1 Esdras 3:17-24 is
Possibly the ALL-TIME BEST
Bible Description of
The Effects of Alcohol:
• It causes people who drink it to make mistakes and to do wrong things.
• It breaks down distinctions between people.
• It makes everything seem insignificant.
• It plays on the ego causing its users to be disrespectful.
• It makes people say and reveal far too much.
• It destroys family and friend relationships and prompts fights.
• It causes amnesia of its drinkers concerning all its destruction.
Additional Issues with Alcohol:
• Alcohol causes poor health and even death of users and victims of users.
• Alcoholic beverages cost a lot of money.
• "Drinking" often becomes a hard addiction to manage.
• Alcohol is strongly encouraged in certain neighborhoods, but the revenue from it very rarely goes into the same communities.
1 Esdras 3:17-24
17 And he said unto them, Declare unto us your mind concerning the writings. Then began the first, who had spoken of the strength of wine;
18 And he said thus, O ye men, how exceeding strong is wine! it causeth all men to err that drink it:
19 It maketh the mind of the king and of the fatherless child to be all one; of the bondman and of the freeman, of the poor man and of the rich:
20 It turneth also every thought into jollity and mirth, so that a man remembereth neither sorrow nor debt:
21 And it maketh every heart rich, so that a man remembereth neither king nor governor; and it maketh to speak all things by talents:
22 And when they are in their cups, they forget their love both to friends and brethren, and a little after draw out swords:
23 But when they are from the wine, they remember not what they have done.24 O ye men, is not wine the strongest, that enforceth to do thus? And when he had so spoken, he held his peace.
For Thought:
❶
Have you known anyone whose health suffered as a result of drinking alcohol?
❷
Have you ever found yourself drinking, becoming sick from it (a condition known as a hangover) and promising (yourself, friends, or even God) that you would not ever drink again, but did drink at some later time?
❸
Are there canonical and non-canonical passages which both condone and condemn the consumption of alcohol?
