Day 2
Lisa Scheffler, author
Substance abuse has been around as long as humans have been fermenting grain and fruit to make alcohol and harvesting certain plants for their pain relieving properties. The abuse of these substances has is also well documented in history. It shouldn’t surprise us that the Bible addresses it.
In scripture, we have stories that connect drunkenness with debauchery and depravity. Genesis 9: 20 depicts Noah drunk, passed out, and naked. Two of his sons honor their father and cover him, the other shames him. In Genesis 19:30-38 we have a story of Lot’s drunkenness leading to sexual abuse and perversion.
Proverbs gives us the longest warning against excessive drinking in the Bible. Notice the consequences it reveals.
Read
Proverbs 23:29–35
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?”
Ask yourself
- What is some of the imagery in this passage that sticks with you?
- According to this Proverbs, what are some of the dangers of alcohol abuse?
Reflect
I grew up during the “Just Say No” era of drug prevention education. There was a famous 1987 ad that most Gen Xers are familiar with. Butter sizzles in a hot skillet. An egg enters the frame. The narrator says, “this is your brain.” The egg is cracked and dropped into the pan, “this is your brain on drugs.” The egg fries. “Any questions?”
Proverbs precedes the “Just Say No” campaign by centuries but uses a similar strategy — it vividly illustrates the dangers of drug abuse in vivid terms.
First of all, it uses rhetorical questions to connect excessive drinking with woe, sorrow, strife and trouble. The passage invites us to fill in the specifics for ourselves. Under the influence of alcohol, people lose inhibitions. Some get angry and insulting. Some get violent and pick fights. Some withdraw into a drunken stupor and neglect their responsibilities. Because drinking impairs judgment, some drive while drunk and put themselves and others in danger.
The passage reminds us of the bloodshot eyes and bruises that come with getting falling-down-drunk, then pinpoints the problem. This warning is not for those who sip, but those who linger over wine — who stay too long in its company and take drink after drink after drink. Those who are prone to addiction should stay away from temptation— not even look at a drink, according to verse 31.
When drinking turns into alcoholism, the sorrow, woe, trouble and strife increase exponentially. Relationships are ruined, jobs are lost, and the jovial gods who invited you to party become vipers that poison you, body and soul.
Verses 32-35 illustrate what it’s like to be drunk. The ancients knew the effects of overindulgence well, but modern science has revealed the physical causes. Binge drinking overwhelms your liver, interferes with your central nervous system and affects parts of your brain so that you become dizzy, disoriented, and lose self-control. And yet, even knowing and experiencing all this, people who wake up with a hangover will often go looking for another drink.
Why? Why do alcohol and drugs become an idol? As memorable as the “this is your brain on drugs” commercial was, it doesn’t attempt to answer that question. It’s good advice, “to just say no” but to understand why so many people don’t, we have to look at why these substances are so tempting, that even though the dangers are known, people abuse them anyway.
That’s where we’ll turn our attention for the rest of the week. For today, pray for insight. Even if you don’t personally struggle with this idol, you likely know someone who does.
Pray
Human beings are not as rational as we think we are. If we were, drug abuse would have been eliminated millennia ago. Facts about the dangers are not enough. So what is? How can we turn from the powerful idols of addiction and run to worship at the feet of Jesus?
Pray about this today. Invite the Spirit to show you the root of your temptation. Pray that he would reveal the holes in your life you are trying to fill by drinking or abusing drugs. If you have not already done so, pray for the courage to name your addiction and seek help. Maybe you need to start by telling someone. Pray for the Spirit to lead you to the right person.
If alcohol and drugs are not a temptation for you, pray for others. Pray that you would have compassion and love for those who do struggle. Pray that as a church, Christ Fellowship would be a safe place for people to admit their struggles and find care and support to deal with them. Pray that you would be someone who offers that care and support.
Talk about it
- To the extent that you’re comfortable, and without dishonoring others, describe one of your experiences with alcohol abuse — either as the drinker, or someone affected by drinking. What do you think motivated you, or the person you’re thinking of, to abuse this substance? What were the results?
