Christ’s Ambassador

The first battle I had to fight post salvation was with alcohol consumption. It was a battle that had no direct intrusion of Satan. It was between the two natures in me: Spirit man and Carnal man. Should I continue my erstwhile drinking binge? Definitely no. But the thirst was always there and I saw Christians who also drank and quoted scriptures in support. So where was the demarcation line? What quantity was enough to wash down my food and still keep me straight-headed? When would I cross the line to over-indulgence? These questions kept nagging at my mind even as my appetite refused to give way. After quite a long time of struggling and studying scriptures, I wrote the following in my diary because the word made a great impact on my life. I am only sharing my experience here and I must say that I am not speaking on behalf of my church. If this post helps somebody, it will be fulfilling its purpose and may God receive the glory.

One of the favourite scriptures I used to hear quoted in support of drinking alcohol was 1Tim5:23. But Paul was not giving a license for alcohol consumption here. He was only recommending wine as mere medication, and as in all medications, in moderate dosage relevant at their own time because of their limited medical knowledge.

This is not the only time and place where wine was prescribed or used for medication in Biblical days. The good Samaritan, in the parable told by Jesus to illustrate love and neighbourliness, poured oil and wine on the wounds of the casualty as first aid. Luke 10:34. I think that wine must have been used widely as medication in those days. Now medical science is at an all high and still improves by the day. No one treats wounds with wine now, but we have methylated spirit, which is alcohol deliberately altered to discourage drinking, among other medications used for first aid.

This issue of wine and strong drink must be studied in full context to have a good understanding of the Biblical stand. In this piece, I shall expound on the subject under two clearly distinct dispensations: Era before Pentecost, and Era since Pentecost.

The earliest occurrence of wine in the era before Pentecost was immediately after the deluge when Noah began to cultivate the ground. He planted a vineyard and got drunk from the fruits of the garden. Ham, one of his children made a mockery of Noah’s nakedness and his descendants got cursed. From him came the Canaanites. Gen9:21-25 Lot also got drunk with wine and did not know when his own daughters raped him to produce Moab and Benammi, the ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites, cursed people and dreaded enemies of Israel. Gen 19:30-37

A good study of the Old Testament showed that Israel made free and acceptable use of wine and strong drinks. God did not sanction them for that. Deut 14:25- 26 is a useful reference. Even then, God still gave some no-go area. Priests and Levites were not to take wine or intoxicating liquor when attending to God’s duties else they die. Lev 10:9. This commandment was repeated through Ezekiel even as God told him of the return of the remnants from exile Ezek44:21. He warned: “No Priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court”.

Attending to God’s duties demands soberness, clear headedness and humility and not the light headedness and false courage that wine produces. The operation of the Holy Spirit in those days was like this: He descended on a vessel HE wanted to use, maybe a King, Prophet, Priest or Judge and when the candidate has finished the assignment, the Holy Spirit chooses another. Because of his divine presence, such people would be forbidden to partake in common or unholy things. The presence of God was only seen and felt in the tent of meeting in the wilderness, and later in the temple at Jerusalem. Such places must not be desecrated with drunkenness and associated practices. There was wine though; we must not forget that there was even a wine offering to God. Lev 23:13

Up till and during the time of Jesus’ ministry, this dispensational allowance still held. Jesus himself rebuked the Jews in Mt 11:18 -19 saying  ”For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon. The Son of Man,^[a] on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”  Some have argued that the wine they drank then was not intoxicating but the scriptures did not say so. The apostles were accused of being drunk with wine on Pentecost day. Old Eli thought Hannah was drunk with wine. The Pharisees called Jesus a glutton and drunkard. The wine was intoxicating, and they still had strong drinks. But the poor used wine mostly because it was produced from farm produce. There was also scarcity of portable water and so they had wine to accompany food most times.

It was necessary for Jesus to relate well with sinners to win them over but this is not to say that he over-indulged as they were accusing him of. He is king of perfection, King of Righteousness and it was not possible for him to do wrong. It is instructive to note here that none of us descendants of Adam had his type of discipline. He had greater control of his desires and appetites than we have. He had a perfect body with no sin of his own and neither did he inherit any from his parents. He was one who could say “My food is to do the will of my father and to finish his work” Jn4:32 He had no luxury all his life safe the donkey he burrowed to ride triumphantly into Jerusalem and the grave he slept in.

At Pentecost, things changed. The Jewish system of worship wound up. God came to reside in men and the temple arrangement changed. Man became the temple of the Holy Spirit. 2 Cor 6:16  New laws came to be, which were actually an expansion of the old laws: Do not be filled with wine in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Holy Spirit Eph 5:8 Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, and this is your spiritual worship Rom 12:1 Pray without ceasing 1Thess 5:20. Pray in the Holy Spirit Jude 20. Be sober and alert. All these commands were given to believers. The word of God stands for ever. His warning through Ezekiel in Eze 44:21and the one through Moses in Lev 11:9 were not invalidated by Pentecost but given expanded meanings today as believers became the temple of God, as well as the Priests. Believers serve 24-7, no break, no leave, no excuse duty.

It is abominable to destroy the temple of God, or yield its use to other concerns different from worshipping God in Spirit and Truth. Alcohol desecrates the temple and weakens it. A body sodden with drink cannot at the same time be filled with Spirit. But what if I drink a little and don’t over-indulge? I used to say this. But another consideration is this: What happens to a brother or sister who is weaker in resolve but look up to me for mentoring? How do I share their burden? Paul says “He’d rather give up eating meat if his eating it may cause a brother to stumble. The wines in the Babylonian King’s kitchen might have been alright for Daniel but he offered to take a diet of vegetables and water because of his firm determination to maintain his identity as servant of God. With his self denial he was able to  help his colleagues to gain courage and strength, and God rewarded them for it. What a shining example!

Drinking alcohol, among other evils, caused for me weakness of the body and anytime I drank  before bedtime, I found it very difficult to wake up at night to observe a quiet time with God. If I managed to keep my eyes open, my mind would never be as sharp as it should be in normal conditions. This made me to appreciate the good sense King Lemuel learnt from his mother. Prov 31:4-6 says “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol. For if they drink, they may forget the law and not give justice to the oppressed. Alcohol is for the dying, and wine for those in bitter distress”

These portions of scriptures convicted me and I began to pray for the Spirit of God to take over. I enlisted the help of my wife and I stayed around brethren of the same convictions. After a little while, the battle was over. I started living a free and healthier life. This is how I was able to overcome my appetite for alcoholic beverages.