Does the Bible Recommend Drinking Alcoholic Beverages?

What does this puzzling passage mean? As with any troubling or difficult passage, we must first understand the context to better grasp what the author means.

Proverbs 31 begins as follows: “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him” (v. 1).

What did the king’s mother teach him about alcohol? Did she suggest that kings shouldn’t drink (vv. 4-5), but for everyone else it is acceptable (vv. 6-7)? Would she approve of the street-corner beggar’s sign, “Why lie — It’s for beer!” simply because he’s homeless and unemployed?

Let us take a careful look at this maternal advice.

“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted” (vv. 4-5).

The king’s mother advised him to stay away from intoxicating beverages. Why? They impair judgment and lead to poor decisions. This would not only affect Lemuel as a king but also adversely affect the people he governed.

By contrast, some people drink to forget. “Let them do it,” she says, “but as for you, manage the stress of your position to rule with equitable justice.”

Duane Garrett, Professor of Old Testament at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, summarizes the context.

“The queen-mother does not recommend a free beer program for the poor or justify its use as an opiate for the masses; her point is simply that the king must avoid drunkenness in order to reign properly. The comparison to the suffering poor and to their use of alcohol is meant to awaken Lemuel to the duties that go with his class and status rather than to describe some kind of permissible drunkenness” (246).

What about the Christian? If a king needs clear thinking and sound judgment to serve the civil interests of people, wouldn't the Christian need sober thinking and virtuous influence to serve the spiritual interests of people (cf. Mt. 5:13-16; 28:19; Eph. 5:18; 1 Pet. 2:11-12)?