Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords" ...... 2 "And commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. 5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace" ...... 6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
This passage of scripture recounts for us the sudden close of probation for Belshazzar and the city of Babylon, because of their unbridled indulgence in wine and revelry, and the subsequent actions that were taken. As the king and his lords partied like never before, their sense of right and wrong became blunted through the unrestrained use of liquor, and the final straw that broke the camel's back came when he sent for the holy vessels that were taken out of Jerusalem, which had been specially dedicated to the service of the true God. Moreover they praised the man-made gods of wood and stone, ascribing greatness and victory to the works of men, instead of giving God the glory and the praise, to whom it is rightfully due.
Whenever we indulge in any unrestrained passion that is contrary to truth and duty, our senses become clouded, and we ultimately lose a keen sense of right and wrong, not being able to distinguish the one from the other. And when we are in this state of mind, the door is opened for us to say and do things, which under other circumstances we may not even consider. It was in a similar situation that John the baptist was beheaded by Herod, who in an unguarded moment of indulgence in liquor, made a promise that whatsoever his "private dancer" requested, she would have, even to the half of his kingdom. Let's read:
Matthew 14:6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. 8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. 9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. 10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
Christians are required by God to keep our bodies and minds under the control of The Holy Spirit at all times, lest in a sudden moment of sensual indulgence, we exchange the immortal inheritance for that which fades away. The devil specializes in temptations which cater to our lower nature, and drugs and alcohol are common agents used to interfere with our sound judgment and rational thinking, and whenever we succumb to these temptations, we literally give him the upper hand to work our destruction in haste, something that he delights to do.
Especially is this the case with the indulgence of wine, which has the immediate effect of altering in a negative way, our intelligence and reactionary times, and also perverts our thoughts, leading us to do things which we would recoil from under different circumstances. That's why the Bible warns us to stay as far as possible from the wine bottle, which ironically is referred to as "spirits". Let's read:
Proverbs 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
Let us be certain to avoid the very appearance of evil, through unrestrained partying and indulgence in mind-altering drugs and drinks, for our bodies are the temple of The Living God, and if we desecrate our bodies where the Holy Spirit dwells, our probation may close suddenly like Belshazzar's, never more to be reinstated. May the warnings and counsels of God's word not fall on deaf ears, but rather let them be to us, a savor of life unto life. God Bless!