Life with a Purpose - The Law of the Nazarite (Numbers 6)

Michael Hardt

Translated from the German ("Leben mit Ziel") 

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Contents

Foreword

Introduction

What is a ‘Nazarite’?

Various perspectives

The law of the Nazarite and its place in the book of Numbers

The structure of Numbers 6

Part 1: The characteristics of the Nazarite (ch. 6 vs. 1–8)

The vow (6:1–2)

Abstinence from the fruit of the vine (6:3.4)

Allowing the hair to grow (6:5)

No contact with death (6:6, 7)

Holiness (6:8)

Part 2: Breaking the vow (ch. 6 vs. 9–12)

The consequences (6:9)

The offerings (6:10, 11)

A fresh start (6:12)

A yearling lamb for a trespass offering 

Part 3: The fulfilment of the days of consecration (ch. 6 vs. 13–20)

The law of the Nazarite (6:13)

The burnt-offering and the sin-offering (6:14a)

The peace-offering (6:14b)

The meal-offering (6:15)

The drink-offering (6:15b)

The presentation of the sacrifices (6:15b)

The head of his consecration (6:18)

The ram’s shoulder (6:19)

The wave-offering and the heave-offering (6:20) 

The ensuing joy (6:20b)

Summary (6:21)

Part 4: The blessing (ch. 6 vs. 22–27)

The context of the blessing (6:22)

The priesthood as a channel of blessing (6:23)

God, the One who gives the blessing (6:24a)

Part 5: Some examples 

Part 6: Nazariteship today

What it does not mean

The true significance for Christians

A personal question

Bibliography

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Foreword

Life with a purpose is a subject that affects all who have given their life to Jesus Christ and now wish to follow Him.

This book by Michael Hardt seeks to motivate, encourage and even rouse such persons. Paul writes to the believers in Galatia: ‘No longer live I, but Christ lives in me; but in that I now live in flesh, I live by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me’ (Gal. 2:20). To the believers in Philippi Paul writes: ‘For me to live is Christ’ (Phil. 1:21). His encounter with the glorified Lord changed his life completely from one day to the next. What he experienced for himself, he passed on to others. He tells us: ‘Ye have been bought with a price, glorify now then God in your body’ (1 Cor. 6:20).

Michael Hardt uses the instructions for the Nazarite in the Old Testament to make the subject ‘Consecration to God’ practical and tangible for us today. At that time a Nazarite was one who voluntarily dedicated his life to the Lord, putting himself at His service. The biblical text is not only explained from a number of different angles but also applied to believers today. Yet it is not a matter of rules and commandments for us, but a matter of leading lives to glorify God – out of love to Him. Every one of us should be a ‘Nazarite’, spiritually speaking, and live for God.

Being a Nazarite in those days meant abstaining from certain things. At the same time, it was a blessing and a joy to undertake. This has not changed to the present day. The author writes in one passage: ‘In the measure in which we are prepared to renounce things, we shall notice that the Lord grants us more joy than we could ever get from earthly things.’ Jim Elliot once remarked, quite rightly, that whoever surrenders what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose is no fool. A pathway of dedication to our Lord is always a pathway of blessing.

The book is clearly structured, which simplifies reading and comprehension. Part 1 deals with the characteristics of a Nazarite, part 2 is concerned with a broken vow, part 3 treats the fulfilment of the vow and the sacrifices associated with it. Part 4 speaks of the blessing connected with consecration to God. Part 5 gives examples of persons whose lives showed clear traits of a Nazarite. Part 6 is entitled ‘Nazariteship today’ and draws important conclusions.

The author has succeeded, above all, in warming the readers’ hearts for the One whom we wish to follow, our Lord and Saviour. Again and again we find indications of the One who revealed perfectly in His life what God’s actual intention was in giving His people the instructions for the Nazarite. Christ is the supreme example for us. None has lived to honour God as He did. His example remains unequalled. Nevertheless, it points the way for us.

It is my wish that the Lord will make this work profitable and a blessing for all who read it prayerfully, and that it will motivate us anew to live to God’s glory in everyday life.

Wetter, August 2014, Ernst-August Bremicker 

Note: Quotations from the Bible have been taken from the J N Darby translation of 1889. This translation has been chosen for reasons of accuracy in the reproduction of the original Hebrew and Greek texts. Readers who are not familiar with this translation are encouraged to consult the translation of the Bible with which they are familiar simultaneously in order to compare the two versions.

Introduction

What is a Nazarite?

The designation ‘Nazarite’ (or Nazirite[1]) virtually means ‘one separate’. Nazarites were persons who had separated themselves for God in order to live for Him. We read of them in Numbers 6. This chapter is extremely interesting, not merely from the historical or prophetic viewpoint, but also for our Christian life today. It is also especially noteworthy, because in the light of this chapter we can become better acquainted with our Lord.

The chapter deals with those of the people of Israel whose wish it was to separate themselves for God for a definite period of time. Such were not to consume any products from grapes, nor cut their hair, nor touch a corpse. If a Nazarite failed in any one of these three points, he had to make a sacrifice and cut off all his hair. Afterwards he could make a fresh start. If, on the other hand, he stayed the course to the end of the period of separation, then came the day of ‘fulfilment’. He could then bring God an offering, this time, however, a peace offering (which speaks of fellowship) was included, and the Nazarite laid his hair that had grown during the time of consecration on the altar. The rest of the chapter then describes a particular blessing that Aaron pronounced.

Various perspectives

This chapter can be considered from a variety of viewpoints.

1. First, this chapter presents the special case of an Israelite, who made the vow of a Nazarite in Old Testament times (the literal historical sense).
2. Then the Nazarite is an illustration of what Israel should have been (the prophetic sense).
3. In addition, many fitting applications can be made today regarding believers and regarding the history of the Christian church.
4. However, the most apt interpretation results from considering the Lord Jesus as the Nazarite. He was truly the Person who without interruption led His life on earth in perfect devotion to His God and is now sanctified in glory (cf. John 17:19).

In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, we will not consider the chapter four times in succession, each time from one of the above standpoints. It seems better to treat the chapter verse by verse, examining one or more of these viewpoints in the process. Readers will themselves easily recognize which aspect is then in the foreground. But first we shall briefly discuss these four viewpoints.

The historical aspect: The Nazarite in history 

The law of the Nazarite was one of the instructions that God had given His people Israel. Christian believers, of course, are not under the law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14). For the Israelite, however, the ‘law of the Nazarite’ applied literally (Num. 6:13, 21), as long as they had taken the Nazarite vow. 

The Bible mentions different Nazarites in the history of the people of Israel. The best known is no doubt Samson (Jdg. 13:5). Then Nazarites are mentioned in Amos 2:11.12. 

Apart from these references some expositors consider the following also to be Nazarites:

Samuel (1 Sam. 1:11, 27, 28), John the Baptist (Luke 1:15), Paul (Acts 18:18). Amasiah (2 Chron. 17:16), Jeremiah and the Rechabites (Jer. 35). These cases, and also the question of whether the passage in Lamentations (ch.4:7, 8) refers to Nazarites or princes, will be dealt with in Part 5 (‘Some examples’).

All these cases, nevertheless, have one thing in common: a certain defect – either through breaking the vow or through lack of completeness. We do not meet the true Nazarite until the ‘fulness of times’ (Galatians 4:4) ‘at the end of these days’ (Hebrews 1:1) in Christ. He was the perfect Nazarite, not outwardly, but in His heart.

The prophetic aspect: Israel as the Nazarite

Israel had been separated from all other peoples by God (Lev. 20:24, 26; Num. 23:9; Deut. 33:28).  The nation was to belong to Him and be consecrated to Him. As it happened, Israel forfeited its separation unto God very soon, so that, in the words of Numbers 6:9 it ‘defiled the head of its consecration’. We read of the worship of the golden calf, of failure in the wilderness, of their wish for a king ‘like all the nations’. They regularly turned to idolatry, and finally they killed the One who had come to be their Saviour and Messiah.

For this reason, Israel has been set aside. Up to the present day a veil has been on their eyes and their hearts, which prevents them from recognizing the Lord Jesus as their promised Messiah. ‘Their thoughts have been darkened, for unto this day the same veil remains in reading the old covenant, unremoved, which in Christ is annulled. But unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil lies upon their heart. But when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away.’

When the church age has passed, i.e. after the rapture, a time will come in which God will lead a minority of the people of Israel (the ‘remnant’, Rom. 9:27; 11:5), to a confession of their failure, especially regarding the crucifixion of the Son of God, who had come as their Messiah (Isa. 53).

This remnant will then, figuratively speaking, renew the vow of the Nazarite. We shall see how the law of the Nazarite has made provision expressly for this case (Num. 6:9), granting them the possibility that they can again be ‘consecrated to Jehovah’ (Num. 6:12). Finally, this remnant will then ‘drink wine’, i.e. enter into the joy of the millennium (Mt. 25:34). Then the people will be devoted to the Lord. They ‘shall be willing in the day of thy power’ (Ps. 110:3). However, in order for this to be brought about an offering was required (vs. 11, 12). It is solely on the ground of Christ’s sacrifice that this remnant can be given the opportunity to separate itself for God and enter into His joy, of which the wine speaks (v. 20), and experience God’s blessing (vs. 23–27). Thus, through God’s infinite grace and wisdom, the death of Christ, by which Israel had been defiled, will become the basis of their acceptance.

When we ponder these things, we shall exclaim with Paul: ‘O depth of riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable his judgments, and untraceable his ways!’ (Rom. 11:33).

The practical application of Christians as Nazarites

Can and should Christians also be Nazarites? Not in the literal sense by taking the three characteristics of the Nazarite as they stand in Numbers 6. Christians are under grace, not under the law (Rom. 6:14). They have the body, the real thing, not just the shadow (Col. 2:17).

As Christians we should, however, live lives of dedication to God – if we fail to do so, who will? In this sense the offer, ‘if a man or a woman have vowed’ still stands. Not that we should make a vow for this or any other purpose. But purpose of heart to live for the Lord is the only fitting response to what He has done for us. The following scriptures underline this:

‘I am crucified with Christ, and no longer live I, but Christ lives in me; but in that I now live in flesh, I live by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me’ (Gal. 2:20).

‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the compassion of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your intelligent service. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God’ (Rom. 12:1, 2).   

‘And he died for all, that they who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who died for them and has been raised’ (2 Cor. 5:15).

These verses express fittingly what motivates the Christian Nazarite. It is gratitude towards the Lord Jesus, who gave Himself for him. The best example of a Christian, who lived in the attitude of a Nazarite was surely the apostle Paul, who exclaimed:

‘What things were gain to me these I counted, on account of Christ, loss. But surely I count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all and count them to be filth, that I may gain Christ’ (Phil. 3:7, 8).

This is neither extremism nor legalism. Nor is it asceticism. Asceticism indeed signifies abstinence, but with the aim of attaining a higher position before God. For Christians that is neither possible nor necessary: they already have the highest position before God. They have been made acceptable in Christ (Eph. 1:6). It is rather the response of a heart that is so filled with the glory of the Lord Jesus that everything else loses its value and attraction.

Nazariteship and church history

If we look into the age of the Christian church – by this we mean the time between Pentecost and the rapture – we can easily recognize the character of the Nazarite in the time of the beginning: the history of the early church in Acts chapters 2–4 shows that there was genuine devotion at the time and that believers lived for God.

Whenever evil arose among believers, it was judged immediately (Acts 5). Unbelievers would not even dare to mix in with believers (Acts 5:13). The fellowship of believers was a joy they experienced (Acts 2:42), they were one ‘heart and soul’ and helped the poor (Acts 4:32, 35).

But it was not long before failure became evident. Already in Acts 5 we find hypocrisy, then in Acts 6 dissatisfaction. However, in both cases the evil was dealt with effectively.

Some years later it had to be said of the church in Ephesus, which, as is well known, stands for the first phase of the Christian church, that it had left its ‘first love’ (Revelation 2:4, 5). It was even ordered to repent and return, so as to renew its dedication, so to speak. 

In the course of time, and particularly in the past decades, the thought of separation from evil unto God has been more or less abandoned, if not completely. The modern currents of tolerance are influencing this tendency clearly and strongly.

Happily, there have always been times in the history of the Christian church when people consciously consecrated themselves anew to the Lord, re-discovering His glories and acknowledging His rights. To a certain extent, this was the case during the Reformation in the 16th century, and then also in the early 19th century, a period spoken of prophetically in the letter to Philadelphia[2]. It was a time of marked by special consecration to the Lord.

Christ: God’s true Nazarite

When we designate the Lord Jesus as the true Nazarite, we do not mean that He literally took the vow of a Nazarite, or literally had the characteristics of a Nazarite. We do not read, for example, that He refrained from drinking wine. He said Himself: ‘John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and ye say, He has a demon. The Son of man has come eating and drinking, and ye say, Behold, an eater and wine-drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners’ (Luke 7:33, 34). In Matthew 26:29 it says: ‘I say to you that I will not at all drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father.’ 

But in the figurative or spiritual sense the Lord showed perfectly that He renounced natural, absolutely legitimate, joys on account of His devotion to His Father.

Similarly, in the matter of touching corpses, it is not a question of literal fulfilment. So we read in Mark 5:41: ‘Having laid hold of the hand of the child, he says to her, Talitha koumi, which is, interpreted, Damsel, I say to thee, Arise.’ Seen spiritually, the Lord Jesus was completely separate from death, for death speaks of sin and its consequences (Rom. 6:23).

Nor was the cutting of the hair a case of literal fulfilment concerning, but of spiritual significance, i.e. that, as a Man, the Lord Jesus was perfectly subject to His God and Father.

