine was
sometimes mixed with spices and other drinks to increase it strength
The idea here is to explore what God’s
word has to say about “drinking” based on the Old Covenant as well as the New
Covenant under which we now live.
- Wine in general in
the scriptures is symbolic of
goodness, prosperity, abundance, safety and health. The symbolism is woven throughout the Old
Testament.
Ps 80:8-11 – SYMBOLIC OF PROSPERITY
8 You brought a vine
out of Egypt
9 You cleared the
ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered
with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its boughs
to the Sea, its shoots as far as the River. NIV
Ps 128:3 – SYMBOLIC OF FRUITFULNESS
3 Your wife will be like a
fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around
your table. NIV
Gen 49:11-12 – SYMBOLIC OF ABUNDANCE AND HEALTH
11 He will tether his
donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his
garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be darker
than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.
NIV
1 Kings 4:25 – SYMBOLIC OF SAFETY
25 During Solomon's
lifetime Judah Israel Beersheba
Judges 9:13 – SYMBOLIC OF HAPPYINESS
13 "But the vine
answered, `Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and men, to
hold sway over the trees?' NIV
Ps 104:15
15 Wine that gladdens
the heart of man, NIV
Eccl 10:19
19 A feast is made for laughter,
and wine makes life merry, NIV
Isa 55:1-2 – SYMBOLIC OF A SPIRITUAL BLESSING
"Come, all you who are
thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come,
buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what
is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me,
and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. NIV
- Wine has healing
properties. We know today that
alcohol kills germs.
Luke 10:34 – WINE CAN AID IN HEALING
34 He went to him and
bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his
own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. NIV
1 Tim 5:23 – ILLNESS PREVENTION
23 Stop drinking only
water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent
illnesses. NIV
2 Sam 16:2 - REFRESHING
2 "The donkeys are
for the king's household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to
eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the desert."
NIV
Prov 31:6-7 A SEDATIVE FOR THE DYING
6 Give beer to those
who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish;
7 let them drink and
forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. NIV
- Jesus
turned water into wine. - It must be
noted here, Jesus never used his authority for himself or his disciples.
All his miracles benefited others.
This was Christ’s first recorded miracle, the turning of water into
wine.
- Wine was a part of
their culture – If drinking wine was against God’s statutes, Jesus would
not have been a part of this wedding celebration. Jesus only did the works of the
Father.
- At this point, you
are thinking this wine was non-alcoholic - Read on.
John 9:4 – JESUS DID THE WORKS OF THE FATHER
4 I must work the works
of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can
work. KJV
John 2:2-3 – JESUS TURNS WATER INTO WINE
3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said
to him, "They have no more wine."
5 His mother said to the
servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
7 Jesus said to the
servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the
brim.
9 and the master of the
banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine - you have saved
the best till now." NIV
John 2:10 – IT WAS FERMINTED
and said, "Everyone
brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have
had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." NIV
- Jesus drank wine and
they called Him a winebibber, John the Baptist did not drink wine because
he had taken the vow of the Nasserite.
This oath could be for a month, a year or forever. John’s oath was forever; he could not
even touch a raisin nor cut his hair.
Jesus also took the Nasserite vow, but it was only for a specific
time. So Jesus was trained as a
Nasserite and fully understood the symbolism and the potency of wine.
Gen 14:18-19 – MELCHIZEDEK SERVED ABRAHAM WINE
18 Then Melchizedek king
of Salem
19 and he blessed Abram,
NIV
Heb 5:6 – JESUS WAS OF THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK
6 And he says in another
place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." NIV
Luke 7:33-34 – JESUS DRANK WINE
33 For John the Baptist
came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, `He has a demon.'
34 The Son of Man came
eating and drinking, and you say, `Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a
friend of tax collectors and "sinners." NIV
Matt 15:10 -11 – IT’S NOT WHAT GOES IN THAT DEFILES.
10 Jesus called the crowd
to him and said, "Listen and understand.
