Is alcohol a curse? Or a blessing? I think its both.
Recently I wondered exactly what the Bible said about alcohol. Was it good or bad? I was then led to believe that it is both, and depends on whether it is enjoyed or misused.
1 Samuel 1:14 says that we should not be drunk and to distance ourselves from wine.
Psalms 104:15 says that God among other things gives us wine to make our hearts glad.
Proverbs 20:1 says that wine is a disgrace, Proverbs 23:20 and 21 also say that we should not be drunk, and that being drunk among other things leads to poverty.
Habakkuk 2:15 warns against making others drunk in an attempt to catch them off-guard or naked.
Ephesians 5:18 gives an alternative to being drunk with wine, and says that instead of filling up on wine, we should fill up on the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 4:5 tells us to use moderation in everything.
And 1 Timothy 5:23 tells us to �Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach�s sake and thine often infirmities�.
A recap of those eight verses could go something like this:
Don�t get drunk all the time. If you are prone to getting drunk or drinking excessively, distance yourself from alcohol. It�s important to remember however, that God gave us wine, and all things for us to enjoy. Wine can sometimes lead an individual to disgrace, and that is why we should use moderation in all things. Wine also has health benefits, which when used in moderation, help your stomach.
Let�s not forget too that Jesus turned the water into wine, which is recorded in John chapter 2.
22Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
23All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
24Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.
25Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:
26For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.
27If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.
28But if any man say unto you, this is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:
29Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?
30For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
31Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
32Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
You�ve pretty much have covered all the bases on Wine and Alcohol. The Key Theme throughout is Moderation. �All things in Moderation�.
I would like to add an Interesting sidebar. At The Last Supper Jesus shared wine with His Apostles (which means He must have drunk some of it):
Matthew 26:26-29
New International Version (NIV)
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, �Take and eat; this is my body.�
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, �Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father�s kingdom.�
This can be taken several ways. It can be interpreted as Spiritual�(Jesus is The Vine) or Metaphorically�(the �Fruits� of Jesus� Sacrifice will come after His Death and Resurrection and many yaers into the future) or Literally�(Jesus will not �drink this Holy Sacrament � The Eucharist � with The Apostles until they are All Reunited in Heaven).
Either way�it is clear that Jesus did partake of Wine.
Wine had a number of uses in biblical times including being used as a disinfectant to clean wounds, also as a means to safely hydrate. There were not many beverages safe to drink. Water carried bacteria and contaminants and was unsafe for drinking unless it came from a fresh spring, and the milk supply was limited. Additionally making water safe to drink was time consuming. The safest way in which to make water safe to drink was mixing it with wine.
It is an historic fact that the word "wine" was used for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic wine in Bible times. The differentiation between types of wine is also clearly delineated in the Bible. Bad wine is always intoxicating and it is attributed to violence (Proverbs 4:17; 23:29-30), self-security and ungodliness (Isaiah 28:7; 56:12; Habakkuk 2:5), and is poisonous and destructive (Proverbs 23:31). It is also significantly emblematic of punishment and eternal ruin. (Revelation 14:10; 16:19, Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 25:15, etc.).
Good wine is to be presented to God at the altar as an offering to Him. (Numbers 18:12; Nehemiah 10:37,39; 13:5, 13). It is also referred to as part of the blessing and basic provisions of life. And of course good wine is emblematic of the blood of the atonement, whereby we receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal blessing � the opposite of the emblem of bad wine. (Matthew 26:26-28; 1Corinthians 10:16). The two types of wine represented in the bible are Yayin - which is fermented (bad) wine and Tiyrowsh which is the unfermented wine of God, good wine.
Lastly, wisdom dictates that the use of alcohol can be a serious personal nightmare to those who abuse it. We are admonished to be wise regarding alcohol; "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit." Ephesians 5:17-18 (NKJV)
Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way. I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil spoken of: for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith on may edify another. for meat destroy not the work of god. all things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
Before reading Romans, I had the same question.
I used to have an alcohol drink on occasion. However, after reading this sometime back, I chose not drink any alcohol at all because it may be a stumbling block to another.
