March 1, 2021
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Numbers? Here’s today’s reading:
Numbers 6 (NIV)
The Nazirite
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite,........Continue Reading
The meaning of Nazarite is “set apart” and while Jesus’ sacrifice set us apart here we see people making extensive steps to become a Nazarite to be closer to God.
The blessing at the end is so amazing and powerful and meant from God to ALL of us.
Numbers 6
Numbers 6
Not sure if I could do this here but I have a question for Pastor Peter. Can we claim the following verse for ourselves or is this something that is specific only for the Israelites?The Lordbless you
and keep you;
25the Lordmake his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26the Lordturn his face toward you
and give you peace.” ’
Hey Jill. Good to see you reading along and commenting. I think they are sentiments that God has towards His people, whether those of Abraham or of Christ. And although it is not reiterated specifically in the New Testament, the concepts of God seeking to be close to us, and being gracious to us and keeping us in mind and giving us peace are.
Couldn’t help but think of John the Baptist. As a Nazarite. Certainly one set apart. And it was easily noticeable from his outward appearance. Made me question myself. Do I want people to know I have been separated for God. Or be like a Nazarite Pharisee. Looking for praises from men instead of God
That’s the first time I had read about the Nazirite Vow, it was quite ritualistic, but they wanted to be closer to God and devoted to God, so they would do what was expected of them.
Reading this chapter made me think of two things. First, of all things God could require of us and the people of this time, it is interesting that He makes taking this vow a choice. Naturally all the law is a choice as well, but to say that these things would not be required of all Israelites, but only those who wanted to. What an expression of the grace of God and the free will of man in operation. And second, of course God is worthy of this as well as any sacrifice we would make on His behalf. It causes me to think of what I might sacrifice for Him, but not out of legalism or recognition, but of grace and appreciation. If some would be willing to do this under the law, how much more would we do it under grace.
There were also a couple of items of curiosity….one is that the item of dedication was the hair. The second was they could drink wine after they performed there vow but the way I read it could still not eat grapes….
Numbers 6
I have always wondered what is a Nazirite vow. I thought it was required specifically by some people group that served in some capacity. It is interesting to read about it being a volunteer vow of commitment. This supports that man can pursue God in mind and body of his own free will. In this particular case, it is a level of sacrificial commitment beyond that of other Israelites.
I liken it to fasting, where one voluntarily refrains from eating to focus on the Lord usually with a desired purpose. I used to find fasting distracting from the pursuit of God; I would just become “hangry.” Once I learned how different foods affect me and the sudden withdrawal of that food, I was able to fast at length and realized that fasting actually clears the mind, making it conducive to focusing on God and prayer.
1The Lord said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, 3they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.
5“ ‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.
Numbers 6