11 What goes into a man's
mouth does not make him `unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is
what makes him `unclean.'" NIV
Gen 1:31 – GOD CREATED WINE AND IT WAS GOOD
31 God saw all that he
had made, and it was very good. NIV
Rom 14:20 -21 – DON’T DRINK IN PUBLIC
20 Do not destroy the work
of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a
man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
21 It is better not to
eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to
fall. NIV
Rom 14:21 -23 – IF A MAN THINKS WINE IS SIN – IT IS SIN
21 It is good neither to
eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother
stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak.
22 Hast thou faith? Have
it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemns not himself in that
thing which he allowed.
23 And he that doubts
is damned if he eats, because he eats not of faith: for whatsoever is not of
faith IS SIN. KJV
Eph 5:18 – DO NOT GET DRUNK
18 Do not get drunk on
wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit NIV
- Partake in everything
in moderation. Vanilla extract is
good, but I don’t want to drink a cup of it. Water can give life, but too much can
kill. Fire can warm, but too much
can destroy. Food can give health
as well as steal it.
- Those in leadership
have special direction from the scriptures.
Prov 31:4-5 – THE PRESIDENT – SHOULD NOT DRINK AT ALL
4 "It is not for
kings, O Lemuel -- not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to
crave beer,
5 lest they drink and
forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
Titus 1:6-8 – CONGRESSMEN – SHOULDN’T DRINK TOO MUCH
7 Since an overseer
is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless-not overbearing, not
quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing
dishonest gain.
8 Rather he must be
hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy
and disciplined. NIV
Luke 7:33 – BAPTIST CAN’T DRINK – OK FOR PRESBYTERIANS
3 For John the Baptist
came neither eating bread nor drinking wine,
NIV
1 Tim 3:2-3 – PREACHERS CAN DRINK MORE THAN DEACONS
2 Now the overseer must be
above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled,
respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
3 not given to
drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money
NIV
Ezek 44:21 – BUT NOT AT CHURCH
21 No priest is to
drink wine when he enters the inner court. NIV
1 Tim 3:8 – DEACONS CAN DRINK A LITTLE
8 Deacons, likewise, are
to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, NIV
Lev 10:8-9 – BUT NOT AT CHURCH SERVICES
9 "You and your sons are not to drink
wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or
you will die”. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. NIV
- Partaking in church
of wine during communion or the Lord’s Supper is allowed. It is only a token of wine and is
symbolic of the blood of Jesus Christ.
In fact the Bible says, do it often.
- A quantity of wine
was always kept in the temple for ceremonies.
1 Cor 11:25 -26 - COMMUNION IS THE EXCEPTION
25 In the same way, after
supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my
blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." NIV
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and
drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. KJV.
- We are urged to no
longer be controlled by our desires for sitting around social drinking,
but to live the rest of our life for the will of God.
1 Peter 4:2-3 SET YOUR MIND ON THE WILL OF GOD
2 As a result, he does not
live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the
will of God.
3 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. NIV
·
VOW OF THE NAZARENE
- If you are moved by
the Spirit to get closer to God, then you must separate yourself from
strong drink for whatever time is impressed on you. John’s vow was for life.
- The grape to the
Nazarene is a symbol of temptation because symbolically prosperity, leisure and the fullness of life are connected
to it.
- Vow of the Nazarene: To make oneself available to God - to be
a spiritual leader.
- Dedication
and separation
for a period of time to a priestly life.
- Abstinence from anything from
the vine, including raisins and the vine itself.
- Defilement
avoidance:
To avoid touching a dead body, making them un-ceremonial defiled.
- Unimpaired
strength: The cutting of hair was forbidden, it is
a symbol of strength.
