The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-08-19
BEVERAGE ALCOHOL AND
THE COMMUNITY
International Sunday School Les
son for August 20, 1899
Golden Text: Woe unto
him that giveth his neighbor
drink" .-aabakkuk 2:ls.
Qesson Text: Joel 1:5-7; Daniel
5:1-5,l7,25-28

5.l-0, II, Z5-20
The lesson this week should be
of peculiar interest to two differ.
ent classes of people-those who
insist that what man drinks is
his own business, and, those who
realize that the life of a com.
munity is dependent upon and
ltied up with the actions and live:
Iof its individual private citizens
/ If it were true that only the
individual who drinks pays, Their
one might defend the contention
that drinking intoxicants is ones
own individual and personal bust
ness. But since experience has
] shown that not only the individ-
ual but the community and the
nation at large suffers because OF
| the sins of the individuals who
make UP the community and ma
ton, it becomes necessary for us
| to consider the question of bev-
erage alcohol as a community
and national problem.
The two Scripture passages are
very appropriate. The prophet
Joel draws a picture of ancient
Judah as the nation was caught
| in a terrible plague of locusts
The leaders of the people were Sc
drunk that they did not know
what was happening or that the
locusts were even destroying the
source of their drunkenness, and
therefore, they were unable to dc
anything to assist the people in
the tragedy that was Detailing
them.
The writer of the Book of Dan
liel describes a slightly different
kind of scene.
Belshazzar, inexactly described
as the King of Babylon, was be-
ing host at a great banquet given
for his mobiles. Probably drunk,
certainly careless, the king COM
manded his servants to bring the
sacred vessels of Jehovah which
had been brought from Jerusa-
lem to Babylon many years be-
fore. Contemptuously and mock
ingly, he served wine to his
guests.
In the midst of the wild rev.
Ielry, however, the king had a
strange vision. A hand appeared
and wrote on the wall the words
translated into our language,
meme. tekel, upharsin. Troubled
and awed, the king called for his
wise men to interpret the mag
ical formula, but this they were
unable to do. Then Daniel was
mentioned to the king and his
past performances recounted.
Whereupcn the king sent for
him, promising great honors and
wealth If he would interpret the
message.
Before interpreting the mean
ing of the mystic words, Daniel
reminded Belshazzar of his pre-
vious Interpretation of the dream
of Nebuchadnezzar and related
how when that great king had
been lifted up by his pride and
arrogance. God had deprived him
of his reason and caused him to
wander about the fields like q
wild beast until finally, when his
reason returned, ne realized how
foolish he had been and that God
ruled the earth.
Belshazzar had not profited by
this experience of his predecessor
hut had grown in pride and de-
bauchery until finally he had
used the vessels of the Lords
house to praise the false gods
which he worshipped.
Daniels Interpretation is given
lin verses 1928. Meme is very
similar to the Aramic word for
numbered, tekel suggests in
Aramaic the word weighed"
and parsin suggested divided
and Persian. Therefore, while
Daniel scorned the kings gifts,
he informed him that God had
numbered his kingdom, weighed
it in the balances, found it want
ing and had decreed that il
would be divided and given to
the Modes and Persians.
Belshazzar could not defy Je-
hovah and 60 unpublished. Mel
|ther can we today. Violations,
not only of the spiritual, but also
of the physical laws of God, will
inevitably be punished. History
49, 49,. -
I.------ -.