THE PRIESTHOOD
“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him.” [2 Cor 5:21]
Christ suffered the death which was ours, so that
we might receive the life which was His; with
His stripes we are healed.
ELI THE PRIEST
“Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only
her lips moved, but her voice was not heard:
therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
And Eli said unto her, “How long wilt thou be
drunken? Put away thy wine from thee. And
Hannah answered and said, “No my lord … I
have drunk neither wine nor strong drink.”
[1 Sam 1:14,15] Eli the priest, wrongfully accuses
Hannah of drinking fermented beverages,
something both seemed quite familiar
referencing. Hannah‟s response shows how
common and widespread drinking alcohol was in
ancient Israel, even amongst the women.
“Now the name of the man was Nabal … the
man was churlish and evil in his doings. And
Abigail came to Nabal; and behold, he held a
feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and
Nabal‟s heart was merry within him, for he
was very drunken.” [1 Sam 25:37] We clearly see
the feasts of kings were steeped in drunkenness.
Nabal was hung over from drinking when a heart
attack suddenly ended his life.
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RULERS
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The priesthood was set apart to be holy, as
defined in great detail in the books of Moses.
The Apostles would later grasp onto these
illustrations to prove that Christians are peculiar
people set apart for holy living. They would be
followers of Jesus living in this world, but not of
it. “And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Do not
drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons
with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the
congregation … that ye may put difference
between holy, and between unclean and clean.”
[Lev 10:9,10] In the face of widespread alcohol
use, God places restrictions on the holy
priesthood, setting them apart from the common
people, so they would be able to discern His
will. “Neither shall any priest drink wine,
when they enter into the inner court.”
[Ez 44:21] “And this shall be the priest‟s due
from the people, from them that offer a
sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep … the first
fruit also of thy wine.” [Deut 18:3,4]
Worshippers brought the first fruits of
unfermented wine, not the fermented by-product
of the grape.
Strangely, we do find an instance where
fermented wine was used in the sanctuary
services: “and the fourth part of a hin of wine
(yayin - meaning fizz or sparkle, as in
intoxicated) for a drink offering.” [Ex 29:40]
Fermentation is likened in the Bible to sin, as in
the leavened bread versus the unleavened. We
need look no further as to why God would order
fermented spirits to be used in the holy services: