“But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment” (Isaiah 28:7).
TEXT — Isaiah 28:1-8
Message
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was assassinated on April 14, 1865. Earlier that day, he remarked: “We have cleared up a colossal job. Slavery is abolished. After reconstruction, the next great question will be overthrowing and suppressing the legalized liquor traffic.” In the evening of the same day, John Wilkes Booth, his killer, entered a tavern to drink liquor. That night, policeman John Frederick Parker was the President’s bodyguard. However, he left the theatre to drink liquor at the same pub. While Parker was away, John Booth shot the President. Perhaps the story might have been different if Parker had not yielded to his urge for liquor.
In today’s passage, prophet Isaiah warns the people of Judah that they will suffer a similar fate as their northern neighbour, Israel, if they continue to repeat their mistakes. God judged Israel for their lifestyle of pride and drunkenness. Their fertile land fuelled their pride, which gave them bountiful harvests and great wealth. In their prosperity, they became careless, proud, and so tolerant of drunkenness to the extent that their rulers, prophets, and priests got drunk. They lived as though they did not need God. Consequently, God said He would send hail, storm, and flood to destroy Samaria, their delightful capital city.
The Scriptures condemn the sin of drunkenness in solid terms, though the world sees it differently. The damage resulting from alcoholism in society and families is inestimable. The majority of crimes committed are alcohol-induced because people make poor decisions and act irrationally when drunk. Alcohol is a narcotic, and, like other hard drugs, it distorts proper reasoning and corrupts moral perspectives. It is worse when leaders responsible for making critical decisions that would determine the destiny of a nation get drunk. Even more appalling is to find spiritual leaders who should help others steer a proper course, being inebriated with liquor or drunk with power.
To avoid divine punishment, you should avoid alcohol and not get drunk with power but be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
Thought for the day
Self-indulgence crosses the red line when it yields to the lure of alcohol.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
