Are You Drunk?

"Say to them: 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.' And if they say to you, 'Don't we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?'  then tell them, 'This is what the LORD says: I am going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David's throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem.  I will smash them one against the other, fathers and sons alike, declares the LORD. I will allow no pity or mercy or compassion to keep me from destroying them.' "

Jeremiah 13:12-14

What is the difference between drinking alcohol and being drunk with the substance? When you are drunk you lose control over behavior, movement, and speech. You may also be unaware of what you are doing and later not remember it at all. Jokes about drunks may be funny to some, but for those who have had an alcoholic in their family it is nothing to joke about.

Jeremiah 13:13 makes a rather strange statement. God said he would make all the people living in Jerusalem drunk. Why would He do that and more importantly what impact would it have?

Imagine what it would be like if everyone in our country were drunk! What if all of our leaders from the President down to the local dog catcher were intoxicated? Drunken people no matter how powerful or important are unable to make rational decisions. The rest of the drunks in the country would see nothing wrong. But if there were some sober people left can you imagine the distress they would feel as they watched the drunken rulers lead the nation to the edge of the abyss and beyond?

One of the ways God judges a nation is by making the people drunk! They lose contact with reality and charge ahead to “fix” the problems as an intoxicated airplane mechanic might repair a broken airplane!

I may not drink any alcohol but as a follower of Jesus I can lose contact with reality when I become drunk on the pleasures of this world. When I am drunk I judge my own actions by the way I feel about them rather than by what God has said. When I am drunk I believe that I am free from the normal constraints of God’s Word.

So if you can see that the world around you is drunk, instead of condemning the world examine yourself to see if you too are intoxicated with the pleasures of this world. If you are then sober up and turn your heart and your will back to Jesus.

When the water is rising and a nation full of drunken people is about to sink there are no funny jokes that are appropriate.