Bible Readings for the Home Circle Part 215

_that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean_." Lev. 10:8-10.

8. Why is indulgence in strong drink dangerous?

"And be not drunk with wine, _wherein is excess_; but be filled with the Spirit." Eph. 5:18.

NOTE.-The danger in the indulgence of stimulating foods and drinks is that they create an unnatural appet.i.te and thirst, thus leading to excess. Both food and drink should be nouris.h.i.+ng and non-stimulating.

9. For what should men eat and drink?

"Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of n.o.bles, and thy princes eat in due season, _for strength_, and not for drunkenness!" Eccl.

10:17.

10. Why did Daniel refuse the food and wine of the king?

"But Daniel purposed in his heart _that he would not defile himself_ with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank." Dan.

1:8. See Judges 13:4.

11. Instead of these, what did he request?

"Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us _pulse to eat_, and _water to drink_." Verse 12.

12. At the end of the ten days' test, how did he and his companions appear?

"And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared _fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat_." Verse 15.

13. At the end of their three years' course in the school of Babylon, how did the wisdom of Daniel and his companions compare with that of others?

"Now at the end of the days ... the king communed with them; _and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah_: ...

and in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, _he found them ten times better_ than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm." Verses 18-20.

14. What warning is given against leading others into intemperance?

"Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken." Hab. 2:15.

15. What kind of professed Christians are not fellows.h.i.+ped?

"But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a _drunkard_." 1 Cor. 5:11.

16. Can drunkards enter the kingdom of G.o.d?

"Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, ... nor thieves, nor covetous, nor _drunkards_, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of G.o.d." 1 Cor. 6:9, 10. See Rev. 21:27.

17. For what perfection of character did the apostle pray?

"And the very G.o.d of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray G.o.d _your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless_ unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. 5:23.

NOTE.-For notable examples of total abstinence in the Bible, see the wife of Manoah, the mother of Samson (Judges 13:4, 12-14); Hannah, the mother of Samuel (1 Sam. 1:15); the Rechabites (Jer.

35:1-10); and John the Baptist (Luke 1:13-15).

Song Of The Rye

I was made to be eaten, And not to be drank; To be threshed in the barn, Not soaked in a tank.

I come as a blessing When put through a mill; As a blight and a curse When run through a still.

Make me up into loaves, And your children are fed; But if into drink, I'll starve them instead.

In bread I'm a servant, The eater shall rule; In drink I am master, The drinker a fool.

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

The Two Robbers. "Your money and your life."

Evils Of Intemperance

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

The Home Destroyer. "Who hath woe? who hath sorrow?... they that tarry long at the wine." Prov. 23:29, 30.

1. What do the Scriptures say of wine?

"Wine is a _mocker_, strong drink is _raging_: and whosoever is _deceived_ thereby is not wise." Prov. 20:1.

NOTE.-All intoxicating drinks are deceptive. They seem to give strength, but in reality cause weakness; they seem to create heat, but in fact lower the general temperature; they seem to impart vitality, but really destroy life; they seem to promote happiness, but cause the greatest unhappiness and misery. To intemperance may be attributed much of the world's sorrow.

2. What is one of the evil results of intemperance?

"Be not among wine-bibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to _poverty_." Prov. 23:20, 21.

3. What are other evil effects of intemperance?

"Wh.o.r.edom and wine and new wine _take away the heart_." Hosea 4:11. "They also have _erred_ through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; ... they err in _vision_, they stumble in _judgment_." Isa. 28:7.

NOTE.-"One of the subtlest effects of this many-sided drug is to produce a craving for itself, while weakening the will that could resist that craving."-_"__Alcohol,__"__ by Dr. Williams, page 48._