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Introduction:
For the past 13 weeks, Brad Paisley has been climbing the country
music charts with his latest hit song, “Alcohol.”
According to Music Row’s country breakout chart it had moved up
to number 4 two weeks ago. Who knows, perhaps it will make it all
the way to number 1. For those who have not heard the song, do not
be too quick to berate it. It actually has a very interesting
story to tell. Note some of the lyrics.
I
can make anybody pretty
I
can make you believe any lie.
I
can make you pick a fight with somebody twice your size.
Well, I’ve been known to cause a few break-ups,
An’
I’ve been known to cause a few births.
Well,
I can make you new friends, or get you fired from work.
And
since the day I left Milwaukee,
Lynchburg
an’ Bordeaux, France,
Been
making the bars lots of good money,
An’
helpin’ white people dance.
I
got you in trouble in high school,
But
college, now that was a ball, |
You
had some of the best times you’ll never remember with
me: Alcohol.
I
got blamed at your wedding reception,
for
your best man’s embarrassing speech.
…
And
I’ll bet you a drink or two, that I can make you put
that lampshade on your head.
Cause
since the day I left…
I
been making a fool out of folks just like you
…I
am medicine and I am poison
… |
Not exactly a flattering picture of intoxicating drink is
it? I don’t have any idea what Paisley’s thoughts on drinking
alcohol are. I am certain, however, that the majority of fans who
are sending this song to the top of the charts do not see how
serious this is. They view this picture of intoxicating drink as
funny. However, I am amazed by the absolute honesty with which
this song discusses the impact of alcohol. While this song has
climbed the charts, brethren have continued their arguments about
Christians drinking intoxicating drinks. What is sad is the number
of Christians who make silly comments like, “I am not affected
by a few drinks.” “The Bible teaches us to do all things in
moderation” (I am still looking for that verse). “If you
can’t hold your alcohol you shouldn’t drink, but those of us
who can are allowed to drink some as long as we don’t get really
drunk.” Considering all of the things I have heard Christians
and religious people say in defense of intoxicating drinks and
this new song by Paisley, I am reminded once again that the people
of the world are sometimes more honest than the religious when it
comes to these kinds of issues. After all, the people of the
world, not feeling they have to defend alcohol don’t care how it
affects them, are more honest about how it affects them. I believe
it is time for a little honesty about how intoxicating drink
affects us and about what the Bible actually says about it. In a
previous lesson, we learned that the Bible uses the word
“wine” sometimes to mean intoxicating drink and sometimes just
juice. We determine to which each passage refers by the context of
the passage. Further, we have learned in the past that the
ancients knew very well how to keep juice from fermenting. We do
not have the time in this lesson to reestablish those points (see
addendum to this outline for the demonstration of these two
points)[1].
In this lesson, I want us to perform some simple and honest Bible
study. Let’s take a look at the Proverbs.
In that book, three passages play a part in our consideration of
intoxicating drink and whether or not we should partake
(Proverbs
20:1; 23:29-35; 31:4-7). We will ask three questions from
these passages. 1) What is intoxicating drink? 2) What does it do?
3) How should we do with it?
Discussion:
I.
What is intoxicating drink?
A.
Proverbs
20:1
gives God’s definition of intoxicating wine and strong drink.
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler.”
1.
The term translated “Mocker” is the Hebrew “luwts.”
According to Strong’s Enhanced Lexicon it means “to scorn,
make mouths at, talk arrogantly.” The term translated
“brawler” is the Hebrew “hamah.” It means “to murmur,
growl, roar, cry aloud, mourn, rage, sound, make noise, tumult, be
clamorous, be disquieted, be loud, be moved, be troubled, be in an
uproar.” Please be careful to note that this verse does not say
this is what intoxicating drinks cause people to do. The verse
says this is what intoxicating drink is by nature. Granted,
because it is these things it will cause people to do them.
2.
To get a true picture of the importance of these
definitions, look at what the Proverbialist says about mockers and
brawlers.
a.
“Mocker”—According to Proverbs
3:34, God scoffs at the scoffers. God is not impressed
with mocking or scoffing. According to Proverbs
14:6, the scoffer or mocker seeks wisdom but gets none.
According to Proverbs
19:29, judgment is prepared for the mocker. According to Proverbs
24:9, scoffing and mocking is an abomination to men.
b.
“Brawler”—This word is used three other times in Proverbs.
