The Meaning of the Nazirite Vow
"Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, "When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate himself to the LORD he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes. All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin. All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long. All the days of his separation to the LORD he shall not go near to a dead person."... 'Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them, "The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace." 'So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.'" (Numbers 6:1-6;23-27)
We read in Numbers 6 that if someone wished to consecrate himself to God, to make the vow of a Nazirite, he had to promise purity and separation concerning three things for a certain period of time. He was not to drink alcohol in any form. He was not to cut or shave his hair or beard. He was not to touch a corpse. In fact, the vow of a Nazirite was invalidated even if someone "accidentally" died in the Nazirite's presence. The man who would make such a vow had to realize that it is dangerous to live a life dedicated to God and to not take seriously the commands of God related to this vow. Clearly, we do not do God a favor by dedicating ourselves to Him, e.g. by choosing to be counselors, missionaries, or by voluntarily assuming an exceptionally sacrificial service. God warns us that in increased sanctity there is increased temptation for sin and - as it is more serious to abuse sanctity than indifferent things - that this kind of sin is more serious.
The Word presents three cases showing the seriousness and the majestic bearing of consecrating ourselves, in contrast with a possible breach of promise. We read that if someone broke his vow before the agreed time, he could not simply start over. First, he needed to present atonement in order to void the previous consecration and only then could he start all over again.
It is interesting in the second case that if someone died near the Nazirite, then that tragedy annulled the Nazirite's vow. It’s not as if the Nazirite had murdered the person! In that case, the requirement for an atoning sacrifice would be logical. In fact, we can say that it is the Lord of life and death who should be held responsible for that individual’s death, not the Nazirite. Therefore, it is God who should bear the person's death, yet it is the Nazirite who becomes unclean. Moreover, he must present propitiation for himself, as if he were a murderer.
If his judgment in righteousness is sophisticated, the Nazarite won’t take upon himself the "sin" and "responsibility" of God. But here is the secret. The Nazirite must love God so much that he is able to "forgive" God. He must love God so much that he is prepared to take upon himself the accusations against God and to carry His responsibility, as if not God, but the Nazirite himself had caused that person’s death. Being a Nazirite doesn’t suppose an ordinary consecration of one's life to God; therefore the challenge can’t be ordinary either.
The Word also regulates the expiration of the vow, in the third case described. The man consecrated to serving God must present sin and peace offerings as if he had broken his vow. Jesus referred to this: So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty." Luke 17:10.
Aaron's blessing crowns all the above. That it comes as a closure to the whole chapter is not a coincidence. After the consecration to serve God, the Lord's blessing can validate only one type of attitude in the ministry: the one who serves without wanting any reward realizes that the fact that God allows him to serve Him is a majestic reward in and of itself.
[LH, 2009]
We read in Numbers 6 that if someone wished to consecrate himself to God, to make the vow of a Nazirite, he had to promise purity and separation concerning three things for a certain period of time. He was not to drink alcohol in any form. He was not to cut or shave his hair or beard. He was not to touch a corpse. In fact, the vow of a Nazirite was invalidated even if someone "accidentally" died in the Nazirite's presence. The man who would make such a vow had to realize that it is dangerous to live a life dedicated to God and to not take seriously the commands of God related to this vow. Clearly, we do not do God a favor by dedicating ourselves to Him, e.g. by choosing to be counselors, missionaries, or by voluntarily assuming an exceptionally sacrificial service. God warns us that in increased sanctity there is increased temptation for sin and - as it is more serious to abuse sanctity than indifferent things - that this kind of sin is more serious.
The Word presents three cases showing the seriousness and the majestic bearing of consecrating ourselves, in contrast with a possible breach of promise. We read that if someone broke his vow before the agreed time, he could not simply start over. First, he needed to present atonement in order to void the previous consecration and only then could he start all over again.
It is interesting in the second case that if someone died near the Nazirite, then that tragedy annulled the Nazirite's vow. It’s not as if the Nazirite had murdered the person! In that case, the requirement for an atoning sacrifice would be logical. In fact, we can say that it is the Lord of life and death who should be held responsible for that individual’s death, not the Nazirite. Therefore, it is God who should bear the person's death, yet it is the Nazirite who becomes unclean. Moreover, he must present propitiation for himself, as if he were a murderer.
If his judgment in righteousness is sophisticated, the Nazarite won’t take upon himself the "sin" and "responsibility" of God. But here is the secret. The Nazirite must love God so much that he is able to "forgive" God. He must love God so much that he is prepared to take upon himself the accusations against God and to carry His responsibility, as if not God, but the Nazirite himself had caused that person’s death. Being a Nazirite doesn’t suppose an ordinary consecration of one's life to God; therefore the challenge can’t be ordinary either.
The Word also regulates the expiration of the vow, in the third case described. The man consecrated to serving God must present sin and peace offerings as if he had broken his vow. Jesus referred to this: So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty." Luke 17:10.
Aaron's blessing crowns all the above. That it comes as a closure to the whole chapter is not a coincidence. After the consecration to serve God, the Lord's blessing can validate only one type of attitude in the ministry: the one who serves without wanting any reward realizes that the fact that God allows him to serve Him is a majestic reward in and of itself.
[LH, 2009]
posted by CS at 2:22 PM
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