Historical Posts
A Voice from the Past
What can the voice from the past teach us?
Isaiah, a prophet of Israel and a voice from the past for us, seven centuries before Christ, warned his nation of impending disaster. The moral foundations of Israel were crumbling, and without a strong moral foundation no nation can long survive. As I read Isaiah, I am struck by the similarities between his society and our own.
First, this voice from the past described a people who loved alcohol and sought escape through the bottle.
He wrote, “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them” (Isaiah 5:11). In a culture where alcohol and drug abuse have reached epidemic proportions, his words are hauntingly familiar. People are still looking for escape, but are not finding it. The voice from the past is still applicable today. Misery is the companion of those who turn to drugs and alcohol.
Second, Israel had forgotten God.
They would go into captivity because they had no knowledge of God (Isaiah 5:13). Today, parents do everything in their power to see that their children have the best toys, the latest fashions, the nicest home, and the finest education money can buy. But, that which every parent needs to pass on to their offspring is neglected. Children are growing up without a spiritual foundation. The voice from the past teaches that only in God can we find the answers to the great questions of life. If God is left out, it matters little what kind of education we provide our children, for they will grow up spiritually ignorant and without meaning and purpose for their existence.
Third, he spoke of a nation with warped values.
Good had become evil, and evil had become good in the eyes of the people (Isaiah 5:20). Again, the voice of the past applies to our culture today. Many of those things which our parents and grandparents recognized as sinful are now embraced and endorsed by society. Adultery, abortion, homosexuality, gambling and a number of other immoral and ungodly activities are no longer frowned upon. In fact, those who oppose these things are now considered the bad guys! Good is again evil, and evil is good.
It is not too late, yet, but soon it will be.
It is imperative that harken again to the voice of the past. That we begin again to build a society on the moral and ethical foundations of God’s word. Unless we change directions soon, the America many of us know and love will no longer exist.
Do you want to make a difference?
Build your life on the solid foundation of Christ and then teach others.
Salvation: Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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What About Drinking Alcohol?
Ten years ago it was argued that scientific studies had proven that people who take a couple of drinks a day live longer than either teetotalers or those whose intake exceeds two drinks (two shots, two beers, two glasses of wine). Naturally, this made the liquor industry very happy, and it was perceived as good news by those who sought to justify social drinking. But, were the scientists correct in their assumption? The evidence would indicate that they were not!
According to the Mayo Clinic Health Letter, May 1989, by the middle of the last decade the earlier findings were beginning to be questioned. It was determined that the methods used to examine the connection between drinking habits and mortality were not sound enough to yield air-tight conclusions. In this new finding it was determined that the apparent benefits from moderate drinking were a by-product of the research methods rather than a real finding.
No one argued that heavy drinking was good for health. But an important question was left unanswered. Is teetotaling unhealthy, and could teetotalers prolong their lives by swigging a couple of beers every evening? According to a study from England, the answer is no!
From 1978-80 British investigators recruited nearly 8,000 men between the ages of 40 and 59. These men were followed for an average of 7.5 years, during which their deaths and causes of death were monitored. The study showed that moderate drinkers did not benefit from the use of alcohol!
There is no real justification for the consumption of alcoholic beverages. When will we wake up to this fact?
In recent years our society has seen the detrimental effects of smoking, and we have mounted a campaign to encourage people to stop smoking. When will we take similar steps in regard to alcohol? I’m tired of the commercials which encourage people not to drink and drive, the message ought to be, DON’T DRINK! It is impossible to measure the grief, misery, death and suffering caused by alcohol. It is a blight on society. When will we face up to this fact?
It may be too late to reach many of the older generation, but we can reach the young. They need to know that the most abused drug in America today is alcohol! Young people, drinking is not cool, it’s stupid!
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Strong Drink
Some time ago this paper carried a letter to Dear Abby about a person who justified his heavy drinking by saying that the Bible approved of giving a person intoxicating drink to drown his sorrow and lessen his pain. Abby responded that indeed the Bible did give such direction. She quoted Proverbs 31:6-7: “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.” Then Abby observed: “However, since the Bible was written, we have learned that not everyone can handle “strong drink,” and for those who cannot, I recommend the National Council on Alcoholism.”
Abby’s Bible literacy is appalling. Had she read Proverbs 23:29-35 she would have discovered the following: “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long over wine, those who go to taste mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly; at last it bits like a serpent, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter perverse things. And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, or like one who lies down on the top of a mast. They struck me, but I did not become ill; they beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I shall seek another drink.” Abby said that since the Bible was written we have learned that not everyone can handle “strong drink.” The fact is, folks have not yet learned what the Bible does say about alcohol! Only fools drink it (Proverbs 20:1)!
Now, what about Proverbs 31:6-7? That verse, like one in 1 Timothy 5:23, permits the consumption of alcohol in small amounts for medicinal purposes, but in no way does it justify drunkenness or social drinking. Alcohol was used then in the way that a doctor uses a sedative today to calm a person who has had a traumatic experience, or administers morphine to relieve pain. But clearly the Bible does not justify drunkenness or the indiscriminate use of intoxicating drink.
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).
— Roger
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
Return to the Home Page
What About Alcohol?
Indictment of the misuse of alcohol
In our Sunday morning study of Isaiah we have noted more than once the prophet’s indictment of the misuse of alcohol (Isaiah 5:11, 22; 28:1, 7, 8; 56:12). As one reads the prophetic material it seems as though he was describing modern society.
What is the evidence?
In defense of alcohol consumption it is often argued that scientific studies have proven that people who take a couple of drinks a day live longer than either teetotalers or those whose intake exceeds two drinks (two shots, two beers, two glasses of wine). Naturally, this made the liquor industry very happy, and it was perceived as good news by those who sought to justify social drinking. But, were the scientists correct in their assumption? The evidence would indicate that they were not!
According to the Mayo Clinic Health Letter, May 1989, by the middle of the last decade the earlier findings were beginning to be questioned. It was determined that the methods used to examine the connection between drinking habits and mortality were not sound enough to yield air-tight conclusions. In this new finding it was determined that the apparent benefits from moderate drinking were a by-product of the research methods rather than a real finding. No one argued that heavy drinking was good for health. But an important question was left unanswered. Is tee totaling unhealthy, and could teetotalers prolong their lives by swigging a couple of beers every evening? According to a study from England, the answer is no!
From 1978-80 British investigators recruited nearly 8,000 men between the ages of 40 and 59. These men were followed for an average of 7.5 years, during which their deaths and causes of death were monitored. The study showed that moderate drinkers did not benefit from the use of alcohol!
There is no real justification for the consumption of alcoholic beverages
When will we wake up to this fact? In recent years our society has seen the detrimental effects of smoking, and we have mounted a campaign to encourage people to stop smoking. When will we take similar steps in regard to alcohol? I’m tired of the commercials which encourage people not to drink and drive, the message ought to be, DON’T DRINK! It is impossible to measure the grief, misery, death and suffering caused by alcohol. It is a blight on society. When will we face up to this fact?
Alcohol is the most abused drug
It’s may be too late to reach many of the older generation, but we can reach the young. They need to know that the most abused drug in America today is alcohol! Young people, drinking is not cool, it’s stupid! “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
Return to the Home Page