Drunkenness: Leads to Poverty
Jump to: Torrey'sLibrarySubtopicsTerms
Topical Encyclopedia
Drunkenness, as depicted in the Bible, is a state of excessive consumption of alcohol that impairs judgment and leads to various negative consequences, including poverty. The Scriptures provide numerous warnings against the dangers of drunkenness, emphasizing its destructive impact on both the individual and their community.

Biblical Warnings Against Drunkenness

The Bible consistently warns against the perils of drunkenness, highlighting its potential to lead individuals into a state of moral and financial ruin. Proverbs 23:20-21 cautions, "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat. For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags." This passage underscores the direct link between excessive drinking and the descent into poverty, illustrating how indulgence in alcohol can lead to a lack of productivity and financial instability.

Consequences of Drunkenness

Drunkenness is often associated with a loss of self-control and poor decision-making, which can result in squandered resources and opportunities. Proverbs 21:17 states, "He who loves pleasure will become poor; the one who loves wine and oil will never be rich." This verse highlights the correlation between a hedonistic lifestyle centered around alcohol and the inevitable decline into poverty. The pursuit of pleasure through drunkenness diverts attention and resources away from productive endeavors, leading to financial hardship.

Drunkenness and Moral Decay

The Bible also addresses the moral decay that accompanies drunkenness. Isaiah 5:11-12 warns, "Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. They have harps and lyres at their banquets, tambourines and flutes and wine, but they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD, no respect for the work of his hands." This passage illustrates how drunkenness can lead individuals away from a righteous path, causing them to neglect their spiritual responsibilities and moral obligations.

Drunkenness in the New Testament

The New Testament continues to caution against the dangers of drunkenness. Ephesians 5:18 advises, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." This exhortation contrasts the reckless behavior associated with drunkenness with the spiritual fulfillment found in a life led by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of self-control and spiritual awareness, warning that drunkenness can lead to a life of chaos and disorder.

The Call to Sobriety

Throughout the Bible, there is a call to sobriety and self-discipline as a means to avoid the pitfalls of drunkenness and its associated poverty. 1 Peter 5:8 urges believers, "Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." This call to vigilance and sobriety serves as a reminder of the spiritual and practical dangers posed by drunkenness, encouraging believers to remain steadfast in their faith and responsible in their conduct.

In summary, the Bible presents drunkenness as a vice that leads to poverty, both materially and spiritually. Through various passages, it warns of the detrimental effects of excessive alcohol consumption, urging individuals to pursue a life of sobriety, self-control, and spiritual devotion.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Proverbs 21:17
He that loves pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loves wine and oil shall not be rich.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Proverbs 23:21
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Again on the Calamity of the City of Antioch. ...
... profit the little-minded: nor is poverty able ever ... an acknowledged sin, but it leads
to acknowledged ... forth in us great evils,"drunkenness, violence, extortion ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily xv again on the.htm

Index of Subjects.
... Drunkenness, is disgusting, [315]438; leads to other sins, [316 ... the best creed; and
wrong life leads to wrong ... Poverty and riches, [786]307, voluntary, [787]274. ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/index of subjects.htm

David's Dying Prayer
... when every shrine shall be left poor as poverty, and when ... a doit for your piety,
unless it leads you to ... walk through a village full of drunkenness and profanity ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/davids dying prayer.htm

Unsound Spiritual Trading
... religious fortunes melting into abject spiritual poverty. ... in human nature which leads
men, even ... They do not call drunkenness "drunkenness," for instance, but ...
/.../spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/unsound spiritual trading.htm

Fifth Tractate. On Love.
... of that striving, it stirs and leads upwards the ... establish the significance, here,
of Poverty and Possession ... The drunkenness of the father Poros or Possession ...
//christianbookshelf.org/plotinus/the six enneads/fifth tractate on love.htm

2 Cor. Ix. 1
... See how he leads them on, not from spiritual motives ... of their joy, and their deep
poverty, abounded unto ... it upon thy belly and on drunkenness and dissipation ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xix 2 cor ix.htm

Clement of Alexandria.
... Gnostic, true (Christian), as defined by Clement, 342. his contempt for pain and
poverty, 412. ... leads to repentance, 232-233. ... how abused to drunkenness, 244. ...
/.../clement/who is the rich man that shall be saved/clement of alexandria.htm

Self-Examination
... of the abuses of greediness and drunkenness which had ... but ourselves, and our own
weakness, and poverty, and sin ... And my experience since leads me to believe that ...
/.../smith/the god of all comfort/chapter 10 self-examination.htm

A Treatise to Prove that no one Can Harm the Man who Does not ...
... every species of dissipation, and drunkenness, and surfeiting ... great zeal the road
which leads to heaven ... and often heard discourses concerning poverty, and spent ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/a treatise to prove that.htm