Morally the Lord Jesus is therefore the perfect Nazarite, the One separated unto God. He could say, ‘I was cast upon thee from the womb; thou art my God from my mother’s belly’ (Ps. 22:10). In His entire life on earth He was, as the true Joseph, ‘separated from his brethren’ (Gen. 49:26). David gave a prophetic testimony of Christ, the perfect Nazarite, and His consecration to God: ‘Behold, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me – to do thy good pleasure, my God, is my delight, and thy law is within my heart’ (Ps. 40:7, 8). Such dedication knows neither limits nor exceptions. It lasted to the point of death, even the death of the cross: ‘Having been found in figure as a man, (he) humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of the cross’ (Phil. 2:8). He was ‘the holy one of God’ during His entire life on earth (John 6:69). Yet even after returning to His Father He sanctified Himself for His own: ‘I sanctify myself for them, that they also may be sanctified by truth’ (John 17:19). As our High Priest today He is thus still ‘holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners’ (Heb. 7:26).

The Law of the Nazarite and its place in the book of Numbers

At first glance it may not be clear to every reader of the Bible why we find the law of the Nazarite in the book of Numbers. Some may have expected to find it together with the precepts of the law in Exodus. Yet the law of the Nazarite ‘fits’ exactly in Numbers, precisely where it stands.  God is always right!

Numbers begins with the words: ‘And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness’ (Num. 1:1). Accordingly, the Jews called the fourth book of Moses ‘Be-Midbar’, which means ‘in the wilderness’. This title is very apposite for the character of this book, which shows us the way of the people of Israel in the wilderness.

Nazariteship is a matter for the wilderness. When the journey ends, there is no further need for renunciation, nor any defilement. Once the days of the Nazarite are fulfilled, then, it says, ‘afterwards the Nazarite may drink wine’ (Num. 6:20).

Incidentally, the same applies to other precepts that at first sight appear untoward in Numbers and interrupt the report of the journey, as it were. To give just two examples:

1. In chapter 15 sacrifices are described that the people of Israel were to make after arriving in the land of Canaan. At first sight one might have supposed these sacrifices to be placed in Leviticus – yet they belong suitably to this very passage. In chapters 13 and 14 we read of the failure of the spies (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb) and of the people’s unbelief. So God has to tell them: ‘Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness’ (Num. 14:32). Some scorned this judgment and attempted to take possession of the land in their own strength – only to be defeated by the Amalekites and Canaanites (Num. 14:40–45). At the end of chapter 14 the reader wonders whether all is lost. But the precepts of chapter 15 give the answer to this very query: ‘When ye come into the land of your dwellings, which I give unto you, and will make an offering by fire to Jehovah, a burnt offering or a sacrifice ...’ (Num. 15:2, 3). God’s plan would be fulfilled. Even if He had to deal severely, He would nevertheless bring His people into the land, and they would sacrifice to Him.
2.   In chapter 19 we find the offering of the red heifer to cleanse defilement. These precepts, too, might have been expected in Leviticus, where many other offerings are described. Looking more closely we ascertain, however, that they are appropriate in Numbers: it is a matter of a sacrifice to meet cases of defilement occurring on the wilderness journey.

So it is, also, with the law of the Nazarite in chapter 6. The first ten chapters contain the preparatory precepts, and the actual wilderness journey starts at the end of chapter 10: ‘And they set forward’ (Num. 10:33). 

The first five chapters deal with the following subjects: 

• Numbers 1: the numbering of the tribes (apart from Levi)
• Numbers 2: the arrangement of the camp
• Numbers 3–4: the numbering and service of the Levites
• Numbers 5: the law of jealousy

First of all, God’s order concerning the tribes’ position in the camp, then the Levites’ and their different families’ duties are laid down. Then follows the law of jealousy. Interestingly enough, this precedes the law of the Nazarite. The law of jealousy deals with the case of a man who is jealous of his wife, since he doubts her continuing affection for him. Here we must remember that the husband’s jealousy concerns that to which he has a legitimate claim: his wife’s affection. It was the same with Israel: their affection was to be towards God, but in this respect they had failed (cf. Ex. 20:5; 34:14; Deut. 4:24; 5:9; 6:15; Josh. 24:19). The self-same principle applies to Christians today: or ‘do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?’ (1 Cor. 10:22).

Through the sad case of the woman with whom the question of unfaithfulness and consequently that of failure in her devotion arose, there follows the law of the Nazarite, who voluntarily makes a vow to live wholly for his God. The question of unfaithfulness would soon arise in Israel’s case. But then Christ, the true Nazarite, would come. And finally Israel would have the opportunity to renew their vow.

How fitting it is that this chapter ends with a special blessing. If God’s order is heeded (chs. 1–4), if the camp is cleared of defilement, and any lack of faithfulness dealt with (ch. 5), and if there is a full measure of consecration to the Lord (ch. 6), a rich blessing can be pronounced.

The structure of Numbers 6 

The main part of this chapter can be clearly divided into three sections, followed by a closing section containing a blessing to be pronounced on the people:

• verses 1–8 (main part): the three characteristics of the Nazarite
• verses 9–12: the case of the time of consecration being interrupted
• verses 13–21: the fulfilment of the days of separation
• verses 22–27 (appendix): the blessing for the people.

It is interesting that, strictly speaking, only the third section, which deals with the fulfilment of the vow, is designated as ‘the law of the Nazarite’ (Num. 6:13, 21). This may indicate that the case on an interruption of the time of consecration is neither desirable nor necessary – and in the case of the true Nazarite, Christ, there was no interruption but only fulfilment. 

The chapter closes with the blessing that Aaron was to pronounce on the people.

Part 1:  The characteristics of a Nazarite (ch. 6 vs. 1–8)

The vow (6:1–2)

‘And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If a man of a woman have vowed the special vow of a Nazarite to consecrate themselves to Jehovah ...’

The first eight verses of this chapter set out the characteristics of a Nazarite. Verses 1 and 2 deal with the vow itself and verses 3 to 8 show the content and the consequences respectively of such a vow.

The voluntary nature 

In the first verse God speaks to Moses. He had already done so in order to give instructions concerning the numbering of the people (Num. 1:1) and the order of the tribes in the camp (Num. 2:1) and also regarding the tribe of Levi. Moses was to have this tribe brought near so as to appoint them to their particular ministry: ‘Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him’ (Num. 3:5, 6). Then God had spoken to give instructions with regard to the families of the tribe of Levi. The Kohathites, the Gershonites and the sons of Merari were each appointed to undertake certain duties (Num. 4:4, 24, 33). God had reserved the priesthood for Aaron and his sons. In our verse, however, God does not speak about one tribe or family; His words concern an individual: ‘If a man or a woman ...’

God thus gave every Israelite the possibility of consecrating himself or herself in this way. It was not necessary to belong to a particular tribe or family. The only thing needed was a heartfelt decision to place oneself voluntarily in the service of God, to separate oneself unto Him and live for Him.

Even under the law God sought hearts that would voluntarily do or give something for Him. It had not been otherwise with the offerings: whereas some offerings (the sin offering and the trespass offering) had to be brought under certain circumstances, Leviticus 1 indicates that an Israelite might want to bring a burnt offering for God voluntarily: ‘When any man of you presenteth an offering to Jehovah ...’ (Lev. 1:1, 2). If God sought voluntary sacrifices (Leviticus 1) and voluntary consecration (Num. 6) among His earthly people at that time, how much more among Christian believers today, who have been granted a perfect revelation of God’s love in His Son!

One should not deduce from this that devotion is an optional matter for Christians, a kind of ‘extra’ that can be dispensed with at will. Among the people of Israel, the Nazarite was indeed a special case. An Israelite would not break the law if he decided against taking the Nazarite vow. For Christians dedication is not an option; it is something we are called upon to do. But the attitude in which we wish to live for the Lord should be voluntary, not one of a legal sense of duty in endeavouring to live for God in one’s own strength – such efforts can only fail (Rom. 7).

The vow

Vows are not a characteristic of the age of grace in which we live, but of the age preceding it. Interestingly, we encounter the first vow with Jacob – whose life foreshadows Israel – in God’s upbringing and discipline. ‘And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and keep me on this road that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and a garment to put on, and I come again to my father’s house in peace – then shall Jehovah be my God’ (Gen. 28:20, 21). Poor Jacob! God had just appeared to him and given him unconditional promises in which He repeatedly said, ‘I will’: ‘I will give, I will keep, I will bring thee again, I will not leave thee’ (Gen. 28:13–15). But in taking a vow, Jacob stands on legal ground.

So it was, too, with Israel. They had said: ‘All that Jehovah has spoken will we do’ (Ex. 19:8; 24:3, 7). But it was not long before Israel proved that they did not have the strength to fulfil this vow.

If, however, the Word of God makes provision for vows, as in our chapter, we need to realise that the law is not at fault if vows (or even the law itself) are broken; it is because of the weakness of natural man (Rom. 7:18; 8:3).

The only two passages in the New Testament where vows are mentioned are both to be found in Acts (chs. 18:18 and 21:23). Closer study will show that these vows were exceptions rather than the rule. In the epistles vows are no longer mentioned.

Nevertheless, we can ‘with purpose of heart ... abide with the Lord’ (Acts 11:23) and live for Him out of gratitude (Gal. 2:19, 20).

A man or a woman 

Verse 2 states: ‘If a man or a woman have vowed’. The offer is open to everyone. We have already seen that it is not a question of descent. Equally, it has nothing to do with ability or talent. Nazariteship in Israel was a matter for anyone who had this wish. Consecration today is also something that applies to every Christian.

It is noticeable that this verse is in the singular: a man or a woman. In principle, everyone could do so, of course, yet it was a purely personal matter.

Consecration and separation

Two aspects are pinpointed, consecration and separation, a distinction that is unfortunately disregarded in some translations: ‘If a man or a woman have vowed ... to consecrate themselves to Jehovah; he shall separate himself.’

The word for ‘consecrate’ (Hebr. pala) has, at first sight, an astonishing variety of translations: ‘wonderful’ (Gen. 18:14; Deut. 28:59), ‘wondrously’ (Jdg. 18:19), ‘wonder’ (Ex. 3:20), ‘marvel’ (Ex. 34:10), ‘miracle’ (Jdg. 6:13), ‘accomplish’ (Lev. 22:21), ‘too hard’ (Deut. 17:8). Yet with reference to our passage all these expressions point in the right direction: it was dealing with a special way of life, something that might be regarded as ‘wonderful’ or ‘too hard’, something out of the ordinary. How perfectly it applies to Christ, the true Nazarite! His consecration to God was indeed ‘wonderful’, so that heaven opened over Him, and God proclaimed that He had found all His delight in Him (Mt. 3:17).

The word ‘separate’ (Hebr. nasar), on the other hand, expresses the precise content of the vow: separation unto God (Num. 6:4). It occurs 10 times in the Old Testament, five of them in Numbers 6 (vv. 2, 3, 5, 6 & 12) and signifies ‘keeping away from’, ‘setting aside’, ‘separating’ or ‘consecrating‘. The other five passages are: Leviticus 15:31; 22, 2; Ezekiel 14:7; Hosea 9:10; Zechariah 7:3.

The Nazarite separated himself, not only from things that could defile him, but also from the very best things of nature. We should acknowledge the good in what God has created (1 Tim. 1:1–4). But as Christians we also know a power that raises us above natural things.

It is noticeable that the verse says ‘to Jehovah’. The positive aspect is stressed first. The objective (for God) must be clear at the outset, then much can be renounced or foregone voluntarily. We need to have Christ our Lord before us and ‘go forth to him’. If we are drawn by Him, we, too, can bear ‘his reproach’ (Heb. 13:13).

This principle is also found in 2 Corinthians 6: in the first place God speaks of the privilege of being God’s temple: ‘For ye are the living God’s temple, according as God has said, I will dwell among them, and walk among them, and they shall be to me a people’ (2 Cor. 6:16). Only after that does He speak of the responsibility that ensues from it: ‘Wherefore come out from the midst of them, and be separated, saith the Lord’ (2 Cor. 6:17).

A Nazarite

The expression ‘Nazarite’ is derived from a Hebrew verb (‘nasar’), which means ‘to separate’. ‘Nazarite’ therefore takes on the meaning of ‘a separated one’.

Interestingly enough, the first occurrence of this word – which occurs 16 times altogether in the Old Testament – relates to Joseph, ‘him that was separated from his brethren’ (Gen. 49:26; Deut. 33:16). Joseph was, of course, not a Nazarite in its proper meaning, for the law had not yet been given. However, this example provides a very fitting illustration of what separation is actually about: it is not separation as an end in itself, nor even a pharisaical, carnal separation (Isa. 65:5; Jude 19; Prov. 18:1). It was rather a matter of separating from his brothers who spoke evil of their father (Gen. 37:2). Joseph stood clearly on his father’s side. The untroubled relationship that he had with his father made it impossible for him to make common cause with his brothers in this matter.

Apart from two passages in Leviticus 25 that refer to the vine[3], the word occurs 12 times in the following connections:

• Numbers 6: six times (6:2, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21)
• Judges: three times in connection with Samson (13:5, 7; 16:17)
• Lamentations: once (4:7)
• Amos: twice (2:11, 12).

In these 12 passages the word is also translated ‘Nazarite’. A footnote in the J N Darby translation of the Bible gives ‘princes’ as an alternative version (we will come back to this verse in the chapter entitled ‘Some examples’).

The basic thought of Nazariteship was, in any case, consecration or dedication, positive separation for or unto God: ‘for Jehovah’ (cf. v.6).

The Lord Jesus gave evidence of His separation to God already as a 12 year-old boy, when He was in the temple ‘sitting in the midst of the teachers and hearing them and asking them questions’ (Luke 2:46). Mary and Joseph had not imagined finding Him there, but for Him it was the only fitting place: ‘Did ye not know that I ought to be occupied in my Father’s business?’ (Luke 2:49). He was subject to His God and went His pathway trusting in Him and in devotion to Him. This was his attitude right from the beginning: ‘I was cast upon thee from the womb; thou art my God from my mother’s belly’ (Ps. 22:10). Such positive separation to God was the motivating force. Separation from sinners and from His people who had departed from God was the result (Ps. 69:8, 9).

