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Who was not allowed alcoholic drinks in the OT?

tonychanyt

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Numbers 6:
2 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.

After the Nazirite vow period was over, it was okay for him to drink.

Leviticus 10:
8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, 9 You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come.
Again, it was only a temporary order.

Jeremiah 35:14
Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command.
The Rekabites did not drink wine.
 
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Unqualified

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Are you saying Christians should drink alcoholic beverages? For their much infirmities, in moderation, being mindful of the weaker brother? The OT does say not to drink strong drink. Alcohol consumption went up 55% during COVID in calif.
 
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tonychanyt

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Unqualified

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Only time it was approved was for dying people. But it became a problem in the Prophets. It was for Ephraim because it led them away from God. It wasn’t illegal or sin only said to be not good for you. So now and don’t be drunk with wine includes strong drink or pot. My pastor says drugs are witchcraft.
 
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tonychanyt

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Only time it was approved was for dying people. But it became a problem in the Prophets. It was for Ephraim because it led them away from God. It wasn’t illegal or sin only said to be not good for you. So now and don’t be drunk with wine includes strong drink or pot. My pastor says drugs are witchcraft.
What is the difference between a regular drink and a strong drink?
 
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PsaltiChrysostom

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Wine is a ‘regular’ drink, and strong drink is more potent like brandy. 40% alcohol
Wine normally has a max alcohol content of 11-15%. So ordinarily, wine was diluted with water ranging anywhere from 20-1, most likely 3-4 parts water to 1 part wine. "It is best for the wine to be mixed with as much water as possible. . . . For both are works of God, and the mixing of the two, both of water and wine produces health," Clement of Alexandria [Instructor II, ii, 23.3—24.1].

Strong drink would have been undiluted wine and was considered barbaric by the Greeks and Romans.

The earliest mention of distillation of alcohol is Al-Kindi in the 9th century along with a few other 9th century Arabs. Fractional distillation of alcohol only gets started in the 13th century.

Personally, I water down my own wine as all I want is something refreshing and I'm not looking to get soused while I'm relaxing. My wife drinks hers straight.


(FYI, I designed vodka and fuel ethanol plants at one point in my career. It takes a lot of energy to distill alcohol, which wouldn't be practical until you get some science behind the process.)
 
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David Kent

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What is the difference between a regular drink and a strong drink?
I think a strong drink is an alcoholic drink apart from wine.
The Nazarites were also banned from drinking vinegar and vinegar made from strong drink, and any part of the grape, not just wine.
 
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Aaron112

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Are you saying Christians should drink alcoholic beverages? For their much infirmities, in moderation, being mindful of the weaker brother? The OT does say not to drink strong drink. Alcohol consumption went up 55% during COVID in calif.
David Wilkerson's book "Sipping Saints" is about the best I've seen. Drugs and Alcohol may always turn out to be harmful, even when 'sick' or other excuses used.
 
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Aaron112

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Was it a sin to drink strong drinks?
Everything not of faith is sin, according to Scripture.
Remember the man (prophet) who turned back and ate a 'regular' food/meal with another prophet ?
For that sin, he was killed by a lion, right ?
So today, if anyone promotes sinfulness, is that willful sin, or in ignorance, and who repents ?
 
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AgapeBible

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I think getting drunk is a sin. I like cranberry juice with other fruit juice, I drink the diet kind with less sugar. The soda I drink claims it has 0 calories, 0sugar and sodium. Not sure I believe them. I like cold water, coffee, tea, iced tea and lemonade. In winter I like hot chocolate. In Bible days people mixed wine with water. The water was not safe to drink, there were germs, bacteria, tiny animals in it. So they put some wine in it to kill the germs and bacteria. We now have safe drinking water in modern times, Modern day alcohol is several times more potent than ancient alcohol.
 
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RDKirk

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I think a strong drink is an alcoholic drink apart from wine.
The Nazarites were also banned from drinking vinegar and vinegar made from strong drink, and any part of the grape, not just wine.

"Strong drink" was probably beer, which we know had already been discovered in various places in the Middle East by the time of Moses.

The Israelites were allowed "strong drink:"

.... But if the distance is too great for you to carry that with which the LORD your God has blessed you, because the place where the LORD your God will choose to put His Name is too far away, then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Then you may spend the money on anything you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything you wish. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household. -- Deuteronomy 26
 
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David Kent

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"Strong drink" was probably beer, which we know had already been discovered in various places in the Middle East by the time of Moses.

The Israelites were allowed "strong drink:"

.... But if the distance is too great for you to carry that with which the LORD your God has blessed you, because the place where the LORD your God will choose to put His Name is too far away, then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Then you may spend the money on anything you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything you wish. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household. -- Deuteronomy 26
I agree with that. They were also allowed wine and that is not just grape juice. The Nazerites were also banned from vinegar from wine and from strong drink, and also from any part of the grape. I am not sure if that included vine leaves.
 
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