Post by Brother Ben on Dec 4, 2012 16:04:55 GMT -5
Wine and Beverage Alcohol in the Bible
Much of the confusion among Christians about beverage alcohol arises because of a lack of understanding concerning what the Bible really teaches. For instance, in the Old Testament there are three distinct words which are used to describe liquids usually associated with drinking beverages.
Wine in the Old Testament
The first of these words is SHEKAR. This word is always translated “strong drink,” that is, a drink with significant alcoholic content. Without exception, Old Testament writers under the direction of the Holy Spirit, condemn and forbid the children of God from partaking of SHEKAR except in one instance.
“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.
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish. . . “ Prov. 31:4-6
Specifically, kings and princes are forbidden to drink SHEKAR. Only a dying person was permitted strong drink for use as a pain killer. We must remember that the New Testament calls Believers kings and priests.
“[Jesus Christ]. . . hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Rev. 1:6
The second word used by Old Testament writers is TIROSH. The word, although translated, “wine,” means unfermented grape juice.
“Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster,. . . “ Isaiah 65:8
In this case, wine is the juice of the grape still in the cluster on the vine and therefore unfermented and nonintoxicating. An example of this nonintoxicating beverage is seen in the butlers dream as interpreted by Joseph:
“And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.” Gen. 40:9-11
The third word is YAYIN. YAYIN is a generic word. Generic words depend upon the content for their meaning. YAYIN refers to a variety of drinking liquids, both fermented and nonintoxicating. The word is used interchangeably. Here's and illustration: If I said to you, “Let's stop and get a drink.” I hope that you would understand that I am talking about getting a soft drink. On the other hand, if a drunkard said, “Let's stop and get a drink.” you might easily think he meant a beer or some other alcoholic beverage. If I said I had a pet you would not know if I meant a dog or a cat because “pet” is a generic word and definition depends on the context in which it is used. Likewise, the YAYIN is generic and can either mean intoxicating or non-intoxicating drink. When the Old Testament uses the word YAYIN, it must be determined from the context as to the nature of the drink. YAYIN means “drink,” and even though it is translated “wine: it may mean pure grape juice or an intoicant.
The contrast can be seen in Isaiah and Proverbs.
“. . . the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses. . . “ Isaiah 16:10
The context clearly reveals that this “wine” is freshly squeezed grape juice.
“Wine is a mocker. . . “ Prov. 20:1
The word “mocker” in the context shows shows that “wine” is used here as an intoxicating beverage.
A summary of the teaching of the Old Testament shows that one is not to partake of SHEKAR, strong drink. Alcoholic beverages are strictly forbidden execpt for use as a sedative to relieve pain of a person who is on the brink of death. The writer of Proverbs spells out the teaching of the Old Testament towards alcoholic beverages.
“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 (YAYIN); they that go to seek mixed wine.
Look not thou upon the wine (YAYIN) 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. 23:29-32
Notice that YAYIN, the generic term, is used here. The writer of Proverbs is emphatic. He says, “Look not thou upon YAYIN when it is red.” In other words, any drink which has alcoholic content is forbidden unless dying.
Wine in the New Testament
The New Testament has only one word which is translated “wine.” It is the Greek word OINOS. Like the Hebrew YAYIN it is a generic term, referring to a variety of beverages which can be intoxicating or non-intoxicating. The nature of OINOS must be determined from its context.
When Paul uses OINOS in Ephesians 5:18 he refers to an intoxicating beverage.
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”
OINOS is preceded here with the words, “be not drunk,” indicating that Paul referred to a beverage with alcoholic content.
A critical question is whether Jesus turned water into an intoxicating beverage at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Many advocates of social drinking point to the first miracle of Jesus as a justification for the their drinking of wine and alcoholic beverages. Through the years the liberal social drinking crowd has thrown up Jesus' first miracle in defense of this destructive habit. Therefore the first miracle of Jesus is critical. Did our Savior turn water into a wine with alcoholic content?
Was The Wedding Wine Intoxicating?
The answer cannot be found in the word OINOS which is used in the passage in John 2. The word is generic. There is however, sufficient evidence to prove that OINOS, as used in John 2, means a non-intoxicating drink.
