Nu. 6: The Nazirite Vow

No. I know what you’re thinking. It’s not rites for Nazis.

It seems that there were people in Israel…men and women…who wanted to take a vow of separation to the LORD as something called a Nazirite. This was a time of holiness that any person could undertake.

There were three ordinances for the Nazirite vow. The first is that during their time of the vow, which was apparently up to the vower, they had to abstain completely from any product of the vine, that is wine, fermented drink, wine vinegar, grape juice, grapes, raisins, or even the skins and seeds. Vineyards were very big back then, and it was probably harder than I think to abstain completely from the produce. This probably also prevented drunkenness for one, so that the vower didn’t blow the other two statutes.

The second was that the Nazirite could not allow a razor to his head. He had to grow long flowing locks of luscious hippie hair

Thirdly, the person could not be defiled by a dead body. Even it was someone from his own family, because of his time of separation and consecration unto God.

If someone did die in his presence, dude had to shave his head on the day of his cleansing, (You know, earlier in Leviticus, where if you touch a dead body, you needed a week of purification outside the camp) because the hair was now defiled. And then he needed to present a sin offering and a burnt offering to make atonement for that sin. Then the Nazirite had to make up the lost time to God,

When the time of separation is over for the Nazirite, he has to bring every kind of offering imaginable to the LORD at the Tent of Meeting. I call it the Premium Package. A year-old male lamb without defect (burnt), a year-old ewe lamb without defect (sin), ram without defect (fellowship), grain offerings, and drink offerings. Also a hair offering, as the hair that was dedicated to God must be burnt in the fire. Mmmm…burning hair. Then the priest has to wave a boiled ram shoulder, a cake and a wafer before the LORD.

I don’t know exactly what a wave offering is, like he just holds it up like a flag and waves it side to side or something? The Bible doesn’t detail the technique.

Then the Nazirite can drink wine again.

A Nazirite must be a special kind of person who consciously wanted to devote himself to the LORD for a period of time. I notice that women could do it, too. It seems rather easy at first blush…don’t drink wine, don’t cut your hair, and don’t touch a dead body. I’m doing that now. But it was also a conscious spiritual dedication of self to serve the LORD, to become consecrated to Him for a period of time.

The LORD then tells Moses how to bless the nation of Israel.

“The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
And the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.”

This will put God’s name on the Israelites. They will be His people. What a comforting blessing. To be kept by God, protected. To please Him and have Him be gracious to them and to give them peace. Israel could use a blessing like that.