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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Then the Lord said to Aaron, "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. You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses."
Leviticus 10:8-11
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Right after the Lord executes Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, by fire after they violated His commands regarding incense burning in the tabernacle, we see the Lord giving Aaron, the high priest, a direct command about proper priestly conduct within the tabernacle.
"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."
We should note that this wouldn’t just apply to Aaron and his other two sons but all priests who would follow. For God makes it clear that His command would be a "lasting ordinance for the generations to come."
So why did God have to issue this command?
Well, there is some speculation that Nadab and Abihu were intoxicated when they burned the incense at the wrong time with the “unauthorized fire” (v.1) which prompted God to send fire out to kill them.
The main idea with the command about not drinking “wine or other fermented drink” was that alcohol has adverse effects on the person who partakes of it and this can not only impact those who lead but those who follow.
You see, regardless of if someone was leading or following, God expected complete obedience to His expectations and this required clear thought and judgment at all times. We know that alcohol can impair a person’s judgment and so someone under its influence would be unable to exercise sound decision making. This is why we find God adding this in His words to Aaron:
"You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses."
Think about it.
How could any priest, an appointed and ordained representative of the Lord God Almighty, make appropriate determinations about things that were clean and unclean if their minds were clouded by the effects of alcohol?
Further, how could they teach others properly about the decrees of God if they were always drinking?
Not only would the spiritual leaders be setting the wrong example for those they were teaching but those being taught could possibly question or doubt the teaching they were receiving since it was coming from someone who impaired while under the influence of alcohol.
And so God demanded that His priests be sober and prohibited them from drinking alcoholic beverages when they were carrying out their tabernacle duties which pretty much was around the clock, even on the Sabbath.
So how do these words of the Lord apply to us today?
Well first of all, I think they challenge us to assess our lives when it comes to drinking alcohol. For many, even those who are believers, drinking is an issue, one that has detrimental impacts on aspects of life far beyond the individual. For the adverse effects of alcohol wreck families, friendships, jobs, reputations, and even faith.
And here’s the thing. No one has to drink, right?
It really isn’t even necessary as there are plenty of healthy thinks to partake in. I can speak through experience as I am now well over 65 years of age and have never had a drink of alcohol, even having served for nearly 30 years in the military.
So here’s one thing I can say with absolute certainty.
You will never have a personal alcohol problem in your life if you don’t drink.
We need to see in society that it’s perfectly fine to be abstinent. It’s not impossible, far from it actually.
I know I don’t feel like I have missed anything by not drinking but I can also say that I have watched many others wreck themselves because of it, another thing that has served as a deterrent. This is why I have referred to alcohol as “the devil’s drink” for anything that might cause a person to be impaired to the point where they do things they would never do when sober is something to stay away from. The same goes for any number of illicit drugs that are out there.
In the end translation, God expects His people to be clear-headed and able to make right and proper decisions and alcohol consumption can lead one away from those expectations and usually toward sin. Indeed, there are events happening every day where people have committed transgressions as a result of impairment and/or intoxication.
As for the scriptures, there are passages that show the errors in judgment made by people under the influence and in many cases, the judgment of God that came in response. Consider these examples:
In Genesis, chapter 19, we see what happened to Lot after he allowed himself to become drunk.
Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave.
One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth. Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.”
That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.”
So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today. Vv.30-38
Here, we find Lot, Abraham’s nephew, allowing himself to become intoxicated and under that impairment, ended up having incestual relations with his two daughters who ended up pregnant. We read where they each bore sons who ended up being progenitors of the Moabites and the Ammonites, both becoming enemies of the Israelite people.
His actions were also a direct violation of God’s law as found in the eighteenth chapter of the Book of Leviticus:
“Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.” v.17
And then there was Nabal, a wealthy man in Carmel who almost brought death on all his men at the hands of David by his greed and selfish attitude. His wife, Abigail, intervened when her drunk husband was unable to make a decision that meant life or death to all his servants and himself. Once sober, the discovery of what nearly happened was too much for Nabal’s heart which failed him and the Lord struck him down 10 days later. You can read about it in the twenty-fifth chapter of 1 Samuel.
Moving to the Apostle Paul, we find him writing these words to the church in Ephesus, words that ring just as true to us today:
"Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:17-18
Here, we see the Word of the Lord giving us importance guidance as to what we should fill ourselves with. For when we choose to take in alcohol to where we are impaired, we will make decisions based on our desires and sinful nature but if we fill ourselves instead with the Holy Spirit, we will always make choices that are right and righteous, choices that fully fit God’s desire for us and our lives.
Paul also wrote this to the church in Thessalonica:
"So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8
Indeed, these words to the Thessalonians remind us that as Christians, we are to always be in the light, the light of Christ Jesus who was, is, and always will be the Light of the world (John 8:12).
Drunkenness moves us in the opposite direction, toward darkness and away from the light of the Lord. And so it’s of no wonder why so many people who have chronic alcohol issues find themselves depressed and in despair and gloom for this is right where the devil wants them to be.
Did I mention that alcohol is “the devil’s drink”?
Paul wasn’t the only one to write on this matter, for here we find Peter chiming in on the subject.
"Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 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.”
“Be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." 1 Peter 4:1-3, 7
The scriptures tell us that anyone who places their belief in Jesus becomes a new creation, leaving behind the life they lived in the flesh to live a new life in Christ under the leading of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17). Peter reminds his readers (as well as us) that drunkenness is a behavior associated paganism, not someone who’s in a relationship with the Lord. For those who live living righteously, walking in the ways of the Lord, will always be clear-minded and self-controlled so they can pray and be in fellowship with the Father who will guide all they do. As a result, their lived will glorify Him and be pleasing in His sight.
Finally, we go back to Paul and these words written to the church in Galatia:
"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.”
“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 kingdom of God.”
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:16-23
Friends, this is one of my favorite passages in the Bible because it serves as a primer for Christian living. When we live by the Spirit, we live outside of the sinful natures, and as you can see, there are far more of them than just drunkenness, even though misusing alcohol can lead you toward committing the other acts. But note that Paul leads us away from the fruit of the vine and rather toward the fruits of the Spirit, fruits that will lead us toward holiness and far away from the wickedness that God despises.
And so the question this message serves to pose today is this:
What fruit is more dominate in your life: the fruit of the vine or the fruit of the Spirit?
Brothers and sisters, this is a question that only you can answer but I encourage you not to try and fool yourself if a problem exists because the Lord already knows. He’s the only One who can see into the deepest parts of your heart and soul, and nothing is hidden from His sight.
And given that He knows about your alcohol problem, He stands ready to help you solve it. All you need to do is surrender yourself to Him and allow His strength to be yours, for there’s nothing that we can’t do when He is helping is and that includes overcoming the snares of alcohol abuse or addiction. Please know that He stands ready to empower you from the inside out so that your life will be dominated by the fruits that come from the Holy Spirit, fruits that I believe you might be desperate for like peace and joy and self control.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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