Proverbs 31:4-7 NKJV
It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink;
Lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
King Lemuel’s mother shared words of wisdom with her son. Those words are recorded in Proverbs 31. Here she points out that royalty should not engage in consumption of alcoholic beverages. She pointed out that intoxicating drinks can cause one to forget God’s law and make bad decisions. Although some may argue that partaking of alcohol is not a sin and many ministers sip while some go beyond that and drink without concern about moderation, as King Lemuel’s mother suggested, kings should avoid it. The priests in the Old Testament were not allowed to drink wine or intoxicating drink when they were ministering in the tabernacle. The Lord said it was one way to distinguish between the holy and unholy, the clean and the unclean (Leviticus 10:1-10). As kings and priests unto God, we must be considerate of those we are examples to. To those we are light and salt to, we must think about the example we set. Some people are able to handle a little wine while others are prone to alcoholism and should not go near it. Most of the highway deaths in the USA are due to abuse of alcoholic beverages. A large number of crimes and broken homes can be attributed to alcohol abuse. So the highest and best life for kings is to set an example of abstinence. We have such a wide selection of healthier options and we need to major in drinking clean water for our own health. Paul said he did not do everything he had the liberty to do. (See 1 Corinthians 8:9-13 and Romans 14) He taught that we should be considerate of our Christian brothers and sisters. We should think about how our decisions might affect them. Let us operate in the highest and best as kings for the glory of our King.