I must say this is a subject that I know nothing about from personal experience. Alcoholic beverages have never been a temptation to me. I grew up in an area that was a “dry county.” There were no bars, restaurants, ABC stores, or even grocery stores that sold alcoholic beverages. However, it was not obsolete in our area. People would drive across state lines to purchase alcohol, or they would buy from people that were called “boot legers.” Those were people that would go out of the county and buy large quantities of alcohol to bring back to the area and sell for a profit. It was illegal, but that didn’t stop the sale. Personally, I have never drunk alcoholic beverages.
Today our text deals with the subject of “strong drink,” or alcoholic beverages. In Proverbs 31, a son is relaying what his mom has told him about how to live a successful life. Yesterday, our text dealt with staying away from certain women. Today, there are 6 verses of caution that deal with the subject of strong drink. While I know I am in a minority on my view of drinking, I believe scripture makes it clear that such habits are wrong for a Christian. The only time scripture gives a positive view of drinking is for medical purposes.
The passage we will deal with today makes it very clear that drinking impairs judgment. It clouds the thinking process causing people to do and say things they would never do in a sober-minded state. This mother is talking to her son who is a prince, and he will be making many decisions that will affect others. Lest you think this doesn’t apply to you, let me remind you that if you are a Christian, you are a child of the King, therefore you are a prince or princess.
Pro 31:4-9 “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”
While this passage was to a prince of an earthly kingdom, we need to make it applicable to us. We too are princes and princess of the Kingdom of God. We are left here after salvation to represent Him. We must always be sober-minded and alert. There is never a moment we are not His representative to others if we are truly His. Alcoholic beverages relax the central nervous system and can impair memory. It can reduce the decision-making ability, and it clouds our moral judgment by dulling normal inhibitions. We are to be wise seeking that which is just, holy, always pleasing to the Lord. Proverbs 20:1 teaches that “strong drink” allows us to be deceived rendering us unwise. These are all negative for a Christian
Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”
In Leviticus 10:9, the priest was commanded to not drink, nor to allow their sons to drink when they would enter the tabernacle unless they wanted to die. This was a law that was given “forever throughout your generations.”
Leviticus 10:9 “Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations:”
In the tabernacle they represented God, now we are His tabernacle and He dwells within. We should refrain from anything that may represent Him in a wrong way. There are many areas where there are questionable things a Christian may have the liberty to do, however, the Bible also has limitations and rules that govern Christian liberty. Romans chapter 14 and I Corinthians chapters 6, 8, and 10 give us the limitations. Liberty does not mean we have freedom to do as we choose. It is not freedom to sin, but it is freedom from sin. It no longer controls us. We need to be very careful about exercising our liberty. I Corinthians 8:9 makes it clear that we can be a stumbling block to others. You may have your rights but if it hinders others in their walk with Christ it becomes sin.
I Corinthians 8:9 “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.”
There are over 75 verses in the Bible that speak about “strong drink” or wine. Some condemn it completely and others make allowances. Before you jump on the “Jesus drank wine” bandwagon, note that the wine of that time period was not as the acholic beverage today. Because of the distilling process today, the alcoholic content is much greater. Also, the water of that region was not always the best, some believe the alcohol was needed to purify the water. Paul makes that clear in I Timothy 5:23 when he tells Timothy to mix a little wine with his water for his stomach. Clearly alcohol had its positive purpose in biblical times. However, with modern medicine that it is not necessary.
I Timothy 5:23 “Drink no longer water but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.”
In our passage in Proverbs a mother is seeking to teach her son the wisdom of not drinking. It is an example to all of us of the dangers of alcohol. Our world is full of people that have ruined lives because of the effects of alcohol on their lives. Drunk drivers who kill; dads and moms who squander the finances of the family because of addiction to alcohol; sons and daughters with deadly illnesses due to alcohol consumption; and on and on I could go. You may feel it is perfectly ok to drink as a social habit, but is it worth taking the chances mentioned? Is it worth putting a mark on your testimony because you seek the feeling you have when you drink?
I believe our Lord and Savior expects the best from us. We are to seek to live a life of excellence for Him. He is worthy!