In Proverbs
1:21, it describes the “noisy streets” in which wisdom
cries out but receives no hearers. Then in Proverbs
7:11 and 9:13, it describes a harlot who is also a
“brawler,” that is boisterous.
3.
The point is that wine is a mocker because it speaks great
swelling words that promise a great deal, but it is lying. It
knows it and it laughs at you as listen to its arrogant babbling.
It is a brawler because it is boisterous and stubborn. It yells,
hollers and clamors but does not provide any benefit.
B.
Proverbs
20:1
goes on to say “And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise”
(NASU). However, this translation does not accurately portray what
is said here. Consider some other translations. The KJV says,
“whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” The ASV says,
“whosoever erreth thereby is not wise.” The RSV says,
“whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” The NIV says,
“Whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” Thus, this last
half of the verse does not say anything about levels of
intoxication. It simply points out that not only is intoxicating
drink a mocker and a brawler, it is also a deceiver that leads
people astray. How many people are deceived by this mocking,
scoffing, brawling, boisterous and stubborn drink? We have to have
these kinds of lessons repeatedly because so many are deceived. If
we are deceived by the empty and arrogant words of intoxicating
drink, then we are fools.
II.
What intoxicating drink does?
A.
Proverbs
23:31
explains that intoxicating drink sparkles in the cup and goes down
smoothly. Let’s face it, intoxicating drink is enticing and
inviting. Isn’t that why the beer commercials used to tell us,
“It doesn’t get any better than this”? It seems good.
However, remember what we have learned already from Proverbs
20:1. Intoxicating drink is a mocking, brawling deceiver.
It invites and entices and promises much. It is wonderful to look
at. It is great to taste. However, according to Proverbs
23:32, once it enters the stomach it bites like a serpent
and stings like a viper. Am I the only one who is reminded of the
scene in the Garden when the serpent convinced Eve that the
forbidden fruit was good for food, a delight to the eyes and
desirable to make one wise (Genesis
3:6).
B.
Read all of Proverbs
23:29-35. Intoxicating drink causes woe, sorrow,
contentions, complaining wounds and redness of the eyes (may refer
to bloodshot eyes, some suggest the concept of blurred vision).
This is the goal of intoxicating drink, yet some suggest we can
walk a little way down the path of this mocker. Intoxicating drink
will cause you see strange things and utter perverse things (have
you ever heard of putting on your beer goggles?). Intoxicating
drink causes you to be like a person who lies down in the middle
of the sea. What do you know about a person who is lying in the
midst of the sea—they are drowning. According to Deane and
Taswell in the Pulpit commentary, the Germans had a saying,
“More are drowned in the wine-cup than in the ocean” (Pulpit
Commentary, “Proverbs”, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids,
1950, p 383.) It also makes you like one who lies down at the top
of the mast. Have you seen the top of a mast? You couldn’t stand
at the top of the mast, let alone lay on it. Especially if the
boat is rocking on the ocean. Intoxicating drink is a danger. I
wonder if the writer of the Brad Paisley song we read earlier had
read these verses. That songwriter said alcohol can make anybody
look pretty, make you believe lies, make you pick fights with
people twice your size, get you fired, make you a fool, get you in
trouble. Granted it says you can have a ball with it, but you
won’t remember most of it. For another popular look from an
honest country musician, consider Neil McCoy’s song (also
climbing the country charts right now), “Billy’s Got His Beer
Goggles On.” Billy is trying to drown his sorrows. He chases
everything in sight because “he can’t see ugly through
bloodshot eyes.” “Right now his worries are gone” but
“He’ll fall apart when he gets home.” Alcohol is great
stuff, isn’t it.
C.
Also, according to Proverbs
23:35 it is addictive. What else could cause all of this
but cause a person to wake up and want some more. I will never
forget some of my high school buddies who came to school almost
every Monday complaining about spending Sundays puking and how
they will never drink again.
D.
Proverbs
31:5
says intoxicating drink will cause a person to forget God’s law.
Intoxicating drink immediately impacts your ability to think
clearly. It attacks your logic, your reason, your judgment and
your inhibitions. That is why Proverbs
23:33 said the drinker utters perverse things. This is the
true danger of intoxicating drink. The real issue is not about
your health. The real issue is not about whether you look like a
fool. The issue is that with every drink you take your ability to
control yourself is hindered—beginning with the very first one.