The first evidence has to do with the law. Jesus said that He did not come to destroy the law. Rather, He taught that the law should be obeyed. The law referred to the moral and ethical teachings of the Old Testament.
Proverbs 23 says, “look not upon the wine when it is red and moveth itself aright.” this is a direct Old Testament command to refuse beverages with alcoholic content. Would Jesus have broken the command? Of course not.
Habakkuk 2:15 speaks directly to the issue:
“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!”
Habakkuk, God's anointed prophet, pronounces “woe” upon anyone offering an intoxicating beverage to his neighbor. “Would Jesus have offered an intoxicating beverage to His neighbor? The answer is an obvious, No.
Another point makes strong evidence that OINOS, in John 2, was not intoxicating. While on the cross Jesus rejected the offer of strong drink as a sedative. He turned His head away. Interestingly, had He accepted it, He would not have violated the teaching of the Old Testament since the writer of Proverbs states that strong drink, SHEKAR, is permissable as a sedative to relieve suffering. Yet Jesus refused it and in doing so, He avoided the very appearance of evil. (1 Thess. 5:22) Logic demands the conclusion that had Jesus been engaged in drinking alcoholic beverages during His ministry, no doubt He would have accepted it while on the cross.
Others point to the “Last Supper” in defense of Christians drinking in moderation. Did He not give his disciples wine as a symbol of His shed blood? Mistakenly, most Christians assume that He did. The assumption is incorrect. A record of the Last Supper is found in three gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In each narrative the word OINOS is not used. Rather two terms are common - “the cup” and the “fruit of the vine.” The gospel writers did not use the OINOS which could left room for the possibility that a fermented beverage was in the cup. God, in his word, does not leave room for doubt on vital issues. Each gospel writer selects “fruit of the vine” and completely eliminates even the possibility of Jesus serving a fermented beverage.
Paul does not contradict the synoptic gospels in 1 Corinthians 11. he speaks only of the “cup” and mentions neither OINOS or “fruit of the vine.”
Another proof is the fact that that the bread offered as a symbol of His “body” was unleavened bread, unfermented bread without yeast. Fermentation requires a “rotting” process, a breakdown, a decomposition which takes place in an organic substance due to the action of microscopic organisms.
The microscopic organisms are foreign substances which cause the juice to start decomposing. Decomposition is a process of dying or rotting. Yeast, which is used to cause bread to rise, is a foreign substance. Leaven or fermentation is consistently utilized in Scripture as a symbol of sin.
“Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Cor. 5:6-6
It was strictly forbidden that “leavened” bread be used for the Passover meal. Therefore, it is unreasonable to conclude that the beverage served for the Lord's Supper would have been fermented.
Jesus was a “priest” as well as “prophet” and “king.” Leviticus 10:9,10 states that God commanded priests not to drink intoxicating wine:
“Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;”
Jesus is our great high priest. Anything “fermented” or “decaying” could not be a symbol for the Holy and sacred High Priest of every believer.
The believer himself is a priest. According to Peter we are members of the “royal priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:9) As believers our bodies are also “temples” of the Holy Spirit. Would we as priests and temples of the Holy Spirit have a lesser standard than the priests of the Old Testament?
There is still another reason why Jesus would not have turned water into intoxicating wine. He knew the destructive power of alcoholic beverages and He would not have recommended a beverage which destroys one out of every ten people who try it, wrecks homes, marriages, makes orphans out of children, and is directly responsible for the death of millions of people.
Furthermore, the Savior understood the nature of alcohol. Scientists call alcohol a TERALOGEN. Teralogen is a Greek work which means “monster maker.” Christ's holy body never saw decay or corruption, and he would not have been guilty of “making monsters” of human beings created in the image of God.
It is plain that Jesus did not turn water into an alcoholic beverage because of the teachings of the Old Testament, (which he obeyed to the letter,) His refusal to accept it while dying on the cross, the meaning of the word fermentation, and His role as our great High Priest. He simply would not have promoted an impure dying and decomposing substance to anyone.
According to research, the type of wine generally used at weddings and for general use in the days of Jesus was composed of three parts water and one part wine. The wine was put in the water to cleanse it from microbes. It was estimated that one would have to drink 22 glasses of this beverage to reach the same contents as two cocktails. It was this type of mixture of water and wine which was placed in the water pots at the wedding. It would be somewhat like “punch” served today.
Much of the confusion among Christians about beverage alcohol arises because of a lack of understanding concerning what the Bible really teaches. For instance, in the Old Testament there are three distinct words which are used to describe liquids usually associated with drinking beverages.
Wine in the Old Testament
The first of these words is SHEKAR. This word is always translated “strong drink,” that is, a drink with significant alcoholic content. Without exception, Old Testament writers under the direction of the Holy Spirit, condemn and forbid the children of God from partaking of SHEKAR except in one instance.
“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.
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish. . . “ Prov. 31:4-6
Specifically, kings and princes are forbidden to drink SHEKAR. Only a dying person was permitted strong drink for use as a pain killer. We must remember that the New Testament calls Believers kings and priests.
“[Jesus Christ]. . . hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Rev. 1:6
The second word used by Old Testament writers is TIROSH. The word, although translated, “wine,” means unfermented grape juice.
“Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster,. . . “ Isaiah 65:8
In this case, wine is the juice of the grape still in the cluster on the vine and therefore unfermented and nonintoxicating. An example of this nonintoxicating beverage is seen in the butlers dream as interpreted by Joseph:
“And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.” Gen. 40:9-11
The third word is YAYIN. YAYIN is a generic word. Generic words depend upon the content for their meaning. YAYIN refers to a variety of drinking liquids, both fermented and nonintoxicating. The word is used interchangeably. Here's and illustration: If I said to you, “Let's stop and get a drink.” I hope that you would understand that I am talking about getting a soft drink. On the other hand, if a drunkard said, “Let's stop and get a drink.” you might easily think he meant a beer or some other alcoholic beverage. If I said I had a pet you would not know if I meant a dog or a cat because “pet” is a generic word and definition depends on the context in which it is used. Likewise, the YAYIN is generic and can either mean intoxicating or non-intoxicating drink. When the Old Testament uses the word YAYIN, it must be determined from the context as to the nature of the drink. YAYIN means “drink,” and even though it is translated “wine: it may mean pure grape juice or an intoicant.
The contrast can be seen in Isaiah and Proverbs.
“. . . the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses. . . “ Isaiah 16:10
The context clearly reveals that this “wine” is freshly squeezed grape juice.
“Wine is a mocker. . . “ Prov. 20:1
The word “mocker” in the context shows shows that “wine” is used here as an intoxicating beverage.
A summary of the teaching of the Old Testament shows that one is not to partake of SHEKAR, strong drink. Alcoholic beverages are strictly forbidden execpt for use as a sedative to relieve pain of a person who is on the brink of death. The writer of Proverbs spells out the teaching of the Old Testament towards alcoholic beverages.
“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 (YAYIN); they that go to seek mixed wine.
Look not thou upon the wine (YAYIN) 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. 23:29-32
Notice that YAYIN, the generic term, is used here. The writer of Proverbs is emphatic. He says, “Look not thou upon YAYIN when it is red.” In other words, any drink which has alcoholic content is forbidden unless dying.
Wine in the New Testament
The New Testament has only one word which is translated “wine.” It is the Greek word OINOS. Like the Hebrew YAYIN it is a generic term, referring to a variety of beverages which can be intoxicating or non-intoxicating. The nature of OINOS must be determined from its context.
When Paul uses OINOS in Ephesians 5:18 he refers to an intoxicating beverage.
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”
OINOS is preceded here with the words, “be not drunk,” indicating that Paul referred to a beverage with alcoholic content.
A critical question is whether Jesus turned water into an intoxicating beverage at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Many advocates of social drinking point to the first miracle of Jesus as a justification for the their drinking of wine and alcoholic beverages. Through the years the liberal social drinking crowd has thrown up Jesus' first miracle in defense of this destructive habit. Therefore the first miracle of Jesus is critical. Did our Savior turn water into a wine with alcoholic content?
Was The Wedding Wine Intoxicating?
The answer cannot be found in the word OINOS which is used in the passage in John 2. The word is generic. There is however, sufficient evidence to prove that OINOS, as used in John 2, means a non-intoxicating drink.
The first evidence has to do with the law. Jesus said that He did not come to destroy the law. Rather, He taught that the law should be obeyed. The law referred to the moral and ethical teachings of the Old Testament.
