“lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.”
As much as 50% of violent crimes and 60% of robberies occur while the person is on drugs or alcohol. I heard an ER doctor state that as much as 90% of there weekend patients were there because of alcohol involvement either immediate use of lifetime use. When I was 15 I was picked up and driven by an intoxicated friend. I didn’t realize they had been drinking until I was in the car and they were driving. I asked them to stop and let’s both get someone else to drive us. I even considered jumping out of the moving car. They kept insisting they drive better, more carefully, when they had been drinking. They were telling me this as they passed other cars as they drove on the shoulder of the road while driving around the bayous on the coast of Florida. Drinking is not a sin. Too much drinking is a well defined no no in scripture. The ability to use sound judgments is drastically impaired when drinking. There is a reason why we are instructed not to operate heavy machinery or make important life decisions while on pain pills. The same is true about alcohol. When I worked with youth I went to too many funerals of teenagers who lost their lives in driving accidents, most involved alcohol. Here Solomon cautions about the poor and oppressed suffering at the had of rulers who drink too much. Our family, employees and others can certainly suffer if we do the same. Scripture is about moderation in all things. Today live sober and bless the world. #BeTheEdge
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,” Ephesians 5:18 NIV