This was Paul’s point in Ephesians
5:18. The word for “drunk” in that passage is “methusko.”
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says this
word is “an inceptive verb, marking the process of the state
expressed in [methuo].” “Methuo” means signifies being
drunk. Ephesians
5:18 is not condemning being stone-cold drunk. It explains
that every step you take down the path of being intoxicated with
alcohol prevents you that much more from being controlled by the
Holy Spirit, that is, from being able to make your judgments based
on the word of the Holy Spirit (cf. Colossians
3:16). (See endnote for more information on this term.[2])
III.
What should we do with intoxicating drink?
A.
Proverbs
31:6-7
provides the only passage that is permissive for drinking
intoxicating drinks. The person who is dying and in great pain may
drink to remove the pain. Despite how so many want to read this
passage, the text does not describe a depressed person who is
trying to drown his sorrows. Rather, it speaks of a person in pain
and misery because he is dying. Thus, we find permission to use
alcohol medicinally as a pain killer. Everyone else needs to
consider what the rest of these passages in Proverbs
say.
B.
According to Proverbs
20:1, we recognize that we must not let it deceive us. It
is going to promise all kinds of wonderful things. Don’t buy it.
Its end is misery and death. Do not allow it to deceive you into
saying that only a little won’t matter. That is a lie from the
devil.
C.
Proverbs
31:4-5
says, “It is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to
desire strong drink.” Allow me to remind you that we as
Christians are a “royal priesthood” (I
Peter 2:9). We are kings and it is not for us to desire or
drink intoxicating drinks, because with every drink it takes away
our ability to control ourselves.
D.
Interestingly, I have heard numerous Christians turn to Proverbs
23:29-35 and explain that this it what happens to those
who drink too much. After all the passage does say it happens to
“those who linger long over wine.” However, notice it also
says it happens to “those who go to taste mixed wine (vs.
30). What amazes me is that some Christians today read
this passage and teach that what it means is we should only drink
a little bit in moderation. The Proverbialist also gave
instruction on what we should do with this intoxicating drink that
causes all these problems. He said, “Do not look on the
wine…” Did he mean that as we drink a little bit of it in
moderation that we should keep our eyes closed? Or did he mean we
need to stay away from it and not even look at it, lest the
deceiving drink tempt us to partake?
E.
Consider an interesting connection of passages. Remember
that wine is a mocker or scoffer (Proverbs
20:1). Further it causes contentions (Proverbs
23:29). Interestingly, Proverbs
22:10 says if we drive out the scoffer we will get rid of
contentions. It did not say just put up with the scoffer in small
doses of moderation, but drive out the scoffer. (This corresponds
with another interesting connection. The New Testament counterpart
to “brawler” in Proverbs
20:1, is found in Ephesians
4:31, in which Paul taught us to “Let all…clamor…be
put away from you.”)
Conclusion:
Now that we have looked more closely at these passages from
Proverbs, you tell me
what the Christian’s relationship to intoxicating drink ought to
be. Should it be one of moderation and small doses? Or should it
be one of abstinence and absolute sobriety? The answer is clear.
Do not even look on intoxicating drink, let alone drink it, lest
you drink and neglect God’s law, losing your soul.
[1] The following is copied
from the sermon “Is
Intoxicating Drink Allowed in Moderation?” presented at
the Franklin Church of Christ on June 13, 2004.
I.
Modern assumptions that cloud
the Bible issue.
A.
“Wine is wine is wine and
all of it is intoxicating.”
1.
If I asked you to go to the
store and buy me some cider, what would you purchase? Because
you know me, you would purchase unfermented apple cider.
However, if I was a drinker and you knew I was going to a BYOB
New Year’s Eve party, you would run by a package store and
pick up some hard cider. Here is a word that we use today
which can mean either intoxicating or non-intoxicating drink.
We determine which is meant based on the context of the
statement.
2.
In our modern day, the words
“wine” and “cider” are different. “Cider” refers
to either intoxicating or non-intoxicating juice depending on
the context, but, for us, “wine” always refers to an
intoxicating drink. Was it that way in the Bible? No.
3.
