“The Lord then spoke to Aaron, saying, ‘Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die.’ ” (Leviticus 10:8-9)
God spoke these words to Aaron right after his two sons, Nadab and Abihu died while serving in the tent of meeting. They spoke where God was silent and offered strange fire which He had not commanded (Leviticus 10:1).
Though not explicitly stated, the nearness of this warning to those events makes one wonder about the sobriety of Nadab and Abihu on that fateful day. Regardless, the warning still stands – if someone is going to serve God, he must do so sober. There is too much at risk, and “reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28) for the Lord requires a clear mind.
Every generation talks about how much you can drink, when you can drink, is it a sin to drink, etc. And every generation ends up learning the same thing the hard way – alcohol is not the friend of wisdom and clear thought. No matter how you wish to look at it, the alcohol industry is an industry of warning labels.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
This Week’s Reading: Leviticus 10-15; Psalm 12; Proverbs 12 This year, #Biblebites are looking at lessons from the history of the Old Testament. Each week reads a section of history with a Psalm to meditate on and a dash of Proverbs to dwell upon. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2024-vision