Abstinence from the fruit of the vine (6:3, 4)

‘He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink: he shall drink no vinegar of wine, nor vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat grapes fresh or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine, from the seed-stones even to the skin’ (6:3, 4).

In verse 3 we come to the conseq        uences and the actual content of the vow respectively. When someone made this Nazarite vow (v.2), he had to abstain from three things, from all the fruit of the vine and, as we shall see, from cutting his hair and physical contact with the dead.

In the first instance, abstinence from everything that came from the vine is named:

• wine
• strong drink 
• vinegar from wine
• vinegar from strong drink
• grape juice
• fresh grapes
• dried grapes

As we know from Jotham’s parable in Judges 9, the olive tree speaks of fatness (Jdg. 9:8, 9), the fig tree of sweetness (9:11) and the vine of joy: ‘Should I leave my new vine, which cheers God and man?’ (9:13). Wine therefore speaks of joy: for God in the drink offering, and for mankind (Ps. 104:15).

Evidently, wine has a stimulating effect and consumed to excess ‘takes away the heart’ (Hos. 4:11). Since a Nazarite consumed neither wine nor strong drink as a matter of principle, there was consequently no danger that his power of judgment should be restricted – an important aspect, especially regarding spiritual matters. This is why Aaron and his sons were not permitted to drink wine when they entered the sanctuary (Lev. 10:8–11).

Here, however, the primary concern does not appear to the danger of drunkenness. Even grape juice and fresh or dried grapes were forbidden. Therefore, in these instructions to the Nazarite, a more general point must be at issue, namely earthly joys, which are permissible in themselves but are foregone voluntarily as a result of special consecration to God.

In Mediterranean countries wine grows in abundance, and the enjoyment of the fruit of the vine in one form or another was commonplace. If then a Nazarite consistently refrained from anything produced from the vine, he must have stood out. But a Nazarite lived for God. He was prepared to renounce legitimate earthly pleasures. He viewed life from God’s perspective and looked at things in a different way than those surrounding him. Whatever got in the way of his consecration had no place in his life.

The Lord Jesus once said this concerning discipleship: ‘If any man shall come to me, and shall not hate his own father and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple; and whoever does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple’ (Luke 14:26, 27). It is well and good for us to love our families; but the point is that the Lord must have the first place.

We should beware of any inference to the effect that Christians have no joy. On the contrary, Christian joy exceeds natural joy: it is independent of circumstances, which can change all too quickly (Phil. 4:4). The joy of the world diminishes, but not the joy that the Lord gives. The more we enjoy earthly things (whether money, luxury, travelling or whatever), the less they are able to bring forth true, lasting joy.

If we are honest we shall already have noticed this. It is a law of nature, so to speak: worldly joy diminishes. The astonished feast-master at the marriage of Cana had to admit: ‘Every man sets on first the good wine, and when men have well drunk, then the inferior ...’ The quality of the wine deteriorates. By contrast, the joy that the Lord Jesus gives, increases more and more. This wine is better: ‘... thou hast kept the good wine till now’ (John 2:10).

What does this Christian joy consist in, and how can we enjoy more of it? It arises from our occupation with our Lord, His sufferings and His work: ‘Having said this, he showed to them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced therefore, having seen the Lord’ (John 20:20). This link between our occupation with the Lord on the one hand and our joy on the other, is a subject we will come back to when we look at the drink offering (v.15).

For the Nazarite it was a question of refraining from earthly joy, not of renouncing joy absolutely.

All the days

’All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the vine, from the seed-stones even to the skin’ (6:4).

The phrase ‘all the days’ is one we encounter repeatedly in this chapter (Num. 4:4–6, 8), as well as the related expressions ‘until the days be fulfilled’ and ‘on the day when the days of his consecration are fulfilled’ (Num. 6:5, 12, 13). Again and again this period of time is emphasized. On the one hand, it makes it clear that there is no exception. Every day is included. It was not a unique or occasional ‘show of strength’ but a way of life. Every day counted.

On the other hand, the phrase shows that the vow only applied for a limited period of time. That time would pass by. The moment would come when the Nazarite was expressly permitted to experience joy (Num. 6:20). For Christians today this period of time covers their entire life on earth, from their new birth to the rapture, or to their death, if it is God’s will that they should pass through death. It is a restricted time, a window of opportunity, so to speak, when we can show that we wish to live for our Lord.

We naturally look forward to the moment when we shall ‘enter into the joy’ of our Lord (Mt. 25:21) and be glorified and reign with Him (John 17:22; 2 Tim. 2:12). But the opportunity to refrain from things out of love for the Lord will then be past.

At this point the ‘wilderness character’ of this chapter becomes evident, as was noted in the introduction. Nazariteship is a matter for the wilderness. This corresponds to the character of this book of the Bible.

His separation         

The word used here for separation (Hebr. nezer) has the same root as the one just dealt with for the verb ‘to separate’ (nasar). The root ‘nzr’ means ‘separation’, ‘consecration’ and also ‘crown’.

The word occurs 25 times in the Old Testament, of which, surprisingly, 13 occasions are in our chapter, sometimes also translated by ‘consecration’. In the other 12 occurrences the word is never translated by ‘separation’ but by ‘diadem’ (e.g. Ex. 29:6) or ‘crown’ (2 Ki. 11:12) and in one instance by ‘hair’ (Jer. 7:29).

This wide range of meanings[4], surprising at first sight, (separation is, after all, something quite different from a crown) is actually very instructive: the high priest’s diadem and the king’s crown, as well as the hair of the Nazarite speak of a special form of consecration and the dignity associated with it. Jeremiah’s lament was that Israel had forfeited this adornment of long hair, the sign of consecration and separation for God (Jer. 7:29). 

In our chapter (Num. 6:7) we find the interesting statement: ‘The consecration of his God is upon his head’ (and also the expressions ‘head of his consecration’ and ‘the hair of the head of his consecration’ in v. 18). Here, to a certain extent, the threads meet and the connection becomes clear: through the Nazarite’s separation unto God and his consecration to Him he had let his hair grow, which had thus become in God’s sight a sign of his consecration, a crown indeed. This is all the more remarkable as long hair, as such, would have been a dishonour for a (male) Nazarite (1 Cor.11:14).

From the seed-stones even to the skin

If verse 3 listed the seven products of the vine that were forbidden for the Nazarite, then verse4 makes it additionally clear that absolutely nothing that came from the vine was excepted. It is stated that the Nazarite may ‘eat nothing that is made of the vine’.

In addition, it is emphasized that not even certain components of the fruit are excepted from this instruction: ‘from the seed-stones to the skin’. The skin represents more the outward appearance, while the seed-stones indicate the secret principles behind it. Here one might think of 1 John 2, where John reduces all that the world has to offer to three principles: ‘the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life’ (1 John 2:16). The outward appearance of all that the world has to offer is very varied, yet in the final analysis at least one of these three principles lies at the heart of it. The Nazarite avoids not only the outward appearance but also what is worldly at the core.

One or other of the readers may feel it to be off-putting and wonder whether we are really required to subject ourselves to asceticism or even to a life behind monastic walls. This would, in fact, be precisely the wrong conclusion. We need to consider the positive side. The reason why the ‘young men’ should not love the world was because all that is in the world is not of the Father (1 John 2:16). Their fellowship, on the other hand, is with the Father and the Son and its consequence is joy in its fulness (1 John 1:3, 4). This compensates for any renunciation.

What we have just noticed concerning the world and its pleasures also applies to earthly joys, from which the Nazarite abstains. Here, too, fellowship with Father and the Son and our relationship with Christ as the glorified Man in heaven is the motivating force that enables us to live for Him and, at times, to forego one thing or another for His sake. This may even happen unconsciously: as we belong to Christ and our affections are different this makes us, so to speak, strangers regarding the world.

Now we must not forget that Christians are still in earthly relationships that continue and are recognized by the Word of God, e.g. in their marriage, family and place of employment. Christianity does not change the relationship itself but our conduct within it. Interestingly enough, the teaching dealing with these earthly relationships is set out in the letters to the Colossians and the Ephesians, the very epistles which present – like no other book – the Christian position and calling and their heavenly character. We can only ‘adorn the teaching’ (Titus 2:10) by honouring the Lord in these relationships. But our devotion is to Christ alone, who remains the object of our life.

This reason why we should avoid anything that disturbs our fellowship with God. Today’s ‘Nazarite’ does not ask whether something is forbidden or harmful but whether or not it is helpful for his fellowship with the Lord. The more we know and enjoy this fellowship, the easier we will find it to do without the things the world has to offer.

Christendom

Now the question arises as to how far the Nazarite’s attitude towards abstaining from the wine of earthly joy has been effective in the history of the church. In the early days the believers kept distinctly separate from the world, and often persecuted by the world (Acts 3 & 4). In the early days believers lived for the Lord with purpose of heart.

The description of the public testimony of the church (Christendom) in Revelation 2 and 3 shows us the later development: in Ephesus everything was outwardly still in order, and there was no lack of works to be acknowledged – but they had already left their first love. In Pergamos the church placed itself under the protection of the world and dwelt there (Rev. 2:13). In Thyatira things went a step further: here the church ruled over the world and was marked out by forbidden connections (fornication) and idolatry (Rev. 2: 20–22). Here it can hardly be a question of abstinence, but rather that Christendom had drunk ‘strong drink’.

In its final stage (after the rapture) Christendom is described as Babylon, a great, influential city that God must judge. Here it actually says not only that this city of Babylon, which is designated as a harlot, was drunk, but even that those living on the earth had ‘been made drunk with the wine of her fornication’ (Rev. 17:2). It far exceeds ‘legitimate earthly joys’, for we read that she ‘had a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and the unclean things of her fornication’ (Rev. 17:4).

What is encouraging, nevertheless, is that there were times of renewal (key word: Philadelphia – see the remarks in the introduction).

Christ

The Lord Jesus walked His pathway as the perfect Nazarite. Not that He drank no wine (Luke 7:33, 34), but in the figurative or spiritual sense the Lord showed perfectly that He abstained from natural, perfectly legitimate joys out of devotion to His God. 

This is not to say that the Lord did not acknowledge earthly things and relationships that God had given. He spoke of the beauty of lilies (Luke 12:27) and took up children in His arms (Mt. 19:4). But as far as He Himself was concerned, His service and consecration to God had the highest priority. As a consequence He was not described as a man of earthly joy in His life on earth, but as the ‘man of sorrows’, not as one familiar with every enjoyment, but as One ‘acquainted with grief’ (Isa. 53:3).

The Gospels confirm that He recognized earthly relationships. Regarding Joseph and Mary, it says that He was subject to them, (Luke 2:51). Even on the cross He took care of His mother and said to her: ‘Woman, behold thy son! Then he says unto the disciple, Behold thy mother’. (John 19: 26, 27). Yet when earthly relationships were about to hinder Him in His service for His God and Father, He had to say, ‘What have I to do with thee, woman? Mine hour has not yet come’ (John 2:4). This was no lack of love, but a matter of taking the right step at the right time in His service. Natural affections are good; they are given by God, but they do not necessarily lead to carrying out the will of God, which must take priority.

On another occasion He was in a house. A great multitude came along. There was a lot to do. They did not even have sufficient time to eat. His relatives said: ‘He is out of his mind’ (Mark 3:21). When His mother and His brothers appeared and He was told, ‘Behold, thy mother and thy brethren seek thee without’, He answered, ‘Who is my mother or my brethren? And looking around in a circuit at those that were sitting around him, he says, Behold, my mother and my brethren: for whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and sister, and mother’ (Mark 3: 32–35).

The Lord’s entire life was focused on doing the will of Him, who had sent Him. This was His ‘food’ (John 4:34). When the news of Lazarus’ illness reached Him, He stayed where He was for another two days. Natural affection would have prompted Him to set out at once. For Him, however, only one thing counted; the will of God, however little that might be understood by others. He was the most approachable Person who has ever lived; yet He was the loneliest of all on account of His dedication to the glory of His God. J N Darby once expressed this aspect as follows: ‘Therefore was He the most gracious and accessible of men: we observe in His ways a tenderness and a kindness never seen in man, yet we always feel that He was a stranger. Not that He came to be a stranger in His relationship with men; but that which lay deepest in His own heart – that which constituted His very nature, and consequently guided His walk by virtue of His communion with the Father – was entirely foreign to all that influences man’ (Synopsis, Vol. 1, p.307).

Shortly before the cross He Himself applied the illustration of abstinence from the vine: ‘For I say unto you, that I will not drink at all of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God come’ (Luke 22:18). He still found no joy in Israel. A time will come when that will be the case, but at present He is still rejected by the world and with the Father, separated, as it were, as the true Nazarite. Concerning those who belong to Him, He says: ‘They are not of the world, as I am not of the world. ... Sanctify them by the truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world; and I sanctify myself for them, that they also may be sanctified by truth’ (John 17:16–19).

Allowing the hair to grow (6:5)

‘All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head; until the days be fulfilled that he hath consecrated himself to Jehovah, he shall be holy; he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow’ (6:5).

The second characteristic of the Nazarite was that he allowed his hair to grow freely. In the first instance the Nazarite’s vow was a matter between himself and God. But after a while the consequences of his consecration became visible to the outside world. This did not happen overnight, but after a short while the fact could no longer be concealed. To anyone who met him, a (male) Nazarite would be recognised by virtue of his uncut hair. On the other hand, only those who ate together with him would notice that he abstained from the fruit of the vine.

Once again the spiritual meaning is what concerns us here. Long hair symbolizes subjection, dependence, devotion and, in the case of a man, ignominy or dishonour.

