Abstinence from liquor
Those who took the Nazirite vow were not to drink anything alcoholic.
- Numbers 6:2-8 HCSB "Speak to the Israelites and
tell them: When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite
vow, to consecrate himself to the LORD,
3 he is to abstain from wine
and beer. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or from beer. He must
not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 He is not to eat anything
produced by the grapevine, from seeds to skin, during his vow. 5 "You must not cut his hair
throughout the time of his vow of consecration. He must be holy until the
time is completed during which he consecrates himself to the LORD; he is
to let the hair of his head grow long.
6 He
must not go near a dead body during the time he consecrates himself to the
LORD. 7 He is not to defile himself for
his father or mother, or his brother or sister, when they die, because the
hair consecrated to his God is on his head. 8 He is holy to the LORD during the
time of consecration.
Samson’s mother was required
to undertake a vow to abstain from liquor so that her son could be a Nazirite from birth.
- Judges 13:3-5 HCSB The Angel of the LORD appeared to
the woman and said to her, "It is true that you are barren and have
no children, but you will conceive and give birth to a son. 4 Now please be careful not to
drink wine or other alcoholic beverages, or to eat anything unclean; 5
for indeed, you will conceive and give birth to a son. You must
never cut his hair, because the boy will be a Nazirite
to God from birth, and he will begin to save Israel from the power of the
Philistines."
- Judges 13:13-14 HCSB The Angel of the LORD answered Manoah, "Your wife needs to do everything I told
her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes
from the grapevine or drink wine or other alcoholic beverages. And she
must not eat anything unclean. Your wife must do everything I have
commanded her."
When he was captured, Daniel
fasted from the king’s wine and food (that had been offered to idols) in order
to seek God’s favor. His dedication granted him prophetic insight unsurpassed
by any other person in history other than the Master Himself.
- Daniel 1:8 HCSB
Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the
king's food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the
chief official not to defile himself.
John the Baptist abstained
from liquor but Jesus did not.
- Matthew 11:18-19 HCSB For John did not come eating or
drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!'
19 The
Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a
drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is
vindicated by her deeds."