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Intoxicants

Am I addicted to alcohol and other intoxicants? If so- why? Am I afraid of taking responsibility for my thoughts speech and action in this challenging physical world? What do I fear? the pain? the hardship? the risk of failure? Am I more or less likely to succeed when I am intoxicated? 

Do I believe that intoxicants can save me? Can poison help me? Do I truly become like God when I eat of the forbidden fruit that clouds my perception of Reality with a mirage of false Ego?- Or is it only a brief pleasure that tastes sweet while it lasts- but in fact rots my insides and destroys my life and lives of others? 

 

Why do I want to 'forget' about my troubles by drinking poison? Why do I seek to hide or escape from the Call of my Creator who invites me to meet Him Face to Face in order at I serve my Higher Purpose? 

Am I truly able to escape my Creator through allowing poison to blur my senses? Or am I simply choosing to become a vessel of His Wrath rather than His Mercy and Peace by allowing poison to control my life? Who Am I? Who do I want to Become? Why do I choose to limit myself?

What do I choose to invest in? creation or my Creator? gods or God? How can the surrender to a Higher Will guide me to purify myself from the physical toxins which cloud my judgement/perception of Reality, and enable me to unite the spiritual parts of myself/creation? How can the physical Separation (of pure from impure) lead to the Higher perception of Spiritual Oneness within the diversity of creation?

 

How can repentance, avoiding intoxicants, turning from evil and doing more good help me to find and use spiritual wisdom/light to help guide me out from the darkness of my despair when I am lost and hopeless? 

 

What do I choose?- Intoxicants that make me cling onto and chase after my selfish desires and which distract me from drawing closer to feeling the Kiss of my Maker? or the sweet aromatic wine flowing from the Hand of my Creator when I remember, love and serve Him according to my fullest potential? 

How does my low self esteem affect my ability to let go of my reliance on intoxicants? How does my past traumatic experience hold me back from using my gifts talents and blessings to serve god and humanity with Love, Justice and Peace? 

How can I break free from my selfish desires that seek to destroy me and tear me apart- by guarding my Gates and protecting my home ( body and soul) from the poisonous influence of intoxicants?

Is it too late? Am I too far gone? Am I beyond redemption? Am I worthy of help? Are intoxicants my only friend? Or are they my enemy? Perhaps there is hidden wisdom buried within the mistakes that I have made because of my intoxication? Perhaps if I avoid being under its influence, then I can meditate on the reason for my fall, and that wisdom can give me strength to get back on my feet again? How can I find it within me to believe in the Forgiveness and Mercy of my Maker to take me Back? to help me 'Return'? 

Am I ever tasked with a challenge beyond my capacity? How can I believe in my own potential if I do not believe in the Power and Mercy of my Creator? How can seeking Higher Truth through knowledge, wisdom and understanding, and by performing regular prayer/meditation, and acts of loving kindness/charity, with self-discipline and perseverance, help me to let go of the heavy burdens that weigh me down- so that I can hold on to the Hand of my Maker that reaches out to me, and stand on my own two feet again? 

Depressed  drunk man with a glass and a bottle sleeping with his head on a table.jpg

What is an Intoxicant?

An intoxicant is a substance (such as alcohol) which causes one to become inebriated, drunk, excited or confused and less able to have control over their thoughts, speech and behaviour. 

From an Abrahamic perspective, on a deeper level- intoxicants can be described as a 'poison';  anything (both seen or unseen) that distracts us at any given moment from the Remembrance and willing worship of our Creator (to the best of our potential, knowledge and understanding): An intoxicant can be anything that we allow to enter in through or leave our physical gates or spiritual doors of perception which;

 

1) Diverts our souls (or other souls) away from the perception of Fear of and Awe for our Creator,

2) Clouds our ability (or others ability of others) to make accurate Judgement/distinction of truth from falsehood in a particular situation (or what is pleasing and displeasing to our Creator),

3) diverts our hearts (or the hearts of others) from the perception of our Love for our Creator and fellow human,

4) weakens our bodies (or the bodies of creation) from its strength (that it receives from knowledge wisdom and understanding) to serve our Master through Righteousness; anything which prevents us from either study (seeking Higher Truth through knowledge wisdom and understanding), Performing regular Prayer (for Remembrance of God) , or regular Charity (Acts of loving kindness/giving that spread love, justice, peace and truth- bringing forth unity and a higher perception of the 'Oneness' of our Creator within ourselves and others).

What is the Higher Purpose of an intoxicant?

Whatever exists (both seen and unseen) and however we (humans) choose to use our our free will- none can escape the worship of God- whether willingly or unwillingly. There is no Reality other than Him. He is The Best of Planners and His Will be done with or without our willingness to obey or disobey. Therefore, everything that He chooses to allow to exist in this physical world, must have a Higher Purpose- often beyond our immediate understanding.

Intoxicants too (or anything which distracts us from the direct remembrance and worship of our Creator) have a Higher purpose. If the tools of destruction, division and separation from our perception of Reality did not exist- and if man was not created weak (and forgetful) so that he or she is vulnerable to making mistakes and being tempted into sin, then how would mankind 'fall'? If we are not able to 'fall' or make mistakes then how would we be able to discover, reveal and appreciate the hidden treasures of wisdom that are buried within the deep underground darkness of our souls which enable us to repent, mend our ways and be able to 'rise up' again to reach even higher states of consciousness and Return to our Creator? 

If there is no Reality other than God, and if intoxicants are 'Real', then are intoxicants not merely tools of satan within the Oneness of our Creator? Intoxicants can either separate us from our True perception of the Reality of The Mercy of our Creator, or help to Reveal His Wrath through their consumption. Is poison and those who take it in and give it out- not merely vessels of His Vengeance/Wrath against those who use their free will to knowingly disobey their understanding of Higher Truth? Do intoxicants and those who choose to mix with them not collectively serve the Higher Purpose of causing a false belief of division amongst creation in order that we perceive ourselves to be separate gods beside our Creator and so allow curses to take effect upon the nation/s? And what is the curse except a blessing in disguise? Is the effect of the curse not simply that it changes our perception of Reality so that we see falsehood instead of Truth within the same space that is in fact all part of the Kingdom of God? Is the effect of a curse not that it convinces us to rely on and worship our own egos (as gods beside our Creator) rather than using it to serve its Higher Purpose in in this physical world? Is the effect of a curse not that it makes us become less able to express Gratitude to the Lord of the Worlds? Is the effect of the curse not that it deceives us into falling into hopelessness and despair and refusal of acceptance of The Mercy and Forgiveness of our Creator? Is the effect of the curse not that it allows doubt to fill our hearts and minds so that we turn away from belief/trust/faith in our Creator who Guides us, provides for our needs and protects us? Do intoxicants not lead us to spiritual decline and physical death? Do they not separate us from perceiving Higher Truth?- Does intoxication not allow us to deceive ourselves into the false belief that we can escape our human responsibility through making it more easy for us to chase after our earthly desires, which feed our own selfish egos, lusts, sloth, greed, envy, gluttony, and vengeance - bringing upon ourselves division, destruction to relationships, and to life- with our own hands? We become confused, full of anxiety and depression- and lost and trapped beneath layers and layers of waves in an ocean of darkness- unable to perceive our Inner Light which comes only with our awareness of The Oneness of our Creator. So what exactly will make us become more aware of this Inner Light so that we can find our way back Home (To Inner Peace and Everlasting Life)? 

How can we appreciate and perceive flying higher if we were not able to sink or fall down?  How can we perceive ourselves as getting closer to our destination if we were unable to perceive ourselves from being separated from it (moving in the opposite direction)? How can we perceive ourselves to be on and appreciate the side of good/righteousness if we were unable to understand or know (through experience, wisdom or perception) what it feels like to be on the side of evil/suffering/sin? And what is it that we must eat in order to perceive 'the other side?' Is the poisonous venom of the snake not merely a tool of deception that takes us from up to down, right to left, forward to backward? Is it not the same poison that was within the forbidden fruit that caused us to perceive ourselves as 'expelled' from the Kingdom of God when we willingly ate of it and disobeyed? And if it is through the bite of the snake (its venom) that deceives us into seeing the 'curses' rather than 'blessings', 'separateness' rather than 'Oneness' with our Creator- then could it be that reflecting on the wisdom of the same Snake (and trying to see it as a blessing rather than a curse) could perhaps help us to discover the hidden Light within that can guide us back Home (to the Garden of Eden)? 

How can intoxicants help us?

Sometimes the pain and distress caused from our past traumatic experiences, abusive behaviour of others towards us, loss of health, loss of lives of loved ones, loss of wealth, feels as though it is all just too much for us to bear or cope with. Sometimes the physical or psychological or emotional pain and distress we feel from being in this physical world feels as though it is 'undeserved' and we convince ourselves to be 'victims' and perceive these hardships as working against our ability to feel happiness, inner peace, joy and reach our true potential towards becoming a successful human being; they challenge and question our trust in and ability to rely on our Creator Alone for help. These challenges test our faith to our limit, and each time we feel as though we will shatter, break, be destroyed by the pain and suffering of what feels like being torn apart by the Reality of the hardship of life. During these difficult circumstances where there is inner turmoil and suffering, intoxicants can seem like a blessing- offering us temporary relief from our pain and suffering, and helping us to 'forget' our sorrows and burdens. They can help to temporarily cover up over our sins so that we do not see/recognise them (and therefore we become less able to repent or seek to mend our ways),  and they help to cover up over the sins of others who have sinned against us ( and therefore we become less likely to stand up against oppression/corruption/injustice). Being under the influence of intoxicants (anything that distracts us from feeling the Oneness and Presence of our Creator so that we may Worship and obey Him)  can provide us with a sense of false 'ego' and a temporary satisfaction when we feel unworthy, insignificant and suffer with low self-esteem. They can offer what feels like a brief 'escape' from harsh Reality so that we do not have to face the responsibility of standing on our own two feet again once we have been broken, tested or fallen from a height. However, this is just the sweet scent of the poison which covers its bitter toxicity within. The toxicity beneath the layer of what appears to be a 'saviour' is the enticing invitation to becoming dependent and reliant on the substance for relief/healing- rather than seeking Direct help from its Maker. Once we become attached, we keep coming back for more, and feel that without this intoxicant we cannot function at all. So what provides us with a brief sense of 'power', in fact weakens our minds, hearts and physical strength, and leads us to give up on reliance/addiction/connection to our inner Power of our Creator as our Source of Life/Redemption. 

