Not For Kings

First of all, as I attempt to put forth my personal thoughts on "The Christian and Drinking" - let me make this point: It is almost impossible to air your thoughts on an issue like this and not come across as holier-than-thou. So save me that complaint. When, as a Christian, you have a strong opinion on something, you always sound legalistic and condescending. It's the nature of the beast. So while I hope I don't come across that way in what I'm about to say, I know it is impossible. So, here it is:

I believe that while it is not only allowable (and even in one case recommended) for a Christian to drink wine, it is the lower road. There, I've said it. That's right, you heard me correctly. I believe that the Christian who for the right reasons makes the decision to abstain from alcohol, has chosen the higher way.

First, let me tell you my personal story regarding alcohol. I come from a family of extremes: non-drinkers and destructive drinkers. My maternal and paternal grandmothers were both presidents of their town's temperance unions. This led to my being raised by a mom and dad who are adamantly against any form of drinking. I therefore attended a church that reinforced this belief. Now, I know what you're thinking, no wonder you're so legalistic and ever-so-holy regarding this - but you are wrong!

As I grew up, I can honestly say that there was never any temptation to imbibe, as they say. It just wasn't there. In high school, I still went to most of the parties, where there was plenty of drinking, but it never became an issue for me. The same thing at (Gordon) college. I saw enough alcohol there to fill the back pond, but the only thing that bothered me was the hypocrisy of seeing my Saturday night drunk friends sitting next to me in church the next morning. The actual drinking never bothered me.

You see, that's my first point. Although I was raised not to drink and have never engaged, it has never, and I honestly mean that, become a point of 'rating the Christian' for me. I had Christian friends who drank and non-Christian friends who didn't drink, and I was never confused by that. Only the drunkenness bothered me. So I think I had a pretty fair view of the issue.

Another facet was evolving at the same time, and that was the destruction I saw it reaping within family members. I had an uncle destroyed by it and another one left in a less-than-admirable state of existence. I watched families, cousins and friends go down a path that was so brutal that it made me wonder how anyone could even start the process. Still, this did not lead me to become judgmental on the social Christian drinker.

But I knew that I was right. I don't know how to explain it. (How do you explain a legalistic mindset? You don't, you exist in it.) Even through the knowledge that the Bible never comes out and says, "Thou shalt not drink" I knew that it was wrong for me to even begin. Here are the two passages that did it for me:

1. Leviticus 10 - Nadab and Abihu, the two sons of Aaron, were destroyed for offering unauthorized fire in the Tabernacle. Exactly what they did was never fully given, but I believe in Leviticus 10:8 - 10 we are given a clue: "You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses."

What I believe happened is that Nadab and Abihu had a little too much to drink and were 'impaired' when they went in and messed up in some way. Their responsibility was too high to allow this to happen and they were killed (take that, you Christian drinkers!). They were the representatives to the people and they needed to have clear heads to keep the distinctions clear. Wine was okay for the people outside, but not for the priests who needed to always have their wits about them. They needed to be clear at all times - for they had the message of the Lord and the responsibility to intercede for the people. The priest, God tells Moses, has a higher calling.

I believe we have that same responsibility now and we can accept this higher call and keep a clear head, or we can allow our freedom to be our guide. Personally, although I am far from perfect, I at least want to strive to this higher calling and be able to be a clear-minded intercessor for the hurting people of this world.

That leads me to the second passage:

2. Proverbs 31:1-9 "The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle his mother taught him:

"O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel— not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

I think it's pretty clear what Lemmy's mother is saying to him. She's telling him that as the king, he needs to have a clear head so that he can be fair and just. He needs to have his wits about him so that he can look out for the less privileged. Wine and beer are concessions to the poor so that they can forget about their miseries. You, Lemmy, are higher than that. You are their intercessor. You don't need to get into the drinking - because you can't forget. You need to know, at all times, what is going on, so that you can be there for them with a clear head. You, Lemmy, child of the king, have a higher calling.

So there - I've said it - I believe that I have a higher calling. And if you do as well. We are priests, "a chosen people, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light." (I Peter 2:9) I believe this with all of my heart. It is a holy calling which calls for a clear head. We need to be able to make the distinctions, to judge fairly, to declare without distraction.

I know that there are some out there who are honestly able to drink simply because they like the taste, so why forfeit that freedom. I'm not one of them. I would drink now for only one reason: to alter my mind a bit to give me some peace or some temporary diversion. I have come to an understanding that this, for me, would be a denial of what He is offering me and asking me to do.

I want to allow Him to be my peace and my eternal diversion. I want to remember that I am a child of the king, and it is not for kings to drink to forget. It is for kings to stand and remember, to be constantly vigilant. I am not going to let my guard down, even for a moment, because there are people dying all around me. They can have their drinks to forget, according to Lemmy's mother, but I can't afford that luxury.

So that is my journey and it is why I don't drink. And I know it sounds holier-than-thou, and for that I apologize. Because the honest truth is that the more I truly understand these passages, the more I understand the call of the priest of God, the more hollowed out I get, not full of myself. Trust me, I don't feel any sense of superiority for the decision I've made, but only God and I can truly know the truth of that statement.

If you are a child of God, you are a priest, a child of the king.