I read an interesting pair of lines today:
“The righteous one will live by his faith, Moreover, wine betrays.” Habakkuk 2:4-5.
Will you walk by faith, or will you be powered by alcohol—which will betray you? I have read Habakkuk a dozen times, but never caught this. It reminds me of another interesting passage:
“Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18.
In Greek, this second passage is clearly parallelism: “Do not be filled with spirits, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Don’t find your joy in drink, but in the Holy Spirit. If you are worried or scared or grieving, don’t drown your problems with alcoholic spirits, but take your needs to God’s Holy Spirit.
That makes sense, right? What better place to go with your problems than the throne of God?
This is my concern with the booming vineyard industry in America. All these middle-aged soccer moms with their ‘Carpe Vino’ shirts, tea towels, and throw pillows have missed the only REAL solution to their problems. I understand that alcohol brings a kind of relief. The Bible says as much: “Give beer to one who is dying… let him drink so he can forget…” Prov. 31:6. But if you are NOT dying, why choose something that will not satisfy—and comes with so many other risks? (Are you SURE you will never be “that guy” that drives after having too many? You can NEVER be sure if you drink away from home.)
Proverbs actually says more: “It is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire beer…. Give beer to one who is dying… so he can forget….”
I choose to see myself as the KING in this passage. I don’t drink and I don’t desire it. Why should I? I’m not dying, am I? Are you?
Do not drink spirits, but fill yourself with the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is not black and white on this subject. It is complicated. But if you want to drink, I challenge you to build a case for it from the scripture.
ΑΩ
P.S. My attempt at a comprehensive statement on drinking: Drinking is a nuanced issue with plenty of gray areas and room for reasonable minds to disagree. Remember the history of Prohibition in the United States: many churches and denominations took rigid positions on one side or the other–and those positions tend to persist a century after Prohibition was repealed. My conclusion is: Jesus drank wine and miraculously provided it to others. Who am I to say it is wrong? Yet dozens of Bible passages warn of the ill effects of drinking. We must do as Paul says, “let each man have his own conviction” (Romans 14:5) and “judge not” (Matthew 7:1). Finally, If you drink often, consider fasting often. Fasting moderates appetites, ensuring we will “Be not drunk on spirits, but filled with the Holy Spirit” Ephesians 5:18. https://dadsdailydevotionals.com/2023/04/06/its-not-if-but-when/
Household Words: 