Physical intoxicants can help to remove the barriers that we sometimes put up between ourselves and others, so that we feel more 'able' to 'express' our selves and be 'true' to who we 'think' we are. However the deception lies in the convincing ourselves that this is who we really are- and some of us therefore allow ourselves to express our animalistic instincts under the influence of intoxicants because we are deceived into believing that it is an expression of our true self. What we fail to recognise under its influence- is our Creator who hides within the beast within us.

So intoxicants can appear to 'benefit' us on a superficial  and temporary level. But the sin that results from addiction to self-intoxication (and from sin that is committed under its influence) causes us more harm and pain and distress and suffering than its short term benefits/relief. Once we start to experience the bitter pain from the longer term effects of intoxicants on our lives and lives of others- through addiction, distraction from ways of Peace and righteousness, the effect on our health and wellbeing, relationship breakdown and further loss of wealth health and lives- we begin to recognise the bitter poison that is mixed and covered over by the initial sweetness of an intoxicant. 

Intoxicants cannot exist if there was no 'truth' hidden within them. For God says 'Be!' and it is. If He chose to stop creating it, it would vanish out of existence. The benefits of intoxicants that help humanity allow them to continue existing within creation- as long as they carry and fulfil their hidden Higher Purpose. Truth can hide behind the veil of deception. Some sweet fruits can have a bitter peel that needs to be removed in order to eat it. Even the peels can be used for the benefit of humanity and creation if used with wisdom. Nothing need be wasted. Deception through intoxicants can be used as a covering of protection for spiritual forces of Truth that need to be passed from generation to generation until humanity is able to reveal it, and until the fruit is ripe enough to peel. But this spiritual wisdom that may be passed through what appears to be 'sin' on the outside will only reveal its essence and truth in those pure of heart- and only those pure of heart will be able to see/recognise its hidden Truth/wisdom and reveal it. (Ie those who seek Higher Truth always, have sincere hearts- but do make human mistakes, repent and mend their ways).

How can intoxicants cause us harm?

The more we are under the influence of intoxicants such as alcohol and other substances which cloud our consciousness, the less we are able to concentrate on the remembrance of our Creator ( and to meditate on His Attributes of Mercy) within, thereby allowing our animal nature to take control over our thoughts, emotions, speech and actions. Intoxicants distract from prayer, meditation, self-reflection and charity. Under its influence we become less able to concentrate/reflect/learn from on the verses of our Creator sent to guide us, and to be less able to be mindful of our words during prayer- preventing us from drawing closer to our Creator. Under intoxication we are prevented from being able to distinguish 'right' from 'wrong', or 'what pleases our Creator' from 'what displeases our Creator'. So a human being is more likely to speak and behave in a manner that is 'unjust' in the Eyes of our Creator in a way that causes harm to themselves or others when he or she is under the influence of intoxicants. Intoxicants prevent our selfless attributes (righteousness) from being able to control or rise above our selfish lusts, ego, anger, sloth, greed, envy and gluttony -leading to break down of relationships. Many intoxicants are also 'addictive' and a person can easily come to depend or to rely on intoxicants for temporary or longer term help from physical or psychological pain, and this can divert or distract them from seeking help from a spiritual perspective and from taking full responsibility for their moral behaviour; thereby preventing us from using our gifts talents and blessings in ways which help humanity reach its full potential.

Therefore; from a physical perspective- alcohol and other substances can be described as poison because of their effect on our physical senses and because it distracts from physical prayer, remembrance of God and the worship of our Creator (through Obedience to His Commandments out of Fear/Awe and the ability to judge how to behave in any given moment) , thus leading to addiction, idol worship (will be explained later), physical relationship breakdown, division and enmity within creation.

If we view an intoxicant as 'anything which diverts our attention from self-purification' (becoming more righteous and serving our Creator to the best of our human potentials)- we can see that anything and everything can be used an intoxicant if we choose to use it in this way. It just depends on how we choose to see it, and use it. Everything can be a blessing, and everything can be a curse depending on how we 'see' it and what we choose to do with it. The danger of looking at the world through the eyes of one intoxicated with the venom of deception, is that under its influence we start to see falsehood as truth and truth as falsehood- we become less able to see the potential/wisdom/truth within everything and therefore less able to retrieve it and elevate it for Higher Purposes. We convince ourselves that in the blurring of right from wrong, left from right, up from down, forward from backward- we are uniting and feel our false sense of 'Oneness'- but we become unable to truly appreciate the wisdom/joy and pleasure that can be found within the extremes of the Mercy/blessing and the hidden wisdom in the Wrath/curse which are part of all of the Beautiful Attributes that are Bound with our Creator within. The Oneness we feel under the influence of intoxicants is a oneness of false delusion and 'ego' that feels separate to God, and therefore we fall into the trap of setting it up as a god beside him in order that we break the first commandment and fall further into sin and expulsion/exile. 

On a spiritual level- any word, thought or emotion that we choose to listen to, read or write about , or speak of that we willingly accept within our hearts and minds as ultimate 'truth' (which diverts us away from the remembrance of our Creator, self-purification and from performing acts of righteousness) can have 'poisonous' effects on our ability to 'perceive' 'receive' and 'share' Higher Truth/Reality (become vessels of Light) with our physical and spiritual senses -through the effects of its 'poison' (or falsehood/stain) on our eyes, ears and heart (by reducing our ability to see, hear and feel the higher Love for our Creator and fellow being). When we hold on to these 'truths' we become less able to grow, we remain static and cause it to become like an 'idol' or obsession that we worship- it prevents us from reaching Higher Truth. However without it, we can feel unable to grasp any sense of purpose at all, for we sometimes feel the need to depend on our egos and hold on to anything which 'appears Real'- (when it is in fact falsehood) in order to survive. Words can limit us in one sense and seem to put 'truth' into boxes and labels- and their Higher purpose is that using the labels we choose to put on things- we use them to communicate with one another with wisdom in order to help us find more Meaning in our lives and in order to help one another 'give' to those who have less than we do, and 'receive' from those who have more than we do. Then we let go of it and make space for Higher truth to fill us. But when we use our words to lie, cause separation between brethren, hurt, defile, abuse, slander, gossip and cause harm rather then good (and unity) -then these words become like 'poison'- others can cling onto them like false deities in a delusion that they are true when they are in fact false- and it causes both ourselves and others to experience pain and suffering, and we experience/percieve our separateness within humanity and from our Creator, and feel the Wrath of our Creator. We become less able to recognise the truth or wisdom that is mixed within or that hides behind the lies spoken (or written) by the mouths or hands of others-  when we are under the influence of intoxicants; thus leading us further astray. So physical intoxication leads to further spiritual intoxication of the mind heart and spirit. 

How do intoxicants affect our sense of Well-being?

Physical Well-being: The long and sometimes short-term effects of intoxication can be very harmful for our physical bodies. Very small amounts of alcohol can have medicinal benefits and are often used in medication to treat all sorts of conditions and can have preservative and wound healing qualities which can benefit humanity. Alcohol and some other intoxicants can help to relieve physical pain, and other physical symptoms. However almost always, they results in dependency, where people need higher quantitates in order to achieve the same result. A small amount of wine has been shown to help with the prevention of heart disease in some cases, but when we are not able to maintain this small dosage, we become at higher risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and organ failure. Stimulants can make us feel as though we have more physical energy ( temporary high) which can have positive medicinal uses at times- but often result in a balancing 'down' effect after we have stopped taking the substance. Sedatives can make us feel more 'heavy' and 'lazy' and tired- which can have its uses ( eg to help an insomniac to sleep) but if abused or not used with wisdom- will lead to reduced physical activity, weight gain and other physical illness caused by lack of movement. All of the physical symptoms of intoxication also impact our sense of mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. All are inter-related. 

