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Drunkenness
June 9, 2012

School has recently let out where I live and for some this is a reason to drink to excess and to get drunk. Some will sadly make the choice to be drunk and then get behind the wheel of a car and drive drunk. Many of these people will be arrested and have huge legal and insurance costs as a result. A few will cause death or injury to others and to themselves. Others will realize the next day they have done something shameful or embarassing. Drunkenness causes many problems, and this is a reason why we are cautioned in the Bible to not practice this. Drunkenness can creep up on anyone of any age in any class. All it takes is drinking too much alcohol. A very early example from the Bible is from the life of Noah, notable for building the ark. We will focus on a time after the flood when Noah was reestablishing everyday life. Noah decided to be a farmer because nobody else was growing food and among the crops he grew were grapes. Noah used the grapes to make wine, and when he had too much wine to drink, one of his sons did something he shouldn't have done.

Genesis 9:20-27
And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

So there are a couple of people at fault in this early story. First, we should never take advantage of another person for any reason. It is wrong to do that. Ham should not have done what he did, and it made his father so angry he cursed his son and grandson. Noah never considered his actions in all of this. If Noah never had gotten drunk in the first place, this would not have happened. So the lesson we can take from this example is to not allow ourselves to get drunk, because sometimes, when we are unable to care for ourselves because of our own actions for whatever reason, others, including family, may not be respectful of our needs and cause us harm. Because Noah allowed himself to get drunk, something bad happened to Noah's family. There are some who have seen this type of tragedy in their own life and are determined to never allow this to happen again. Some will not drink alcohol or wine or beer because of this concern. There are churches and congregations that preach against drinking alcohol, wine and beer. And there are others who preach moderation. The Bible gives us examples in some of the proverbs.

Proverbs 31:4-7
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.

These proverbs show that those who have responsibility to administer justice should not be drunk while taking care of business. Justice is based on principles of right and wrong and codified into laws and when people are drunk, it is hard to remember written laws. Imagine if you were counting on a judge to provide justice where you were wronged and owed a lot of money. Now imagine how angry you would be if the judge was drunk and didn't make the other person pay you any money. This could cause you lots of grief. This is why when we administer justice, we have to have a clear head. These proverbs do show there are times to get drink wine and hard liquor. Alcohol can lesson pain and even today pain management is an important part of treatment for those with painful medical conditions. If you see a person worse off than you and maybe they have had too much to drink, these verses provide some of the reasons why this choice might have been made. My personal preference is to think through whatever bad situation has come my way so I do not need to have a repeat performance, and this works for me. When I choose to drink wine it is to enjoy the flavor and the food I may be eating. I don't drink wine to escape a bad situation. I will let others do that and hope you will do the same. In today's world, some get drunkm and then get behind the wheel of a car. I still remember the mug shot of a former student who was once voted to have the most beautiful eyes. You never would have known this by the look of the eyes in the mug shot after the arrest for drunk driving. Many of us in today's world do not administer justice the way a king or prince from thousands of years ago would, but many of us drive cars, and if we make a bad choice while driving, we can take a life for no reason, just like thousands of years ago the king or prince could take a life. Because alcohol can impair judgment and decision making, we must not drive drunk. The Bible is not against wine or alcohol, just the bad use of it. Wine is used as a religious symbol by Jesus.

Matthew 26:26-30
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

Jesus used wine as a symbol for his blood, and since blood is red, he most likely used red wine. Following the example of the proverb, Jesus shared with his disciples that he would not drink wine as long as he was in a position to administer justice. So of and by itself wine and alcohol are not bad. But if we become drunk, that is bad. Don't become drunk, and don't drink unless you have the legal right to do so. And when you may drink, drink so that you do not get drunk.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
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