Point-of-View

The search continues for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). We know for certain that Saddam used WMDs to kill thousands of his own people, and have ironclad evidence that the tools for producing them were still in tact at the onset of the war. There are three explanations for why they remain undiscovered: 1) They were transported to sympathetic neighbor nations; 2) They were buried in the desert regions of Iraq; and, 3) They were destroyed with a view to replenishing them at a later date. The fact is we may never find them.

What about the costs (human and financial) of the Iraqi war? Since March 20, 2003, the death toll for Coalition forces stands at 381. Another 1,789 U.S. soldiers have been wounded. The Pentagon estimates that, by the end of September, the war will have cost $58 billion. The White House is requesting an additional $87 billion for troop support and reconstruction. Yes, the costs we have incurred in terms of human casualties and financial resources are indeed disconcerting! But is America’s leadership really serious about finding and destroying WMDs? Are you aware that a certain WMD has been wreaking havoc in America for decades, and continues to destroy human life and foment misery at a rate and cost that eclipses the war in Iraq? That WMD is the alcohol in legalized liquor! According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an estimated 17,419 people died in the year 2002 in alcohol-related traffic crashes–an average of one every 30 minutes. Eighty percent of these deaths were related to beer consumption. In 2001, more than half a million people were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present–an average of one every two minutes.

Statistics from 2001-2002 lead us to project that 3,400 or so Americans have died on our highways since the war began, and 97,200 have been injured–all because of alcohol! In 1998 dollars, the costs of underage drinking alone were estimated at $58 billion. The cost in 2003 dollars, if we calculated every alcohol-related calamity within all age groups, would range in the hundreds of billions! Where is the outrage?

Perhaps the relevant question is: "Where is the Church?" I am amazed at the number of professing believers that drink alcohol, and justify imbibing beer or wine on occasion by saying, "I never get drunk." But God says, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Prov. 20:1). Listen to the prophecy of king Lemuel’s mother: "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more" (Prov. 31:4-7).

Some argue that Jesus made fermented wine at Cana of Galilee, and that Paul told Timothy to drink a little of the same for his ailments (John 2:1-11; 1 Tim. 5:23). But was it fermented wine? Hardly! Hear the prophet Habakkuk: "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness" (Hab. 2:15). Do you think for one moment that Jesus would give alcoholic wine to those wedding guests, and risk the destruction of the Godhead if just one guest had one too many? Would Paul prescribe alcohol to Timothy, knowing the biblical warnings and potential dangers to the young preacher? Think again!

What then is the mind of God about drinking alcohol? First, it has the potential to destroy men and women. No sane man would keep a rattlesnake in his home, and justify it by saying, "I never get bitten." Secondly, any attempt to justify the use of alcohol is evidence of foolishness and deception. Total abstinence alone precludes the possibility of drunkenness and perverted judgment. Thirdly, one’s deathbed (with its miseries) is the one occasion that might justify strong drink. Yes, alcohol is a lethal WMD, and should be avoided by any believer with the first lick of biblical sense!

The Pastor’s Pen column can be found at http://www.truthonfire.com/pastor'spen/ .