Mental Well-being: Intoxicants can have a huge impact on our ability to heal from post traumatic events. In the short-term- both stimulants and sedatives can help us to temporarily 'escape' from the burdens of responsibility, and from having to deal immediately with our painful psychological anxiety, obsessive thoughts which seem to prevent us from 'functioning' as we wish to do so in life. Although intoxicants can help us to 'forget' our problems, they do not actually help us in the long run as they simply cloud or cover over the wound- and our brain becomes less able to 'repair' from these wounds when we continue taking them. Each time the effects of the intoxicant wears off, we are once again face to face again with the reality of our situation, the memories, the obsessional thoughts, the negative forces that work through the perception of the mind. However, each time we are face to face with these thoughts again, we are a little weaker, both physically and spiritually due to the inner 'shame' we feel for turning away from responsibility and from refusing to 'remember' in order to heal. Each time we face a fight or flight moment- when we choose to flight by turning to poison (intoxication) - we are in fact refusing to fight our inner battle between good and evil- running away from our enemies which we believe are seeking to destroy us- as though we are afraid to stand up against oppressive forces on the battlefield. So even though we may gain a temporary relief from running away, we also make more room for fears and doubts to take over our mind, when our courage disappears. So each time we return from our state of 'covering' we see our nakedness and feel ashamed even more than the last time. This weakens our inner strength and faith in our Creator- makes us feel as though we are no longer worthy of forgiveness/redemption and we feel in a state of hopelessness, despair and darkness. We therefore become addicted to the temporary 'escapism' that intoxicants offer us- and to help relieve us from the ever growing state of inner exile anxiety and depression that our minds are falling into. This affects our physical symptoms too, once we become dependent, without our 'fix' temporary healing (intoxication) we start to experience physical withdrawal symptoms- making it even more likely that we will cling onto our addictions. 

Emotional Well-being: Although the short term emotional effects of intoxicants may be of relief from pain and therefore temporary satisfaction and pleasure- the longer term effects, and especially through dependence- bring upon us feelings of shame, reduced self esteem, fear, anxiety, hopelessness, and inner emotional turmoil. The more we are under its influence, the less able we become at controlling these emotions, and the more likely we are to remain in our willing state of 'hiding' while we refuse to take responsibility to become a better human being. When we hide from using the ability we have to 'reason', 'reflect' and 'meditate' in search for Higher Truth, we decline into an emotional and spiritual state of 'death' where we no longer see or feel clearly the moral values and principles upon which we were created. The destruction and impact that this can have on our physical emotional, spiritual and mental relationships with our Creator and others can causes further sense of 'loss' and 'lonliness' causing our emotional health to further decline into a state of darkness and we become less able to find our way out- we find it more and more difficult (during our path down the road of intoxication) to stand on our own two feet without holding on to the Hand that reaches out to us from within and around us or without being resurrected again through death and rebirth. Often reliance (and withdrawal) on or from intoxicants can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and a sense of impending doom. 

Spiritual Well-being: When we knowingly choose to intoxicate ourselves with that which distracts us from the worship of God through seeking knowledge, wisdom, understanding, prayer, and charity (moving towards or serving our Higher Purpose through willing obedience to fulfilling the commandments of our Creator)- we are refusing to take responsibility of our lives and choosing to give power to the dark selfish evil forces (ego, lusts, sloth, greed, envy, anger, vengeance, fears, sorrows etc)  rather than Light (Attributes of the image of God) that is within each and every one of us. By doing so, we allow our inner chaos and emotional turmoil to control our thoughts, speech and behaviour. If our inner beast is tame- then less harm will be caused, but even the tame beast can turn wild unpredictably sometimes. Intoxicants, whether stimulant or sedative- can suppress our abilities to control and tame our animalistic desires (through the application of knowledge, wisdom and understanding) and so indulging in them for mere worldly pleasure (or escapism) is a bit like making a choice to put humanity into a cage while allowing our inner wild beasts to roam free- doing as they please to satisfy their physical desires (eating, drinking, sleeping, sexual desires). The most harm comes from the destruction they cause others when if get in the way of what these beasts want to attain in order to survive, and the inability to perceive that by destroying or causing harm to others in fact causes harm to our collective sense of Reality and Oneness. The change in perception of Truth that our our negative selfish behaviour has on our ability to see, hear and understand Higher Truth- prevents us from being able to see the apparent 'curses' as 'blessings' and visa versa. We become less able to perceive God in everything around and within us, and therefore turn our backs to Inner Peace- our Home. We cover over our shame with layers of false reality and deception, with delusion, and our hearts become hardened like rock- our fountains and springs stop flowing from within. This rock expresses itself as thick garments/layers of fear, anger, hate, physical self-defence mechanisms, weapons of mass destruction (physical and spiritual)  and cause us to feel 'separated' within ourselves and on earth, and split up into various tribes- ever separating. We fail to see our people as One, our God as One. The failure to sense this Oneness further clouds our state of consciousness, and we become like animals causing bloodshed and corruption moving further from our state of humanity and justice. The cry of our inner child/or what is left of our innocence screams ( as expressions of distress) while trapped within and we hear this as voices of inner despair and desperation, we see it in the eyes and hear it in the call of an orphan and that of a widow in need of our help. Each time we choose to turn away from this call for help- we kill ourselves with our own hands. This cry is like that of the Shofar of our Creator- calling us from within- to Return to our True State/purpose of humanity/creation. Either we gently and gradually remove the rock that surrounds our inner child (with the Mercy and Help of our Creator who reaches out to us from within through study, prayer and charity) in order to free the inner captives, or we become broken from the outside forces which we see as our Creator's 'Wrath' or Curse. If there is any arrogance of the heart that remains when we are broken, we refuse to Return and willingly choose to continue to disobey, willingly and knowingly choose to keep escaping from our responsibility, our humanity, willingly choosing to remain in our emotional Hell-fire- The Wrath of our Creator. Without repentance and the Mercy of our Creator- We neither fully emotionally die or live in this state of arrogance, even though our physical bodies may become destroyed and our ashes scattered by the winds into all four corners of the world. 

How can we break free from our addiction to Intoxicants?

Wake-up call: Sometimes it takes a major traumatic event to occur in our lives in order to break the hard rock (that has built up in our hearts due to our addiction to intoxicants) that surrounds our hidden light trapped within- in order that the rivers and streams of water, wine, milk and honey can start to flow once again and purify our hearts minds and bodies with the Spirit of Life. This major event can come in any way shape or form-sometimes as a disaster, loss of wealth, loss of loved ones, loss of health and other hardships and tribulations which seem like curses, but hold within them hidden blessings from Above (Often beyond our limited understanding) . They help to remove the arrogance that has built up through our persistent willing deviation from paths of truth, justice and peace and from our refusal to surrender to a Will Higher than our own understanding- we become reminded of the fact that without our Creator- we are nothing, and we are humbled to the point of 'acceptance' and Return.. Major Wake-up calls can help us to once again 'see' things more clearly for what they are, and become more 'grateful' for Life, family, friends, and our gifts, talents blessings which we often take for granted due to our pursuit of selfish worldly gain. Some may define these happenings like a 'punishment'- but it is important to see the Love that drives our Creator to help release us from the prisons of addiction to false gods that we have set up beside our Creator- in order that we Return to His Ways of Peace, Justice, Love and Truth. 

Self-Reflection: When we make time and space to reflect on the consequences that our addictions to intoxicants have on our own wellbeing, the well-being of others, and our relationships (home and work)- we can gain wisdom and understanding from the pain and suffering that can be caused by allowing our inner beast (instead of The Attributes of our Creator- Who created it) to directly control our thought/speech and action through the tools of intoxication. Each time we come out of our clouded state of consciousness from intoxication, and we can once again understand the meaning of our words (used in Prayer), then we can draw a step closer to our Creator by using our speech to seek and express forgiveness, mercy help and guidance during our inner struggles and battles against our addiction to intoxicants.

Repentance: Once we choose to humble ourselves (before our Creator), or are humbled through wake-up calls- we become closer to and more willing to 'Repent' from our mistakes that we made through our ignorance and arrogance and addiction to intoxicants. In order to truly repent from our hearts, we must feel shame, and we must endeavour to try not to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Once we realise its our choice to rely on intoxicants (for salvation, instead of our Creator) that makes us more likely to lose control over our selfish nature (and pursue the ways of lusts, ego, greed, envy, sloth, anger/vengeance, gluttony etc)-we can become more able to climb out of our pits of destruction. Sometimes we may fall back in, and make the same mistakes over and over again and again- and that's when the 'doubts' of the Mercy and Forgiveness of our Creator can start to crawl into our minds...

Re-Return: It is important to 'get up, stand up- each time we fall' and make a step or two in the right direction after each fall (or return to addiction to intoxicants). As long as our eyes, hearts and minds are looking up- and we hold on tight to the Rope of our Creator, we will eventually get to our desired destination (God Willing). Our feet can slip sometimes, and with each fall, it can feel like our efforts have been wasted- we hear the whispers of satan within our hearts telling us that we are not good enough, not worthy enough, and that we are too far gone, and that its too late for salvation and Return. Our self- esteem is crushed in order that we lose our faith in the Mercy and Forgiveness of our Creator- as if trying to destroy our hope of redemption. But let's seek refuge in our Creator and remember- what doesn't kill us, can make us stronger. Let's never give up trying... We will keep moving either upwards and closer to our achieving our Higher Purpose, or down, and further away from it. The choice is ours. Either Way- whether up or down, right or left, in or out, back or forth; He is with us, even through the darkness, the suffering, the hardship, the loss- wherever we are- it is only our Perception of this Reality that Changes- not His Presence. The further we stray from the remembrance of our Creator, the further we feel from His Mercy and Help. Remembering that He IS with us wherever we are- might give us the strength we need to Return to Him and meet our Creator once again, Face to Face. 

Prayer: The power of Regular disciplined Prayer offers salvation from addiction to intoxicants when offered in a mindful way and with sincere intention. In order to get the most benefit from prayer- it is important to know the meaning of our words when we call out for knowledge, wisdom, understanding, help, guidance, strength, forgiveness, and mercy- directly from our Creator. But the cry of our inner beast (in a state beyond words..) in a state of desperation from behind the veil or from beneath the covering of intoxication is even more powerful. It is like the blowing of a Shofar of the horn of a Ram- When we acknowledge our Creator- is the King of kings, Lord of lords, God of gods-  and beg Him to reveal Himself on the Throne of Truth, Justice, Peace, and Love. If every time we fall, we remember our God within ourselves, and if every time we establish mindful prayer and meditation- and seek His Help by praying for strength to fulfil our best potentials, and direct guidance- seeking higher Truth with sincere and humble hearts- we will find the strength to overcome the depression and anxiety and hardship pain and suffering that our addictions to intoxicants bring down upon us, and we will be released from carrying the heavy burdens upon our shoulders which weigh us down. Establishing a regular routine of prayer (morning, afternoon, evening and night) can help us to avoid intoxicating ourselves, in order that we are prepared, and in order that our words (and cries for help) are understood and have impact on our lives. 

Seeking Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding: through study of the words of scripture, while seeking direct guidance from our Creator ( while seeking Higher Truth) the revelations of our Creator given as a Mercy unto humanity through the prophets and messengers as guidance, wisdom and Light to help us out of our darkness and addiction to false gods (intoxicants). 

Charity: When we give, in order to seek the Pleasure of our Creator, and to purify our hearts- we amplify the call of the Shofar within, allowing it to be heard more clearly by ourselves and others. We become more able to hear the call for those who are suffering in hardship; the needy, the oppressed, the orphans and widows who are seeking our helping Hand (the Hand of our Creator on our hand) and we gain clarity in our yearning to offer a helping hand . Charity and acts of selfless love and kindness, help to remove the stains of impurity and remove the hardness from the rock within our hearts, in order that our rivers beneath us can flow more freely and gush forth out of the rock. Even if our selfish nature prevents us from giving with sincere intention, we must continue to give, withstand the temptations to withhold, so that we can become more aware of the Mercy of our Creator and become more likely to believe that we are worthy of redemption (so that we are more likely to attempt to Return). If we have no money to give: kindness is free- we can express and give freely of our gifts, blessings and talents in order to help those who have less, share our love for others, forgive others for their sins against us, show mercy instead of stern vengeance, show patience in times of anger, speak the Truth to the best of our capacity and knowledge, and show integrity, even if it seems to go against us. When we give of what we love, especially when it feels as though it is going against our nature, our words of prayer gain power to Rise above the dark forces which cloud our judgement, and we become more able to take control of our lives, accept the responsibility of our Higher Purpose, and defeat and overcome the evil forces and temptations that keep us addicted to harmful substances. 

Remembering:

God- our Creator- is Most Compassionate, and Most Merciful. He is All-Forgiving, as long as we repent, mend our ways and seek to draw closer to Him.. For those who do so- all their past transgressions are transformed into good.

 

to treat others how we ourselves would like to be treated

to treat others how we would like our Creator to treat us

that with hardship comes ease, with hardship comes ease

nothing lasts forever except Truth

Our Creator challenges no soul beyond its capacity. Every hardship we face, we have the ability to overcome and it is an opportunity and blessing from Above given to us so that we may transform darkness into Light, draw even closer to experiencing/percieving The Presence/Kingdom of God, and help humanity together with the rest of creation to Return to our Home of Peace. 

Click on this link to discover some self-reflection exercises that may help us transform darkness into light and free us from our addictions to intoxicants.

How can drawing out the wisdom from intoxicants, and its application; help us to transform darkness into Light, and death to life?

How can a poison be transformed into a cure?  How can evil be transformed into good? How can darkness be transformed into Light? 

The key is to seek Truth within everything. To seek God in everything. To seek Holiness in everything. Because we know that our Creator is Truth- and without the Creator, creation would cease to exist. And we know that nothing lasts forever except Truth. So when a substance is a mixture of good and evil, of pure and impure, of darkness and light, of truth and falsehood- the evil, impure, darkness, and falsehood must one day vanish and is only temporary- it remains in creation as long as it is mixed with Truth. And what is the Word of Truth? Is it not the word "Be!" and it is? So for our Creator to desire to say the word "Be!" and to permit worldly intoxicants/poison to remain in existence- there must be a Higher Purpose for it. Once we become more able to extract the Wisdom behind its Higher Purpose- then we can use that wisdom to elevate the sparks of Holiness that remain hidden in mixtures of pure and impure. With that wisdom we become able to Separate good from evil, so that the good that is within the poison can be of benefit/healing to mankind, without the side effects/suffering/destruction caused by the evil within it. The Higher the purpose we can see within the intoxicant (which has benefits and harm for mankind)- the more wisdom we can draw out of it, and the less of it will have to be wasted/be destroyed/cease to exist.

 

But how do we know what aspects from within a mixture of pure and impure, light and darkness, good and evil, truth and falsehood- to 'label' as "good" or "evil"? Are we able to 'see' this without the Help of our Creator within us? Are our minds able to perceive wisdom without Divine 'Direction' or 'Law'? Are we able as mankind to become Holy without the help of the words that have been passed down and recorded in Scripture through the prophets and Messengers sent by God? Is mankind able to connect Directly with their Creator who can then guide and judge (good from evil) without any intermediary (including Divine Revelation?). Are the prophets and Messengers through that are good examples for humanity- within and part of each of our souls, or are they separate from us? Are the Words of God that He uses to Guide mankind from darkness to Light- external to us, or are they written on our hearts? Why do we struggle to Remember our covenant with our Creator, and our Higher Purpose? Why do we struggle to 'see' God in everything? Why do we struggle to find our Inner Light so that we do not have to rely on external sources of Light? Why do we struggle to see the Inner Light that is hidden in the darkness of all our sins that surrounds us and hidden within the depths of the pit into which we fell into when we ate from the forbidden tree?....

The reason why we struggle to see God, is because we choose to cover our sight, hearing and understanding (of wisdom) with a veil of separation (which clouds our perception of True Essence/Reality) which forces us to cling onto the concept of duality and because this duality reveals to us our false ego- which invites us to seek to be a god beside our Creator.

In order to tear apart this veil which makes us feel 'removed' or 'separate' from our Creator and Source of Life- and in order for us to be able to see God, Truth, Wisdom within creation- we must let go of the need we feel to be able to understand everything, the need to be able to 'know' everything like God. We must become humbled from our thrones that we put our inner beast up on and willingly crown our Creator as our God, our True King, the Lord of Mankind. We must 'let go' of the need to be in 'control' of destiny- and instead 'willingly' surrender our 'free-will' to our Creator, accepting that we are nothing, we know nothing, we rely on nothing other than our Creator for Life and Healing- and that there is no Reality other than Him. We must accept the Yoke of Heaven upon our hearts, and willingly Obey Him as He guides us with His Spirit that works through us. We must allow to be broken (or gradually softened)  all the hard shells/garments (of falsehood/delusion that He allows to temporarily exist within His Space of Reality- due to it containing within it wisdom/truth) that cover up our inner Well-spring of Light and Truth and Wisdom, and allow the Creator Force to Shine through our bodies, and in thought speech and behaviour (which too are vessels of His Light) so that awe can shine His Beautiful Attributes onto all of the Worlds and with this, transform Darkness unto Light. 

Once we become able to willingly choose to Surrender/sacrifice our ego to our Creator, and His 'Oneness' is engraved upon our hearts, we become more able to accept His Attributes of Mercy upon us (because we See his Glory), and we take hold of His Hand which directly saves us, draws us out from the pit that we have fallen into (due to our ignorant or arrogant disobedience/rebellion from Higher Truth) and gathers us back Home from our Exile. The Journey towards Higher Truth is Infinite- but we remain Home is the Place where He chooses us to be- in the Garden of Eden- where we are able to remain One, and separate at the same time. The perception of The Oneness of creation with its Creator, and the perception of Diversity within Creation- unite and are able to live at Peace with each other.

The 'Hand' of our Creator who reaches out to us from within ourselves in order to redeem us (Light within the Darkness), is more recognisable when we use our own hand to reach out to others who need our help. One way we can do this, is to seek the truth, wisdom and light within the darkness of our past 'Sins'/Falls , repent/Return to our creator, mend our ways, and then share this wisdom with the worlds- according the best of our abilities, gifts and talents, speech and behaviour (and with the guidance of our Creator) so that our hand, and the Hand of the creator become One. When we 'seek' the Hand of God within everything ( as an opportunity to draw closer to Him)- even within intoxicants- then we are given more courage to walk through the valleys of the shadows of death without fearing evil- as long as we seek Higher Truth (than our own understanding and limited perception) and surrender to His Will ( by obeying His commandments written on the tablets of our hearts). The more we Love Him and love others as ourselves, through Love, we become able to 'read' the words that He sends to guide us, so that we are more Aware of His Presence, Peace, Light, and so that we do not go astray from Him again. 

When our hearts become softened (or purified through prayer, fasting, self-sacrifice, charity etc) then we become more able to feel the 'Love' that is buried within us- the essence of our inner yearning to give Pleasure to our Creator and to Fulfil His Desire/Will. We become more able to feel His touch/kiss on our lips, smell the scent of His Essence, and transform darkness into light, evil to good, impure to pure, and then the intoxicants that surrounded us and caused us to go astray from once perceiving our Creator- become transformed into rivers of Wine that flow from the Rock-which make us as though drunk with Love. The Rock is obedience/submission to the Higher Law of our Creator- His Will. This wine is of pure mixture, and taste and scent, removed of the side-effects that earthly wine has (on our perception and ability to express True Selfless unconditional Love), removed of its harmful effects on our physical, spiritual, mental and emotional well-being. We are now able to just "Be!" Forever according to His Will. 

