Bo​az Baptist Chronicles

“For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter….” (Deuteronomy 32:32)

Today, in preparing for this article, I discovered this list (see below) categorizing the many occurrences of the word “wine” as found in Scripture. I’m not sure, though, how exhaustive it is. I’m posting this list here to demonstrate that there are favorable times to use wine and times that are forbidden. Since in BOTH cases the English word that is used is the word “wine,” if we are to make any sense of the Bible text we are reading, we are forced to observe the context.

The Rule:

The simple rule we can go by is this. If scripture says you can drink it or it has a positive connotation connected to it, then most likely, it is okay to imbibe. But, if it says that it is not good to drink, then, most likely, it is referring to wine that has been fermented and may be determined so by the stigma connected with drinking it, like shame, disgrace or dishonor.

The Time:

The pro fermentation-only people [people that believe that all wine is fermented and has some alcohol content in it because “traces of yeast are found on the skin, and you can’t avoid it getting into the juice once the grapes are busted open”], forget one thing. If you don’t approach this subject objectively, like I pointed out, above, it makes this whole subject confusing and, not only brings a stigma to the Lord Jesus for making it and drinking it, but doesn’t account for the times it is presented as evil and should be avoided nor ingested in any amounts. (Proverbs 20:1 for example) They also have forgotten the fact that, if, as they say, “yeast is present and can’t be avoided once the grapes have been squeezed, a little dusting of it will fall into the wine and ferment it,” that kind of thinking does not account for a time frame. In other words, fermentation takes time. If, as Isaiah said “new wine is found in the cluster” [Isaiah 65:8--see Genesis 40:11], then it must mean that the juice that came from those clusters is fresh squeezed with no time to ferment or spoil.

Your Liberty:

If the truth be told, no one here is attempting to destroy anyone’s personal liberty in Christ. If God leads you to ingest alcohol into your system and you can give Him glory over it, so be it. (Romans 14:6) All I ask Bible-believing Christians to do here is to err on the side of caution. Look up a few of these verses and see what category the wine you are ingesting falls into before you break your spiritual neck by sinning against your holy Saviour. Once you have opened your mouth to drink it, it might be too late.

Last… Will you read this book?:

http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=165:wine-in-the-bible-a-biblical-study-on-the-use-of-alcoholic-beverages&catid=34&Itemid=55

Pastor Bob

List to follow…

Inferences to Wines as Used in Scripture

Favorable to use : GENESIS 49:11, GENESIS 49:12; PROVERBS 9:2, PROVERBS 9:5; SONG OF SOLOMON 7:9; ISAIAH 55:1; HOSEA 14:7; ZECHARIAH 10:7; ISAIAH 27:2 ; JOEL 2:19; REVELATION 6:6.

Unfavorable to use or character: DEUTERONOMY 32:33; PSALM 60:3; PSALM 75:3; PSALM 78:65: PROVERBS 4:17; ISAIAH 29:9; ISAIAH 51:21; ZECHARIAH 9:15; ISAIAH 29:9; ISAIAH 49:26; JEREMIAH 48:11; ZEPHANIAH 1:12; JEREMIAH 48:12; ZEPHANIAH 1:12; REVELATION 14:8; REVELATION 14:10; REVELATION 16:19; REVELATION 17:2; REVELATION 18:3; REVELATION 19:15.

Specifically as a blessing: PSALM 104:15; AMOS 9:14; JOEL 3:18; AMOS 9:13; DEUTERONOMY 32:14; ISAIAH 25:6; GENESIS 27:28; NUMBERS 18:12; DEUTERONOMY 7:13; DEUTERONOMY 11:14; PROVERBS 3:10; ISAIAH 65:8; JEREMIAH 31:12; HOSEA 2:8-9; JOEL 2:19;ZECHARIAH 9:17.

Definitely bad: LEVITICUS 10:9; PROVERBS 20:1; PROVERBS 20:1.

