Proverbs - Week 5 - Alcohol

  1. Background and positive references to alcohol:

Read Ecclesiastes 9:7 and Isaiah 25:6–9.

  • How do these passages portray wine?

  • What does that tell us about positive uses for alcohol?

2. Proverbs on alcohol

Divide up the following proverbs and have people read them aloud.

Proverbs 20:1
Proverbs 21:17; 23:20–21
Proverbs 23:29–35
Proverbs 31:4–7.

  • What specific dangers of alcohol do these Proverbs highlight?

  • What do these passages say about self-control?

  • What do these passages say about the nature of addiction?

  • Why is Lemuel warned against drinking as a king?

  • What do verses 31:6–7 reveal about why some people drink excessively?

  • In what ways do we see alcohol (or other things like food, tech, drugs, Netflix, etc.) used as a way to escape reality?

  • When life feels overwhelming, where do you most naturally turn for comfort? What does that reveal about your heart?

3. The Gospel Perspective

Read Ephesians 5:1, 15–18.

  • What new identity does Paul remind Christians of before he addresses drunkenness?

  • How does being “filled with the Spirit” differ from being “filled with wine”?

  • How does the gospel give us a reason to embrace reality rather than escape it?

4. Application

  • Do you think your current relationship with alcohol is wise? Why or why not?

  • How might your drinking habits (or your abstinence) impact others in your community, family, or witness to Jesus?

  • If you sense that alcohol is becoming an unhealthy escape, what practical step could you take this week (e.g., a fast from alcohol, accountability, prayer, professional help)?

5. Prayer

  • Ask for wisdom and self-control in how we use alcohol (and all pleasures).

  • Pray for those caught in cycles of addiction—that they would find freedom in Christ.

  • Pray that as God’s children, we would live as people of light, not escapism.