Sunday after Ascension Day
... Drunkenness is a sin and a shame to any man ... from the prevalence of pernicious hate,
which leads to anger ... forced to wander hither and thither in poverty and exile ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol ii/sunday after ascension day.htm

Resources
Is being drunk in the Spirit a biblical experience? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol / wine? Is it a sin for a Christian to drink alcohol / wine? | GotQuestions.org

What is the meaning of debauchery? | GotQuestions.org

Drunkenness: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Drunkenness

Drunkenness is a Work of the Flesh

Drunkenness is Debasing

Drunkenness is Inflaming

Drunkenness: Ahasuerus

Drunkenness: Avoid Those Given To

Drunkenness: Belshazzar

Drunkenness: Benhadad

Drunkenness: Ben-Hadad and his Thirty-Two Confederate Kings

Drunkenness: Caution Against

Drunkenness: Corinthians

Drunkenness: Denunciations Against: Those Given To

Drunkenness: Denunciations Against: Those Who Encourage

Drunkenness: Elah

Drunkenness: Excludes from Heaven

Drunkenness: False Teachers often Addicted To

Drunkenness: Falsely Accused of Hannah

Drunkenness: Falsely Accused of Jesus

Drunkenness: Falsely Accused of The Apostles

Drunkenness: Figurative

Drunkenness: Folly of Yielding To

Drunkenness: Forbidden

Drunkenness: General Scriptures Concerning

Drunkenness: Leads to Contempt of God's Works

Drunkenness: Leads to Error

Drunkenness: Leads to Poverty

Drunkenness: Leads to Rioting and Wantonness

Drunkenness: Leads to Scorning

Drunkenness: Leads to Strife

Drunkenness: Leads to Woe and Sorrow

Drunkenness: Lot

Drunkenness: Nabal

Drunkenness: Noah

Drunkenness: Overcharges the Heart

Drunkenness: Punishment of

Drunkenness: Takes Away the Heart

Drunkenness: The Wicked Addicted To

Drunkenness: Uriah

Related Terms

Carousing (4 Occurrences)

Orgies (4 Occurrences)

Licentiousness (10 Occurrences)

Revellings (2 Occurrences)

Envying (8 Occurrences)

Debauchery (9 Occurrences)

Satiety (12 Occurrences)

Drink (414 Occurrences)

Strong (736 Occurrences)

Envy (56 Occurrences)

Drunk (84 Occurrences)

Drunken (38 Occurrences)

Quarreling (17 Occurrences)

Quarrelling (5 Occurrences)

Noisy (14 Occurrences)

Nadab (21 Occurrences)

Nobility (5 Occurrences)

Nabal (18 Occurrences)

Unholy (23 Occurrences)

Unexpectedly (5 Occurrences)

Unawares (14 Occurrences)

Ourselves (129 Occurrences)

Overcharged (1 Occurrence)

Overcharge (1 Occurrence)

Loaded (21 Occurrences)

Lustful (10 Occurrences)

Licence (3 Occurrences)

Lasciviousness (9 Occurrences)

Weighed (44 Occurrences)

Weighted (15 Occurrences)

Warned (63 Occurrences)

Warn (35 Occurrences)

Worries (6 Occurrences)

Indulging (4 Occurrences)

Immorality (38 Occurrences)

Inherit (98 Occurrences)

Image-worship (1 Occurrence)

Intoxication (1 Occurrence)

Forewarn (9 Occurrences)

Freemen (17 Occurrences)

Forewarned (15 Occurrences)

Revelling (1 Occurrence)

Reveling (3 Occurrences)

Revelry (8 Occurrences)

Revelings (1 Occurrence)

Envyings (3 Occurrences)

Emulation (5 Occurrences)

Eyes (6285 Occurrences)

Dissipation (4 Occurrences)

Dissension (18 Occurrences)

Decently (2 Occurrences)

Daylight (24 Occurrences)

Drunkennesses (2 Occurrences)

Murders (7 Occurrences)

Mad (22 Occurrences)

Madness (13 Occurrences)

Promiscuity (6 Occurrences)

Pursuing (50 Occurrences)

Properly (11 Occurrences)

Broad (113 Occurrences)

Becomingly (3 Occurrences)

Bacchus

Conduct (93 Occurrences)

Chambering (1 Occurrence)

Cares (28 Occurrences)

Appalment (10 Occurrences)

Anxieties (5 Occurrences)

Accountability

Appropriate (19 Occurrences)

Amethyst (3 Occurrences)

Awake (83 Occurrences)

Souls (114 Occurrences)

Soberness (2 Occurrences)

Self-indulgence (4 Occurrences)

Suddenly (87 Occurrences)

Surfeiting (1 Occurrence)

Sober (18 Occurrences)

Sacrificial (12 Occurrences)

Sick (117 Occurrences)

Drunkenness: Leads to Error
Top of Page
Top of Page