Some Scripture Verses about Intoxicants

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is better than wine. Song of Solomon 1:2

 

"Return, return, O Shulammite; return, return, and let us gaze upon you." "What will you see for the Shulammite, as in the dance of the two camps? How fair are your feet in sandals, O daughter of nobles! The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the handiwork of a craftsman. Your navel is [like] a round basin, where no mixed wine is lacking; your belly is [like] a stack of wheat, fenced in with roses. Your two breasts are like two fawns, the twins of a gazelle. Your neck is like an ivory tower; your eyes are [like] pools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-Rabbim; your face is as the tower of Lebanon, facing towards Damascus. Your head upon you is like Carmel, and the braided locks of your head are like purple; the king is bound in the tresses. How fair and how pleasant you are, a love with delights! This, your stature, is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like clusters [of dates]. I said: Let me climb up the palm tree, let me seize its boughs, and let your breasts be now like clusters of the vine and the fragrance of your countenance like [that of] apples. And your palate is like the best wine, that glides down smoothly to my beloved, making the lips of the sleeping speak." "I am my beloved's, and his desire is upon me. Come, my beloved, let us go out to the field, let us lodge in the villages. Let us arise early to the vineyards; let us see whether the vine has blossomed, the tiny grapes have developed, the pomegranates have lost their flowers; there I will give you my love. The pots [of figs] have given forth [their] fragrance, and on our doorways are all manner of sweet fruits, both new and old, which I have hidden away for you, my beloved." Song of Solomon Chapter 7

 

"O, that you were like my brother, who sucked my mother's breasts! I would find you outside, I would kiss you, and they would not despise me. I would lead you, I would bring you to the house of my mother, who instructed me; I would give you to drink some spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranate. His left hand would be under my head, and his right hand would embrace me. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem; why should you awaken, and why should you arouse the love until it is desirous?" Song of Solomon 8:1-4

 

Solomon had a vineyard in Baal-Hamon; he gave the vineyard to the keepers; each one brought for the fruit thereof one thousand pieces of silver. My vineyard, which is mine, is before me; you, O Solomon, shall have the thousand, and those who watch its fruit, two hundred. You, who sit in the gardens the friends hearken to your voice; let me hear [it]. Flee, my beloved, and liken yourself to a gazelle or to a fawn of the hinds on the spice mountains." Song of Solomon 8:11-14

 

In the beginning of God's creation of the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated between the light and between the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night, and it was evening and it was morning, one day. And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, and let it be a separation between water and water." And God made the expanse and it separated between the water that was below the expanse and the water that was above the expanse, and it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven, and it was evening, and it was morning, a second day. And God said, "Let the water that is beneath the heavens gather into one place, and let the dry land appear," and it was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and God saw that it was good. And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, seed yielding herbs and fruit trees producing fruit according to its kind in which its seed is found, on the earth," and it was so. And the earth gave forth vegetation, seed yielding herbs according to its kind, and trees producing fruit, in which its seed is found, according to its kind, and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:1-14

 

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden from the east, and He placed there the man whom He had formed. And the Lord God caused to sprout from the ground every tree pleasant to see and good to eat, and the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. And a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it separated and became four heads. The name of one is Pishon; that is the one that encompasses all the land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; there is the crystal and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon; that is the one that encompasses all the land of Cush. And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is the one that flows to the east of Assyria, and the fourth river that is the Euphrates. Now the Lord God took the man, and He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it. And the Lord God commanded man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat. But of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it, for on the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die." Genesis 2:8-17

 

And he named him Noah, saying, "This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands from the ground, which the Lord has cursed." Genesis 5:29

 

These are the generations of Noah, Noah was a righteous man he was perfect in his generations; Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9

 

And Noah began to be a master of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine and became drunk, and he uncovered himself within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness, and he told his two brothers outside. And Shem and Japheth took the garment, and they placed [it] on both of their shoulders, and they walked backwards, and they covered their father's nakedness, and their faces were turned backwards, so that they did not see their father's nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and he knew what his small son had done to him. And he said, "Cursed be Canaan; he shall be a slave among slaves to his brethren." And he said, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be a slave to them. May God expand Japheth, and may He dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be a slave to them." Genesis 9:20-27

 

And Malchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine, and he was a priest to the Most High God. Genesis 14:18

 

And Lot went up from Zoar, and he dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters were with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar; so he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the elder said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man on earth to come upon us, as is the custom of all the earth. Come, let us give our father wine to drink, and let us lie with him, and let us bring to life seed from our father." And they gave their father wine to drink on that night, and the elder came and lay with her father, and he did not know of her lying down or of her rising up. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the elder said to the younger, "Behold, last night I lay with my father. Let us give him wine to drink tonight too, and come, lie with him, and let us bring to life seed from our father." So they gave their father to drink on that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know of her lying down or of her rising up. And Lot's two daughters conceived from their father. And the elder bore a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of Moab until this day. And the younger, she too bore a son, and she named him Ben-ami; he is the father of the children of Ammon until this day. Genesis 19:30-38

 

So Jacob drew near to Isaac his father, and he felt him, and he said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of his brother Esau, and he blessed him. And he said, "Are you [indeed] my son Esau?" And he said, "I am." And he said, "Serve [it] to me that I may eat of the game of my son, so that my soul will bless you." And he served him, and he ate, and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said to him, "Please come closer and kiss me, my son." And he came closer, and he kissed him, and he smelled the fragrance of his garments, and he blessed him, and he said, "Behold, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field, which the Lord has blessed! And may the Lord give you of the dew of the heavens and [of] the fatness of the earth and an abundance of grain and wine. Genesis 27:22-28

 

And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine that will lead to intoxication, neither you nor your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Meeting, so that you shall not die. [This is] an eternal statute for your generations, to distinguish between holy and profane and between unclean and clean, and to instruct the children of Israel regarding all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through Moses. Leviticus 10:9-11

 

The Lord spoke to Moses saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and you shall say to them: A man or woman who sets himself apart by making a nazirite vow to abstain for the sake of the Lord. He shall abstain from new wine and aged wine; he shall not drink [even] vinegar made from new wine or aged wine, nor shall he drink anything in which grapes have been steeped, and he shall eat neither fresh grapes nor dried ones. For the entire duration of his abstinence, he shall not eat any product of the grape vine, from seeds to skins. Number 6:1-4

 

They came to the Valley of Eshkol and they cut a branch with a cluster of grapes. They carried it on a pole between two [people] and [they also took] some pomegranates and figs. They called that place the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster [eshkol] the children of Israel cut from there. Numbers 13:23-24

 

And a quarter of a hin of wine for a libation, you shall prepare with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice, for each lamb. Numbers 15:5

 

The choice of the oil and the choice of the wine and grain, the first of which they give to the Lord, to you I have given them. Numbers 18:12

 

Its libation shall be one quarter of a hin for each lamb, to be poured on the holy [altar] as a libation of strong wine to the Lord. Numbers 28:7

 

And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your soil, your grain, your wine, and your oil, the offspring of your cattle and the choice of your flocks, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. Deuteronomy 7:13

 

And it will be, if you hearken to My commandments that I command you this day to love the Lord, your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, I will give the rain of your land at its time, the early rain and the latter rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine, and your oil. And I will give grass in your field for your livestock, and you will eat and be sated. Beware, lest your heart be misled, and you turn away and worship strange gods and prostrate yourselves before them. And the wrath of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will close off the heavens, and there will be no rain, and the ground will not give its produce, and you will perish quickly from upon the good land that the Lord gives you. Deuteronomy 11:13-17

 

And you shall eat before the Lord, your God, in the place He chooses to establish His Name therein, the tithes of your grain, your wine, and your oil, and the firstborn of your cattle and of your sheep, so that you may learn to fear the Lord, your God, all the days. And if the way be too long for you, that you are unable to carry it, for the place which the Lord, your God, will choose to establish His Name therein, is too far from you, for the Lord, your God, will bless you. Then you shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and you shall go to the place the Lord, your God, will choose. And you shall turn that money into whatever your soul desires; cattle, sheep, new wine or old wine, or whatever your soul desires, and you shall eat there before the Lord, your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. Deuteronomy 14:26

 

And they shall say to the elders of his city, "This son of ours is wayward and rebellious; he does not obey us; [he is] a glutton and a guzzler." And all the men of his city shall pelt him to death with stones, and he shall die. So shall you clear out the evil from among you, and all Israel will listen and fear. Deuteronomy 21:20-21

 

I led you through the desert for forty years [during which time] your garments did not wear out from upon you, nor did your shoes wear out from upon your feet. You neither ate bread, nor drank new wine or old wine, in order that you would know that I am the Lord, your God. And then you arrived at this place. And Sihon, the king of Heshbon, and Og, the king of Bashan, came out towards us in battle, and we smote them. And we took their land, and we gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh. And you shall observe the words of this covenant and fulfill them, in order that you will succeed in all that you do. Deuteronomy 29:4-8

 

And all these blessings will come upon you and cleave to you, if you obey the Lord, your God. You shall be blessed in the city, and you shall be blessed in the field. Blessed will be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your soil, the fruit of your livestock, the offspring of your cattle, and the flocks of your sheep. Deuteronomy 28:2-4

 

And the Lord will grant you good surplus in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil, on the land which the Lord swore to your forefathers, to give you. Deuteronomy 28:11

 

You will plant vineyards and work [them], but you will neither drink of [their] wine, or gather [the grapes], because the worms will devour them…. All these curses will befall you, pursuing you and overtaking you to destroy you because you did not obey the Lord, your God, to observe His commandments and statutes which He commanded you….. They will devour the fruit of your livestock and the fruit of your soil, to destroy you. They will not leave over anything for you of the grain, wine, oil, offspring of your cattle or flocks of your sheep, until they annihilate you. (Deuteronomy 28: 38…45…51)

