Isaiah 5:11

II. WOE TO PLEASURE-SEEKING; DISSIPATION

"Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that tarry late into the night, till wine inflame them. And the harp and the lute, the tabret, and the pipe, and wine, are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of Jehovah, neither have they considered the operation of his hands."

This is a perfect picture of the reveling, drunken, irresponsibility of countless persons in our own society today; and the ultimate consequences of it shall not be any less serious than those which overtook ancient Israel. The international news services carried a story over the airwaves the very day this is being written stating that, "At least 100,000 deaths every year are caused by the consumption of alcohol in the United States." America seems intent upon drowning themselves in alcohol.

Note also the part played by instruments of music in the reveling and dissipation of the people. It has always been this way; and from the earliest times, instruments of music have been associated with pagan worship, as when, for example, Nebuchadrezzar associated them with the worship of his golden image. The reason for this is visible in the current influence of "rock music" upon teenagers.