In Isaiah 5:11 God
pronounces a "woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may
follow strong drink; that continue until night till wine inflame them!" But
verse 12 says, "They regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the
operation of his hand." Thus strong drink brings disaster to character
regardless of the devious ways by which men attempt to "call evil good, and good
evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness; that put bitter for
sweet and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20). Thus men are "wise in their own
eyes" (vs. 21) and "mighty to drink wine, and to mingle strong drink" (vs. 22)
But their little "eye openers" and "night caps" often lead them to become
chronic boozers; therefore they are "soon gone into captivity, because they have
no knowledge" (vs. 13) and "Hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth
without measure" (vs. 14). Isaiah also tells us in verse 1 of the 28th chapter
that the glorious beauty of the drunkards of Ephraim soon becomes a fading
flower and that the crown of pride shall be trodden under feet" (vs. 3).
Unless a man is born again, a strict abstainer, he may be very
religious and still become a slave to strong drink, for in verse 7 of Isaiah 28
the prophet reminds us of those who "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."
How ridiculous, then, that a federally financed study on alcoholism
and other alcoholic problems says it should be a national policy to promote
drinking in a family setting to help to prevent the development of problems. The
report entitled "Alcohol Problems--a Report to the Nation" also recommends that
the legal age for buying and drinking alcoholic beverages be lowered to eighteen
throughout the country. The National Council of Churches has strongly endorsed
the proposals which are part of a "Total Alcoholic Program" aimed at including
deliberate "changes in American drinking patterns"!
We need voices of wisdom today like Gladstone who in 1898 said,
"The ravages of drink are greater then those of war, pestilence and famine
combined."
In verse 8 of Isaiah 28 the prophet described the tables "full of
vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean."
A new fancy seafood house has recently opened up here which is
supposed to tickle the appetite of all lovers of exotic seafood dishes. One of
the words they used to advertise the place is "clean"--and yet there are beer
signs all over the place! Anyone that has seen the ravages of drink and the
filthy sloppiness of beer-heads as often as I have in my work would not call a
beer joint "clean"!
John the Baptist was to set a good example as the forerunner of
Christ and thus the angel said, "He shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and
shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy
Ghost" (Luke 1:15). He was a man of character. Spiritual Christians are never
drinking Christians.
The character of a drinking man cannot be what it ought to be even
for his brain cannot be all that it should be. A medical report recently stated
that an alcoholic dying at the age of twenty-six would have a brain as defective
as a man of seventy!