 

Were it not that the enemy's wrath was heaped up, lest their adversaries distort; lest they claim, "Our hand was triumphant! The Lord did none of this!" For they are a nation devoid of counsel, and they have no understanding. If they were wise, they would understand this; they would reflect upon their fate. How can one [person] pursue a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their [Mighty] Rock has sold them out, and the Lord has given them over? For their rock is not like our [Mighty] Rock. Nevertheless, our enemies sit in judgment. For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the field of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of rosh, and they have bitter clusters. Their wine is the bitterness of serpents, and the bitterness of the ruthless cobras. Is it not stored up with Me, sealed up in My treasuries? Vengeance is poised with Me, and it will pay at the time their foot stumbles. For the appointed day of their reckoning is near, and what is destined for them hastens. When the Lord will judge His people, and will reconsider His servants, when He sees that the power is increasing, and none is controlled or strengthened. Then He will say, "Where is their deity, the rock in which they trusted, who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their libations? Let them arise and help you! Let them be your shelter! See now that it is I! I am the One, and there is no god like Me! I cause death and grant life. I strike, but I heal, and no one can rescue from My Hand! For I raise up My hand to heaven, and say, 'As I live forever.' When I sharpen the blade of My sword, and My hand grasps judgment, I will bring vengeance upon My adversaries and repay those who hate Me. 

I will intoxicate My arrows with blood, and My sword will consume flesh, from the blood of the slain and the captives, from the first breach of the enemy.' Sing out praise, O you nations, for His people! For He will avenge the blood of His servants, inflict revenge upon His adversaries, and appease His land [and] His people. Deuteronomy 32:27-43

And the trees said to the vine, 'Go you and reign over us.' And the vine said to them, 'Should I leave my wine, which causes God and men to rejoice, and go to wave over the trees? ' Judges 9:12-13

 

And an angel of the Lord appeared to the woman, and said to her, "Behold now, you are barren, and have not borne; and you shall conceive and bear a son. Consequently, beware now, and do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing. Because you shall conceive, and bear a son; and a razor shall not come upon his head, for a Nazirite to God shall the lad be from the womb; and he will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines." Judges 13:3-5

 

I said to myself, "Come now, I will mix [wine] with joy and experience pleasure"; and behold, this too was vanity. Of laughter, I said, "[It is] mingled"; and concerning joy, "What does this accomplish?" I searched in my heart to indulge my body with wine, and my heart conducting itself with wisdom and holding onto folly, until I would see which is better for the children of men that they should do under the heavens, the number of the days of their lives. I made myself great works; I built myself houses, and I planted myself vineyards…. Then I turned [to look] at all my deeds that my hands had wrought and upon the toil that I had toiled to do, and behold everything is vanity and frustration, and there is no profit under the sun…. And I saw that wisdom has an advantage over folly, as the advantage of light over darkness. Ecclesiastes 2:1-4…11…14

 

Fortunate are you, O land, whose king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat at the proper time, in might and not in drinking. Through laziness the rafter sinks, and with idleness of the hands the house leaks. On joyous occasions, a feast is made, and wine gladdens the living, and money answers everything. Even in your thought, you shall not curse a king, nor in your bedrooms shall you curse a wealthy man, for the bird of the heaven shall carry the voice, and the winged creature will tell the matter. Ecclesiastes 10:17-20

 

And they went out at noon and Ben-Haddad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings-the thirty-two kings who aided him. And the youths of the governors of the provinces went out first, and Ben-Haddad sent out, and they told him saying, "Men have come out of Samaria." And he said, "If for peace they have come out, seize them alive; If for war they have come out, alive shall you seize them." And it was these who had come out of the city, the youths of the governors of the provinces, and the army which was after them. And it was these who had come out of the city, the youths of the governors of the provinces, and the army which was after them. And they killed every man his opponent, the Arameans fled and Israel chased them. And Ben-Haddad, the king of Aram escaped on horseback with horsemen. And the king of Israel went out and struck the horses and the chariots and inflicted upon Aram a great defeat. 1 Kings 20:16-21

 

But Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, and her voice was not heard, and Eli thought her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her: Until when will you be drunk? Throw off your wine from upon yourself. And Hannah answered and said: No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit, and neither new wine nor old wine have I drunk, and I poured out my soul before the Lord. Deliver not your bondswoman before the unscrupulous woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and my vexation have I spoken until now. And Eli answered and said: Go in peace, and the God of Israel will grant your request which you have asked of Him. And she said: May your bondswoman find favor in your eyes; and the woman went on her way and ate, and her face was not (sad) anymore. And they arose early in the morning, and prostrated themselves before the Lord: and they returned and came to their house, to Ramah, and Elkanah knew Hannah, his wife, and the Lord remembered her. And it was, when the time came about, after Hannah had conceived, that she bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, because (she said); "I asked him of the Lord." 1 Samuel 1:13-20

 

And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he had a feast in his house like the feast of the king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, and he was very drunk. And she did not tell him anything, less or more until daybreak. And it was in the morning, when the wine had left Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became like stone. And it was just ten days after, that the Lord inflicted a stroke on Nabal, and he died. And David heard that Nabal had died, and he said, "Blessed is the Lord, Who has judged the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and restrained His bondsman from evil, and returned Nabal's evil upon his own head." And David sent, and spoke concerning Abigail to take her to him for a wife. 1 Samuel 25:36-39

 

And David called him, and he ate before him, and he drank, and he made him drunk; and he went out in the evening to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but to his house he did not go down. 2 Samuel 11:13

 

And Absalom commanded his youths saying, "Please take note, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, 'Smite Amnon,' then kill him, fear not; have I not commanded you to be courageous and valiant?" And Absalom's servants did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. And all the king's sons arose, and they rode off, each one on his mule, and they fled. 2 Samuel 13:28-29

 

And when these days were over, the king made for all the people present in Shushan the capital, for [everyone] both great and small, a banquet for seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's orchard. [There were spreads of] white, fine cotton, and blue, embroidered with cords of linen and purple, on silver rods and marble columns; couches of gold and silver, on a pavement of green, white, shell, and onyx marble. And they gave them to drink in golden vessels, and the vessels differed from one another, and royal wine was plentiful according to the bounty of the king. And the drinking was according to the law [with] no one coercing, for so had the king ordained upon every steward of his house, to do according to every man's wish. Also, Vashti the queen made a banquet for the women, in the royal house of King Ahasuerus. On the seventh day, when the king's heart was merry with wine, he ordered Mehuman, Bizzetha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains who ministered in the presence of King Ahasuerus. To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the royal crown, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was of comely appearance. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's behest which was [brought] by the hand of the chamberlains, and the king became very wroth, and his anger burnt within him. Esther 1:5-12

 

For so said the Lord God of Israel to me; Take this cup of the wine of fury from My hand, and you shall give it to all the nations to whom I send you, to drink. And they shall drink and reel to and fro and be like madmen because of the sword that I am sending among them. And I took the cup from the hand of the Lord, and I gave it to all the nations to whom the Lord had sent me, to drink. Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, and its kings and its princes, to make them a waste, a desolation, a hissing, and a curse, as of this day. Pharaoh the king of Egypt and his servants and his princes and all his people. And all the allies and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines and Ashkelon and Gaza and Ekron and the remnant of Ashdod. And Edom and Moab and the children of Ammon. And all the kings of Tyre and all the kings of Sidon and the kings of the isle that is on the other side of the area. Dedan and Tema and Buz and all those separated in that corner. And all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the allies who dwell in the desert. And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam and all the kings of Media. And all the kings of the north, both near and far, one after the other, and all the kingdoms of the earth that are upon the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. And you shall say to them: So said the Lord God of Israel; Drink, become drunk, and vomit, fall and you shall not rise, because of the sword that I am sending among you. And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, that you shall say to them: So said the Lord of Hosts: You shall surely drink. For behold, with the city upon which My name is called, I commence to bring evil, and shall you be cleared? You shall not be cleared, for I call a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, says the Lord of Hosts. And you prophesy to them all these words, and you shall say to them: The Lord shall roar from above, and from His Holy Habitation He shall give forth His voice; He shall roar over His habitation; "Hedad!" He shall call out like those who tread grapes, to all the inhabitants of the earth. A stirring has come until the end of the earth, for God has a controversy with the nations; He contends with all flesh. The wicked He has delivered to the sword, says the Lord. Jeremiah 25:15-31

 

Woe to those who rise early in the morning; they pursue strong wine. They sit until late in the evening; wine inflames them. And there are harp and lute, tambourine and flute, and wine at their drinking feasts; and the work of the Lord they do not regard, and the deed of His hands they have not seen. Therefore, My people shall go into exile because of lack of knowledge, and its esteemed ones shall die of hunger, and its multitude shall be parched from thirst. Isaiah 5:11-13

 

Woe to the heroes to drink wine and valiant men to mix strong wine. Isaiah 5:22

 

The Lord has poured into its midst a spirit of perverseness, and they have misled Egypt in all its deeds as a drunkard strays in his vomit. Isaiah 19:14

 

And a ditch you made between the two walls and the water of the old pool, but you did not look to its Maker, and Him Who fashioned it from afar, you did not see. And the Lord God of Hosts called on that day, for weeping, and for lamenting and for baldness, and for girding with sackcloth. And behold, joy and happiness, slaying cattle and slaughtering sheep, eating meat and drinking wine; "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die." "And it was revealed in My ears, the Lord of Hosts; [I, therefore, swear] that this iniquity shall not be atoned for you until you die, said the Lord God of Hosts. Isaiah 22:11-14

