Isaiah 5:22-23 Woe unto them who are mighty to drink wine; and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
This, the sixth woe, may appear to be the same as the second, but it is not. The second woe (found in verse eleven) reads, Woe unto them who rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night; till wine inflame them! This speaks of the alcoholic who drinks from morning till night and stays drunk all the time or the person who uses mind alcohol and other mind-altering substances to escape reality.
The sixth woe is different because it is referring to the mighty and strong people of God. Those who are mighty men of strength speak to those people who are mighty in the Lord and strong leaders in the Kingdom of God. This woe is directed to all those who have been called and are serving in any capacity in the ministry.
These are those leaders who drink alcohol but don’t become alcoholics or minister while intoxicated. However, the strong drink robs them of their ability to make Godly decisions and proper judgments. As verse twenty-three says, they will justify the wicked for reward. This is to take a bribe for making an improper decision. Those people in ministry who reward wicked behavior and/or strip a righteous person of their due reward, for personal gain, will be punished by God.
The enemy comes ONLY to kill, steal and destroy, and he will use any and all means necessary to do it. Alcohol is a road to destruction as it robs people of their ability to think properly which leads to a lack of self-control and into immoral and ungodly behavior.
For Church leaders to indulge in alcohol is also setting a very poor example for their flock and could cause one of their own to stumble. The Word of God speaks to this in Romans 14:21, It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. A church leader should never do anything that may cause their brother to stumble.
To justify or reward sin for any reason will not go unpunished by God. The Lord is fair and just and He calls His people to be the same.
It would appear that this Passage of Scripture is speaking to two completely different subjects in the same sentence. Why didn’t the Holy Spirit simply, Woe unto them who justify the wicked for reward, etc? Why did He include justifying the wicked for reward and stripping a person of their righteousness, in the same sentence as drinking alcohol?
The Holy Spirit is well aware of how detrimental alcohol or any other mind-altering substance is and how it easily weakens the inhibitions of an individual. Any such substance should be avoided by God’s people because it always leads to destruction.
Thank you, Lord for your Word and the Wisdom that it contains. As we seek to live in your perfect Will, we give you praise and glory!
The Word of God will…………turn the tide
Grateful for the Word, Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