Associated with food: GENESIS 14:18; GENESIS 27:25; JUDGES 19:19; 1 SAMUEL 10:3; 1 SAMUEL 16:20; 1 SAMUEL 25:18; 2 SAMUEL 16:1-2; 1 CHRONICLES 12:40; 2 CHRONICLES 2:10; 2 CHRONICLES 2:15; 2 CHRONICLES 11:11; NEHEMIAH 5:15; NEHEMIAH 13:15; JOB 1:13, JOB 1:18; ECCLESIASTES 9:7;ISAIAH 22:13; JEREMIAH 40:10, JEREMIAH 40:12; DANIEL 1:5, DANIEL 1:8, DANIEL 1:16; DANIEL 10:3; DEUTERONOMY 16:13; DEUTERONOMY 15:14; NUMBERS 18:27, NUMBERS 18:30; GENESIS 27:28, GENESIS 27:37; NUMBERS 18:12; DEUTERONOMY 7:13; DEUTERONOMY 11:14; DEUTERONOMY 12:17; DEUTERONOMY 14:23; DEUTERONOMY 18:4; DEUTERONOMY 28:51; DEUTERONOMY 33:28; 2 KINGS 18:32; 2 CHRONICLES 31:5; 2 CHRONICLES 32:28; NEHEMIAH 5:11; NEHEMIAH 10:37, NEHEMIAH 10:39;NEHEMIAH 13:5, NEHEMIAH 13:12; PSALM 4:7; ISAIAH 36:17; ISAIAH 62:8; JEREMIAH 31:12; HOSEA 2:8-9;HOSEA 2:22; HOSEA 7:14; JOEL 2:19, JOEL 2:24; ZECHARIAH 9:17; MICAH 6:15; HAGGAI 1:11; JOEL 1:10.

Consequences bad: GENESIS 19:32-35; 1 SAMUEL 1:14-15; 1 SAMUEL 25:37; 2 SAMUEL 13:28; ESTHER 1:7, ESTHER 1:10; PROVERBS 23:30; PROVERBS 31:4, PROVERBS 31:6; ISAIAH 5:11-12; ISAIAH 5:22; 1 PETER 4:3.

Exhortation to drink: SONG OF SOLOMON 5:1; 1 TIMOTHY 5:23.

Wine forbidden: PROVERBS 20:1; PROVERBS 23:31; NUMBERS 6:3-4; JUDGES 13:4, JUDGES 13:7; JUDGES 13:14; NUMBERS 6:3; JUDGES 13:4; JUDGES 13:7; LUKE 1:15; 1 TIMOTHY 3:3; EPHESIANS 5:18.

Forbidden to Priests: LEVITICUS 10:9; JEREMIAH 35:6, JEREMIAH 35:8, JEREMIAH 35:14; PROVERBS 23:20; EZEKIEL 44:21; LEVITICUS 10:9; TITUS 1:7.

Inferences of different kinds of wine: NEHEMIAH 5:18; SONG OF SOLOMON 8:2.

Used for a drink-offering: EXODUS 29:40; LEVITICUS 23:13; NUMBERS 15:5, NUMBERS 15:7, NUMBERS 15:10; NUMBERS 28:14; DEUTERONOMY 32:38; 1 SAMUEL 1:24; HOSEA 9:4; NUMBERS 28:7; EZRA 6:9; EZRA 7:22.

Unspecified nature: DEUTERONOMY 29:6; JOSHUA 9:4, JOSHUA 9:13; 1 CHRONICLES 27:27; NEHEMIAH 2:1; ESTHER 5:6; ESTHER 7:2, ESTHER 7:7-8; JOB 32:19; PROVERBS 21:17; ECCLESIASTES 2:3;ECCLESIASTES 10:19; SONG OF SOLOMON 1:2, SONG OF SOLOMON 1:4; SONG OF SOLOMON 4:10; ISAIAH 56:12; JEREMIAH 35:2, JEREMIAH 35:5; EZEKIEL 27:18; AMOS 2:8, AMOS 2:12; AMOS 6:6; HOSEA 4:11; MICAH 2:11; HAGGAI 2:12; DEUTERONOMY 29:6; ISAIAH 56:12; MICAH 2:11; NUMBERS 18:27; NUMBERS 18:30; DEUTERONOMY 15:14; JUDGES 7:25; 2 KINGS 6:27; JOB 24:11; ISAIAH 5:2; JEREMIAH 48:33; HOSEA 9:2; ZECHARIAH 14:10; HOSEA 3:1; ISAIAH 49:26; HOSEA 4:18; ISAIAH 1:22; HOSEA 4:11; MATTHEW 9:17; MARK 2:22; LUKE 5:37-38; LUKE 7:33; LUKE 10:34; JOHN 2:3, JOHN 2:9-10; JOHN 4:46; ROMANS 14:21; 1 TIMOTHY 5:23.

http://www.boazbaptist.com/apps/blog/show/35270685-what-s-in-your-cup