Subjection

1 Corinthians 11:1–15 shows in connection with God’s order of creation that long hair speaks of subjection. Evidently, men and women are of equal value, but their respective roles are not identical. This is the great difference that is sometimes misunderstood. Subjection has absolutely nothing to do with inferiority. The best example to demonstrate this point the Lord Jesus Himself: He was subject but in no way inferior. He took a place of subjection (Luke 2:51) and as a Man will retain this place before God (1 Cor. 15:28). In this verse the same word is used as in Ephesians 5:22 with regard to women and again in Ephesians 5:24 concerning the church. 

Genuine consecration to God will be possible only where there is subjection to God.

Dependence 

This aspect is closely related to subjection. Subjection is hardly practicable without living in dependence – but in a positive sense of the word: being dependent on God and His will, which is ‘good, and acceptable, and perfect’ (Romans 12:2).

Some may have supposed that what is needed to live resolutely for God is a particularly strong will and a good measure of assertiveness. But the long hair points in the opposite direction. It is a question of being prepared to subject one’s own will not to the trends that surround us, of course, but to the Lord. At times, one will choose not assert one’s rights in view of the injunction: ‘Let your gentleness be known of all men’ (Phil. 4:5).

The Nazarite’s long hair showed that he humbled himself, doing nothing out of self-will and even being prepared to give up what he was normally entitled to (Phil. 2:7).

Not an attractive prospect? On the contrary! We can only be really happy when we act in dependence on our Lord. Only then do we experience His peace (John 14:27). That is true liberty: not as is understood by the world, which stands under the tragic illusion of imagining itself to be free, yet constantly obeys Satan, the prince of this world. We can be truly free (and happy), only when we no longer obey sin, but are free to follow the desires of the new nature we have received (John 8:36; Gal. 5:1).

Dedication

In Luke 7:36–50 we find an interesting incident that sheds light on our subject. The Lord had been invited to the house of Simon, a Pharisee, and had accepted. A woman in the town who was a sinner heard of it and came to Simon’s house. It says that the woman ‘having taken an alabaster box of myrrh, and standing at his feet behind him weeping, began to wash his feet with tears; and she wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the myrrh.’ The Pharisee objected to the presence of this woman and to what the Lord allowed her to do, but the Lord saw her heart and declared that that woman had been forgiven much and therefore ‘loved much’.

The devotion of her love was expressed in that she had anointed the Lord’s feet and dried them with her hair (cf. John 11:2; 12:3).

Reproach and shame

In the case of a male Nazarite long hair was something that gave rise to scorn and shame. We have already seen that long hair dishonoured a man (1 Cor. 11:14). Here it is pointed out that this is a generally valid fact: ‘Does not even nature itself teach you ...?’ and not an exclusively Christian principle. Short hair stands for the authority that God has given the man as head. That is his place in the order of creation (1 Cor. 11:3). The Nazarite’s long hair thus indicated that that he voluntarily renounced any honour and was prepared to endure man’s contempt for the sake of his consecration to God.

The aspect of reproach or shame is actually not surprising; it ensues more or less directly from the other aspects that we have just examined, especially those of subjection and dependence. Unregenerate man rebels against the idea of being subject to another or being dependent in any way.

The Nazarite, however, bears this reproach. As Christians, we know that our Lord endured infinitely more shame (see below) and suffered for it. He is our example and the One to whom we are drawn, and we can ‘go forth to him without the camp, bearing his reproach’ (Heb. 13:13). In doing so, we will make an interesting discovery: there is a special joy to be had when we are willing to share Christ’s rejection.

This connection between reproach and joy we find very clearly in Acts 5:41: ‘They therefore went their way from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be dishonoured for the name.’ This joy arises on the one hand from the fellowship with the Lord that we sense under the pressure of the contempt of the world. In addition, there is the assurance of a reward for it. So Peter writes in his first epistle: ‘As ye have share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, that in the revelation of his glory also ye may rejoice with exultation. If ye are reproached in the name of Christ, blessed are ye’ (1 Peter 4:13, 14).

The source of strength

The example of Samson (Jdg. 13–16) opens up an extremely interesting connection between the Nazarite’s long hair and his strength. His undoing was that he revealed the secret of his strength to Delilah: ‘There has not come a razor upon my head; for I am a Nazarite of God from my mother’s womb; if I should be shaven, then my strength would go from me, and I should be weak, and be like all mankind’ (Jdg 16:17). And that is precisely what transpired. Delilah had Samson’s seven locks of hair cut off, and he lost his extraordinary strength. (For more on this subject see the section on Samson in the chapter ‘Some examples’). 

This connection between strength and long hair becomes all the clearer when we consider the spiritual significance: spiritual strength is a consequence of one’s dependence on the Lord, fellowship with Him and consecration to Him. Obtaining it takes time, but it can be lost very quickly.

What is interesting, although tragic, is that Samson was not aware that he had lost his strength: ‘And she said, the Philistines are upon thee, Samson! And he awoke out of his sleep, and thought, I will go out as at other times before and disengage myself. And he knew not that Jehovah had departed from him’ (Jdg. 16:20–21).

Christ

Regarding what the Nazarite’s long hair symbolized, the Lord Jesus is the perfect example. As a Man He took a place of subjection and dependence and in His consecration was prepared to endure shame.

It is interesting that the gospel of John, particularly, which describes the Lord as the Son of God, constantly emphasizes that He came in subjection and dependence. (We have already noticed that subjection has nothing whatsoever to do with an inferiority in value or rank.) The following passages show something of the Lord’s perfect subjection and dependence and are intended to motivate us to imitate Him and worship Him:

• ‘The Son can do nothing of himself save whatever he sees the Father doing: for whatever things he does, these things also the Son does in like manner’ (John 5:19).
• ‘For even as the Father has life in himself, so he has given to the Son also to have life in Himself’ (5:26).   
• ‘I cannot do anything of myself; as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my will, but the will of him that has sent me’ (5:30).
• ‘I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom, ye do not know’ (7:28).
• ‘When ye shall have lifted up the Son of man, then ye shall know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father has taught me I speak these things’ (8:28)
• ‘He that has sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, because I do always the things that are pleasing’ (8:30). 
• ‘I speak what I have seen with my Father’ (8:38).
• ‘I came forth from God and am come from him; for neither am I come of myself, but he has sent me’ (8:42).
• ‘I honour my Father’ (8:49).
• ‘My Father who has given them to me is greater than all’ (10:29).
• ‘For I have not spoken from myself, but the Father who sent me has given me commandment what I should say and what I should speak’ (12:49).
• ‘The words which I speak to you I do not speak from myself; but the Father who abides in me, he does the works’ (14:10).
• ‘If ye loved me ye would rejoice that I go to the Father, for my Father is greater than I’ (14:28).

Other passages in this context are the verse Philippians 2:7, 8, which has already been cited, and Hebrews 5:7, 8: ‘Who in the days of his flesh, having offered up both supplications and entreaties to him who was able to save him out of death, with strong crying and tears; (and having been heard because of his piety;) though he were Son, he learned obedience from the things which he suffered’. He was the eternal Son; yet as a Man He learned obedience.

The prophet Isaiah had already spoken of the Christ being marked out through His customary, indeed daily, attention to the voice of God and not resisting it: ‘He wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the instructed. The Lord, Jehovah, hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious. I turned not away back’ (Isa. 50:4, 5).

Undoubtedly the severest test of His dependence and obedience we find in the garden of Gethsemane. As a true Nazarite the Lord was able to say that He found nourishment in His dependence and obedience: ‘My food is that I should do the will of him that has sent me and that I should finish his work’ (John 4:34). In Gethsemane, however, we see Him in a bitter conflict. He said, ‘Father, if thou wilt remove this cup from me’. In His perfection He could not wish to be forsaken by God. But in His perfect obedience He added, ‘But not my will, but thine be done’ (Luke 22:42). He accepted the cup of wrath and judgment and emptied it on the cross, so that for us not a drop of judgment remained (John 5:24). Here the Lord was in total solitude: He alone could drink that cup. But regarding dependence and obedience He is our perfect example in Gethsemane. He was confronted with an unspeakably difficult test, and through His dependence and obedience He overcame it – in great contrast to the disciples who, being asleep in the garden, all failed dismally. 

Here we see clearly, moreover, the connection between the Nazarite’s long hair and his strength, as we noticed with Samson. The disciples had not prayed in dependence and consequently had no strength, when the enemies appeared: ‘all left him and fled’ (Mark 14:50). The Lord approached the enemies exceedingly peacefully. He did not take flight. He then testified courageously before the Sanhedrin and Pilate. Even in the most precarious situations He was able to act perfectly at ease and yet in His power. He was, of course, God, but He was also the dependent Man, and as such He acted in that power, which had its origin in His intimate fellowship with God.

Such obedience and dependence were thus not automatic, but rather an effect of genuine heartfelt dedication. His prime concern was to live for His God and Father:

• ‘For the Christ also did not please himself, but according as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproach thee have fallen upon me’ (Rom. 15:3).
• ‘Did ye not know that I ought to be occupied in my Father’s business?’ (Luke 2:49).
• ‘And rising in the morning long before day, he went out and went away into a desert place, and there prayed’ (Mark 1:35).
• ‘And it came to pass in those days that he went out into the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when it was day he called his disciples’ (Luke 6:12, 13).

Thus we find in our Lord both the dependence and the consecration, of which the Nazarite’s long hair speaks. Further, He renounced His rights and refused to be made king (cf. John 6:15), which further exemplifies His subjection to God’s will and timing. 

This Nazarite pathway meant reproach and the relinquishment of the dignity. Christ endured this for the sake of His God. We read of Him prophetically: ‘I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and the despised of the people’ (Ps. 22:7). And also: ‘For thy sake I have borne reproach; confusion hath covered my face’ and ‘the reproaches of them that reproach thee have fallen upon me. And I wept, my soul was fasting: that also was to my reproach; - and I made sackcloth my garment; then I became a proverb to them. They that sit in the gate talk of me; and I am the song of the drunkards... Thou knowest my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour; mine adversaries are all before thee’ (Ps. 69:7, 9–12, 19). 

We need to realise that, as the perfect Man, the Lord felt this reproach fully and profoundly. So the next verse states: ‘Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am overwhelmed’ (Pss. 69:20; cf. 31:11; 109:25).

The gospels provide concrete examples for this: just think of His family’s attitude towards His ministry. Mark describes what a full working day the true Servant had (we read repeatedly ‘and straightway’, e.g. Mark 1:21 ff.). Work and needs piled up for Him on all sides. Multitudes came and queued up at the door (Mark 1:33). Sometimes there was not even sufficient time to eat (Mark 3:20). But His faithfulness and dedication brought Him no acknowledgement, but only reproach and contempt: ‘And his relatives, having heard of it went out to lay hold on him, for they said, He is out of his mind’ (Mark 3:21).

No contact with death (6:6, 7)   

‘All the days that he hath consecrated himself to Jehovah, he shall come near no dead body’ (6:6).

We already considered the expression ‘all the days’ in connection with verse 4. Here it concerns a third characteristic of a Nazarite that had to be observed throughout the entire period: any contact with a corpse was to be avoided absolutely and unexceptionally. 

It did not matter whether it was a case of someone dying in the house, e.g. a member of the family, or whether it was a stranger. The fact was: contact with a corpse caused defilement. We know that death is a result of sin (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12; cf. 1 Cor. 15:21). Romans 6:23 states explicitly that death is ‘the wages of sin’. This connection between death and sin unlocks the meaning of this third characteristic of a Nazarite: contact with sin causes defilement, and that is the deathblow for consecration. Defilement interrupts the enjoyment of fellowship, and without practical fellowship with the Lord – without ‘abiding in him’ we can do nothing (John 15:5). Any return to our ‘old man’, any occasion when we give way to our flesh, i.e. indwelling sin, is contact with a dead body.

In many southern countries customs associated with death and burial are of great social significance. Keeping totally apart from the corpse of a relative could sometimes mean absolute separation from normal life.

The order to ‘come near no dead body’ (v. 6) went beyond what generally applied to Israelites. To see this, it will be useful to recall the following facts set out in the law:

1. When did death lead to defilement?
2. For whom and under what circumstances was contact with death permissible?
3. What was the consequence of defilement or the means of cleansing?

Answering these question sheds light on the instructions given to the Nazarite.

1. When did death lead to defilement?

According to Numbers 19:11 touching a corpse led to a seven-day period of defilement: ‘He that toucheth a dead person, any dead body of a man, shall be unclean seven days.’  This chapter (Num. 19) gives instructions for cleansing in such cases.

However, it was not merely a matter of direct contact with a corpse. Simply entering the tent in which a corpse lay sufficed: ‘This is the law when a man dieth in a tent: everyone that cometh into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days’ (Num. 19:14).

Even outside the tent there was the possibility of defilement: ‘And everyone that toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead person, or the bone of a man or a grave, shall be unclean seven days’ (Num. 19:16).

It is therefore evident that any contact with death, in whatever form, whether directly or indirectly, whether recently – as in the case of one dying in a tent – or a long time previously – in the case of a bone or a grave – led to defilement, so that the water of purification had to be applied. Even those involved in the process of purifying were defiled – even if only for just one day (Num. 19:7–10).

An example of defilement arising in warfare on the battlefield and ensuing cleansing is to be found in Israel’s battle against Midian in Numbers 31:17–24. Even in the enthusiasm of a victory, in which great booty had been obtained, they were not to forget that contact with death defiled. Hence the commandments concerning cleansing had to be observed.

2. For whom was contact with death permissible?

As we have seen, contact with death always led to defilement, and cleansing according to Numbers 19 was an absolute necessity. In some cases (e.g. when it concerned a near relative), contact with death was unavoidable.

