Wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging, whosoever (believer or unbeliever, male or female) is deceived thereby is not wise. Proverbs 20: 1.
While in the world, I loved drinking wine because it makes merry (Ecclesiastes 10:19) nonetheless in the Lord, I found something else merry making more than wine, which is borne out of the inner assurance of forgiven sins and of joy unspeakable of communion with God – the Lord’s joy and gladness in my heart. – thou has put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and wine increased. Psalms 4:7.
Back in my early days and years of walking with the Lord when the lust of the flesh and its affections are not mortified, I was used to drink Bonnet tonic wine. It is a wine believed to increase and purify blood in the body.
Excess of wine is what the scripture forbids us and all will reasonably argued. 1 Peter 4: 1-3. Really, the bible is talking about moderation of alcoholic consumption and God is only against drunkenness and not some little sip of wine or cold beer out there.
Though I was not unequally yoked in the beer parlours with the drunkards: but with my self-gratification, conviction and justification on Ephesians chapter 5 verses 17 – be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit – I continued drinking almost twice or thrice weekly every night until the yoke was finally broken and the burden removed. Order for my book on the Purposes of the cross (by Emmanuel Adebiyi) to learn more on the testimony of the revelation the Lord gave to set me free www.amazon.com
Revelation understanding of the scriptures will put restriction on us from ‘drinking no wine’ even as the Rechabites proved their loyalty and unshaking obedient to the command of the Jonadab their great father not to drink wine while they live on earth against the prophet Jeremiah persuasion before them to drink wine…..the word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.
Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites; and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door: and I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, drink ye wine.
But they said, we will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever: neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers. Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters. Jeremiah 35: 1-8.
They had in their respective generations all of them obeyed the voice of Jonadab their father, had done according to all that he commanded them. They drank no wine, though they dwelt in a country where was plenty of it; their wives and children drank no wine, for those that are temperate themselves should take care that all under their charge should be so too.
The trial of the Rechabites’ constancy and observance of their father’s charge to them is made use of as an aggravation of the disobedience of the Israelis to God. We are to be dead to the delights of sense and pleasure, reviling and banqueting – he that lives in pleasure is dead while he lives (1 Timothy 5:6)
The greatest blessing that can be entailed upon a man or a family is to have the worship of God kept up in it from generation to generation. Though they are neither priests nor Levites, nor appear to have had any post in the temple service, yet in a constant course of regular devotion, they stand before God, to minister to him.
What a promise and blessing from God to this family – And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you: therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for – ever (therefore we ordained in our churches that no man drinking alcohol shall mount on our pulpit or altar to minister to us in the name of the Lord) Jeremiah 35: 9-11.
If you are truly hungry and thirsty after righteousness (Matthew 5:6) the discretion of our new identity in Christ, the responsibility of our duty and the nature of our new life shall perfectly teach us that they that are after the flesh; mind the things of the flesh: and they that are after the spirit; mind the things of the spirit – Wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging, whosoever (believer or unbeliever) is deceived thereby is not wise. Proverbs 20:1.
Your body is the temple of God and where is the increasing perfecting holiness in the fear of God, while you are not increasingly cleansing yourselves from all the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit? 2 Corinthians 7:1.
Where is the sowing to the Spirit when the gin, beer, red wine and other intoxication is not distasteful and abhorring to the new man within us? Galatians 6:7-8.
Where is the soberness, affliction to be personally afflicted with, and to mourn, and to weep, turning laugher unto mourning, and joy into heaviness by drinking alcohol? James 4:9. 1 Peter 5:8.
I got the first blow to my flesh pleasing ego and desire when I tried to witness to a very religious, morally correct and self -righteous man years back in the early days of my conversion. He perceived the odour of wine coming out from my mouth in our conversation and asked if I drink.
Yes, sometimes a little wine. I replied. You need total conversion and transformation. He added: and that brought our discussion to an abrupt end and marred my effort to evangelize and win him to Christ.
Some unbelievers and non-church goers are so disciplined that not even a finger touch of alcohol can get to their tongue; while some of us in our carnal thirstiness for the provision we are making for the flesh to fulfil the lust thereof shall give hundreds of reasons why the Lord turned water into wine to remain in the company of alcoholic spirit.
Be filled with the Spirit – when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the desire for the wine of the flesh is vanished. When the living water becomes the great river to swim in in us, we shall not thirst again, neither remember to ask for the wine of the world and of the flesh any longer. We need to be drunk, but not with wine of the flesh, sense and of the world, but be drunk and filled with the Holy Spirit just like the disciples on the day of Pentecost were mistaken for drunkards after they were filled. John 4:13-15. Ezekiel 47:1-12. Acts 2:14-22.
