We are in chapter ten of Leviticus with our word for today which is a phrase. יַ֣יִן וְשֵׁכָ֞ר wine or strong drink. It is used 9 times in the Old Testament. We see our phrase used when God is instructing the priest on how the special Nazarite vow was to be followed. Numbers 6:1-3 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, he shall separate himself מִיַּ֤יִן וְשֵׁכָר֙ 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. Samson’s Nazarite vow was even more special in that it was from his very beginning. Judges 13:3-5 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no יַ֣יִן וְשֵׁכָ֑ר wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” Because Samson’s vow started “from the womb” even his mother had to follow the Nazarite vow. Judges 13:13-14 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink וְיַ֤יִן וְשֵׁכָר֙ wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.” We also see our phrase used as part of the tithe the people were to give as part of their worship to God. Deuteronomy 14:24-26 And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the Lord your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the Lord your God chooses, to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the Lord your God chooses and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or וּבַיַּ֙יִן֙ וּבַשֵּׁכָ֔רwine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. Did you notice that part of the way the people were to worship God was to eat and drink alcohol if they desired to? We are not talking about getting drunk which God always condemns as sin against him. We find our phrase used associated with foolish and sinful behavior. Hannah was praying so intensely emotionally that the priest accused her of being drunk. 1 Samuel 1:13-16 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither וְיַ֥יִן וְשֵׁכָ֖ר wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” Another example of our phrase associated with foolish and sinful behavior is Micah’s prophesy against the people. Micah 2:11 If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, “I will preach to you of לַיַּ֖יִן וְלַשֵּׁכָ֑ר wine and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people! This is how our phrase is used in our chapter today. Leviticus 10:8-11 And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, “Drink no יַ֣יִן וְשֵׁכָ֞רwine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.” Did you catch the phrase determine between the holy and the common? Because of what just happened with Nadab and Abihu what more than likely caused their not treating God holy was being under the influence of alcohol. Drinking would be an attitude of a common thing that requires no thought or carefulness. But that is not what helping people connect with God is at all. There is nothing more serious that requires sober mindedness. We see this idea throughout the Bible. Here are some examples in the New Testament that I will close with. 1 Peter 4:7-8 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