Luke 1:13-16 WANT TO BE TOTALLY DECICATED TO THE LORD
13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be
afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear
you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
15 for he will be great in
the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. NIV
Num 6:1-3 – WANT MORE OF GOD –SEPARATE FROM WINE
6:1 The LORD said to
Moses,
2 "Speak to the
Israelites and say to them: `If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a
vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite,
3 he must abstain from
wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or
from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or
raisins. NIV
Eph 5:18 – SEEK THE SPIRIT OF GOD
18 Do not get drunk on
wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit NIV
1 Cor 6:19 -20 – OUR BODY IS A TEMPLE
19 Do you not know that
your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received
from God? You are not your own;
20 you were bought at a
price. Therefore honor God with your body.
NIV
Rev 1:5-6 – WE ARE A KINGDOM OF PRIEST
5 To him who loves us and
has freed us from our sins by his blood,
6 and has made us to be
a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father-to him be glory and power
for ever and ever! Amen. NIV
NIV1
Peter 2:5 – WE ARE A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
5 you also, like living
stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ NIV
1 Peter 2:9 – WE ARE A CHOSEN PEOPLE
9 But you are a chosen
people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light. NIV
LET’S TAKE A TOUR - OF EXCESS
What does God say in the scriptures about
drinking in excess?
In
the very beginning we see Noah, God’s very own man, got drunk and started
taking off his clothes and in another scripture a father in a stupor lying with
his daughters.
Gen 9:20-22 – DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING
20 Noah, a man of the
soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.
21 When he drank some of
its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. NIV
Gen 19:33 – CAN’T REMEMBER
32 Let's get our father to
drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through
our father."
33 That night they got
their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay
down or when she got up. NIV
- Here are some of the characteristics of what happens
when you over indulge.
- You will not know
what you are doing – You’re eyes become red - you start feeling sorry for
yourself - You begin to complain and start foolish contentions and get
hurt for no reason – You get beat up and don’t even know it – You imagine
strange confusing things – You become sick as a dog on a boat and when you
wake up, all you want is another drink.
Prov 20:1 – FUSSIN’ & FIGHTIN’
Wine is a mocker
and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise NIV
Prov 23:29-35 – CONFUSION – DEPRESSION - SICKNESS
29 Who has woe? Who
has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless
bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over
wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine
when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites
like a snake and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange
sights and your mind imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one
sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.
35 "They hit
me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt! They beat me, but I don't
feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?" NIV
- So we
are warned
not to plan our day around Happy
Hour and the next concoction we can make. Stay away from friends that
are party animals whose activities center around drinking.
- Those
in Authority should
limit their indulgence and not crave alcohol.
Isa 5:11 – DON’T RUN AFTER BOOZE
11 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. NIV
Isa 5:22
22 Woe to those who are
heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, NIV
Prov 23:20 -21 – DON’T HANG AROUND PARTY ANIMALS
20 Do not join those
who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and
gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rag. NIV
- Alcohol has now
become
- Special Note: There was a lot of wine brought to the early church as a tithe and as an offering. This was new wine, first fruits, not fermented. But it was also stored and as time went by it did ferment.
- News
flash -
A drunkard will not go to Heaven.
Luke 21:34-36 – A DRUNK WILL NOT STAND BEFOR GOD
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.
35 For it will come upon
all those who live on the face of the whole earth.
36 Be always on the watch,
and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that
you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
1 Cor 6:9-11 – DON’T DO IT – YOU HAVE BEEN SANCTIFIED
9 Do you not know that
the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God
10 nor thieves nor the
greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God
11 And that is what some
of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. NIV
Rom 13:12 -14 – DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT GETTING DRUNK
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.
14 Rather, clothe
yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify
the desires of the sinful nature.
NIV
Gal 5:19-21 – WARNING AGAIN – DON’T BE A DRUNKARD
19 The acts of the sinful
nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
20 idolatry and
witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions
21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I
warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God
- KING SOLOMON SPEAKS FROM
EXPERIENCE
- King Solomon felt a
lot of mixed emotions about life as he tried everything including
abstaining from wine as well as getting “potted”. He winds up commenting that wine is a
favor from God and we can partake of it with happiness.
- He goes on to exhort
us that in all our actions. We are to reverence God and imitate His
concepts.
