Lets Get Drunk!

“Lets Get Drunk!!”

Text: Proverbs 9:1-6

8-31-03

Grace, Mercy and Peace be unto you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Last week I eluded to the fact that school was starting up. That goes for people at all different levels of their education. And the whole purpose of going to school is... TO LEARN! So we hope and pray that when we send our kids to school or to college... they will hear the invitation to gain Wisdom. And we hope and pray that they’ll accept that invitation. Unfortunately, that isn’t the only invitation they’ll get. From Middle School on up, they’ll eventually hear the invitation of “Lets Get Drunk!” Oh, the actual words may not be that subtle. It may sound more like, “So-and-so is having a party... Lets go to it.” And at some of those parties, there is going to be an unspoken invitation to get Drunk! Naturally, the person doing the inviting isn’t going to sit down and explain to them all the potential negative consequences of accepting that invitation. Their friends aren’t going to tell them how much “fun” it is to have a hangover... or if they get caught, how much “fun” it is to be arrested or suspended... or the dangers of driving while intoxicated. The invitation wouldn’t be very alluring if that kind of Wisdom were shared.

Well, in the first 9 chapters of the Book of Proverbs, there is a similar dual-invitation. Wisdom and Foolishness are portrayed as two women... two women who are inviting people to a party. Foolishness invites her guests to come to her party and get drunk on all the pleasures that the world has to offer. Wisdom invites her guests to come to her party to eat and drink and be filled with a Divine Knowledge. King Solomon is the one who wrote these words. And he wrote them as wise instruction for his sons. But they are also written as wise words for us to consider. Because you see, we’re faced with that same decision in our Christian walk. Will we accept the invitation to Get Drunk with Miss Foolishness... or will we accept the invitation to eat and drink with Miss Wisdom?

I know... all this figurative language sounds confusing. So lets unpack it and see what God has to say to us. First of all, who or what is it... that Miss Foolishness represents? Simply put, she is the personification of our evil, sinful world and our sinful natures. It is everything that is in opposition and rebellion against God. And since it is in opposition to God, it seeks to lure us away from God’s Will and His Good Graces. If you look a little ways ahead in chapter 9 at verse 16, you’ll see that the invitations of Foolishness and Wisdom are identical. "Let all who are simple come in here!" she says to those who lack judgment.” Foolishness mimics the invitation of Wisdom. It sounds so innocent. It sounds like a simple invitation to have some fun... to enjoy life. But make no mistake... this is a battle for our souls.

This invitation may SOUND the same, but it is an invitation to a party that is 180 degrees opposite to what Wisdom is offering. Just like Wisdom, Foolishness offers food and wine at her party. But look at what Solomon says that food and wine is in chapter 4:17. “They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.” Isn’t that an apt description of what our sinful world is feasting on?? And the end result of partying with Miss Foolishness isn’t just a hangover. No... if you look at the last verse of chapter 9 it says: 18 “But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave.” Folks, we’re not just talking about physical death here. We’re talking about the eternal death of our souls!

So if that’s the case, then why would anyone be seduced by Foolishness to come party with her? Well, it’s the same reason as I used in our opening illustration. The sinful world isn’t going to warn you about the consequences ahead of time! They aren’t going to tell you that getting drunk on Foolishness can harm your soul and kill it eternally. And our sinful nature is right in tune with that... because we don’t WANT to know the dangers or the consequences! Besides, it all sounds so innocent and enticing.

When I was stationed over in Germany, I went on a 4 day weekend to Frankfurt with 2 of my buddies. It’s a beautiful, historic old town. But little did we know that between the train station and our hotel... sat the red-light district. All along the street were porn shops and strip-bars. They had flashing neon lights and music playing outside. And just about everyone of them had a street barker.... a guy who would try to entice you and lure you into their establishment. They’d tell you about all the fun you were going to have and the unbelievable things you were going to see and experience. Likewise with the prostitutes. They’d call to you in a seductive voice. In fact, as I recall, they could speak pretty, doggone good English when they wanted to. It all seemed so inviting that it made your head swim, almost as if you were intoxicated. And here were 3 young GI’s who didn’t know what they had walked into.