For priests it was expressly forbidden to defile oneself through contact with a corpse, except in the case of an immediate blood relative. ‘And Jehovah said to Moses, Speak unto the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, There shall none make himself unclean for a dead person among his peoples, except for his immediate relation, who is near unto him – for his mother, and for his father, and for his son and for his daughter, and for his brother; and for his sister, a virgin, that is near unto him, who hath no husband; for her may he make himself unclean’ (Lev. 21:1–3). The priest’s duties were too important to admit of any interruption for lesser reasons.

The high priest, on the other hand, was not allowed to come into contact with death under any circumstances. So we read on in Leviticus 21: ‘And the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured, and who is consecrated to put on the garments shall not ... come near any person dead, nor make himself unclean for his father and for his mother’ (Lev. 21:10, 11). This is seen in the case of Aaron’s sons who died: it was not Aaron, but his uncle’s sons who carried Nadab and Abihu out of the camp (Lev.10:4, 5). The reason for this strict ordinance lay in the importance of the service of the priest and the typical significance associated with him. We can therefore know that the ministry of Christ, our High Priest, is never interrupted; He is ever available to make intercession for us (Heb. 2:17, 18; 4:15, 16; 7:25).

3. What was the consequence of defilement?

Anyone defiled through contact with death had to leave the camp (just as a leper did), thereby giving up his fellowship with the people and also his privileges as an Israelite, and remain outside the camp until he was cleansed. This is clear from Numbers 5: ‘Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp ... whosoever is defiled by a dead person: both male and female shall ye put out; outside the camp shall ye put them, that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell’ (Num. 5:2, 3).

If contact with death and consequent defilement had ensued, cleansing had to be carried out according to Numbers 19. Neglecting this cleansing was strictly forbidden: ‘Whoever toucheth a dead person, the dead body of a man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of Jehovah; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel; for the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him; he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. ... And the man that is unclean, and doth not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of the congregation, for he hath defiled the sanctuary of Jehovah: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled on him’ (Num. 19:13, 20).

Cleansing necessitated sprinkling with the water of separation, which through God’s grace had been provided for in advance by the sacrifice of a heifer that had to be burnt: ‘And a clean man shall gather the ashes of the heifer, and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the assembly of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin’ (Num. 19:9). This purification, which took seven days, shows us that the remembrance of the finished work of the Lord Jesus (the blood that had to be sprinkled seven times at the front of the tent of meeting) and of the sufferings that He endured are necessary for our restoration if we have been defiled.

Returning to the consideration of the Nazarite

This brief digression on the statutes of the law that concern defilement through contact with death sheds light on the case of the Nazarite. Two things are particularly striking:

• For a Nazarite more stringent statutes applied than for ‘normal’ Israelites. Here the standard imposed was just as high as for the high priest: there was no exception.  Defilement was prohibited, even in the case of a close family relationship (Num. 6:7).
• Defilement had far more serious consequences for a Nazarite than for other Israelites: more sacrifices were required, and his entire consecration to date was lost, so that the Nazarite could be set back several years (Num. 6:9–12).

‘He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; for the consecration of his God is upon his head’ (6:7).

We have already seen the severity of this statute. How was it possible to be so rigorous? And why was such a high standard imposed? Well, a Nazarite was no ordinary person. He does not ask, ‘What is human?’ The question he must ask himself is, ‘Is it appropriate for me as a Nazarite?’ He must preserve his personal purity according to a divine, not a human standard.

Christians

In its application to Christians this aspect is naturally not applicable to literal contact with a corpse, but to what are ‘dead bodies’ in a spiritual sense, i.e. doctrines and practices that bear the stamp of death or sin. They are things that dishonour God. Contact with such things defiles. This even applies when we ourselves do not commit any evil (or, for example, do not ourselves hold wrong doctrine), but do not separate from those who do such things or hold such doctrines. This is clear from several passages in the New Testament: 2 Timothy 2:19–21; 1 John 2:9–11; 1 Corinthians 15:33.

The mention of father and mother, brother and sister points us to the closeness of our family relationships. God naturally intended this to be so and He has given us these emotional bonds. What we learn here is not, of course, that there should be no love in the families of believers who wish to live for the Lord. It is rather a matter of showing that there may be situations in which a conflict arises between the will of our God and the claims of our relatives. In such situations we should consciously give priority to God’s will. For those whom God has given the privilege of having believing relatives, such conflicts will be less common. In the case of unbelieving relatives, on the other hand, there will be no lack of examples (e.g. celebrations or functions in which we cannot participate without being defiled).

The Lord also calls us, saying ‘Follow me!’ (Luke 9:59). If we have not set our priorities correctly and give father or mother, brother or sister (and we can surely add: friend) priority over the will of God, then we resemble the one who said, ‘Lord, allow me to go first and bury my father’. The answer he received was: ‘Suffer the dead to bury their own dead, but do thou go and announce the kingdom of God’ (Luke 9:59, 60). The Lord wants us to take account of our family relationships, but He wishes to be given first place as His entitlement. ‘He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me’ (Mt. 10:37 KJV). The pressure of circumstances should not be allowed to prevail over our consecration to God.

Christ

Concerning contact with the dead, here, too, it is not a case of literal fulfilment (we had already pointed to Mark 5:41 in the introduction). We also know that He touched the bier on which the widow’s dead son lay (Luke 7:14), although Numbers 19 states, ‘And whatever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean’ (Num. 19:22). But seen from the spiritual viewpoint, the Lord Jesus was totally separate from death, i.e. from sin and its consequences (Rom. 6:23).

He did no sin (1 Pet. 2:22), He knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21), and sin was not in Him (1 John 3:5). He was the Lamb without spot and blemish (1 Pet. 1:18: Ex. 12 5; Lev. 1:3, 10), and His life was aptly symbolized by fine flour and the absence of leaven (Ex. 2:4, 5, 11).

From His own life the Lord knew the conflict between the demands of relatives on the one hand and the will of God on the other. As the Creator He is the initiator of these relationships, and as a Man He experienced them and lived within their scope. But He knew when family claims presented a danger (cf. John 2:4 and our remarks on Num. 6:4).

In this respect, too, the Lord is our perfect example, and we can be sure that He understands us and in every actual situation that arises will help us to get our priorities right, so that we do justice to our family relationships and yet live decisively for Him.

Holiness (6:8)

‘All the days of his separation he is holy to Jehovah’ (6:8).

Now the thought of holiness is given greater emphasis. Verse 5 said that the Nazarite was to be ‘holy’. Here it states expressly that it is a matter of being ‘holy to Jehovah’. What is the significance of this? 

Holiness is a subject on which many opinions are held that do not correspond to the Word of God. We shall therefore first indicate what holiness does not mean: 

• Holiness is not synonymous with innocence. Adam was innocent before the fall; he was not holy. 
• Nor does holiness signify attaining a state of sinlessness.
• Equally incorrect is the idea that holiness means ridding oneself of the old nature, the flesh.

 Holiness means being set apart for a specific purpose. The first thing that was sanctified (made holy) was the seventh (Sabbath) Day (Gen. 2:3). Then later Mount Sinai was sanctified (Ex. 19:23). Neither the Sabbath Day not Mount Sinai had sinned. Nor did they have any old nature to be rid of. But both were set apart (nowadays we might say ‘reserved’) by God for a definite purpose. This is (Biblical) ‘hallowing’ or sanctification. 

The Bible speaks of a once-for-all sanctification (our ‘position’), which applies to all believers, and of practical sanctification applying to our walk. Positionally all believers are saints on the basis of the work of the Lord Jesus: ‘By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all’ (Heb. 10:10; cf. v. 14). But God’s wish is that we should correspond practically to what we are positionally. ‘As children of obedience, not conformed to your former lusts in your ignorance; but as he who has called you is holy, be ye also holy in all your conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy’ (1 Pet. 1:14–16).

Such holiness is absolutely essential for a Nazarite, who knows that he has been set aside for a particular purpose. Nazariteship is not a negative matter, mere adherence to certain prohibitions, although this is an implicit aspect of it. It is more. It involves the Nazarite being set aside for the specific purpose of being wholly for God. That is what is stressed here when it states that the Nazarite shall be ‘holy to Jehovah”.

Christ

As the true Nazarite the Lord Jesus is perfectly holy. Before His birth He was described as ‘the holy thing also which shall be born …’ (Luke 1:35). Peter was able to give this fine testimony: ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast words of life eternal; and we have believed and known that thou are the holy one of God’ (John 6:68, 69). This degree of holiness was an essential condition for His service as High Priest: ‘For such a high priest became us, holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and become higher than the heavens’ (Heb. 7:26). Finally, He presents Himself to the church in Philadelphia with the words: ‘These things saith the holy’ (Rev. 3:7; cf. ch. 15:4).

At first sight it may seem surprising that we also read that the Lord Jesus sanctified Himself. In His prayer in John 17 He said: ‘I sanctify myself for them’ (John 17:19). How was that possible? Once again, let us remember that sanctification does not mean sinning less – He had never sinned – but being set aside for God. He was now about to return to the Father, and there in the glory He would be ‘set aside’ as the One in whom the disciples believed and who was to be the object of their hearts. When He was here on earth, He was separated and sanctified morally. Now He is in heaven and has been literally ‘set aside’, sanctified for us.

Part 2: Breaking the vow (Numbers ch. 6 vs. 9–12)

 The consequences (6:9)

‘And if anyone die unexpectedly by him suddenly, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day shall he shave it’ (6:9). 

The second section of the chapter (Num. 6:9–13) deals with the case of a Nazarite’s vow being broken. On the one hand this section is very solemn, on the other hand it is immensely comforting, for we shall see that God has provided an offering especially for this case (Num. 6:10) and that He makes a fresh start possible (Num. 6:11, 12).

If ... suddenly

The conjunction ‘if’ at the beginning of verse 9 indicates that breaking the vow was neither necessary nor to be regarded as normal. It was rather the possibility of a (tragic) accident that might occur.

This passage does not contemplate the possibility that a Nazarite would intentionally break his vow. It was rather a case of a sudden death, when someone died unexpectedly, thereby defiling all who were in the tent (Num. 19:14). However, the fact that intention played no part does not mean that the matter could simply be passed over.

Inevitable consequences

Verse 9 presents a series of inescapable consequences for the Nazarite:

• Defilement had intervened.
• He had to undergo a process of cleansing.
• His hair had to be cut off or shorn.

The following verses 10 and 11, which we shall deal with later, mention a further consequence:

     He had to bring prescribed offerings.

In God’s sight defilement had occurred. The affected person was a Nazarite who purposed to live for God. He had neither planned nor intended his contact with death. Yet this did not alter the fact that defilement had taken place.

The day of his cleansing according to Numbers 19 

Since defilement had come about, a process of cleansing as described in Numbers 19 had to be followed. There we find the explanation of this ‘day of cleansing’, the ‘seventh day’. In order to understand our verse here correctly we need to go into this important chapter briefly. In Numbers 19 God shows us how He made provision for a case of defilement arising from contact with death. It reveals what a grave matter defilement is. First of all, a red heifer ‘without blemish, wherein is no defect, and upon which never came yoke’ (Num. 19:2) had to be sacrificed – an evident illustration of Christ, who was perfect, free of any wrongdoing and who had never been under the yoke of sin. Then Eleazar had to sprinkle the blood of that red heifer before the tent of meeting seven times (Num. 19:4). This points to the fact that cleansing can only result on the basis of the work of atonement that has been accomplished.

The red heifer had to be totally burnt outside the camp: ‘its skin and its flesh, and its blood with its dung’ (Num. 19:3–5). The priest, who had to cast cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet into the fire, had himself been defiled in the process and had to wash his clothes, as did the man who had had to burn the animal. Then a clean man was to gather the ashes, which were preserved for such cases of cleansing. These ashes speak of the fire of judgment that the Lord endured on account of our sins. Even the man who had gathered the ashes was unclean until the evening.

If defilement occurred through contact with death in one form or another (Numbers 19:11–16), the ashes of the red heifer had to be mixed with running water. It is striking that here the ashes are in the foreground, and not the blood. The ashes speak of the remembrance of the atoning sufferings of Christ. These ashes had been mixed with running water, speaking of the Holy Spirit, who brings before our hearts the memory of the atoning sufferings of the Lord Jesus.   

This water was then sprinkled on the unclean persons and things on the third and the seventh days by one who was clean (Num. 19:18–19). As a result, this clean person also became unclean until the evening.

The twofold cleansing procedure of sprinkling on the third and seventh days shows us that a certain period of time is necessary to make us realize what sin is in God’s sight, how we have dishonoured Him thereby and how the Lord had to suffer for it. The allusion to ‘the seventh day’ (Num. 19:19) corresponds to the verse under consideration: ‘He shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing’ (6:9).

The general commandments that God had given for cases of cleansing thus take effect for the Nazarite, except that they are extended and, as we shall see, extra sacrifices had to be brought.

Shaving the head

It was an extremely tragic consequence for the Nazarite that was emphasized in our verse: It was not the same as the shaving of the cleansed leper’s hair (Lev. 14:8). For a Nazarite the hair that had been growing freely since the start of his consecration had become the first visible sign of his consecration. It may have taken many weeks or months to reach its length. Now all appeared to be lost because of a single case of defilement.

A Nazarite was not to deal lightly with defilement. Figuratively speaking, he had to realize the state he was in. Seven days, a perfect period of time, and cleansing were necessary.

We can be certain that a Nazarite was watchful and did all he could to avoid the danger of such defilement. This demanded that we need today as much as did Daniel in Babylon (Dan. 1:8), for we are living in a world that bears the stamp of death, so to speak. Indeed, ‘all that is in the world’ can be reduced to a simple formula: ‘the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life’ (1 John 2:16). The manifestations are many and varied (in this respect the world is so ‘attractive’), but the basic components that make up the entire structure are simply these three things. In addition, Satan tempts us, not merely through his vast experience, but also because he finds in our flesh a willing ally.

