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Alcohol: the Case for Moderation

Scripture References

 

There are 234 references to "wine" in Bible.  Here are just a few that were consulted for the preparation of this artricle

 

Godly People that Drank Wine in Bible

Gen 14:18

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.

Gen 27:25

25 He [Isaac] said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you." So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

Luke 7:33-34 Jesus ate and drank wine

33 "For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'

34 "The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'

 

Wine Considered the Blessing of the Lord

Gen 27:28 --Isaac's Blessing on Jacob

28 Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine.

Deut 7:11-13 Wine a Blessing of Obedience to the Law

11 "Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them. Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you.

Deut 11:13-14 Wine a Blessing of Obedience to the Law

13 'And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.

Deut 33:27-28 New Wine part of the blessing of Israel in the Promised Land

27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; he will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, 'Destroy!' Then Israel shall dwell in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, in a land of grain and new wine; his Heavens shall also drop dew.

Ps 104:14-15 Wine is a blessing that makes a man's heart glad

14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, And wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man's heart.

Prov 3:9-10 New Wine a blessing given to those who give offerings to Lord

9 Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

Jer 31:11-12 Wine associated with thanksgiving, celebrating the Lord's goodness

11 For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, streaming to the goodness of the LORD-- for wheat and new wine and oil, for the young of the flock and the herd; their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more at all.

Hosea 2:22 Wine promised as blessing to Israel

22 The earth shall answer with grain, with new wine, and with oil; they shall answer Jezreel.

Joel 2:19,24 Wine part of reward when Israel repents and calls on Lord

19 The LORD will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.

24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

Joel 3:18

18 And it will come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with new wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; a fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD and water the Valley of Acacias.

Amos 9:13-14 Celebration, Drinking of Wine, associated with Israel coming back from captivity

13 "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.

14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.

 

Medicinal Value of Wine

1 Tim 5:23

23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.

 

Wine Actually Offered to Lord, as Prescribed in Law

Exod 29:37-40 To Dedicate the Altar

37 "Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and sanctify it. And the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar must be holy.

38 "Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs of the first year, day by day continually.

39 "One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.

40 "With the one lamb shall be one-tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with one-fourth of a HIN of pressed oil, and one-fourth of a HIN of wine as a drink offering.

(NKJ)

Lev 23:10-13 As Part of Firstfruits Offerings

10 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.

11 'He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

12 'And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD.

13 'Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the LORD, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin.

Num 15:5,7 As Part of Various Drink Offerings...

5 'and one-fourth of a HIN of wine as a drink offering you shall prepare with the burnt offering or the sacrifice, for each lamb.

7 'and as a drink offering you shall offer one-third of a HIN of wine as a sweet aroma to the LORD.

Num 28:14 As Drink Offering

14 'Their drink offering shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, one-third of a hin for a ram, and one-fourth of a hin for a lamb; this is the burnt offering for each month throughout the months of the year.

Num 18:8-12 As Part of Offerings belonging to Aaron and sons, to be eaten in a most holy place

8 And the LORD spoke to Aaron: "Here, I Myself have also given you charge of My heave offerings, all the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them as a portion to you and your sons, as an ordinance forever.

9 "This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering and every sin offering and every trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons.

10 "In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you.

11 "This also is yours: the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.

12 "All the best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and the grain, their firstfruits which they offer to the LORD, I have given them to you.

Deut 18:3-4 Wine included in priest's portion of the offering

3 "And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it is bull or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach. The firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.

Deut 12:17-18 Wine part of the tithe to be eaten before the Lord

17 "You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or your new wine or your oil, of the firstlings of your herd or your flock, of any of your offerings which you vow, of your freewill offerings, or of the heave offering of your hand. But you must eat them before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD your God chooses, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all to which you put your hands.

Deut 14:23-26 Wine and "Similar Drink" to be bought and partaken in to rejoice before the Lord (as part of tithe offerings)

23 "And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.

24 But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the LORD your God has blessed you,

25 "then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses.

26 "And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.

2 Chr 31:4-5 Wine part of Israel's tithe

4 Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.

Neh 13:12 Wine part of Israel's tithe

12 Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse.

1 Sam 1:24 Hannah brought wine as part of offering when she fulfilled her vow to give Samuel to the Lord

24 Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh. And the child was young.

 

General, Misc Passages Presenting Wine in Positive Light

Judg 9:13 Wine makes God and man cheerful

13 But the vine said to them, 'Should I cease my new wine, which cheers both God and men, and go to sway over trees?'

Ps 104:14-15 Wine is a blessing that makes a man's heart glad

14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, And wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man's heart.

1 Sam 16:20 Wine part of the normal diet of Israel...

20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul.

1 Sam 25:18 Wine considered part of normal Israeli diet

18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

1 Chr 9:29 Levites appointed to oversee the wine in the temple

29 Some of them were appointed over the furnishings and over all the implements of the sanctuary, and over the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the incense and the spices.

1 Chr 27:27 David's official staff included men appointed over vineyards and wine

27 And Shimei the Ramathite was over the vineyards, and Zabdi the Shiphmite was over the produce of the vineyards for the supply of wine.

Eccl 9:7 People Instructed to Love God, Drink Wine with a merry heart--enjoy the good life God has given you

7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.

Zech 9:16-17 Wine will make the young women thrive

16 The LORD their God will save them in that day, as the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, lifted like a banner over His land--

17 For how great is its goodness and how great its beauty! Grain shall make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women.

Matt 9:14-17 Parable of New Wine--Jesus Compares His Ministry to New Wine

(this account also given in Mark & Luke)

14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"

15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 "No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.

17 "Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

John 2:3-10 Jesus Turned Water into Wine--His First Miracle

3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."

4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."

5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.

7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.

8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.

9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.

10 And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"

 

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Copyright © 2000 Kim Harrington, Masterbuilder Ministries. All rights reserved.

 

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