A pastor who likes to drink
“Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die--it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations -- and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.” (Leviticus 10:9-11)
I remember hearing that some second-generation pastors born in America drink alcohol. I was a little surprised to hear that they were drinking alcohol even though they graduated from a conservative seminary. But these days, pastors don't seem to be very surprised about drinking alcohol. Perhaps the reason is maybe because some professors who are famous in seminaries are also drinking alcohol. I was born and raised in a pastor's family, and what I saw and learned was that pastors should not drink and smoke. But these days, at least not only the church members but also the pastors seem to be more open to alcohol than ever before.
In Leviticus 10:9, we see that God is commanding Aaron the priest not to drink wine or strong drink when entering the tent of meeting. This is an everlasting ordinance that Aaron and his sons must follow. God gave this ordinance for fear that Aaron and his sons would be put to death because they drank wine or strong drink. The reason God spoke directly to Aaron was because Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which God had not commanded them (v. 1), and were killed (v. 2). When I think of these words, I receive a lesson that we pastors should serve the church as God commands. But I think the problem is that too many of us, the pastors, are serving the church in a way that God doesn’t command. Apart from the church members, it seems that we pastors first are trying to carry out the ministry in too many worldly ways. We cannot deny that there are too many humanistic ideas in the church. As a result, many of us are serving the church according to the people's way rather than the way God wants us to.
Why did God tell Aaron not to drink wine or strong drink when entering the tent of meeting? What was the purpose? I want to think in two ways:
The first purpose is “to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean.”
Look at Leviticus 10:10 – “and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean.” The purpose God commanded Aaron and his sons not to drink wine or strong drink was so that they would not lose their discernment. Can you imagine how a pastor who has lost his discernment serves the church? Of course we pastors won't get drunk. But it seems that there are too many temptations around us that blind many pastors as if they are in a state of drunkenness. To give one example, it seems that too many pastors have fallen into the temptation of money and are intoxicated with money, serving the church in a state of spiritual confusion. How many pastors are there in the world who know what Jesus said that it is impossible to serve both God and money, but fall into the temptation of riches and get drunk of money, serve money and become wage workers for money? So, even if we are pointed out by the world as ‘a pastor who is drunk on money’, we have nothing to say and should not have anything to say. Of course, there aren’t only the money-drunk pastors. It seems that there are many pastors who are drunk on sex. How many pastors are committing sexual depravity? As a result, the Lord's church isn’t able to exert a holy influence on this world because of the pastors who are now drunk with money, and lust for honor and cannot distinguish between the holy and the profane. The pastors must have spiritual discernment in order to exert a holy spirit on this world. And in order not to lose our spiritual discernment, we should never get drunk not only on alcohol, but also on money, lust or honor. We must not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2).
The second purpose is to “to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.”
Look at Leviticus 10:11 – “and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.” Another reason God commanded Aaron the priest and his sons not to drink wine or strong drink was to teach the sons of Israel. If a teacher is drunk with wine or strong drink and cannot distinguish between the holy and the profane, the unclean and the clean, can he really teach all the ordinances of God that Moses commanded? Can a priest who lost his discernment and couldn’t live a holy life properly teach the Israelites to live a holy life? He might teach with his lips, but he would not teach with his life. To prevent this, God commanded Aaron the priest not to drink wine or strong drink.
Just imagine. Can a money-drunk pastor properly teach the church members not to love money? Can a sexually depraved pastor properly teach the church members to resist sexual temptation? The pastor who has fallen into all kinds of greed and covetousness cannot properly teach the church members to give up greed and covetousness. He may teach with his lips, but he cannot teach with life. Of course, I don't know if I can teach God's word through a superficial life while hiding my sinful life. However, if we pastors live such a life and teach the church members, we will never have good influence upon them. One day, God will reveal them all.
We pastors should be afraid. We must be awake. We shouldn't be intoxicated with things like alcohol. We shouldn’t even get close to them. We must be drunk on the word of God, which is like the sword of the Spirit and a hammer. Rather than get drunk, we should be filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must distinguish between the holy and the profane and teach the flock that God has entrusted to us. When we do this, we will be able to live out God's holiness in this profane world.