What Does the Bible Say About Drinking?
(And What Should We Eat?)
By Liaf
Lately I was thinking about diving into the subject of sacred measure (e.g. the measure of the cubit) and its relation to the Great Pyramid. Upon thinking about this, I perceived this would become another short series. We’ve had an end-times series, a series on the Feasts of Jehovah, and similar messages. In these trying times, I believe people are too upset to see the significance of these lessons even though they have their places in understanding Scripture. Instead, some people may feel more like "hitting the bottle" to abate their fears. I occasionally participate in Christian forums (hence the reason I kept the "liafailrock" handle on this site) and on several occasions recently the question has been asked if it’s OK to drink alcohol. I can sense the guilt of some Christians as they partake with friends that drink. These Christians wonder if by drinking they are "backsliding".
This whole issue can be answered to the satisfaction of everybody if they take God at His Word. The Bible does not say that you cannot drink. The Bible only warns of being drunk. Period. Any other teaching is a corruption of God’s Word. Let’s turn in our King James Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 14. This is a passage about tithing (which is a neglected and forbidden subject these days) but we must look at WHAT is being talked about in this passage.
Deuteronomy :14:22-23: Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
Actually, this is a mandate for a second tithe (and some of you have trouble making the first). However, this is what is called the festival tithe--- or as I call it, the "party tithe". Actually, most of us DO give this tithe to our family, but it takes the form of Disney World vacations, travel, or recreation. In this tithe, the family was to bring it to Jerusalem to eat of it and to celebrate before the Lord while sharing some of this tithe with the Levites or the poor. Instead of Mickey Mouse, the focus was on the Lord with worship and gratitude in what he provided. I suppose the only equivalent today I can think of off the top of my head is perhaps is a Christian retreat or resort somewhere that focuses on God alone. However, look at the subject of this tithe. It was food. I noticed quite by accident that this was God’s "food pyramid" where foods (by order of health and importance) are listed. (More on that shortly.) Wine is also listed there. God pronounced that as a clean food. The Israelites and Jews were (and some still are) very particular about Kosher foods. Go out to any liquor store and see for yourself (if your strict brothers or sisters in Christ allow that without chastising you). In there you will find Kosher wines sometimes with a picture of a Rabbi on it.
Even before the Law of Moses we see in Scripture that Melchizedek brought bread and wine to Abram after Abram won a battle.
Genesis 14:18-20: And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Although I do not take this position, some Christians believe this mysterious Melchizedek character was Christ himself. And yes, the word in Hebrew connotes wine as in an alcoholic beverage. Don’t get started on the "grape juice" theory. Some people say Christ was a Nazarite and as such could not have taken any wine. Therefore they believe that grape juice was used for the Last Supper and hence should be used for communion. For those of you who take this position, were you aware that a Nazarite could not have grape juice either? (Numbers 6:3). So there goes that theory out the window.
However, we must consider alcohol in moderation. Just as it is not right to be gluttonous with food, it is not right to be drunk either. An example of what I mean is found in Proverbs 23:21. For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Notice that the Bible equally condemns gluttony, which is why I suppose I make some sarcastic remarks about Christians who self-righteously abstain from alcohol, but their bathroom scale tells another story. That is why Jesus’ critics criticized him for hanging around such people. He was accused of being a "winebibber". Matthew 11:19: The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. (No doubt Jesus’ critics were quoting this Scripture.) You would not suppose Jesus would have been accused of being a "winebibber" had he only been drinking grape juice, do you? However, if he drank alcohol, it would be a line of judgement whether he was taking it in moderation, or to excess. Notably, Jesus was happy because he was teaching about the Kingdom of God. If his critics saw him with a drink in his hands, they would have done what any good straight-laced Christian would do --- they would assume he was happy because he was drunk. No, Jesus was not drunk nor fat. That brings me to the subject of foods.
