Deuteronomy 14:26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household.
This passage of scripture reveals to us an aspect of our relationship with God that needs to be understood clearly by all, especially in the context of the times in which we live, where there seems to be a steady decline of the practice of absolute truth, in favor of a subjective type of religion. God has given to each of us the freedom to choose, and because of this He does not coerce anyone to do His will, yet because of His deep interest in our well-being, He gives us instructions that are for our best, good with the hope that we will adhere to them, knowing that they are always given in love.
In the above passage of scripture, God permitted the Hebrews to drink strong drink, meaning alcoholic beverages, not because He was in favor of it, but because they clamored for it and insisted that they would have fermented wine, even though they knew it was contrary to His will. The previous instances in which fermented wine was shown to have a deleterious effect on the users, was faithfully chronicled with the hope that future generations would reason intelligently from cause to effect, to avoid repeating the errors of those who had gone before. Let's read:
Genesis 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
Leviticus 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. 2 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. 8 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, 9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: 10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean.
In addition to these and other negative experiences pertaining to the consumption of alcohol, the Lord clearly states His will in other passages of scripture concerning the matter, so that no one be left in doubt as to what the Bible teaches on this and similar subjects, that are contrary to God's will. 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.
In our day, many of the very practices and products God has forbidden are freely imbibed, and we often go our merry way, thinking that The Lord is well pleased with us, when in fact His displeasure rests upon those habits that cause us harm. The plan of salvation was instituted to bring us back in harmony with God's original design for us, and those Christians who will be translated to heaven without seeing death when Christ comes, must be found living within the sphere of God's original purpose, not His circumstantial will.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which calls us back to God's original ideal, by revealing to us from the Bible, His perfect will. Let's read:
2nd Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
May God help us to so live and do as those who are looking for His soon appearing, for the time is at hand. "Good night" and God bless!