Numbers 6-May 3
Numbers 6 outlines instructions for those who take the Nazirite vow. The origin and purpose of the Nazirites is not totally understood today. Some scholars have suggested that the vow was made on behalf of a person or party by one who was asking God for answered prayer in the midst of distress (see Samson and Samuel’s story). In return for God’s gracious answer, the one making the request vows to either be set apart himself or to set apart the one for whom they are asking. Whether this was generally true or not, what is clear from the text is that the vow of the Nazirite was one of separation. In fact, the word “separate” is utilized 8 times in the first 8 verses of Numbers 6. This word is incredibly important as we study Numbers 6.
In fact, the same term translated “separation” in verse 7 is used in Leviticus 8:9 to refer to the high priest’s crown. While the relationship between these two entities may at first be hidden, further study yields the truth that both of these items (the hair of the Nazirite and the crown of the high priest) were to remind the people of each party’s dedication to the Lord. They were both to be visible signs of their dedication to God’s service. In short, the unkempt hair was to be the visible symbol of the internal reality, namely that serving the Lord was the priority of the Nazirites. It is because of the dedication to serving that the Nazirites were so intent on being separate. You cannot, and will not, serve the Lord faithfully if you are not separated from the draws and thoughts of this fallen world.
Like the Nazirites, Christians are called to be a holy people. Biblically, the term “holy” means set apart or separate. We are to be distinct from the world in which we live because we have a calling that is unique and righteous. While the Bible does not require us to show this difference in our physical appearance, it is replete with commands to separate ourselves from this lost world. 1 John 2:15 says “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Of course, John does not mean that we are not to love the people in the world, rather the term “world” is used to connote the corrupt and fallen systems and things offered to us as an allure as we journey through this life. Instead, believers are instructed not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).
As we walk with the Lord, pursuing Him in Bible study, prayer, and fellowship with other believers, we will be transformed by the truth of God’s Word. This truth will set us in stark contrast with the world. All of the sudden, we will no longer desire the fame, fortune, and perceived ease this world has to offer because we will look ahead to greater blessings as we live for the fame of our great and loving God. Our hope and belief is that this difference is much more noticeable and profound than the disheveled hair of the Nazirites. May we be a royal priesthood, a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9) that represents our great God well to those who need to know Him around us and may we be even more committed than the Nazirites in our service to God!