The Doctrine of Drinking, Part 6

The Doctrine of Drinking, Part 6.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Proper and Improper Uses of Alcohol.

a. Overindulgence or intoxication leading to alcoholism.
b. Moderation.
c. Abstinence.

a. Levitical priests when they were on duty, LEV 10:9; EZE 44:21.

EZE 44:21 “nor shall any of the priests drink wine when they enter the inner court.”

b. The Nazarites, NUM 6:3; JUD 13:4,7,14.

NUM 6:3 “He shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh or dried grapes.”

c. The Rechabites, JER 35:6,8,14, JER 35:6 “But they said, “we will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechabites, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall not drink wine, you or your sons, forever.”

d. Daniel and his friends abstained, DAN 1:8-16.

PSA 104:14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the labor of man, so that he may bring forth food from the earth,

PSA 104:15 and wine which makes man’s heart glad, so that he may make his face glisten with oil, and food which sustains man’s heart.

For example, it acts on the brain as a depressant, and on the stomach as a stimulator.

It aids the circulation of the blood in older people,
stimulates the appetite and sedates the central nervous system.

Our last point deals with common sense and drinking.

a. Young people should abstain from alcohol altogether unless supervised by their parents.

b. Do not drink when you are tired, miserable, frustrated, and unhappy.

c. Young ladies who date strange men should abstain from drinking.

d. If you are drinking moderately, only drink around those you trust. When in doubt, abstain.

e. Avoid the Christian lush.

f. If there is even the slightest doubt, abstain.

The outside altar represents the work of Christ on the cross.

They can only go into the holy place, not into the holy of holies that’s absolutely forbidden.

That is the Shekinah glory.

They would go into the holy place and when they came out the cloud would appear.

The cloud was an overt manifestation which said in effect that Jesus Christ was actually indwelling between the cherubs on the mercy seat.

He was inside and invisible but the manifestation to the people was given in the form of a cloud.

Note that the fire on the altar came from the Lord.

And from this fire they would take the fire in the next altar, just outside the veil which was called the altar of incense.

Now, Nadab and Abihu were the eldest sons of Aaron who was the first high priest of Israel and the brother of Moses.

Moses was the uncle to Nadab and Abihu says EXO 6:23.

Everyone in Israel drank wine but they drank it in great moderation and they always mixed it with water.

And, in a state of intoxication, after the fantastic scene described in LEV 9:22-24, they took unauthorized fire called “strange fire” from the altar of incense in front of the veil.

Outside the holy place was the brass altar for the burnt and food offerings; and this taught that Christ died outside the camp.

This fire from the Lord was taken from the brass altar into the holy place and used to burn incense on the altar of incense.

So, Nadab and Abihu, in a state of intoxication, took unauthorized fire (“strange” fire) into the altar of incense.

Since their father Aaron was the high priest, they were authorized to function as priests as the two oldest sons.

However, they brought their own incense and their own “matches,” and started a fire in the holy place.

Then they peeked behind the veil of the holy of holies, which was forbidden, and saw some kind of light.

Then, in their drunken state, they took their self-made fire on the altar of incense and from it made some sort of torch, busted through the veil, and entered into the holy of holies.

The incense was strange also, and by strange I mean it was not the type that God commanded them to use.

How many things would be classified as strange among Christians today.

Such as strange prayers,
Or strange works,
Strange love,
Strange giving,
Strange offerings,
Strange service.

They took unauthorized fire from the altar of incense in front of the veil and they went inside the tent and lit some incense and started a fire.

Do not drink wine or strong drink when you’re on duty.
And then the lord tells us why….
So that you may not die.

This simply means that no one has the right to be under the influence of alcohol while teaching the word of God or serving in any capacity whatsoever.

This was to make a distinction between what you are doing when you are in worship and what you are doing when you are on your own.

LEV 10:1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them [this is strange fire], placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them.

Now, the only light in the tabernacle is the Shekinah glory or the presence of Jesus Christ.

Above the mercy seat inside the holy of holies TLJC dwelt in His invisible form between the cherubs.

Jesus Christ as the God of Israel dwelt between the cherubs, but he wasn’t permitted to be seen.

And, this is a perfect illustration of human viewpoint breaking it’s way in our God and being totally consumed.

Well there are many reasons but, one main reason is that one of the things that characterizes a drunk is sloppiness.

And the Lord will not put up with sloppiness, whether from alcohol or ignorance.

They died the sin unto death for attempting to put unauthorized light or a fire in the holy of holies.

And God will not allow human works or creature credit to interfere with his divine plan.

And that’s why at the bema seat judgment, before we enter the eternal holy of holies, we have our human good totally consumed by fire.

So, TLJC indwelt the tabernacle or the temple which meant from time to time some apostate believer was not going to understand the indwelling of Christ.

The indwelling of Jesus Christ motivates momentum in the PPOG, “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” COL 1:27.