The Wealth of a Person

Jay Leno, the American comedian, owns over 180 cars and 160 motorcycles worth over $52 million. Opera Winfrey has three houses in California, one in Washington, one in Colorado, and a stunning 163-acre estate in Maui, Hawaii. American Airlines owns 913 planes, becoming the largest airline in the world. Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida, has 600,000 bottles of wine, the largest collection in the world! We can add to this many more billionaires and millionaires with extensive collections of artwork, land, property, etc.

Even in ancient days, one’s wealth was determined by the number of cows, sheep, goats, and camels s/he owned and by their collection of wine and shekhar (a fermented drink from grapes, stronger than wine and closer to brandy). Because of this, the law demanded that Aaron and his descendants, the priests, abstained from drinking wine and shekhar before they entered the tent of meeting to perform priestly duties (Lev 10:9). Further, they must not use their income from serving in the temple to collect cattle, sheep, wine and shekhar (Deut 14:26). Although abstaining from wine and shekhar was a stipulation for the priests while on duty and in commerce, God asked Samson’s mother to abstain from them (Judg 13:4). No others were asked to abstain from wine and shekhar, except for John. The Angel of the Lord said,

“He will not drink wine and shekhar, and the Holy Spirit will fill him from his mother’s womb.” (Luke 1:15b)

Zechariah, being the priest well-acquainted with the OT, would have immediately heard the parallel between Samson and John. Samson’s parents – Manoah and Mrs. Manoah – were childless (Judg 13:2). The Angel of the Lord appeared to Mrs. Manoah and promised her a son provided she abstained from drinking wine and shekhar (Judg 13:4, 7, 14). Unlike the mother, who was required to abstain from wine and shekhar, with Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John, the Angel of the Lord demanded that John abstain from them. In addition, God’s Holy Spirit would fill John from his birth in Elizabeth’s womb. This, too, reflected the spirit of YHWH stirring up Samson to fight the Philistines (Judg 13:25).

Both wine/shekhar and God’s Spirit have controlling effects on people. This was why Paul said, “Don’t let yourselves be drunk with wine . . . instead let yourselves be filled by the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). Instead of wine or shekhar controlling John’s life, God’s Spirit would direct him from the moment he was conceived in his mother’s womb.

John would bring joy to his parents and happiness to many of the Israelites (Luke 1:15a). But such tasks began with him being controlled by God’s Spirit rather than by wine and shekhar, a strong drink.

Even in our lives, we must let God’s spirit direct us instead of alcoholic drinks or other substances that misdirect our paths. Spirit-controlled Christians will speak to one another in psalms, hymns, odes, and spiritual odes from their hearts while thanking God for everything (Eph 5:19–20). May that be our true wealth!