No doubt in places the term
“wine” referred to intoxicating, alcoholic drink, e.g. Genesis
9:20; 19:32; Proverbs 23:29-31. On the other hand,
notice some other places where “wine” could not possibly
have referred to intoxicating, alcoholic drink. Isaiah
16:10 spoke of “wine” being treaded out in the
presses. It is not possible for what is treaded out in the
presses to be fermented and intoxicating. Likewise Jeremiah
40:10-12 referred to gathering in the wine along with
the summer fruits. In other words, this was the juice in the
grape when brought in from the field. It could not possibly be
fermented, alcoholic, intoxicating drink. Jeremiah
48:33 spoke again of wine being in the wine presses.
Again, this was the juice as it was pressed out of the grapes
and therefore must not have been alcoholic or intoxicating.
Understand clearly what this demonstrates. As we strive to see
what God has equipped us to do in scripture, it is not enough
to find a place where “wine” is consumed with approval. It
must be a place where we know it is intoxicating wine and it
is consumed with approval.
B.
“Ancient people of the Bible
days did not know how to keep juice from fermenting.”
1.
Some will grudgingly concede
the prior point that in the Bible, “wine” is a generic
term used to refer to juice from a grape whether fermented or
not. So, if it is freshly squeezed it is non-fermented. But if
it was squeezed a week ago, the ancients had no way of keeping
it from fermenting and therefore it must be intoxicating and
alcoholic. It is not surprising that people feel this way.
After all, every generation believes knowledge and wisdom
begins with them. But it simply is not true.
2.
A study of history has
demonstrated that men of antiquity knew how to keep wine
unfermented. Consider the following:
a.
“If you wish to have must
(i.e., grape juice) all year put grape juice in an amphora and
seal the cork with pitch: sink it in a fishpond. After 30 days
take it out. It will be grape juice for a whole year.” (De
Agri Cultura CXX, Marcus Porcius Cato the elder who lived
from 234-149 B.C.; quoted from Sipping Saints by Rick
Lanning and also The Bible, The Saint, and The Liquor
Industry by Jim McGuiggan). Thus juice could be kept from
fermenting if sealed and kept below a certain temperature
which immobilizes the yeast from fermenting. Interestingly,
the Bible speaks of storing wine in cellars which by their
very nature would perform this cooling operation (I
Chronicles 27:27).
b.
Pliny who lived from AD 61-113
said, “The most useful wine has all its force or strength
broken by the filter.” And Plutarch who lived from AD 46-120
said, “Wine is rendered old or feeble in strength when
it is frequently filtered. The strength or spirit being thus
excluded, the wine neither inflames the brain nor infests the
mind and the passions, and is much more pleasant to drink”
(From the same sources as above). This filtering referred to a
process by which the yeast would be removed and thus not allow
fermentation. The Bible speaks of this very thing. In Isaiah
25:6, God claims He will host a feast in which He will
provide “refined” wine. According to Strong’s Enhanced
Lexicon, that translates the Hebrew word “zaqaq” which
refers to purifying or straining. In other words, in
Isaiah’s day, they knew they could filter wine.
c.
Have you ever heard someone
who argues vehemently against consuming alcohol claim it is
lawful to cook with alcohol? Of course you have. Why? Because
the alcohol cooks out. Alcohol has a lower boiling point than
water. When boiled, the alcohol in fermented wine will cook
out just as it cooks out of the vanilla you add to your cake
recipes. Virgil who lived from 70 to 19 BC wrote, “Meanwhile
his spouse, … over the fire boils down the liquor of the
lucious must, and skims with leaves the tide of the trembling
cauldron” (quoted from The Bible, The Saint, and The
Liquor Industry, p 45). After the wine was boiled down it
became pasty and thick like honey. It was a concentrate and to
be drunk it had to be mixed with water.
3.
The ancients were not as
simple or ignorant as we may think. They knew full well how to
keep juice unfermented. And if it fermented, they knew how to
remove the alcohol and make it non-intoxicating. They did this
by procedures even referred to in the Bible. Thus, we cannot
assume that the word “wine” in the Bible refers to alcohol
or intoxicating drink, no matter how old it is.
[2]
1) Webster’s Dictionary defines “inceptive” as
“expressing the beginning of the action indicated by the
underlying verb, …” 2) Abbot-Smith’s Manual Greek
Lexicon of the New Testament claims “methusko” is
“causal of [methuo]” (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, Scotland.
1973, p 282.). 3) Bullinger’s A Critical Lexicon and
Concordance To the English and Greek New Testament says
“methusko” means “to grow drunk (marking the beginning
of No. 1 [methuo])” (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand
Rapids. 1978. P 238.).
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
Franklin
Church of Christ
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