Deception, Damage, Disgrace, and Destruction
“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.” (Proverbs 31:4-5)
The Bible says a lot–nothing good–about liquor: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1) Liquor deceives people. They think it’s good to use when it’s not. They think it doesn’t hurt them when it does. If you’re a cop, how many drunk drivers have told you they’re not drunk and they really believed it? Revelation 12:9 says Satan “…deceiveth the whole world:” One of his favorite tools of deception is liquor.
Liquor damages people, physically and emotionally. Proverbs 23:29-30 says, “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.” Liquor damages the lives of drinkers and their loved ones. If you’re a cop, how many domestic violence victims say something like this: “He’s a great guy, except when he’s drunk”?
Liquor provokes disgraceful behavior. Proverbs 23:33-34 says, “Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.” Proverbs 23:35 also tells how alcohol enslaves people’s lives: “…when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”
Speaking of disgraceful behavior, Genesis 9:20-21 says after Noah and his family left the ark–yes, that Noah!–he “…began to be an husbandman [farmer], and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.” Noah, according to Scripture, “…was perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9) Yet he certainly wasn’t walking with God or leading his family right by this embarrassing conduct.
For leaders, our opening verse is a warning from God especially for you: “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.” (Proverbs 31:4-5) God has given you an important job: to uphold the law and make wise judgments. Your decisions are crucial to our nation’s direction and well-being. Please don’t let the devil use liquor to poison your judgment.
Liquor has a long track record of lives damaged and destroyed. That’s no secret. You may be a drinker and not enslaved by it, but what example are you setting for your kids and grandkids?
Jesus gives good comfort that liquor can never give. If you are enslaved by liquor, He can give your freedom. Finally, if you want to see how to have forgiveness of sins and a home in heaven, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links”, then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 11/2/2021
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822