If the LORD has put the conviction upon to abstain from alcohol then by all means I would do such. And I agree with your perception that the 'fruit of the vine' in itself does not necessary indicate that it depicts a fermented drink. It could have several connotations.
However, the motivation to represent that 'the fruit of the vine" is not an fermented drink is obviously related to the passage in Matthew 2:23 "And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene."
If you can show where it was spoken by the prophets that "he shall be called a Nararene" that would really affirm your position yet I haven't found any reference to "Nazarene' except but in the Book of Numbers, chapter 6;
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:
3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.
4 All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.
5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no rasor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
However. they are other scriptures that represent some of the other possible connatations:
Song 7:1-10
7:1 How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.
2 Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.
3 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.
4 Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.
5 Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.
6 How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
7 This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.
8 I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;
9 And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.
10 I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.
Woe, I hope that is not too provocation for under aged readers. Then again there is the passage in Deuteronomy:
Deut 32:31-33
31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.
32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:
33 Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
Judg 13:13-16
13 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.
14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.
15 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.
16 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.
But the "fruit juice' excuse? I recall a quote from George Washington in which it held that it was better to offer no excuse than offer up a bad one. While as I stated that there are other connatations, if one was going to go with the 'fruit of the vine' being a drink, I would go with the water that came down from Heaven as referenced in Genesis 1:2, which water from heaven would be ice since the medium temperature -275 C which is real, real cold Fahrenheit. Put some legs under that walking on water claim too.
Yet the Biblical reference for term 'wine' is notated in Genesis 9:20-21: And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. However, likewise the connotation of Noah nakedness being uncovered in itself does not necessary represent that it referred unto his person being seen naked.
Then again, I have also heard of being drunk in the spirit too where one is so full of the word that just presume things from their imaginations which results in their deny the truth just to defend their faith, which speaks for itself.
However, the motivation to represent that 'the fruit of the vine" is not an fermented drink is obviously related to the passage in Matthew 2:23 "And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene."
If you can show where it was spoken by the prophets that "he shall be called a Nararene" that would really affirm your position yet I haven't found any reference to "Nazarene' except but in the Book of Numbers, chapter 6;
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:
3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.
4 All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.
5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no rasor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
However. they are other scriptures that represent some of the other possible connatations:
Song 7:1-10
7:1 How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.
2 Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.
3 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.
4 Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.
5 Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.
6 How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
7 This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.
8 I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;
9 And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.
10 I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.
Woe, I hope that is not too provocation for under aged readers. Then again there is the passage in Deuteronomy:
Deut 32:31-33
31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.
32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:
33 Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
Judg 13:13-16
13 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.
14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.
15 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.
16 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.
But the "fruit juice' excuse? I recall a quote from George Washington in which it held that it was better to offer no excuse than offer up a bad one. While as I stated that there are other connatations, if one was going to go with the 'fruit of the vine' being a drink, I would go with the water that came down from Heaven as referenced in Genesis 1:2, which water from heaven would be ice since the medium temperature -275 C which is real, real cold Fahrenheit. Put some legs under that walking on water claim too.
Yet the Biblical reference for term 'wine' is notated in Genesis 9:20-21: And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. However, likewise the connotation of Noah nakedness being uncovered in itself does not necessary represent that it referred unto his person being seen naked.
Then again, I have also heard of being drunk in the spirit too where one is so full of the word that just presume things from their imaginations which results in their deny the truth just to defend their faith, which speaks for itself.
