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3950 — Kind of Drink

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Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Dec 24, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 50.

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3950 — Kind of Drink

By Editor

What kind of strong drink is mentioned in Deut. 14:26? C. S.
The scripture is instruction to God's children that if they were faithful to Him, heeded His injunctions and commandments, came before Him in the great feasts that were held in His honor, they could bestow the money which they obtained from the sale of a certain thing set apart, for whatsoever their soul desired, oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, "whatsoever thy soul asketh of thee; and thou shalt eat there before Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household." Now in the first place, this did not include every kind of meat that any heart would lust for, because the first part of this chapter forbids very clearly certain flesh food. It must have meant certain kinds within the proper bounds. God would not have His people gluttons or drunkards. The strong drink of those days was not distilled liquor. That was a later invention.
The very strongest, probably, which they had in those days was that which would simply cheer, and not inebriate,—a proper thing to drink while they were rejoicing before God, because in all probability it did not carry away the reason or sense. Just what it was we do not know, but we may know this,—that the Lord did not advise drunkenness on the part of His children. And we may know still another thing,—that if God's children had stood just where they ought to stand before Him, as this chapter intimates, they would not desire the things that were wrong. Some of these questions will always be more or less puzzling, but they need not trouble us. The apostle has given Christians a most excellent rule: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." Those who do this will seek to know, not what will taste good, or what will please the flesh, but what will be for God's honor and glory.