Eccl 9:7 – ENJOY WHAT GOD HAS MADE
7 Go thy way, eat thy
bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepts
thy works. KJV
Titus 2:1-3 – ENJOY IN MODERATION
2:1 But speak thou the
things which become sound doctrine:
2 That the aged men be
sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
3 The aged women likewise,
that they be in behavior as becomes holiness, not false accusers, not given
to much wine, teachers of good things; KJV
1 Cor 8:8-9 – WE ARE NOT BETTER NOR WORSE
8 But food does not
bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we
do.
9 Be careful, however,
that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to
the weak. NIV
1 Cor 8:13 – CONSIDER YOUR NEIGHBOR
13 Therefore, if what I
eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I
will not cause him to fall. NIV
Eccl 12:13-14 - CONCLUSION
13 Let us hear the
conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for
this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring
every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or
whether it be evil. KJV
Heb 4:14-15 – JESUS WAS TEMPTED BY ALCOHOL
15 For we do not have a high priest who is
unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been
tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin NIV
Rom 14:13 -18 – HEAVEN IS NOT WHAT YOU EAT OR DRINK.
13 Therefore let us stop
passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any
stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
14 As one who is in the
Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But
if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
15 If your brother is
distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by
your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.
16 Do not allow what
you consider good to be spoken of as evil.
17 For the kingdom of God
18 because anyone who
serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. NIV
SUMMARY
The references to wine in the Bible
indicate that wine was very common to their everyday life and was part of their
regular diet. Some scholars feel that it
would have been impossible to have wine that was unfermented during Biblical
times as it was stored for months in jars and wine skins and kept in cool cellars. Jesus could not have been tempted to drink
“too much” wine unless he had the same temptation as we have.
Drinking wine is not a sin; drunkenness is
a sin. Eating is not a sin, gluttony is
a sin. The Kingdom of God
We
are free to drink alcohol in moderation if we choose, but not to the extent
that it causes someone else to stumble in their faith; so it seems advisable
not to drink in public. Although we have
freedom in Christ, others may feel differently.
I feel pretty sure that this word study
will please only about half the folks that read it, the ones that drink. I just hope that it is controversial enough
that is will cause you to dig through God’s word for yourself to get your own
special revelation. If I can get you
excited enough to check out God’s word for yourself, then this study has
accomplished that which it was sent to do. Amen.
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
I am grateful for those
that went before me providing
concepts, ideas,
historical information and scripture verses.
A survey of the New
Testament – Gunry
All the Miracles of the
Bible - Herbert Lockyer
Baker Commentary on the
Bible - Ewell
Bible Commentary – F. B. Meyer
Compact Bible Dictionary - Zondervan
Complete Bible Handbook – Lawrence
Dake’s Annotated Bible – Dake`
Dictionary of Biblical
Literacy - Oliver Nelson
Double Predestination
Paper – Darryl Williams
Exposition of Genesis – H.C. Leupold
Halley’s Bible Handbook – H.H. Halley
KJV Bible
Mystery of the Ages – Herbert W. Armstrong
Mysteries of the Bible – Readers Digest
NIV Bible
International Thesaurus - Roget’s
The Apocrypha – Edgar J. Goodspeed
The Bible Almanac – Packer Tenney White
The Expositors Bible
Commentary – Frank E. Gaebelein
The Illustrated Bible
Dictionary – Tyndale
The Layman’s Overview of
the Bible – George W. Knight
The New International Dictionary of the Bible – J. D. Douglas
The Zondervan Pictorial
Encyclopedia of the Bible - Tenney
There were two Trees in
the Garden – Rick Joyner
Twelve Ordinary Men – John MacArthur
Vincent’s Word Studies of
the NT - Mac Donald
What the Bible is all
about – Henrietta C. Mears
What in the World is going
on? – David Jeremiah
Where to find it in the
Bible – Ken Anderson
Who’s who in the Bible – Paul D. Gardner
Wikipedia encyclopedia
Wycliff Bible Commentary,
The
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