Modern medical science divides food groups into four (maybe five) categories: Meat (and protein related foods), diary, grain (such as breads, pastas and cereals), and fruits and vegetables (some make them into two groups). They created a "food pyramid" to show which are the healthiest foods and which foods you should have less of. The bottom of the pyramid is grain. The bottom of the pyramid is broad so that means you should have many servings a day. Next on top is fruits and vegetables. They are also healthy for you. Near the top are diary and meat products (including eggs, poultry, and nuts). According to them you can have some of these daily, but not many. The peak or tippy-top of the pyramid is where they put "junk food" and you should have little of these, if any at all. Examples include all oils (because they are fatty), sugar, sweets, and other things that dentists and doctors gravely warn us about. Another "bad" thing (so we are told) is salt. Doctors avoid that like an Orthodox Jew avoids pork. Is this pyramid correct? How does this compare to what the Bible teaches? Let’s turn back to Deuteronomy 14 and take note of that "food pyramid". And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks. God seemingly named their food in the order of importance. First was corn. That’s a mistranslation. That should be translated "grain" such as wheat or barley that was common to their area. What are the six grains? They are wheat, rice, rye, corn, barley and oats. These are the same things that make breads and cereals. So far so good. This is the same as the medical establishment’s model. Next on the list is wine; that is a form of fruit since we are talking about the fruit of the vine namely grapes. Sounds good so far. This also agrees. The next thing is oil. This is olive oil that was native to their region. Lastly were the meats and animal products. Oops! We have a reversal here. The food pyramid from the medical establishment puts all oils above meats. They would rather you eat some sort of meat before olive oil. Nope. I don’t buy that. I’ve been saying loooong before it was accepted that olive oil is not bad for you. There would have been a time I may have been chastised by a doctor for believing that. Now, everyone and his brother believe that olive oil is good for you and they changed their tune. All I did was simply believe God’s Word in the first place. Another food pyramid (called the "Mediterranean") rightfully puts olive oil further down at the base of the pyramid. To the surprise of Western doctors, people in that region have a higher fat intake than the recommended 30% of their calories. In spite of that, they have a lower rate of cardiovascular disease. I’m going to put my head out on this one, too. I am going to make a prediction. Salt is not bad for you! That is because salt was not considered an unclean food, and it was used ceremoniously in the Tabernacle. God never allowed priests to eat unclean foods. However, I would caution that the Bible does not say a great deal about salt in the diet. The implication is the amount that it is mentioned signifies the importance it has. Like wine, salt is OK in moderation. Fortunately, one will vomit if too much salt is ingested. And I would not recommend taking in enough salt so that you hold water or develop edema. This extra fluid (not the salt, per se) can cause health problems. This becomes the same category as gluttony if you have to shake the salt on foods until they become white with it. I am merely saying that salt is not bad. You can get fat on olive oil if you take in too much because olive oil has a lot of calories. You can overdo anything. So let’s not confuse the intrinsic goodness of something with the permission to indulge in an unlimited amount.
I want to say a few things about meats. While the medical establishment would have you shun salt; they would allow you to eat meats that God considered "unclean". Leviticus 11 addresses the subject of clean vs. unclean meats. I figure that if I want to stay healthy, I should avoid something that God says is unclean.
Leviticus 11:1-3: And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
God never allowed priests to eat unclean foods, and since they ate of the sacrifices that God ordained, it stands to reason that no unclean animal was offered and sacrificed. Basically, these animals come from cattle or grazing category. Beef and lamb are examples. But then God goes on to say that both conditions must be met:
Leviticus 11:6-7: And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
Rabbits graze (most likely your garden) but they do not have cloven hooves. Swine or pigs have parted hooves, but they do not chew the cud. This is where Orthodox Jews get the mandate that pork or ham is an unclean food. These are not the only unclean animals. God goes on to specify clean from unclean water animals.
Leviticus 11:9-10: These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you.
In other words, scaly fish such as Salmon is a clean food. Sorry. Lobsters, crabs and other crustaceans are out. They are unclean. God goes on to say what the unclean birds are. In a nutshell, any bird (or other animal) that is a scavenger or kills for blood are unclean. The clean animals are the vegetarian variety. On that note, God said that certain fat of the animal was to be offered to Him. In addition, the blood was to be drained out before being eaten. Eating blood was an abomination. (There were certain innards that were not to be eaten as well.) This would be equivalent to well-done, perhaps leaner beef for example. I take issue with the medical establishment that tells you to avoid "red meats" (like beef). If it’s under cooked or bloody, I agree. But in this case, they would have you give up beef altogether. As with olive oil, I made a prediction that beef is not bad for you, as long as it is well done and leaner (since some fat is the Lord’s). Sure enough I read an article one day stating that some experts are recanting their position that "beef is bad". On a side note here, I am not saying to avoid all saturated fats. As with Cholesterol, since these animals were clean, they are NOT the cause of heart disease. However, some fats are considered not kosher by Jews according to scriptural passages but some in the meat itself may be eaten and as such is Kosher.
Lastly, on the subject of dairy products, the Bible clearly mentions that milk and cheese are clean foods. However, this food was more likely the "goat-based" variety. We take ours from cattle today, but they are not unclean. However, there is an obscure Scripture that says Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk. This is taken to mean that dairy and meat products are NOT to be eaten together. However, one may have dairy products with "neutral" protein foods such as fish or eggs since diary products do not come from these protein items. Again, I figure that God has a reason for saying they cannot be mixed. Maybe the proteins are incompatible together but individually they are healthy (or something to that effect).
I think we gave an overall outline of food: wine, grains, fruits and vegetables, meats and dairy products. I think if you want to stay healthy or watch excess weight, this would be a good way to start. It’s best to do things God’s way instead of man’s way. How do we know this will work? Jesus had to obey every bit of the Law to be qualified Savior. If any of these foods would make one sick, then it stands to reason that Jesus would have been ill. In the Law of Moses, an animal that was offered had to be without blemish—perfectly healthy from what they could see. This foreshadowed Jesus who was the perfect, healthy sacrifice for us. Illness comes from sin (i.e., our condition in Adam). If Jesus were sickly, he would have been equivalent to a blemished sacrifice. And that was an abomination to the Lord.