But God has also granted us these resources:

• the intercession of the Lord Jesus when we are in danger (Luke 22:32; Heb. 7:25), 
• His Word to preserve us (Ps. 119:11) and 
• His Spirit, who keeps us in fellowship with the Lord by occupying us with Him (John 15:26; 16:14) and giving us the strength to live as is well-pleasing to God (Rom. 8:4).

Fellowship with Him is indeed the only safeguard. And should the sad case occur that we sin, we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1) and the Word that cleanses us (Eph. 5:26: cf. John 13:1; 1 John 1:9). This will entail self-judgment, but it will recover the enjoyment of fellowship with the Lord, in which we can once again lead a life of dedication to God.

This central section of our chapter (vs. 9–12), however solemn it may be on the one hand, does not leave us without hope. For the Nazarite all was not lost. In His grace God gave an offering (vs. 10–11) and even the possibility make a fresh start. 

Christ

Although this point will be clear to most readers, let us emphasise: in this matter there is no parallel to Christ. Out Lord was never defiled. His vow was never broken. His life was one of uninterrupted dedication to his God. We have already seen that Paul, Peter and John testified to His purity (2 Cor. 5: 21; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5). Our Lord could not sin. He was fully Man, but He had no fallen nature. He was ‘tempted in all things in like manner, sin apart’ (Heb. 4:5).

Nevertheless, we shall find Christ even in this section of our chapter – except that He is not seen here in the Nazarite, but in the offerings brought for the Nazarite. The sacrifices bring about his cleansing and make a fresh start possible.

The offerings (6:10, 11)

‘On the eighth day he shall bring two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, to the priest, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the priest shall offer one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead person; and he shall hallow his head that same day’ (6:10, 11). 

In His grace – which is seen again and again even in the Old Testament – God had provided an offering especially for this case of a Nazarite’s broken vow. This offering involved several animal sacrifices and various kinds of offerings:

• a sin-offering (the turtle dove or pigeon)
• a burnt-offering (the turtle dove or pigeon)
• a trespass-offering (a lamb v.12)

It is surely noteworthy that the following offerings are not included here:

• the meal offering
• the peace offering
• the drink offering

This is all the more striking as these offerings do occur in the last part of the chapter; but here they are missing. We will come back this point in our discussion of the completion of the vow (Num. 6:13–21).

The burnt-offering and the sin-offering set forth the two fundamental aspects of the work of Christ on the cross: He sacrificed Himself as a sweet smelling savour to God (Eph. 5:2), and in Him we have been taken into God’s favour (‘made accepted’ KJV) before God (Eph. 1:6). But the purpose of His sacrifice was also to deal with the problem of our sins, as we see foreshadowed in the sin-offering (Lev. 4; Heb. 9:26). The entire power and effectiveness of the death of Christ is necessary to remove defilement.

Two turtle-doves or two young pigeons

According to Leviticus 1 it was permissible to bring a burnt-offering of turtle-doves or young pigeons. However, they were the poorest of the sacrifices and speak of relatively limited spiritual understanding on the part of the one who brought the offering – although pointing to the same perfect sacrifice of Christ. To bring a sheep or a bullock one would have to be wealthy. But in the case of poverty two turtle-doves or two young pigeons were permitted. For various offerings they were accepted expressly as a substitute for a lamb, should the person who was to bring the sacrifice be too poor to bring a lamb. This was the case with the trespass-offering (Lev. 5:7), for the cleansing of a woman after giving birth (Lev. 12:8), and in the case of the cleansing of a leper (Lev. 14:21, 22, 30). For the matter of cleansing in Leviticus 15, on the other hand, ‘two turtle-doves or two young pigeons’ were purposed for normal cases (not exclusively for poverty). The same applies in the case of the Nazarite whose vow had been broken.

From these passages we can deduce, on the one hand, that by sacrificing turtle-doves or young pigeons it was normally a matter of cases of guilt or defilement that inevitably demanded an offering. The Nazarite had, unfortunately, been caught up in such a situation.

On the other hand, this burnt-offering and sin-offering remind us that the work of the Lord Jesus is sufficient – even in the sad case of the defilement of a believer. Not that we ‘have to go back to the cross’, as is sometimes asserted, ‘to be converted anew’. It is rather a matter of realizing that, although we are saved once for all time, our Lord also died in view of the case of an unintended defilement.

On the eighth day

The burnt-offering and the sin-offering were to be sacrificed on the eighth day. It was the day following the seven days of uncleanness (v. 9). Additionally, the eighth day speaks of a new beginning. Happily, there will be a fresh start for the cleansed Nazarite. 

The eighth day is, moreover, the first day of a new week, and in this we see a pointer to the resurrection. We know that He ‘has been delivered for our offences, and has been raised for our justification’ (Rom. 4:25). Christ’s resurrection is the proof that God has accepted His sacrifice, the proof and token of our justification and the beginning of the new creation.

Interested readers will find other passages in the word of God that speak of the eighth day and substantiate this interpretation: Ex. 22:30; Lev. 9:1; 12:3; 14:10, 23; 15:14, 29; 22:27; 23:36, 39; Num. 29:35.

At the entrance of the tent of meeting 

The Nazarite had to bring the burnt-offering and the sin-offering to the priest, not outside the camp or to any place of his choosing, but to the tent of meeting, God’s dwelling place.

Every sin is a sin against God. This is why the offering had to be brought to God. We need to realise that the matter concerns our relationship with God. Through the sacrifice of Christ the problem of our sin has been settled (the sin-offering), and we have been made acceptable before Him, so that we stand in His favour (the burnt-offering).

Sinning by the dead person (i.e. through contact with a corpse)

In Numbers 6:9–12 three different expressions are used to describe what has happened:

• ‘He hath defiled the head’ (v. 9)
• ‘He sinned by the dead person’ (v. 11)
• ‘His consecration hath been defiled’ (v. 12)

If verses 9 and 12 deal with the fact that his consecration, or the head of his consecration, has been defiled, then in verse 11 the emphasis lies on the fact that in God’s sight defilement is sin.

He shall hallow his head that same day 

The head of his consecration had been defiled (v. 9), but that was not the end of the matter. On the eighth day, when he has brought the burnt-offering and the sin-offering, he can again hallow his head. This leads to the new beginning, of which we read in verse 12.

A fresh start (6:12)

‘And he shall again consecrate to Jehovah the days of his separation, and shall bring a yearling lamb for a trespass offering. But the first days are forfeited, for his consecration hath been defiled’ (6:12).

This verse that the Nazarite was given the opportunity of separating himself to God once again, as had been originally in his heart. It is wonderful to see God’s grace at work here, in which He allows the Nazarite to start over again.

Peter

This verse gives a real encouragement to any who sense their own shortcoming in following the Lord, thinking perhaps that it is ‘all over’. Peter must have been in this state of mind when he said, ‘I go to fish’ (John 21:3). The Lord, as the risen One, had already had an encounter with Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5). In this face to face conversation Peter’s denial of the Lord had undoubtedly been mentioned and settled. 

But, if this was so, why does Peter now say, ‘I go to fish’? The Lord had made him a fisher of men, and the matter of his denial had been cleared up – even if not publicly, as happens later in this same chapter. Peter must have imagined that, though he had been forgiven, his service was over. Had he lost his chance? The Lord answers this question in a twofold manner: 

1. He makes it clear that He intends to use Peter in His service: ‘Feed my lambs’, ‘Shepherd my sheep’, ‘Feed my sheep’ (John 21:15, 16, 17).
2. He shows that Peter, who had let slip the opportunity to die for his Lord, as he had promised, was to be granted another opportunity to honour the Lord by a martyr’s death (John 21:18, 19).

How gracious the Lord is!

The book of Acts then shows us that it truly was a new beginning and that the Lord could indeed make use of Peter. It is impressive to see in Acts 1 what insight Peter had in the Scriptures (the significance and application of Psalm 69 and Psalm 109 in the case of Judas), and how Peter was the one the Lord used to point the way forward. In chapter 2 it is Peter again who stands up and expounds in all clarity and with great authority what was involved in the events of the Day of Pentecost. In chapter 3 we read how he is again used by the Lord to preach in public. He could even point out that they (the unbelieving Jews) had ‘denied’ the Lord (Acts 3:13, 14).

Finally, Peter’s epistles reveal that he was definitely ‘restored’ and could ‘confirm’ his brethren (Luke 22:32). The Lord had truly granted him a fresh start.

A yearling lamb for a trespass offering

Now the Nazarite was to bring the third offering, a lamb for a trespass-offering. If the sin-offering (Lev. 3) has more to do with the character and problem of sin as such, the trespass-offering (Lev. 5) is more concerned with the damage caused. It is a question of making good the damage done, adding to it an additional compensation of one fifth (Lev. 5:16). 

In this way all three sacrifices that have to do with atonement had to be brought: the burnt-offering (v. 11), the sin-offering (v. 11) and the trespass-offering (v. 12). It shows that all these aspects of the work of Christ at the cross were necessary to deal with a single instance of defilement. How grave a matter sin is in the sight of God!

The only offering that speaks of the Lord’s death and is not mentioned here is the peace-offering. The reason for this is surely that the peace-offering speaks of the enjoyment of fellowship with God in view of the death of His Son – God and man finding their joy in Christ and His work.

The lamb (v. 12) points particularly to Christ’s purity and His readiness to suffer in silence without complaint (Isa. 53:7; 1 Peter 1:19). This lamb had to be one year old. It had thus been possible to observe it for a whole year and to ascertain that it was indeed pure and spotless. Moreover, it was still so young that it was, so to speak, snatched from life in the midst of its days. So, too, it was prophesied with reference to the Lord Jesus: ‘For he was cut off out of the land of the living’ (Isa. 53:8).

The days of consecration forfeited

However brightly God’s grace shines forth because of this fresh start, there is nevertheless a solemn side to it. Not only were the days of cleansing forfeited, but also the previous days of consecration: ‘the first days are forfeited’ (v. 12). We must bear in mind that nowadays, in New Testament times, God restores fully.ow grave a matter sin is in GiodÄs sight!How

We have already noted that Peter had denied the Lord, yet he was restored completely. However, the fact remains that God seeks continuous dedication and does not simply overlook interruptions or unforeseen disturbances.

Defilement of the consecration 

Here we find the third expression mentioned in our remarks on verse 11: ‘His consecration hath been defiled.’ This formulation contains a stark contrast – at first sight even a contradiction in terms: consecration signifies being for God and turning one’s back on all that is displeasing or of no use to Him in one’s life. Now the consecration had been defiled. Dealing with verse 4, we considered that the word translated by ‘consecration’ or ‘separation’ also conveys the meaning ‘crown’. The Nazarite had defiled what constituted his dignity and crown.

Israel

The people of Israel had also made a vow. They had said, ‘All that Jehovah hath spoken will we do’ (Ex. 19:8; 24:3, 7). Shortly afterwards they broke the law. But the nation finally defiled itself when they rejected the Messiah, had Him crucified and exclaimed; ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’ (Mt. 27:25).

In this way Israel, to use the expression of Numbers 6, ‘defiled its consecration’. But God, in His grace, has made provision for this consecration to be restored. So we read: ‘And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse which I have set before thee, and thou shalt take them to heart among all the nations whither Jehovah thy God hath driven thee, and shalt return to Jehovah thy God, and shalt hearken to his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy sons, with all thy heart and with all thy soul; that then Jehovah thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will gather thee again from all the peoples whither Jehovah thy God hath scattered thee’ (Deut. 30:1–3).

Later on in his prayer at the dedication of the temple Solomon had contemplated the possibility of Israel sinning. He had therefore requested that God would hear their prayer in such a case: ‘If they have sinned against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not), and thou be angry with them, and give them up to the enemy, and they have carried them away captives unto the enemy’s land, far or near; and if they shall take it to heart in the land whither they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captive, saying, We have sinned and have done iniquity, we have dealt perversely; and if they return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city that thou hast chosen, and the house that I have built unto thy name; then hear thou in the heavens, the settled place of thy dwelling, their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their right, and forgive thy people their sin against thee, and all their transgression whereby they have transgressed against thee, and give them to find compassion with those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them (for they are thy people)’ (1 Ki. 8:46–51).

And this is exactly what happened. When the two tribes had been deported to Babylon, and Daniel prayed towards Jerusalem, God heard him and revealed to him that the period of exile would end with its 70th year (Dan. 9:2). The book of Ezra reports how these promises were fulfilled.

But then the Jews crucified the Son of God. So they were once again driven out of the land (in the year 70 AD) and have been scattered among many lands until the present day. What had been considered impossible, unless something of the future of Israel was known from the Word of God, actually happened in 1948. The state of Israel was founded. At best this was a preparatory development. The moment when Israel, i.e. the faithful remnant (Rom. 9:27), recognizes and accepts Christ as their Messiah, still lies in the future and will only come about after the rapture of the church. Then they will bring the burnt-offering, the sin-offering and the trespass-offering (viz. the confession of the remnant that is sketched prophetically in Isaiah 53), and God will pour ‘the spirit of grace and supplications’ on them, when they look on Him ‘whom they pierced, and they shall mourn for him’ (Zech. 12:10).

Then God will receive Israel (represented by this remnant) back, and they will again be His people (Hos. 2:25). Then, after the long interruption of their Nazariteship, they will ‘again consecrate to Jehovah the days of [their] separation’.

However hopeless the situation of the Nazarite Israel may have appeared (without the temple, without any relationship with God, scattered among the nations) there was nevertheless a way of healing, that of return: ‘When ... thou ... shalt return to Jehovah thy God’ (Deut. 30:1, 2). For this eventuality God had earmarked a blessing that even superseded that of the fathers: ‘Jehovah thy God will bring thee into the land that thy fathers possessed; and thou shalt possess it, and he will do thee good and multiply thee above thy fathers. And Jehovah thy God will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed, to love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul that thou mayest live’ (Deut. 30:5, 6). How great a measure of God’s grace!

