The Bible says much about drinking alcohol. It does not totally forbid it. But there are many warnings against drinking alcohol especially for the leaders. For example, Nadab and Abihu were priests. They were Aaron’s sons, the high priest in Israel. One day, they entered the Holy place with un-authorized fire. They both died before the Lord. God commanded Aaron that no priest should drink wine when entering His presence. “Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: 9 “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, 10 that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, 11 and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses” (Lev 10:8-11). We deduce that Nadab and Abihu were drunk when doing their priestly duties. We see that a drunkard cannot distinguish between things that are holy and unholy and he not able to teach the Bible. Lesson: church leaders should abstain from alcohol! Period!

God said: “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: ‘When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin” (Nu 6:2-4).

God commands that all who desire to live holy, separated unto God and His work, should totally abstain from alcohol. God commanded the parents of Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist to tell their sons not to drink wine. They should behave as Nazirites. In Hebrew, the word ‘nazir’ means dedicated to God. There was a group of people called the Rechabites. Jonadab, their founding father, ordered his descendants never to drink alcohol. His descendants obeyed his law. When prophet Jeremiah tested them and gave them wine to drink, they refused. God blessed their obedience and faithfulness by promising that they will always have priests to serve God coming from this tribe (Jer 35). The Rechabites behave as typical Muslims. In the Quaran, alcohol is completely prohibited because it hinders prayers, it is bad to health, it causes violence and crime. (I have to admit that this is a very good advice found in the Quaran).  

These are some ‘benefits’ from drinking wine: “wine makes glad the heart of man” (Ps 104:15). “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; 5 Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. 7 Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more” (PV 31:4-7). The following are dangers connected with drinking alcohol: “Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (PV 20:1). A drunkard laughs at what is holy and rejects correction from the wise. A drunkard loses self-control, habitually engages in quarrels and arguments, becoming noisy and foolish.  ‘More are drowned in the wine cup than in the ocean. Alcohol spoils ‘the breaks’ of your car’ (German Proverbs).  Getting drunk often leads to sensuality and disgrace. These are some examples in the Bible:

*Noah got drunk and naked himself (Gen 9:21).

*Lot’s daughters made their father drunk so that they can have sex with him and became pregnant (Gen 19:33-35).

*King Xerxes got drunk and commanded his eunuchs to bring his wife, queen Vashti. She refused and lost her crown. The king was deceived by wicked Haman to sign the decree to kill all the Jews as both of them ‘sat down to drink’ (Est 1:10, 11; 3:15).

*King Belshazzar used the gold vessels taken from the Temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem to drink wine with them. He and his drunk guests praised the gods of gold and silver when God’s hand wrote the judgment against them on the wall. They all died that night (Dan 5:1-6).

Since the beginning of the Church, the Christians had a love/hate relationship with alcohol. Jesus turned water in wine (John 2). Paul advised Timothy to drink a little wine as a form of medication for his stomach illness (1Tim 5:23). It is part of the church history that some monks in the monasteries have invented the technique of how to make wine and beer. Until about 200 years ago, the Christians felt free to drink a limited quantity of alcohol. Most churches used alcoholic wine for Holy Communion. They used wine to treat depression. They saw alcohol as God’s gift to men. Note that at that time the percentage of alcohol in wine was lower than in the drinks available today. From the 19^th century things radically changed. The Christians, the Methodists in particular, fought to stop the production of alcohol, to make it illegal in America. They preached that drinking alcohol is a sin. Since then, many protestant churches have stopped using wine for their Holy Communion and changed it with grape juice or nonalcoholic wine. In 1933, America voted on a law allowing the production of beer and wine with a low percentage of alcohol. Even now, there are so many laws against manufacturing drinks with high alcohol that it is not practical to produce those in the US. The Roman Catholic Church, The Anglican Church, the Lutheran Church etc. allow a moderate consumption of alcohol even up till now.

Fifty percent of Evangelical Christians around the world say drinking alcohol is incompatible with being a good Christian and especially a leader in the church. A Bishop or a pastor should not drink wine (Titus 1:7).

The danger with drinking a little alcohol is that it changes the character and behavior of man. It causes violence and uncontrolled behavior. It is hard to stop once you start to drink. Poverty, domestic violence, and lawlessness is connected with drinking alcohol. Alcohol is addictive. You feel like drinking more and more. Alcohol makes it harder for the brain areas controlling balance, vision, memory, speech, and judgment to do their jobs, resulting in a higher likelihood of injuries and other negative outcomes. Long-term heavy drinking causes alterations in the neurons, such as reductions in their size. Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease.

The cure is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). Dissipation means to waste away, to scatter your strength, gradually becoming worse. It is the same word used for the prodigal son. Lesson: alcohol makes you less than a man. The Holy Spirit makes you a complete man. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:9-11). Getting drunk destroys your testimony as a Christan. “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak” (Rom 14:21).

Alcohol has been used since the 4^th century as an antiseptic. It is still used to clean the skin before injections or surgery. Alcohol reduces the level of pain. “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?” (PV 23:35). After getting drunk, most people experience hangovers. These are unpleasant symptoms the next day after being drunk. You may feel weakness, headache, body pains, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, dizziness, or anxiety. Some experience serious symptoms like mental confusion, convulsions, becoming unconscious and not able to wake up. Going to work is difficult. You may fall asleep at your working place. You may quarrel with your colleagues. Your memory and ability to focus is damaged. Some people die during alcohol intoxication.

May God grant deliverance from the evil spirit of alcoholism to you! May God make you wise and healthy!