1
It’s the first mention in the Bible of drinking an alcoholic beverage—and right from the start, drinking in moderation proved to be a challenge. The man in question planted a vineyard. Then he decided to enjoy the wine he produced from his own grapes. Apparently he consumed too much, though, because next thing you know, he couldn’t find his pants. What was his name, and what natural disaster had he just survived?
2
What she wanted most in the world was her very own baby! Year after year, this young wife prayed, but year after year, nothing happened. (To make matters worse, her husband’s other wife was a veritable baby factory.) One year, when she was in the temple praying in great distress for a baby, the priest thought she was drunk. “Get rid of your wine,” he told her. What was her name?
3
A Nazirite was a person who vowed to abstain from certain things to show that he or she was set apart for God. On the no-no list for Nazirites was cutting of the hair, touching a corpse, and drinking wine. Samson might be the best known Nazirite (even though he failed his vows miserably). Who else was set apart as a Nazirite, and when?
4
Without a drug store down the street, people in Bible times prized the medicinal properties of wine. Which apostle told which disciple to “use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses”?
5
The Bible says that “wine maketh glad the heart of man” (Psalm 104:15). But there are plenty of admonitions not to overdo it. Filling up on wine, writes the Apostle Paul, “leads to debauchery.” A better choice, he advises, is to be filled with what?
6
On the question of what could possibly be better than a fine cabernet, the Bible says:
7
One of the most visionary leaders in Scripture started out his career as a wine steward for a king. Who was he?
8
Those fabulous Oscar parties can’t hold a martini to the lavish affairs hosted by King Xerxes of Persia. He once put on a royal reception that lasted six months. The grand finale was a week-long banquet in the palace garden, where his royal guests sat on couches made of silver and gold. The wine goblets were gold, too, and—as you’ve probably guessed—everyone could drink as much as they wanted. On the seventh day when King Xerxes was clearly under the influence, he sent a message to his wife commanding her to do something for his guests. What was her name, and what was she supposed to do?
9
What leading figure in Scripture was falsely accused of being a glutton and a winebibber?
10
