A blog from Sunday’s Sermon on Proverbs 23:29–35
We’ve all heard the saying, “Play with fire, you’re going to get burned.” Solomon might say it another way—“Kiss a snake, and you shouldn’t be surprised when it bites you.”
Last week, we looked at Solomon’s warnings about the dangers of alcohol. This week, he continues that theme with a vivid, unforgettable picture of where drunkenness leads—and God’s wise solution for avoiding it.
The Problem of Drunkenness (Proverbs 23:29–30)
“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?” Solomon asks a rapid-fire list of questions, and the answer is clear: those who linger over wine and go looking for mixed drinks.
In biblical times, the words for wine (Hebrew yayin, Greek oinos) could mean anything from fresh grape juice to fully fermented alcohol. The context determines the meaning—and here, Solomon is clearly speaking about intoxicating wine.
The Bible is consistent: drunkenness is dangerous, destructive, and forbidden (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:6–8; 1 Peter 4:7). Drunkenness ruins families (remember Noah and Lot), shatters lives, and leaves deep scars.
So the question is—how do you keep from getting drunk?
The Protection of Abstinence (Proverbs 23:31)
Solomon gives a simple, direct answer: “Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly.”
Alcohol can look inviting. It can feel harmless. It can flow smoothly. But that’s exactly why it’s dangerous. Like a seductress in red, it beckons you in—yet its end is destruction.
The safest way to avoid the harm of drunkenness is not to flirt with it at all. Don’t sip. Don’t taste. Don’t even look long enough for your heart to want it. You cannot get drunk if you never take the first drink.
Some object:
- Didn’t Jesus drink wine? Scripture never says He drank alcoholic wine—only oinos, which could be sweet, unfermented wine.
- Didn’t Jesus turn water into wine? Yes—but nothing in the text demands it was alcoholic, and Jesus would not have tempted others toward sin (James 1:13).
- Wasn’t wine common in Bible times? Yes, but so were non-alcoholic forms like boiled must mixed with water.
From Genesis to Revelation, nothing in Scripture contradicts the wisdom here: if you want to avoid drunkenness, abstain from alcohol.
The Pretense of Moderation (Proverbs 23:32–35)
The world says, “Just drink in moderation.” But Scripture says moderation is exactly what sets you up for a snake bite.
“In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper.” Drunkenness often surprises the one who never intended to get drunk. Moderation promises the “benefits” of alcohol without the harm—but in reality, it’s flirting with a snake and hoping it won’t bite.
The effects Solomon lists sound all too familiar: blurred vision, slurred speech, poor judgment, reckless behavior, loss of self-control, and memories you wish you could erase.
If you never handle the snake, you’ll never get bitten.
The Wise Choice
Moderation isn’t the answer—it’s the cause. Abstinence is God’s loving protection from the destruction alcohol brings. Proverbs 23 isn’t about being old-fashioned or overly strict. It’s about being wise enough to see the danger ahead and turning away before it strikes.
Because when it comes to kissing snakes… the bite is inevitable.
Watch the full message here
