QUESTION: What does the Bible say
about drinking hard drink?

ANSWER:
Let’s consider several verses
in Proverbs from the New American
Standard Bible. The first one is Proverbs
20:1 which reads, “Wine is a mocker,
strong drink a brawler, And whoever is
intoxicated by it is not wise.” The Word of God does not mince words when it comes
to the abuse of alcoholic beverages.
Wine MOCKS a person by making them
think it will bring satisfaction when it
actually brings heartache and sorrow. It
often leads to poverty, as we see in Proverbs 21:17, “He who loves pleasure
will become a poor man; He who loves
wine and oil will not become rich.” I can
attest to the truth of this for before I was
saved I worked in a liquor store and I
witnessed hundreds of men and women who had been reduced to poverty and
unhappiness by the abuse of alcohol.
Their families also suffered as well,
which added to their misery. Strong drink
leads to brawling. Policemen have told
me that most calls that they receive are....

.,.are domestic disputes brought about by
alcohol. Clearly, the person who “is
intoxicated by it is not wise.” I would also
encourage you to read Proverbs 23:29-35
which gives us a graphic description of
the devastating effects of drunkenness. Proverbs 31:4-5 says, “It is not for kings,
O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine,
Or for rulers to desire strong drink, For
they will drink and forget what is decreed,
And pervert the rights of all the afflicted.”
Not only does alcohol MOCK a person and lead to BRAWLS and POVERTY, but
it causes one to be FORGETFUL and
affects their JUDGMENT. Proverbs 31:6-7 gives us an exception to
the rule, for it states, “Give strong drink to
him who is perishing, And wine to him
whose life is bitter. Let him drink and
forget his poverty And remember his
trouble no more.” Before narcotics such as morphine were used to ease the pain
and suffering of the dying, wine and
strong drink were used. So there was a
legitimate use of these for medicinal
purposes. ...

...We see this also in 1 Timothy
5:23 where Paul told Timothy, “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little
wine for the sake of your stomach and
your frequent ailments.” Notice it says, “a
little wine,” for when using wine for
“frequent ailments” there is still the need
for moderation. I may add that if one is truly able to use wine in moderation, he
has the liberty to have “a little wine” on
other occasions as well, such as with a
meal. I believe Paul had this in mind
when he referred to the Christian’s liberty
in Romans 14, though in verse 21 he does state “It is good not to eat meat or
to drink wine, or to do anything by which
your brother stumbles.” We should avoid
drinking wine or doing anything that
would cause a weaker brother to
stumble.