 

In song they shall not drink wine; strong drink shall become bitter to those who drink it. The wasted city is broken; every house is closed from entering. A cry for wine is in the streets; all joy is darkened; the joy of the land is exiled. Isaiah 24:9-11

 

And the Lord of Hosts shall make for all the peoples on this mount, a feast of fat things, a feast of dregs; fat things full of marrow, dregs well refined. And He shall destroy on this mountain the face of the covering that covers all the peoples and the kingdom that rules over all the nations. He has concealed death forever, and the Lord God shall wipe the tears off every face, and the shame of His people He shall remove from upon the entire earth, for the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 25:6-8

 

Woe is to the crown of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim and the young fruit of an inferior fig is the position of his glory, which is at the end of a valley of fatness, crushed by wine. Behold God [has] a strong and powerful [wind], like a downpour of hail, a storm of destruction, like a stream of powerful, flooding water, He lays it on the land with [His] hand. With the feet, they shall be trampled, the crown of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim. And his glorious beauty shall be the young fruit of an inferior fig, which is on the head of the valley of fatness; as a fig that ripens before the summer, which, if the seer sees it, he will swallow it while it is still in his hand. On that day, the Lord of Hosts shall be for a crown of beauty and for a diadem of glory, for the rest of His people. And for a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and for might for those who bring back the war to the gate. These, too, erred because of wine and strayed because of strong wine; priest and prophet erred because of strong wine, they became corrupt because of wine; they went astray because of strong wine, they erred against the seer, they caused justice to stumble. For all tables were filled with vomit and ordure, without place. Whom shall he teach knowledge and to whom shall he explain the message? To those weaned from milk, removed from breasts?  Isaiah 28:1-10

 

Say to the hasty of heart, "Be strong, do not fear; behold our God, [with] vengeance He shall come, the recompense of God, that shall come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall skip like a hart, and the tongue of the mute shall sing, for water has broken out in the desert and streams in the plain. And the dry place shall become a pool, and the thirsty place [shall become] springs of water; in the habitat of jackals, a resting place, a grassy place for reeds and rushes. And there shall be a highway and a road, and it shall be called the holy way; no unclean one shall traverse it, and it shall be for them; the traveler, even fools shall not go astray therein. No lion shall be there, nor shall a profligate beast ascend thereon, it shall not be found there; and the redeemed ones shall go. And the redeemed of Zion shall return, and they shall come to Zion with song, with joy of days of yore shall be upon their heads; they shall achieve gladness and joy, and sadness and sighing shall flee. Isaiah 34:5-10

 

Ho! All who thirst, go to water, and whoever has no money, go, buy and eat, and go, buy without money and without a price, wine and milk. Isaiah 55:1

 

So says the Lord God, Who gathers in the dispersed of Israel, I will yet gather others to him, together with his gathered ones. All the beasts of the field, come to devour all the beasts in the forest. His lookouts are all blind, they do not know, dumb dogs who cannot bark; they lie slumbering, loving to slumber. And the dogs are of greedy disposition, they know not satiety; and they are shepherds who know not to understand; they all turned to their way, each one to his gain, every last one. "Come, I will take wine, and let us guzzle old wine, and tomorrow shall be like this, [but] greater [and] much more." Isaiah 56:8-12

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10

 

Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. Proverbs 4:14-17

 

Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city, “Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says, “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Proverbs 9:1-5

 

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise. Proverbs 20:1

 

Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich. Proverbs 21:17

 

Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path: Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it— wisdom, instruction and insight as well. The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him. May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful! My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways, for an adulterous woman is a deep pit, and a wayward wife is a narrow well. Like a bandit she lies in wait and multiplies the unfaithful among men.Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?” Proverbs 23:19-35

 

It is not for kings, Lemuel—it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish! Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Proverbs 31:4-7

 

A song of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He causes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even when I walk in the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff - they comfort me. You set a table before me in the presence of my adversaries; You anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. May only goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for length of days. Psalm 23

 

They talk about me, those who sit in the gate, and [they make] melodies [about me] for those who imbibe strong drink. Psalm 69:13

 

For the conductor, al tashcheth, a psalm of Asaph, a song. We have thanked You, O God, we have thanked, and Your name is near; they have told Your wonders. When I take a festive day, I shall judge with fairness. When the earth and all its inhabitants were melting away, I established its pillars forever. I said to the perverse, "Do not behave perversely," and to the wicked, "Do not raise the horn." Do not raise your horn on high, [do not] speak with [your] fat neck. For it is not from the east or from the west, neither from the desert does elevation come. But God judges; He humbles this one and elevates that one. For a cup is in the hand of the Lord, and strong wine, a full mixture, and He pours out of this [cup], but all the wicked of the earth will drain and drink [it]. And I shall recite forever; I shall sing [praises] to the God of Jacob. And all the horns of the wicked I shall cut off; the horns of the righteous will be upraised. Psalm 75

 

He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; from the fruit of Your works the earth is sated. He causes grass to sprout for the animals and vegetation for the work of man, to bring forth bread from the earth. And wine, which cheers man's heart, to make the face shine from oil, and bread, which sustains man's heart. Psalm 104:13-15

 

No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court. Ezekiel 44:21

 

Daniel resolved not to be defiled by the king's food or by the wine he drank; so he requested of the king's chief officer that he should not be defiled. God granted Daniel kindness and mercy before the chief officer. And the chief officer replied to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who allotted your food and your drink, for why should he see your faces troubled more than the youths like you? And you will forfeit my head to the king." And Daniel answered the steward whom the chief officer had appointed for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. "Now test your servants for ten days, and let them give us some pulse that we should eat, and water that we should drink. And let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be seen by you, and as you will see, so do with your servants." He heeded them in this matter and tested them for ten days. And at the end of the ten days, they looked handsomer and fatter than all the youths who ate the king's food. And the steward would carry away their food and the wine they were to drink and give them pulse. And to these youths, the four of them, God gave knowledge and understanding in every script and wisdom, and Daniel understood all visions and dreams. Daniel 1:8-17

 

King Belshazzar made a great feast for his one thousand dignitaries, and he drank as much wine as the thousand. Belshazzar said, with the counsel of the wine, to bring the golden and silver vessels that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the Temple that was in Jerusalem, that the king, his dignitaries, his queen, and his concubines should drink from them. Then the golden vessels that they had taken out of the Temple of the House of God, which was in Jerusalem, were brought, and the king, his dignitaries, his queen, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised gods of gold, silver, copper, iron, wood, and stone. At that time, the fingers of a human hand emerged and wrote opposite the candelabrum on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, and the king saw the palm of the hand that was writing. Then the king-his color changed, and his thoughts frightened him, the belts of his loins became untied, and his knees knocked one against the other. The king cried aloud to bring in the necromancers, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king shouted and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Any man who shall read this writing and tell me its interpretation shall wear purple and [have] a golden chain on his neck and rule over a third of the kingdom." Then all the king's wise men entered, but they could not read the writing or let the king know its interpretation. Then King Belshazzar became very frightened, and his color changed, and his dignitaries were perplexed. The queen, in response to the words of the king and his dignitaries, entered the banquet hall; the queen raised her voice and said, "May the king live forever! Let your thoughts not frighten you, and let your color not change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of holy angels, and in your father's time enlightenment, understanding, and wisdom like the wisdom of the angels was found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, appointed him prince of the necromancers, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the demonologists; [so did] your father the king. All because a superior spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, tell riddles, and untie knots was found in him, in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar; now let Daniel be summoned and he will tell the interpretation." Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king raised his voice and said to Daniel, "You are Daniel, who is of the exiles of Judea, whom my father brought from Judea. And I heard about you that the spirit of the angels is in you, and enlightenment, understanding, and superior wisdom is found in you. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they may read this writing and let me know its interpretation, but they cannot interpret the matter to tell [it]. And I have heard about you that you can interpret interpretations and untie knots. Now if you can read the writing and let me know its interpretation, you shall wear purple and [have] a golden chain on your neck, and [over] a third of the kingdom you shall rule." Then Daniel raised his voice and said before the king, "Keep your gifts for yourself, and give your lavish gifts to someone else, but I shall read the writing for the king, and I shall let him know the interpretation. You are the king [because] the Most High God gave your father, Nebuchadnezzar, kingdom, greatness, honor, and glory. And through the greatness that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and tongues were quaking, and they feared him; whomever he wished he would slay, and whomever he wished he would let live; whomever he wished he would exalt, and whomever he wished he would humble. And when his heart became haughty and his spirit was toughened so that he dealt wickedly, he was deposed from his royal throne, and the honor was removed from him. And he was banished from mankind, and his heart was just like that of the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses. They fed him grass like the cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of the heavens, until he realized that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of man, and whomever He wishes He sets up on it. But you, his son, Belshazzar, you did not humble your heart in view of the fact that you know all this. But over the Lord of heaven you exalted yourself, and the vessels of His House they brought before you, and you, your dignitaries, your queen, and your concubines drank wine in them, and you praised gods of silver and gold, copper, iron, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor know, but the God in Whose hand is your soul and all your ways-He you did not glorify. Then from before Him the palm of a hand was sent forth, and it inscribed this writing. And this is the writing that it inscribed: MENE MENE TEKEIL UFARSIN. This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE-God has counted your kingdom and has brought it to an end. TEKEIL-You were weighed on the scales and found wanting. UFARSIN-Your kingdom has been broken up and given to Media and Persia." Then Belshazzar ordered, and they attired Daniel with purple and the golden chain on his neck, and they announced about him that he should rule over a third of the kingdom. On that very night, Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was assassinated. Daniel chapter 5 

