No Good Drunk
The first man to get drunk that we know about was Noah. He’s given credit for consummate obedience in the matter of the ark, he’s given credit for cultivating science in the matter of the vine, and he’s given no free pass in the matter of his overindulgence. He sinned, albeit in the privacy of his tent, because he drank too much.
We ought to appreciate Noah’s viniculture. As the psalmist sings, God causes plants to grow that man cultivates for wine that gladdens man’s heart (Psalm 104:15 bibrefpsalms104 bibrefpsalms104v15). Drinking wine and beer and strong drink can be done for God’s glory; the Israelites were commanded to do it as worship during certain festivals (Deuteronomy 14:26 bibrefdeuteronomy14 bibrefdeuteronomy14v26). The goodness of fermented grain and grapes is something that not everyone is persuaded of, and it’s worth more attention at another time. But what must be received without question or qualification is that drunkenness is always wrong.
God prohibits it in both Testaments, before and after the coming of His Son (Ephesians 5:18 bibrefephesians5 bibrefephesians5v18). Drunkenness is a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:21 bibrefgalatians5 bibrefgalatians5v21). Drunks are listed among sinners who cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 bibref1corinthians6 bibref1corinthians6v9 bibref1corinthians6v10).
The reason for the prohibition is that drunkenness scotches the image of God in man. It disrupts, if not ruins, relationships and it impairs ability to fulfill responsibilities. Drunkenness is a state of control by something else when, for Christians, we are to be controlled by the Spirit.
Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, is no good god. The best he offers is forgetfulness and, even that is temporary and incomplete. As Jim West has written, unbelievers drink to forget but believers drink to remember and to give thanks to God for specific gifts. That can’t happen when the brain is foggy. Drunkenness is not funny and it is not godly, not ever.