Red Fountains of Wine

What is the biblical perspective of alcohol, and should Christians drink, or should they avoid alcohol altogether? Thankfully, the bible makes it very easy for us to answer these questions as there is a lot the bible has to say about alcohol.

First, let's answer the moral question, is it a sin to consume alcohol? In Deuteronomy 14:26, the law of Moses says that one can purchase wine to drink, even intoxicating wine, during the tithe, the picnic involving Israel's journey to the place where God would set His name. The word used in verse 26, the intoxicating wine, Shekar (7941), wasn't juice. They would partake in such things in the presence of the Lord, as this is where the tithe was to be enjoyed. This verse calls to mind what is written in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." This is exactly what we see here during the feast of the tithe.

In Jeremiah 35:1-14, God invites the Rechabites to His house and offers them wine. However, there is a context to the invitation, that being, God brought them to His house as an opportunity to teach Israel a powerful lesson. "I am God, and you don't listen to me, a human, the Rechabites ancestor, told them not to drink, and they listen. Do you see the problem with this?" James 1:13-15, God does not tempt us to sin, right? Because this is true, one must also conclude that drinking is not a sin because God offered it to the Rechabites. If it was sinful to drink alcohol, He would not have offered it to them because God does not tempt us to do wrong.

From these two points in scripture, we can conclude that the act of consuming alcohol is not in, and of itself, sinful. Nor was the consumption of alcohol forbidden by God; on the contrary, consuming alcohol was permitted according to His divine law.

There are two restrictions that I would like to look at regarding the consumption of alcohol. In Leviticus 10:9, Aaron and the sons of Aaron are restricted from consuming alcohol before they enter the tent of meeting. The consequence of disobedience was death. This restriction was bound to the tent of meeting. To infer that it should be applied beyond that sector would be a mishandling of scripture and misrepresentation of divine law.

The next restriction placed around individuals and their relationship to alcohol was with those fulfilling Nazarite vows described in Number 6:2-4. The restrictions for those fulfilling their vows, men or women, extended beyond the act of drinking any fermented drinks. A Nazarite was also expected to abstain from grape juice, the consumption of grapes, and even from raisins themselves. They must not consume anything that comes from a grapevine during the duration of their vow. At the end of their vow, according to Numbers 6:13, 20, "The individual that has completed their vow may drink wine once again."

In the two scriptures above, we see alcohol consumption restricted under certain circumstances and over the course of a limited amount of time. To take these verses and conclude that alcohol is to be entirely avoided would be a denial of the fullness of what is described as happening within the verses themselves. One would also need to overlook God's permissive demeanor towards the consumption of alcohol.

Next, we see two wise men describe a positive relationship to alcohol for us. One such verse is found in the book of Psalms. In Psalms 104:13-15, it is deduced by the writer that it is God who provides humans with food and wine to gladden our hearts. The tithe was an opportunity to celebrate the providence of God as the people would eat what God had provided for them in His presence and at His house.

These next verses come from Paul writing to Timothy, wherein which he recommends a bit of wine to help settle the young man's stomach. This is described in 1 Timothy 5:23. The word used there for wine is the Greek word "oinos (3631)," which is also used in Ephesians 5:18, wherein it is said, "Do not get drunk on wine (oinos), which leads to debauchery. Alcohol, the thing Paul warns us about in Ephesians, is the same thing he recommends to Timothy in a letter that he had sent to him. This shows us once again that wine is not sinful, but the overconsumption of it has consequences, just as the overconsumption of anything else has consequences.

Lastly, to end this short study, I would like to look at the man Uriah, who maintained his integrity, even while drunk. In 2 Samuel 11:12-13, we see Uriah drink with the man who will soon betray him. After he gets drunk, he goes and lays down to sleep among David's servants instead of going home. What he said in 2 Samuel 11:11 he continues to apply even while drunk. These are his words from verse eleven, "The ark, Israel, and Judah are staying in tents. My commander Joab and my lord's men sleep in open country, now how could I go home to my wife to eat, drink, and make love to her? I won't do such a thing as long as you live." Despite the verses above, I am not trying to defend drunkness, but I am trying to challenge the church's thoughts regarding alcohol and it's consumption.

Alcohol is not evil, nor is it sinful. For whatever reason, it is part of God's creation design, and He has given it to us, His children. If we choose to drink it, we must do so responsibly; if we choose to not drink it, we must do this responsibly as well.