The good wine is from Christ. Everyone that is thirsty should come to him and stop spending their money on that which does not profit. When Christ new wine of the Spirit from the feast of Pentecost is tasted, we shall shun and not bother anymore to ask for the old wine from the worldly feast, for then we might have discovered that the wine of the Spirit is preferred above the wine of any occasion (funeral, marriage, birthday…) and his love is better than wine…. Ho, every one that thirsted, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine (the spirit wine) and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money (alcohol drinks) for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfies not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Songs of Solomon 1:8. Isaiah 55:1-2.
Christ lesson at the feast at Canaan was that his wine of the Spirit is better than the wine at the marriage feast. It is the best wine to drink freely and to stop wasting money on that which does not profit – for flesh profits nothing, but the spirit gives life. John 6:63.
When we truly found Christ and are filled by him, we shall not desire nor thirst again for sensual and fleshly satisfaction just as the Lord told the Samaritan woman by the well of Jacob. Where shall the place be found for fleshly, sensual and worldly wine and other alcoholic consumption in our mouth and belly when the rivers of the living water is already flowing out from it unto eternal life………In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.(But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) John 7: 37-39.
If John the Baptist were to prepared for the coming of the Lord by his abstention from wine and strong drink as warned by the angel of the Lord before his birth (Luke 1:15) we should watch out for Christ second coming without wine and strong drink…and in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: and behold joy and gladness, slating oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine, let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die, and it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till you die, says the Lord of hosts. Isaiah 22: 12-14.
The nature of our new life does not give room for alcohol consumption if we are to be consecrated indeed, presenting our body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God in a reasonable service – in Christ Jesus, we are the prince and princess of the Most High. Worldly and carnal prince and princess of this world may take pleasure in wine but not for the prince and princess of the Most High……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 judgement of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish (unbeliever) and wine unto those with (without Christ the healer of a broken hearted – those living without the comfort and joy of the Holy Spirit) heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. Proverbs 31:4-7.
Our commitment in the true sense of responsibility of our duty and spiritual devotion to the Lord and in the kingdom shall prevent us from going nearer to the cup of wine or be deceived by its redness. Proverbs 23:29.
Ask Prophet Daniel at the palace of king Nebuchadnezzar at Babylon when the king commanded that special wine and food provision should be given daily to nourish his eunuchs and his attendants for wisdom, good appearances and presentation before him. Daniel refused to ‘defiled himself’ with the wine and the food from the king.
Rather, he implored for and preferred beans and water to be given him in the consciousness and awareness of his responsibility and accountability towards God in readiness for the fulfilment of his purpose in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. Note: even in our sorrow, distress and affliction and in the multitudes of our thoughts within us, Christ comfort and presence should delight our souls as we temper and guard against the comfort and temporal relief of liquor in the place of him which has borne our grief and carried our sorrow. Isaiah 53:4.
At the end of ten days which was meant to try and to compare Daniel with the rest of the eunuchs that have drunk wine and ate well as some will say; making a god their belly: (Philippians 3: 7-19) Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were found fairer and fatter in flesh, of a more healthful look and better complexion, than all those who did eat the portion of the king’s meat and drank his wine. Note: let the Lord chose what good things to satisfy our mouth with, when little water shall no longer be enough for your health, but upon medical advisement, (not from an earthly friend, king and pleasure) to use little wine for your ill health when your faith is but little and could not lay hold on his stripes.1 Timothy 5:23.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given extraordinary soberness of heart, wisdom and understanding above all the wise men of Babylon for their consecration unto God in the sacrifice and sense of their responsibility and the performances of their duties…..as for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king enquired of them he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. Daniel 1: 17-20.
The spirit of alcohol or liquor cannot cohabite nor collaborate with the Spirit of God. It has never been consistence with total commitment or dedication to God. As a drunkard grope and stagger in the day time and fall as in the dark – and as a blind grope in darkness for the wall – even so the believer, if given to liquor, grope and stumble in visions and revelations from the Lord.
His judgements are clouded and his spiritual sight and power to see vividly becomes dim – his spiritual understanding shall not be without interference and sooner than later, the light in him shall become darkness and if the light in him is darkness, how great is that darkness…..In that day shall theLordof hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. Isaiah 28: 5-7.