Drunkenness
The Strong Delusion of Drunkenness
“Be not deceived: neither fornicators…nor drunkards…shall inherit the Kingdom of God.” – 1 Cor. 6:9-10
Do you like to drink? Can you imagine a night out of fun on the weekend without alcohol? Or what about a relaxing evening? Nightlife rings with the clamor of shameless sinners because they are inebriated by the drink. Drunkenness numbs the conscience. It alters the state of mind. It distorts sound judgment. It steals the heart (Hos. 4:11). It silences conviction and breaks the moral compass of the people. It emboldens sinners to feel no shame and have no guilt as they fearlessly rebel against God! This is dangerous (Gal. 5:19-21).
“Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!” – Isa. 5:11
Sinners thirst for an unrestrained and free experience of sinning that comes with no guilt and no regrets. The blinding power of drunkenness allows for this experience, at least until the buzz of the drink wears off. Then the drunkards are punished as they meet with a hangover in the morning. This is a gentle reminder that divine judgment will one day catch-up to social drinkers. At the dawn of a new day all the fun is over! The wine will dry up and the song of the drunkards will be silenced on Judgment Day (Joel 1:5, Ps. 69:12, Isa. 24:6-12).
“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” – Rom. 3:19
Sinners take pride in drinking games and mock those who have no tolerance!
“Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:” – Isa. 5:22
Sex addicts and sex abusers weaponize the drink in pursuit of fornication!
“Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!” – Hab. 2:15
Adulterers and adulteresses are impassioned by wine and excited to cheat through the power of the drink!
“Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.” – Hos. 4:11
Fighters and brawlers are stirred-up into tribalistic contests and senseless violence in the stupor of the drink!
“For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.” – Prov. 4:17
For one reason or another, sinners love to be inflamed by alcohol (Isa. 5:11). Whether it be lazy people who love to slumber, or greedy workaholics who can’t ever have enough, generally everyone has one thing in common: they enjoy drinking (Isa. 56:10-12)! People from every walk of life resort here for a good time. Speaking of this, it was written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” (Ex. 32:6, 1 Cor. 10:7). Naturally, society builds up a tolerance to alcohol and social drinking is normalized.
“Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.” – Isa. 56:12 (Isa. 56:9-12)
Going into the restaurants, bars, and clubs down the street is like wandering into “the congregation of the dead” (Prov. 21:16). The spirit of revelry is thick in the air. The life of the party is a stench of death in the nostrils of a holy God. The place is filled with competitiveness, sensuality, coarse joking, filthy conversation, cursing, seduction, fornication, cheating, adultery, violence, fighting, sport, vanity, hedonistic relaxation, worldly recreation, and gambling. Get a buzz going and you will fit right in at the assembly of mockers (Jer. 15:17).
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” – Prov. 20:1
“I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.” – Jer. 15:17
Sinners are enchanted with the social environment of a feast with wine-sippers and gluttons (Prov. 23:20-21; Deut. 29:19-20). The allurement is real. The deception is strong. The bad company that overdrinks loves to overeat too; those who thirst for the drink love to gorge themselves in a good feast (Matt. 24:48-51, Lk. 21:34-36).
“Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:” – Prov. 23:20
“Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.” – Prov. 23:3
“I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.” - Psalm 26:4-5
If people aren’t going out for the night on the weekends, they will just as quickly go to their friends’ houses for the same experience. As a crown of pride, wealthy people have their own wine cellars, games rooms, and personal bars at home (Isa. 28:1-3; Eccl. 2:1-11). Some prefer a less rowdy crowd while partaking of the same worldly pleasures (1 Jn. 2:15-17). Quieter evenings are spent lying upon “beds of ivory” or designer furniture, socializing in relaxation as they “stretch themselves upon their couches”, eating choice meat like “the lambs out of the flock”, while listening to their favorite music and sipping wine from a large wineglass (Amos 6:3-7). Can you relate? According to the Prophet Amos, such people will be the first to die on Judgment Day (Amos 6:7-9).
People feel they owe it to themselves to have fun. “Work hard, play hard!”, so they say. Nevertheless, finding peace and happiness in life is a controversial subject. Godless pleasure doesn’t produce real peace (Isa. 48:22, 57:21, 59:8)! Even so, the work week is extremely depressing to sinners. People feel the grief (Eccl. 1:18, 2:17, 23), sorrow (Eccl. 1:18, 2:20, 2:23), dissatisfaction (Eccl. 1:8), and restlessness of it all (Eccl. 2:23). The vexation and sore travail of their daily lives is a heavy burden upon their shoulders (Eccl. 1:13-14, 17, 2:17, 22-23, 26, 3:10, 4:4, 6). The cycle of life seems vain and meaningless even though it is encumbered with much “evil” (Eccl. 1:2-3, 2:21, 4:3). Why do you think life is so hard? Sadly, most people don’t ever seek answers to the most important questions in life. Instead of looking to God, they are enticed to look elsewhere…
“Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” – Prov. 23:31-32
The enchantment of the drink will prove fatal in the end! In total denial, sinners find hope during the work week by looking forward to the weekend. Sanity is too troublesome! Sobriety is too boring! Therefore, sinners wish to intoxicate whatever soundness of mind they possess to have fun and live free. A dry bar doesn’t attract sinners on the weekend. A culture of dependency upon alcohol prevails upon the people. A buzz will make a bad day feel better. Being tipsy will make a terrible life a little less troublesome. Unhappy people cheer up with a drink. Anxious souls forget about their problems through the drink. The deluding power of the drink brings a fervor of childish excitement to adult life. Mundane and ordinary activities suddenly become entertaining and exciting to those inebriated by the drink. Nevertheless, it all comes with a cost. Insobriety is the death of spirituality! With the mind at ease from moral responsibility, unsuspecting drinkers quickly become victims to the madness of folly at midnight.
“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. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 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. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.” – Prov. 23:29-35
“For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.” – 1 Pet. 4:3-5