 

Harlotry and [old] wine and new wine take away the heart. My people takes counsel of his piece of wood, and his rod declares to him. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to err, and they have gone astray lewdly from under their God. Hosea 4:11-12

 

The day of our king, the princes became ill from the heat of the wine; he withdrew his hand with the scorners. For they have made ready their heart like an oven with their ambush; all night their baker sleeps, in the morning he burns like a flaming fire. They are all heated like an oven and they devour their judges; all their kings have fallen, none of them calls to Me. Ephraim mingles with the peoples; Ephraim was as a cake which was not turned over. Strangers have consumed his strength, but he did not know; also weakness was cast into him, but he did not know. And the pride of Israel was humbled before him, and they did not return to the Lord their God, and did not seek Him despite this. Hosea 7:5-10

 

Awaken, you drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you wine drinkers, concerning the strong wine, which has been cut off from your mouth. For a nation has ascended upon my land, mighty and innumerable; its teeth are like the teeth of an old lion, and its molars are like those of a young lion. He has laid my vine waste, and my fig tree into a disappointment; he has peeled it and cast it off, its branches have become white. Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. Joel 1:5-8

 

And they recline on pledged garments beside every altar, and the wine of the fined ones they drink in the house of their gods. And I destroyed the Amorites from before them, whose height is as the height of the cedar trees, and they are as strong as oaks, and I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from below. And I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and I led you in the desert for forty years, to inherit the land of the Amorites. And I raised up some of your sons as prophets and some of your young men as Nazirites; is this not so, O children of Israel? says the Lord. And you gave the Nazirites to drink wine, and you commanded the prophets saying, "Do not prophesy." Amos 2:8-12

 

If a man walking in wind and falsehood lies, "I will preach to you of wine and strong drink," he shall be a preacher for this people. Micah 2:11

 

For, while the thorns are entangled and the drunkards are drinking, they are consumed like dry stubble, fully ripe. Nahum 1:10

 

And surely he, whom wine betrays, a haughty man whose dwelling shall not remain, who widened his desire like the nether- world-and he is like death and shall never be sated, and he gathered all the nations to himself and collected to himself all peoples. Habbukuk 2:5

 

Woe to him who gives his friend to drink, who adds Your venom and also makes him drunk in order to gaze upon their nakedness. You have become sated more from disgrace than from honor. You, too, drink and become clogged up. The cup of the right hand of the Lord shall be turned upon you, and disgrace upon your glory. For the violence of the Lebanon shall cover you, and the plunder of cattle shall break them, because of the blood of man and the violence of the land, a city, and all its inhabitants. What did a graven image avail that its maker has graven it? A molten image and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusted in it to make dumb idols? Woe to him who says to the wood, "Awaken!"; to the dumb stone, "Arise!" Shall it teach? Behold it is overlaid with gold and silver, and no spirit is within it. But the Lord is in His Holy Temple. Silence the whole earth before Him. Habbukkuk 2:15-20

 

I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia. Revelation 14:14-20

 

 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Revelation 16:19

 

Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. Revelation 19:15

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Mark 14:23-25

 

 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” Mathew 9:17

 

But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mathew 24:48-51

 

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Mathew 26:27-29

 

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. Luke 1:11-15

 

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Luke 7:33-34

 

 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. Luke 12:45

 

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. Luke 21:34

 

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Luke 22:17-18

 

and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. John 2:10-11

 

They ask you about intoxicants and gambling. Say, “There is gross sin in them, and some benefits for people, but their sinfulness outweighs their benefit.” And they ask you about what they should give: say, “The surplus.” Thus God explains the revelations to you, so that you may think. Quran 2:219

 

O you who believe! Do not approach the prayer while you are drunk, so that you know what you say; nor after sexual orgasm—unless you are travelling—until you have bathed. If you are sick, or traveling, or one of you comes from the toilet, or you have had intercourse with women, and cannot find water, find clean sand and wipe your faces and your hands with it. God is Pardoning and Forgiving. Quran 4:43

 

O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, idolatry, and divination are abominations of Satan’s doing. Avoid them, so that you may prosper. Satan wants to provoke strife and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to prevent you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer. Will you not desist? Obey God and obey the Messenger, and be cautious. If you turn away—know that the duty of Our Messenger is clear communication. Those who believe and do righteous deeds will not be blamed for what they may have eaten, provided they obey, and believe, and do good deeds, then maintain piety and faith, then remain righteous and charitable. God loves the charitable. Quran 5:90-94

 

Two youth entered the prison with him. One of them said, “I see myself pressing wine.” The other said, “I see myself carrying bread on my head, from which the birds are eating. Tell us their interpretation—we see that you are one of the righteous.” He said, “No food is served to you, but I have informed you about it before you have received it. That is some of what my Lord has taught me. I have forsaken the tradition of people who do not believe in God; and regarding the Hereafter, they are deniers.” “And I have followed the faith of my forefathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. It is not for us to associate anything with God. This is by virtue of God’s grace upon us and upon the people, but most people do not give thanks. “O My fellow inmates, are diverse lords better, or God, the One, the Supreme?” “You do not worship, besides Him, except names you have named, you and your ancestors, for which God has sent down no authority. Judgment belongs to none but God. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. This is the right religion, but most people do not know. “O my fellow inmates! One of you will serve his master wine; while the other will be crucified, and the birds will eat from his head. Thus the matter you are inquiring about is settled.” Quran 12:36-41

 

And We gave Moses the Scripture, that they may be guided. And We made Mary’s son and his mother a sign, and We sheltered them on high ground with security and flowing springs. O messengers, eat of the good things, and act with integrity. I am aware of what you do. This nation of yours is one nation, and I am your Lord, so fear Me. But they tore themselves into sects; each party happy with what they have. So leave them in their bewilderment until a time. Do they assume that, in furnishing them with wealth and children. We race to give them the good things? In fact, they have no idea. Those who, from awe of their Lord, are fearful. And those who believe in their Lord’s Verses. And those who associate no partners with their Lord. And those who give what they give, while their hearts quake, knowing that to their Lord they will return. It is they who race towards goodness. It is they who will reach it first. We never burden any soul beyond its capacity. And with Us is a record that tells the truth, and they will not be wronged. Quran 23:49-61

 

And tell the believing women to restrain their looks, and to guard their privates, and not display their beauty except what is apparent thereof, and to draw their coverings over their breasts, and not expose their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, what their right hands possess, their male attendants who have no sexual desires, or children who are not yet aware of the nakedness of women. And they should not strike their feet to draw attention to their hidden beauty. And repent to God, all of you believers, so that you may succeed. And wed the singles among you, and those who are fit among your servants and maids. If they are poor, God will enrich them from His bounty. God is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing. And let those who do not find the means to marry abstain, until God enriches them from His bounty. If any of your servants wish to be freed, grant them their wish, if you recognize some good in them. And give them of God’s wealth which he has given you. And do not compel your girls to prostitution, seeking the materials of this life, if they desire to remain chaste. Should anyone compel them—after their compulsion, God is Forgiving and Merciful. We have sent down to you clarifying revelations, and examples of those who passed on before you, and advice for the righteous. God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The allegory of His light is that of a pillar on which is a lamp. The lamp is within a glass. The glass is like a brilliant planet, fueled by a blessed tree, an olive tree, neither eastern nor western. Its oil would almost illuminate, even if no fire has touched it. Light upon Light. God guides to His light whomever He wills. God thus cites the parables for the people. God is cognizant of everything. In houses which God has permitted to be raised, and His name is celebrated therein. He is glorified therein, morning and evening. By men who neither trading nor commerce distracts them from God’s remembrance, and from performing the prayers, and from giving alms. They fear a Day when hearts and sights are overturned. God will reward them according to the best of what they did, and He will increase them from His bounty. God provides for whomever He wills without reckoning. As for those who disbelieve, their works are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty assumes it is to be water. Until, when he has reached it, he finds it to be nothing, but there he finds God, Who settles his account in full. God is swift in reckoning. Or like utter darkness in a vast ocean, covered by waves, above which are waves, above which is fog. Darkness upon darkness. If he brings out his hand, he will hardly see it. He to whom God has not granted a light has no light. Quran 24:31-40

 

The likeness of the Garden promised to the righteous: in it are rivers of pure water, and rivers of milk forever fresh, and rivers of wine delightful to the drinkers, and rivers of strained honey. And therein they will have of every fruit, and forgiveness from their Lord. Like one abiding in the Fire forever, and are given to drink boiling water, that cuts-up their bowels? Quran 47:15

 

No indeed; the record of the righteous is in Elliyyeen. But how can you know what Elliyyoon is? A numerical book. Witnessed by those brought near. Indeed, the righteous will be amid bliss. On thrones, looking on. You will recognize on their faces the radiance of bliss. They will be given to drink a sealed wine. Whose seal is musk—this is what competitors should compete for. Its mixture is of Tasneem. A spring from which those brought near drink. Those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed. And when they passed by them, they would wink at one another. And when they went back to their families, they would go back exulting. And if they saw them, they would say, “These people are lost.” Yet they were not sent as guardians over them. But on that Day, those who believed will laugh at the unbelievers. On luxurious furnishings, looking on. Have the unbelievers been repaid for what they used to do? Quran 83:18-36

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