16 Feb 2013
Biblical Oddities: Drink Strong Drink With Rejoicing
There are a great many churches throughout the United States that prohibit their members from drinking alcoholic beverages. The prohibition is so strong that it is actually a part of their church covenant. The covenant doesn’t mention sins like murder, rape, or even drug abuse, but it does mention alcohol – leading me to believe that churches consider drinking to be a worse sin than pretty much anything else.
It may come as a surprise, then, to discover that this verse is tucked away in the book of Deuteronomy:
Deuteronomy 14:26: “And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,”
You can look up the verse in other translations if you like, but there’s no getting around the fact that “strong drink” means exactly that. This verse is not talking about grape juice, folks. It really does say that it is a good thing for people to drink alcoholic beverages before the Lord and to rejoice, and be glad.
Does the Bible warn against alcohol abuse and drunkenness? Absolutely. Are there people who should avoid alcohol because they have abused it in the past, and might be tempted to do so again? Yes there are. But claiming that the Bible completely prohibits all drinking of alcohol regardless of the quantity is foolish. That is simply not the case.
(For those who are interested, I have written more on this topic here.)