The way to return is ever open, and God responds with rich blessing when it is embarked upon.

Part 3: The fulfilment of the time of consecration (ch. 6 vs. 13–20)

The law of the Nazarite (6:13)

‘And this is the law of the Nazarite on the day when the days of consecration are fulfilled: he shall be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting’ (6:13).

In the third section of the chapter we come to the beautiful subject of the fulfilment of the vow. It stands in a certain contrast to the second part that has just been discussed. The key words here are no longer failure and interruption, but rather fulfilment and joy: ‘And afterwards the Nazarite may drink wine’ (Num. 6:20).

At first sight we may be surprised to find the words, ‘this is the law of the Nazarite’, at this point and not at the beginning or end of the chapter. In verse 21 this phrase is repeated. In this way this third section framed so to speak by these words. Therefore, the actual law of the Nazarite as such is restricted to the commandments that concern the final day of this possibly lengthy period, ‘all the days of his separation’ (Num. 6:4). The entire period, in which the Nazarite lived consecrated to the LORD, reached its climax on this last day, to which everything was orientated.

The particular case of an interruption in the consecration did not form part of the actual law of the Nazarite. Can we not see here a parallel in the fact that we still have the flesh in us (Rom. 7:17, 18), and therefore are capable of sinning (1 John 2:1b), although we should not do so (1 John 2:1a) and no longer need to? We no longer stand under the power of sin (Rom. 6:14). Sin in the life of a believer is a tragic, self-inflicted mishap, not something foreseen or normal.

Moreover, the end in kept in view. The essential is neither the possibility of failure (Part 2) nor renunciation (Part 1), but the joy that ensues (Part 3).

The final day of his consecration

A believer’s life is directed towards a goal. ‘All the days’ (cf. v. 4) of our life here on earth, all that we can be here in devotion to the Lord finds its climax and motivation in the great finale, when the Lord will ‘transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory’ (Phil. 3:21). Then will come true what we read in 1 John 3:2: ‘We shall see him as he is’. This objective is what the Nazarite had in view ‘all the days of his separation’: ‘And everyone that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure’ (1 John 3:3).

At the entrance of the tent of meeting 

Once again we see the Nazarite at the entrance of the tent of meeting (cf. v. 10), the place of God’s presence. There is, however, a distinction: in verse 10 it states that he should bring something, two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, to the entrance of the tent meeting. Here he himself is brought.

One day this will be the case with all believers. They will be brought into the presence of God, not to be occupied with the defilement or sin, but to savour eternal joy. Believers who pass through death are immediately ‘with Christ’, where it is ‘very much better’ (Phil. 1:23). Believers who are still alive at the time of the rapture, on the other hand, will be caught up together with the resurrected saints who have been asleep in Jesus to ‘be always with the Lord’ (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).

• ‘Thy countenance is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore’ (Ps. 16:11).
• ‘As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness’ (Ps. 17:15).

These two verses, which have Christ primarily in mind, will also be fulfilled with regard to believers.

Christ 

The Lord Jesus lived as a Nazarite for God ‘all the days’ without any interruption. Then came the moment when the days of His consecration here on earth were ‘fulfilled’. Moses and Elias ‘spoke of his departure which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem’ (Luke 9:31).

After finishing His work, He was taken up into the presence of God. As the Son of God He could ‘depart’, ‘come’ and ‘ascend’ (John 13:1; 17:13; 20:17). As a Man he was ‘carried up into heaven’ (Luke 24:51). As the Servant He was ‘taken up into heaven’ (Mark 15:19).

An interesting fact is that the tent of meeting is mentioned in this very connection. We read in Hebrews 9:11, 12: ‘Christ being come high priest of the good things to come, by the better and more perfect tabernacle not made with hand, (that is, not of this creation), nor by blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, has entered in once for all the holy of holies, having found an eternal redemption.’

He was not only brought to the tent of meeting like the Nazarite, but surpassed this type by far:

• He was not only brought to the tent of meeting, but entered into the sanctuary.
• It was a better sanctuary than that of Old Testament times (‘better and more perfect’).
• He had not only lived in consecration to God, but had died and ‘found an eternal redemption’).

He was the ‘author of eternal salvation’ and was ‘addressed by God as high priest according to the order of Melchisedek’ (Heb. 5:9, 10).  In another sense He is still, even now, separated and sanctified as a Nazarite (John 17:19). He joyfully awaits being accepted by His people. Maybe one might say that He is already ‘at the tent of meeting’, but waiting to enjoy the wine of joy over His earthly people (cf. v. 20b).

The burnt-offering and the sin-offering (6:14a)

‘And he shall present his offering to Jehovah, one yearling he-lamb without blemish for a burnt-offering, and one yearling ewe-lamb without blemish for a sin-offering’ (6:14a).

As in verse 11 we again meet here the burnt-offering and the sin-offering, pointing to the two fundamental aspects of the Lord’s work at the cross: His work for God (burnt-offering) and His work for us (sin-offering). However, there is no longer any question of the turtle-doves or young pigeons, but of a lamb in each case. When we are at last with the Lord and see Him face to face, we shall have a deeper appreciation than we ever had down here, especially when compared with the occasions where the need of cleansing was in the foreground. 

In both instances, with the burnt-offering and the sin-offering, it was a one-year-old lamb without blemish. This emphasizes that there was no failure nor anything untoward in the Lord (Luke 23:41). This was tested and proven during the entire period of His life here on earth. The ‘one year’ indicates this period of time.

A female lamb is required for the sin-offering. Whenever it was a question of the Lord’s work for God (the objective side), as in the burnt-offering, for example, a male animal had to be taken (Lev. 1:3). When it concerns our condition (the subjective side), as, for example, in the sin-offering of an individual, a female animal was taken (Lev. 4:28). In the case of the peace-offering, which speaks of our fellowship with God, a male or a female animal was acceptable (Lev. 3:1). This is why here, in the case of the sin-offering, an ewe-lamb (a young female sheep) had to be brought, since it concerns us and the sins that we have committed.

The ‘law of the Nazarite’ (vs. 13–21), therefore, draws our attention to what is future, when the full results of the work of Christ will be brought to light.

In our passage it is the Nazarite who brings these sacrifices. He had lived consciously for God, or – to use New Testament language – he had borne the reproach of Christ (Heb. 11:26; 13:13). This enables him to enter more into God’s thoughts concerning His Son and His work.

The peace-offering (6:14b) 

‘One ram without blemish for a peace-offering’ (6:14b).

In contrast to the burnt-offering that was solely for God and the sin offering[5], every Israelite was allowed to eat of the peace-offering, so long as he was undefiled. Regarding the peace-offering it states: ‘As to the flesh, all that are clean may eat the flesh’ (Lev. 7:19). This substantiates the thought that the peace-offering speaks of fellowship. 

Moreover – and surely precisely because it had to do with fellowship – the peace-offering speaks of joy. So we read in Deuteronomy 27:7: ‘And thou shalt sacrifice peace-offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before Jehovah’. For this reason, it was often brought as an offering of thanksgiving (cf. Lev. 7:12–15).

This connection between fellowship and rejoicing still applies: the apostle John writes that the apostles’ fellowship was ‘with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ’ (1 John 1:3) and that they reported these things (‘that which was from the beginning’) to the recipients of the epistle, so that they could have fellowship with them. What was the aim and purpose of this report and this fellowship? It was joy: ‘These things write we to you that your joy may be full’ (1 John 1:4).

A ram

A ram had to be brought for a peace-offering. The ram stands for strength and energy. The horns of a ram are mentioned already in Genesis 22, verse 13, and horns are known to be a sign of strength (cf. 1 Sam. 2:1, 10). It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for ‘ram’ is derived from ‘power’ or ‘strength’. In some passages the word is actually translated to this effect: ‘themightymen of Moab’ (Ex. 15:15) or ‘the mighty of the land’ (2 Ki. 24:15).

The ram, therefore, sets forth the strength and energy of the Lord Jesus with which He pursued His life’s purpose of bringing honour to God and carrying out His Father’s will. The peace-offering illustrates how we can enjoy the very things that are pleasing God, and bring them before Him in praise and worship.

Maybe we have been familiar with such thoughts for a long time already. But do we still enjoy this tremendous privilege, that there is something in which both God and we ourselves can have a common interest and joy? A single subject occupies us: Christ and His work at the cross.

Without blemish

We have a further indication that the ram for the peace-offering had to be ‘without blemish’. God watches over the fact that the sacrifices that speak of His Son constantly stress His perfection – not merely free of defilement (spotless), but also ‘without blemish’. No positive trait of character was lacking in Christ or not present in the appropriate measure.

The meal-offering (6:15) 

‘And a basket with unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their oblation’ (6:15).

This verse indicates that two kinds of meal offerings were brought:    

• A special meal-offering (cakes of fine flour, as in Lev. 2:4). Without going into the details of the meal offering in Leviticus 2, a study of this chapter will show that the meal offering points to the perfect life of our Lord, the true Nazarite: 
  • no leaven: there was no evil in Him, 
  • mingled with oil: according to Luke 1:35 He was conceived by the Holy Spirit 
  • anointed with oil: according to Acts 10:38 anointed with the Holy Spirit. 
  • fine flour: there were no irregularities in His life. In the power of the Holy Spirit He had lived a life that was perfection and well-pleasing to God. 
• The meal offerings that constituted part of the other offerings (‘and its oblation’ or: meal offering). We read in Numbers 15:4, 6, 9 that offerings by fire had to be accompanied by meal-offerings (cf. Num. 28:5). This fact shows that Christ’s sacrifice would not have been possible without His perfect life on earth. The two belonged together – so it was, too, with the continual morning and evening burnt-offering (cf. Ex. 29:39, 40).

A day will come when we will have a better appreciation of our Lord’s life than we do now. The Nazarite’s aim had been to live for God, but at the end of the days of his consecration he acknowledges that Christ was the only One who had done so in perfection.

The drink-offering (6:15b)

‘... and their drink offerings’ (6:15b).

Certain sacrifices were accompanied by drink-offerings. These consisted in wine, a symbol of joy (Jdg. 9:13; Ps. 104:15). An informative passage on the drink-offering is Numbers 15, where we learn that drink-offerings were bound up with those offerings by fire which were ‘of a sweet odour’ to God, i.e. the burnt-offering and the peace-offering: ‘When ye come into the land of your dwellings, which I give unto you, and will make an offering by fire unto Jehovah, a burnt-offering or a sacrifice for the performance of a vow, or as a voluntary offering, or in your set feasts to make a sweet odour to Jehovah, of the herd or of the flock, then shall he that presenteth his offering to Jehovah bring as oblation a tenth part of fine flour mingled with a fourth part of a hin of oil; and of wine for a drink-offering shalt thou offer the fourth part[6] of a hin with the burnt-offering, or with the sacrifice, for one lamb’ (Num. 15:2–5). 

These two items (the wine and the sweet savour) make it clear that with the drink-offering it is a matter of God’s joy over the finished work of His Son and not so much ours. It is noticeable that drink-offerings always seem to stand at the end, i.e. when something has been fully accomplished, and particularly when God had achieved His end with the soul in question. A few examples will illustrate this:

• We find the first drink-offering in Scripture in Genesis 35. Jacob had fled and had much to learn in the school of God. When, at the end of this process, he had returned to Bethel, God appears to him and gives him a new name. When this point in Jacob’s life has been reached, he brings a drink-offering (Gen. 35:14).
• The drink-offerings in Numbers 15 add-ons that accompanied another sacrifice. The offering made by fire was the main thing, and the drink-offerings was seen as forming part of the main sacrifice (‘and its drink-offering’). This passage also makes it clear that drink-offerings could first be brought in the land of Canaan, not in the wilderness: ‘When ye come into the land of your dwellings which I give unto you’ (Num. 15:2). There were no doubt practical reasons for this, but the spiritual significance lies in the fact that these drink offerings could only be brought once God had attained His purpose with the people.
• The drink-offering is mentioned twice in the New Testament. In both cases the drink-offering has to do with the end – namely of the life of the Apostle Paul: ‘But if also I am poured out as a libation on the sacrifice and ministration of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice in common with you all’ (Phil. 2:17). And: ‘For I am already being poured out, and the time of my release is come’ (2 Tim. 4:6). In both instances Paul is contemplating the end of his life on earth. He is thinking of the moment when he will have fulfilled His ministry and in view of this says that his life and service are a drink-offering.

The same principle comes out in our chapter. On the day when the Nazarite’s vow is fulfilled, he renders the drink-offering. It was at the end of the time of his consecration. When the time of our consecration to the Lord is ended, we will have a greater estimation of the joy God finds in the accomplished work of Christ.

The presentation of the sacrifices (6:16, 17)

‘And the priest shall present them before Jehovah, and shall offer his sin-offering and his burnt-offering; and he shall offer the ram, a sacrifice of peace-offering to Jehovah, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall offer also his oblation and his drink-offering’ (6:16, 17).

The sacrifices that the Nazarite had brought to the tent of meeting were then offered by the priest. Does this not remind us that, on the one hand, our Lord ‘offered himself’ to God? We read: ‘Christ, who by the eternal Spirit offered himself spotless to God’ (Heb. 9:14). And on the other hand we are reminded of the fact that our spiritual sacrifices of worship are ‘acceptable to God’, not through any sublimeness of our own thoughts, our choice of words or rhetoric, but ‘by Jesus Christ’; ‘to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ’ (1 Pet. 2:5).

An overview of the sacrifices 

For the cleansing of the Nazarite (v. 11) no peace-offering was involved, nor any meal-offering or drink-offering (vs. 15–17). On the other hand, in the case of the fulfilment of the vow the trespass-offering was missing. 