Proverbs 23 says, “look not upon the wine when it is red and moveth itself aright.” this is a direct Old Testament command to refuse beverages with alcoholic content. Would Jesus have broken the command? Of course not.
Habakkuk 2:15 speaks directly to the issue:
“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!”
Habakkuk, God's anointed prophet, pronounces “woe” upon anyone offering an intoxicating beverage to his neighbor. “Would Jesus have offered an intoxicating beverage to His neighbor? The answer is an obvious, No.
Another point makes strong evidence that OINOS, in John 2, was not intoxicating. While on the cross Jesus rejected the offer of strong drink as a sedative. He turned His head away. Interestingly, had He accepted it, He would not have violated the teaching of the Old Testament since the writer of Proverbs states that strong drink, SHEKAR, is permissable as a sedative to relieve suffering. Yet Jesus refused it and in doing so, He avoided the very appearance of evil. (1 Thess. 5:22) Logic demands the conclusion that had Jesus been engaged in drinking alcoholic beverages during His ministry, no doubt He would have accepted it while on the cross.
Others point to the “Last Supper” in defense of Christians drinking in moderation. Did He not give his disciples wine as a symbol of His shed blood? Mistakenly, most Christians assume that He did. The assumption is incorrect. A record of the Last Supper is found in three gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In each narrative the word OINOS is not used. Rather two terms are common - “the cup” and the “fruit of the vine.” The gospel writers did not use the OINOS which could left room for the possibility that a fermented beverage was in the cup. God, in his word, does not leave room for doubt on vital issues. Each gospel writer selects “fruit of the vine” and completely eliminates even the possibility of Jesus serving a fermented beverage.
Paul does not contradict the synoptic gospels in 1 Corinthians 11. he speaks only of the “cup” and mentions neither OINOS or “fruit of the vine.”
Another proof is the fact that that the bread offered as a symbol of His “body” was unleavened bread, unfermented bread without yeast. Fermentation requires a “rotting” process, a breakdown, a decomposition which takes place in an organic substance due to the action of microscopic organisms.
The microscopic organisms are foreign substances which cause the juice to start decomposing. Decomposition is a process of dying or rotting. Yeast, which is used to cause bread to rise, is a foreign substance. Leaven or fermentation is consistently utilized in Scripture as a symbol of sin.
“Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Cor. 5:6-6
It was strictly forbidden that “leavened” bread be used for the Passover meal. Therefore, it is unreasonable to conclude that the beverage served for the Lord's Supper would have been fermented.
Jesus was a “priest” as well as “prophet” and “king.” Leviticus 10:9,10 states that God commanded priests not to drink intoxicating wine:
“Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;”
Jesus is our great high priest. Anything “fermented” or “decaying” could not be a symbol for the Holy and sacred High Priest of every believer.
The believer himself is a priest. According to Peter we are members of the “royal priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:9) As believers our bodies are also “temples” of the Holy Spirit. Would we as priests and temples of the Holy Spirit have a lesser standard than the priests of the Old Testament?
There is still another reason why Jesus would not have turned water into intoxicating wine. He knew the destructive power of alcoholic beverages and He would not have recommended a beverage which destroys one out of every ten people who try it, wrecks homes, marriages, makes orphans out of children, and is directly responsible for the death of millions of people.
Furthermore, the Savior understood the nature of alcohol. Scientists call alcohol a TERALOGEN. Teralogen is a Greek work which means “monster maker.” Christ's holy body never saw decay or corruption, and he would not have been guilty of “making monsters” of human beings created in the image of God.
It is plain that Jesus did not turn water into an alcoholic beverage because of the teachings of the Old Testament, (which he obeyed to the letter,) His refusal to accept it while dying on the cross, the meaning of the word fermentation, and His role as our great High Priest. He simply would not have promoted an impure dying and decomposing substance to anyone.
According to research, the type of wine generally used at weddings and for general use in the days of Jesus was composed of three parts water and one part wine. The wine was put in the water to cleanse it from microbes. It was estimated that one would have to drink 22 glasses of this beverage to reach the same contents as two cocktails. It was this type of mixture of water and wine which was placed in the water pots at the wedding. It would be somewhat like “punch” served today.
