Your misuse of Leviticus 10:9 undermines your argument
Question:
I don't drink alcohol, and I'm not trying to justify drinking alcohol, but on your "Drinking in the Old Testament" page, you are misusing Leviticus 10:9 when you claim "The priests were not allowed to drink." It only says they were not allowed to drink "when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation." This sort of misapplication undermines the integrity of your argument. You said, "The greatest difficulty is getting a definition that is not biased by a person’s desire to justify drinking." Well, when you misuse Scripture as you have here, it looks like your definition is biased by your desire to condemn drinking.
Answer:
I was puzzled at first by your complaint. I checked the article that I had written and found it as I remembered:
The use of shekar as a beverage was always condemned. It was well understood that people under the influence of such drinks could become violent (Proverbs 20:1). Priests were not allowed to drink shekar while on duty (Leviticus 10:9). "Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink, Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them!" (Isaiah 5:11).
I then realized that you were looking at my sermon notes. Usually, I only jot down a quick phrase to remind me of what the passage states. Unlike many, I read the passages when I deliver a sermon -- something that is commonly done in the churches of Christ. There is no misuse of Scriptures. I and the entire congregation read the passages in the lesson together. However, in case someone else might jump to the wrong conclusion, I modified the notes to include the phrase "while on duty."
Question:
Oh. 🙂 I apologize for misunderstanding what I was reading. I found the page from a Google search for drunkenness Old Testament, and I did not realize it was a shortened form of the discussion.
Thank you for your response.
Answer:
No problem. I hope you found the material useful for your study.
