Read Genesis 9:18-29

Nobody is Perfect

Noah, the man who “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8), “was a just man, perfect in his generations” and “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9), made a mistake. The Scriptures tell us that after the flood, “Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent” (Genesis 9:20-21). This is a part of Noah’s life that we typically gloss over, but it is important to note that even those who live godly lives most of the time have moments of weakness.

There are warnings against alcohol throughout the Scriptures, many of which are found in the book of Proverbs. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).

Solomon offers an inspired treatise against alcohol in Proverbs 23:19-35. “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine” (Proverbs 23:29-30).

In the New Testament, Peter uses three words or phrases for alcohol abuse, and makes a contrast between the “lusts of men” and the “will of God” (1 Peter 4:2). He writes, “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries” (1 Peter 4:3).

The apostle Paul, too, writes, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). The word “dissipation” is more easily understood in the original King James Version, where it is rendered “excess” in this verse, or “riot” in 1 Peter 4:4. It is, per Greek lexicographer Thayer, an “abandoned, dissolute life.”

Noah shows that alcohol often leads to poor judgment and often causes trouble not only in the life of the one who drinks, but in the lives of those closest to him. Thankfully, God is abundant in grace and we can be forgiven when we repent, turning away from our sin and turning to His will.