PART TWO:
Elijah...Sandi here. (<--my name). 
Bondage to alcohol wreaks destruction on individuals and their families. Perhaps today there is not a single person who does not know of someone who has been destroyed or harmed, either directly or indirectly, by this menace. How many broken homes, ruined marriages, wrecked careers, fatal traffic accidents, and unhappy children can be traced to alcohol consumption? This is why Prohibition was enacted. However, if enough people want something, it generally becomes legal.
Good and Bad Wine
The differentiation between types of wine is also clearly delineated in the Bible. Even as there are different types of men (good and bad) and sacrifices (Abel made a good one, Cain made a bad one) there are different types of wine. Bad wine is always intoxicating and it is attributed to violence (Proverbs 4:17; 23:29-30), self-security and ungodliness (Isaiah 28:7; 56:12; Habakkuk 2:5), and is poisonous and destructive (Proverbs 23:31). It is also significantly emblematic of punishment and eternal ruin. (Revelation 14:10; 16:19, Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 25:15, etc.).
Conversely, good wine is to be presented to God at the altar as an offering to Him. (Numbers 18:12; Nehemiah 10:37,39; 13:5, 13). It is also referred to as part of the blessing and basic provisions of life. And of course good wine is emblematic of the blood of the atonement, whereby we receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal blessing – the opposite of the emblem of bad wine. (Matthew 26:26-28; 1Corinthians 10:16).
More specifically, we read of the contrast between the two types of wine regularly in Scripture. In Proverbs 20:1 we are told that "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." Could this then be the same wine that God promises to give to His people if they are obedient, of which we read in the following Scriptures?
"The Lord will answer and say to His people, ‘Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them…’" Joel 2:19 (NKJV)
"Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine." Proverbs 3:9-10 (NKJV)
Not only is it clear that two types of wine are spoken of here, it is also obvious that God would not give something that "is a mocker" as a blessing to His people. However, if there is any doubt regarding this, it is further confirmed by the fact that different words are used in the original Hebrew concerning wine. Although there are several, two are used predominantly and consistently to distinguish the wine that God gives to man, from the wine that man drinks which is not of God.
Yayin – Fermented Wine
The word which represents fermented wine is yayin. It literally means "to effervesce", or "winebibber", meaning a person who drinks a lot of wine. It is connected to the Hebrew word caba, which means "drunkard", or to drink heavily. Yayin is sometimes also used for the wine that Man offers to God, representing the "fermentation" or sin that is inherent in whatever we might give to God.
In studying words in the Bible, scholars find that the first mention of a word is generally quite significant, since it sets the tone for how the word is used in future contexts. Yayin is first used in Genesis, to describe the failure of Noah after the voyage in the ark was over and he and his family were again on dry land.
"Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent." Genesis 9:21 (NKJV)
The word is used the next time to describe a disgusting event with Lot and his daughters, in Genesis 19:35, "Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose." Throughout the Scriptures, this word continues to identify fermented wine, and is generally associated with sin and shame.
Tiyrowsh – The Unfermented Wine of God
Conversely, the word used for wine when it is a blessing from God is tiyrowsh (pronounced tee-roshe`), and it is usually used in conjunction with "new". BDB/Thayers, perhaps the most trustworthy and most widely used Hebrew dictionary for the Bible, defines this wine as "wine, fresh or new wine, must, freshly pressed wine". Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, page 1189, says: "The wine was sometimes preserved in its unfermented state and drunk as must…very likely the new wine was preserved in the state of must…" The first mention of this word is found in Genesis 27:28, where we read, "Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine." Throughout the rest of the Bible, it is generally called "new wine," as in Hosea 2:8, where we read, "For she did not know that I gave her grain, new wine, and oil…" Other Hebrew words used for wine are chamar, cobe, and aciyc. Cobe is a form of caba, and has a similar meaning. Chamar usually is related to human blood, and aciyc describes a sweet wine. However, these words are rarely used in the Word regarding wine – they represent less than five percent of the times wine is mentioned. Yayin and tiyrowsh, as previously noted, predominate. In the Greek, however, the same word is used for both types of wine.
The Legacy of Our Actions
When Israel had disobeyed God, God found an example of an obedient family to compare them to. The Rechabites had been forbidden to drink wine by their father, but God told Jeremiah to offer them some.
"Then I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, ‘Drink wine.’ But they said, ‘We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, "You shall drink no wine, you nor your sons, forever."’" Jeremiah 35:5-6 (NKJV)
Jonadab (also spelled Jehonadab) was a man of great moral integrity whom Jehu sought the company of to strengthen his kingship (See 2Kings 10:15). He would have been an ancestor of the tribe mentioned here, and one might wonder if their temperance might have seemed anachronistic. In other words, this group probably seemed legalistic and old-fashioned to most of Israel. But did God feel this way also? Did God say that it was wrong for Jonadab to have commanded his progeny to abstain from drinking, or that it was foolish for his descendants to honor this request of their long deceased relative? Not in the least. Rather, their obedience brought them a blessing.
"The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, which he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; for to this day they drink none, and obey their father's commandment…(19) therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever.' " Jeremiah 35:14, 19 (NKJV)
Many years ago a well-known author and Bible teacher appeared on Christian television and talked about drinking. He said in Bible college a friend told him that he had decided to be like John the Baptist and drink nothing alcoholic. This author replied to his friend that he would rather be like Jesus and drink wine. Afterwards, in a "coincidence" only God could arrange, another well-known Christian musician gave his personal testimony and stated how he had been blessed to grow up in a Christian home. However, when he was in college, several Christian friends convinced him that drinking was okay, and so he started with wine. Months later he became a complete alcoholic, drinking a fifth of liquor every day. This went on for over ten years, and led to other sins, until by God’s grace he was eventually delivered.
Whatever one might be convinced of regarding the meaning of the word wine, the fact cannot be escaped that the use of actual wine is a stumbling block to many. If we use it, our children according to the flesh, and our spiritual children and siblings, will be enticed to also try it. If Paul would never eat meat again if it caused his brother to stumble, would God not also prefer us to abstain from imbibing beverages that are proven to be the cause of a plethora of societal problems? Wisdom dictates that the use of alcohol can be a serious blot on the purity of the church, and a personal nightmare to those who rely on it.
We are admonished to be wise regarding alcohol, as we read, "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit." Ephesians 5:17-18
)