The Snare of Questionable Entertainment

Next comes Isaiah's second woe:  "Woe to those who are getting up early in the  morning that they may seek just intoxicating liquor, who are lingering till late in the evening darkness so that wine itself inflames them!  And there must prove to be harp and string instrument, tambourine  and flute, and wine at their feasts; but the activity of Jehovah they do not look  at, and the work of his hands they have not seen.' -Isaiah 5:11, 12.

Jehovah is "the happy God" and does not begrudge his servants reasonable recreation.  (1 Timothy 1:11)  However, these pleasure-seekers go beyond all limits!  "Those who get drunk are usually drunk at night," says the Bible.  (1 Thessalonians 5:7)  But the revelers of the prophecy begin their drunken sprees at daybreak and carry on drinking into the evening!   They behave as if God did not exist, as if he would not hold them accountable for their  actions.  Isaiah predicts a dark future for such ones.  "My people will have to go into exile  for lack of knowledge; and  their glory will be famished men, and their crowd will be parched with thirst."  (Isaiah 5:13)  Because of refusing to act according to true knowledge, God's covenant people-the high and the low-will go down into Sheol. - Read Isaiah 5:14-17.

"Revelries," or "wild parties," were also a problem among some Christians int he first century.  (Galatians 5:21;Byington; 2 Peter 2:13) So it is not surprising that some dedicated Christians today have shown poor judgment when it comes to social gatherings. Unrestrained use of alcoholic beverages has caused some to become loud and boisterous.  (Proverbs 20:1) There have even been those who behaved immorally under the influence of excessive alcohol, and some gatherings have been allowed to goon virtually all night, interfering with Christian activities the next day.

Balanced Christians, however, produce godly fruit and exercise restraint and moderation in their choice of recreation.  They heed Paul's advice found at Romans 13:13:  "As in the daytime let us walk decently, not in revelries and drunken bouts."

Next time: Hating Sin and Loving Truth

From the Book Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind