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According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 85.6% of U.S. citizens have tried alcohol, and 25.8% claim to have engaged in binge drinking within the past month. The CDC estimates that "95,000 people (approximately 68,000 men and 27,000 women) die from alcohol-related causes annually," making alcohol the third-leading preventable cause of death. National statistics in 2019 show that alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 10,142 deaths (28.0% of overall driving fatalities). The American Journal estimates alcohol abuse accounts for over 250 billion in economic burden. And we have not even talked about the spiritual and mental undercurrents from these.
As a former alcoholic, I have found that good things rarely happen when people are inebriated, and Samson is no exception to the rule. Remember the Philistine gal that Samson married against the wishes of his parents? To celebrate their wedding Samson threw a party, a drinking feast of sorts. According to the custom of the day he invited thirty young men from the town to indulge in the seven-day drinking binge. Samson quickly forgot about his Nazirite vow which forbade alcohol consumption. Again, we do not observe God's wrath or immediate intervention in the text. God is patient, merciful, and longsuffering, but He is also just.
Samson makes his third mistake by choosing to do a little gambling at his stag party. He propounds a riddle for his companions, and if his wedding companions can solve it, he will give them thirty changes of clothes. If not, Samson must himself come up with the clothing. He was clever, but he didn't account for the power of thirty minds. They tricked him by coercing his new wife to betray Samson. As a result, Samson's pride was ruffled, and he was embarrassed by the dishonor shown to him. Samson retaliated. I'm sure the alcohol obstructed his ability to reason as he struck down thirty men and stripped them of their clothes (14:19).
Repeatedly, alcohol abuse wreaks havoc on Samson and impacts the wellbeing of all around him. Samson leaves his wife immediately after their wedding (14:19). She would later be burned to death by the Philistines because of Samson (15:6). While we do not emphatically know Samson was drinking during his escapade with Delilah, we can assume that he was. How else could he be so naïve? It took four attempts to finally deceive Samson, and I presume it would have never happened if he was sober (16:6-20).
Alcohol abuse kills hundreds of thousands of people every year. The Bible never condones strong drink or excessive drinking, and it condemns drunkenness (methai). "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1). Christians should "not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph 5:18). One may not be filled with alcohol and the Spirit of God at the same time. Instead of abusing alcohol, I should allow the fruit of the Spirit of God to flourish in my life. Freedom from alcoholism comes when man's heart desires God much, more, and most.
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