Title: We Are Nazarites (Numbers 6:1-12)
Content A person who consecrated himself and offered himself to God is called a 'Nazarite'. These people usually make a special vow (promise) to God, which is called 'the vow of the Nazarite' in the Bible.
Perhaps many Christians think that 'Nazirite' or 'Nazarite's vow' is only a special vow of special people recorded in the Bible.
However, if you read today's text, you can see that any Nazarite can be and that anyone can make such a vow to God.
God says that anyone among the children of Israel, male or female, can set aside his body and offer it to God. (Verse 2)
Those who wanted to become Nazarites had to follow three rules.
First, they had to abstain from wine and strong alcohol. However, if you read verse 3 carefully, you can see that this is not an emphasis on avoiding alcohol. God tells us not to eat grape juice or raw grapes or raisins. This is a rule that emphasizes the need to stay away from the customs of Canaan and the customs of other nations. Before the Israelites entered Canaan, there were Gentile peoples who had already settled in Canaan, and grapes were the main product for them. The purpose of the vow of the Nazarite is to set apart one's body and present it to God through a pure and holy life. That's why He said to stay away from wine and strong alcohol in the sense of avoiding the life of the Gentiles. Of course, it goes without saying that if you are close to alcohol, you will not be able to sanctify your own body.
Second, the razor was not to be put on the head. In the Leviticus Bible, people are supposed to shave their heads when they become unclean. So, growing your hair long without cutting it is a sign of your promise to keep your life chaste.
Third, we had to stay away from the body. Even if their parents, brothers, or sisters are dead, they are told not to come near the body. 'The vow of the Nazarite' is a promise with God. These words teach us that a promise to God and a vow made before God are far more important than human responsibilities and positions.
If you make a vow as a Nazarite, you can see from the text that a certain period is fixed. (Verses 4, 5, 12) Of course, there are people in the Bible who have lived as Nazarites all their lives. Such is the case with people like Samson and Samuel. However, even those who lived as Nazirites for the rest of their lives made their vows for the rest of their lives, and most people set a short period of time to consecrate their bodies to God during that period.
As we meditate on today's text, we also feel that we must become Nazarites sometimes.
It is to set aside a certain period of time and sanctify my own body, mind, and time to give it to God. Early morning prayer, family worship, fasting prayer, short-term missionary work, etc... Set a certain period for a special relationship with God and a holy life, make a vow before God, and give yourself.
God wants everyone, young and old, to be a Nazarite.
He wants you to separate yourself as a Nazarite and come to a holy life.
How about living as a 'Nazarite' by sanctifying our body, mind, time, and material for God's sake, even today?