The following table may help to recall these distinctions:

The differences shown in the table above are noteworthy and instructive:

• Both the burnt-offering and the sin-offering occur in either case, but in the case of the fulfilment of the vow it is always a greater sacrifice than in the case of cleansing: a lamb instead of a turtle-dove or a pigeon.
• The meal-offering speaks of the sinless life of the Lord Jesus under the leading of the Holy Spirit. The defilement of the Nazarite was in contrast to this thought of purity. But at the fulfilment the meal-offering was not to be omitted. It was a reminder that the life of the One who was represented in the burnt-offering and sin-offering was the only truly perfect life.
• The peace-offering speaks of the fellowship of the one who brought the sacrifice with his God, to whom he was sacrificing. The defilement of the Nazarite was not a fitting occasion for this, but the day on which the Nazarite fulfilled his vow was.
• The trespass-offering was obviously appropriate in the case of a Nazarite’s defilement, but not when consecration for God was maintained for the entire duration of the vow.
• The drink-offering speaks of God’s joy over the sacrifice of His Son. Understandably, the drink-offering therefore had its place in the case of the fulfilment of the vow, but not where defilement had occurred.

The head of his consecration (6:18)

‘And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his consecration at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his consecration, and shall put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offering’ (6:18).

The Nazarite was to shave his head. At first sight this reminds us of verse 9, where the Nazarite also had to shave his head. But what a difference there is between these two situations! In verse 9 it was a case of the period of consecration hitherto being ‘forfeited’ or ‘lost’ (v. 12). Here the situation is a very different one.

A first indication of the distinction lies in the fact that with the cleansing process the ‘head’ was to be shaven, whereas here it is ‘the head of his consecration’. This expression occurs twice in our verse. In verse 9 it does indeed state that ‘the head of his consecration’ was defiled, but for the act of shaving only the ‘head’ (without further specification) is in question. In other words, it was the consecration (i.e. what it had been before its defilement) that he had forfeited or defiled. It is all the more striking that in our verse the phrase ‘the head of his consecration’ is used twice. This shows that the omission of the words ‘his consecration’ the second time in verse 9 is significant and not merely to avoid repetition. How precise is the Word of God!

Shaving

What is the meaning of shaving the head on the day when the vow was fulfilled? For a male Nazarite it is casting off the sign of reproach or contempt that he had endured during the time of his consecration. All this now past. Applied to us, this means that the time during which believers have shared the rejection of Christ has passed. But what they have done or suffered for God during their life He will never forget.

On the other hand, there is a positive side, to which we come in the next part of the verse.

The hair of the head

The Nazarite’s hair that had grown during the period of his consecration, can now be laid on the altar. This was something unique in the Levitical commandments concerning offerings: a part of the human body is literally (and not figuratively as in Romans 12:2) offered on the altar. It is not itself an actual sacrifice, but it is placed on the altar, in the fire that is underneath the actual offering.

What is the effect of the Nazarite’s hair being put on the fire? On the one hand it increases the intensity of the fire, it feeds the fire ‘which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering’. Does this not indicate that our devotion to the Lord (the hair) increases the enjoyment of the communion that is foreshadowed in the peace-offering?

On the other hand, the smell of the burning hair now mingles with the sweet odour of the peace-offering, and God permits it, He even orders it! The peace-offering will be before us in all eternity as a remembrance of what Christ accomplished to open up the way for eternal fellowship with the Father and the Son. When God now orders the Nazarite’s hair to be laid on the fire under the peace-offering, He points out, so to speak, that all that believers have been for God during their lives should combine and mingle with the sweet aroma of the peace-offering and ascend to Him in eternity in this sweet smelling savour for God. What a thought this is! Does not such grace affect our hearts? Is it not worth leading our lives in devotion to such a God?

Evidently, no-one can compare with Him, who sacrificed Himself and through whose overwhelming, wonderful offering millions of people have been saved and God has been glorified. But in His grace God will not be unmindful of what a single one of His children has been for Him on earth. Even more, He wants this to mingle and be associated with the sweet smelling savour arising from the incomparably greater work His Son accomplished.

Every Christian, who now surrenders one thing or another out of devotion to the Lord can take courage from this thought: what he has done or given up for the Lord will be remembered in that day, ‘at the entrance of the tent of meeting’ in God’s presence.

Even though there will be a tremendous change, one thing will remain in eternity, and this brings us back to the expression the ‘head of his consecration’: that is, our consecration or separation unto God. This is something eternal. We have been ‘redeemed to God’ (or: bought for God) and ‘sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all’ (Heb. 10:10). The form or the effect of the consecration is different: on earth it is the long hair and the contempt connected with it, in eternity this consecration will be ‘absorbed’, as one has said, in communion with God, so that the separation characterized here by renunciation, will continue in heaven in eternal fellowship.

The ram’s shoulder (6:19)

‘And the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after he hath shaven the hair of his consecration’ (6:19). 

With verse 19 we return to the actual peace-offering. The priest was to take the ram’s shoulder and lay it together with the meal-offering (a cake and a wafer, both unleavened) on the Nazarite’s hands, after he has ‘shaven the hair of his consecration’. The Nazarite now stands before God, not with the hair of his consecration, but with the peace-offering. This speaks of the believer who knows that his joy rests on Christ’s sacrifice and not on the degree of his own dedication.

The word for shoulder is also translated, according to the context, by ‘arm’ or ‘leg’ (in the sense of foreleg). Used in the figurative sense, it speaks of ‘strength’. In Job 22:8 and Ezekiel 22:6 it is translated by ‘power’. It occurs for the first time in the blessing of Joseph (Gen. 49:24): ‘But his bow abideth firm, and the arms of his hands are supple (or: strong), by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob’. Here and also in other passages, e.g. Exodus 6:6: ‘with a stretched out arm’ it is clearly used in connection with strength. The Nazarite can therefore remember that His Lord has borne all the responsibility and accomplished the work in His own strength (cf. ‘by himself’, Heb. 1:3).

The Nazarite has, moreover, the meal-offering in his hand. It is no longer a question of the life that he himself has led, but of that of another, the only perfect life. We are, of course, not saved by the Lord’s life – otherwise why should He then have died? (Gal. 2:21). The meal-offering in the hand of the Nazarite indicates that his life recedes into the background and is no longer worth mentioning in comparison with the life of Christ as Man on earth, which necessarily preceded His accomplishing the work of redemption at the cross. And Christ will remain eternally Man, so that we can behold Him (1 John 3:2). Then we shall enjoy fellowship with Him in perfection.

The wave-offering and the heave-offering (6:20) 

‘And the priest shall wave them as wave-offering before Jehovah; it is holy for the priest, with the breast of the wave-offering and with the shoulder of the heave-offering’ (6:20a).

The priest was now to present the peace-offering as a ‘wave-offering’ and a ‘heave-offering’. 

The term ‘wave-offering’ suggests that the sacrificial offering was moved to and fro and was shown before all, and especially before God. The expression for the heave-offering, on the other hand, emphasizes upward movement towards God, in other words, the gift offered was for God[7].

Corresponding instructions had been given referring to the ‘ram of consecration’ that was offered on the occasion of the consecration of Aaron and his sons as a peace-offering: the breast was brought as a wave-offering and the shoulder[8] as a heave-offering (Ex. 29:24, 26, 27). So had it also been laid down in the ‘law of the peace-offering’ for peace-offerings in general.

The breast of the wave-offering reminds us of ‘the love of the Christ which surpasseth knowledge’ (Eph. 6:19) that led Him to bring this sacrifice. Whatever the Nazarite was able to do in his life was only possible through the love of Christ.

The shoulder of the heave-offering reminds us of the Lord’s perfect walk. He went His pathway on earth from the manger to the cross to God’s honour. He had ‘steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem’ to accomplish this work (Luke 9:51).

A believer who has lived for God will eternally enjoy the love of Christ and take pleasure in the energy in which Christ went to accomplish the work of redemption at the cross.

The ensuing joy (6:20b)

‘And afterwards the Nazarite may drink wine’ (6:20b).

However long the period of consecration had lasted, there was an ‘afterwards’. Nazariteship is for a limited time and therefore has ‘wilderness character’ – in line with the character of the book of Numbers (see the comments on ‘All the days’ v. 4).

During the entire time of his consecration the Nazarite had had this moment in view. Now the Nazarite can drink wine. Renunciation and abstinence give way to joy and pleasures.

For us as believers the time of consecration embraces our whole life. When we are with the Lord, watchfulness will no longer be necessary. Then there will be neither inclination to nor occasion for defilement. When all is ordered and regulated to be to God’s honour, and we no longer have the flesh in us, then even the Nazarite will ‘drink wine’.

In His grace God wishes to bring us to this point, for which we can praise Him already now: ‘To him that is able to keep you without stumbling, and to set you with exultation blameless before his glory, to the only God our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory majesty, might, and authority, from before the whole age, and now, and to all the ages. Amen.’ (Jude 24, 25).

We can also apply Psalm 16: 11 to ourselves: ‘Thy countenance is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.’ We can hardly imagine how great that joy will be. When the disciples saw the Lord as the risen One, it says that they could not believe for joy (Luke 24:41). They were still on earth, not yet glorified and had not yet experienced the judgment seat of Christ (where all that might stand between the Lord and us will be removed). How great will our joy be when this takes place! Then the call will go forth: ‘Let us rejoice and exult, and give him glory; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready’ (Rev. 19:7). The fact that we shall need a body of glory (Phil. 3:21) to experience this moment speaks for itself.

When it says that the Nazarite drinks wine, this seems to be a contradiction in terms. Nazariteship speaks of renunciation, wine speaks of joy. It is, however, not a contradiction. There is indeed a close, causal connection between refraining and joy, between renunciation and enjoyment, between sharing the Lord’s rejection and sharing His glory. We read: ‘If indeed we suffer with him... we may also be glorified with him’ (Rom. 8:17) and ‘if we endure, we shall also reign together’ (2 Tim. 2:12). The Corinthians appear not to have understood this. They wanted to reign already, although it was still the time of the Lord’s rejection. So Paul had to write: ‘Already ye are filled; already ye have been enriched; ye have reigned without us; and I would that ye reigned, that we also might reign with you’ (1 Cor. 4:8).

Peter encouraged the recipients of his epistle to endure the sufferings of Christ in view of the joy that would follow: ‘As ye have share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, that in the revelation of his glory also ye may rejoice with exultation’ (1 Pet. 4: 13).

This will naturally be a joy that all believers will experience. The rapture is an act of grace and all believers then living will experience and have part in it. But there will also be a joy that is the direct answer to what we have been, or have been able to do, for the Lord in our lives. So we read in Matthew 25: 21: ‘Well, good and faithful bondman, thou wast faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things: enter into the joy of thy lord.’ This invitation to enter his lord’s joy was a direct response to the servant’s faithfulness during the time of the Master’s absence. That is the kingdom side of things: it is a question of responsibility and reward.

Christ

The Lord Himself is the true Nazarite who ‘in view of the joy lying before him, endured the cross, having despised the shame’ (Heb. 12:2). How great must that joy be that induced Him to endure the cross!

Now when does this joy begin for Christ? The verse quoted above from Hebrews 12 continues: ‘and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God’. He who ‘was made some little inferior to angels on account of the suffering of death’ is ‘crowned with glory and honour’ (Heb. 2:9). He was ‘taken up into heaven’ (Mark 16:19) and addressed by God as high priest: ‘And having been perfected, became to all them that obey him, author of eternal salvation according to the order of Melchisedek addressed by God as high priest according to the order of Melchisedec’ (Heb. 5:9, 10). Accordingly, the Lord’s joy has already begun. 

On the other hand, there is a joy for the Lord that is at present still future. Just think of the following events that are yet future but will bring the Lord great joy:

• Receiving His bride to whom his affection as the Bridegroom belongs. In this connection one thinks of the expression ‘the patience of the Christ’ (2 Thess. 3:5).
• The ultimate victory over His enemies, the moment He is still waiting for: ‘waiting from henceforth until his enemies be set for the footstool of his feet’ (Heb. 10:13).
• The penitent return of His earthly people Israel and the ensuing establishment of the kingdom (Luke 22:18).

In connection with this last point it is interesting to note that the Lord takes an illustration that reminds us straightaway of the Nazarite: the fruit of the vine: ‘For I say unto you, that I will not drink at all of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God come’ (Luke 22:18). In the parallel passage in Matthew’s gospel He adds: ‘until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father’ (Mt. 26:29). By saying ‘with you’, He has in mind the Jewish remnant that will one day repent and accept Him as the Messiah. Then the time will have come for the Nazarite to drink wine.

We had previously applied Psalm 16:11 to ourselves; yet this psalm presents Christ primarily as He walked His pathway in perfect dependence as a Man. The joy will finally be His, too: ‘Thy countenance is fulness of joy’.

Psalm 126 even speaks of rejoicing – rejoicing that is directly associated with the sufferings that had preceded it, first regarding the Jewish believers who returned to Zion from the captivity: ‘They that sow in tears shall reap with rejoicing’. Then the writer suddenly changes from the plural (‘they’) to the singular (‘he’) and states: ‘He goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for scattering; he cometh again with rejoicing, bearing his sheaves’ (Ps. 26:5, 6), speaking prophetically of our Lord’s untold sufferings and the joy, the rejoicing that would follow.

Israel and the remnant     

We had already seen that Israel was really to live as a Nazarite for God, but became defiled and therefore lost their position as God’s Nazarite.

In His infinite grace God does not allow the history of His earthly people to end there. In this matter he will also grant them an opportunity to consecrate themselves anew to God (v. 12); then the moment of rejoicing will come on the basis of the new covenant (Jer. 31:31).

Then a time of immense blessing will dawn for Israel. In Jeremiah 31 we read: ‘At that time, saith Jehovah, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus saith Jehovah, The people that were left of the sword have found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I go to give him rest. Jehovah hath appeared from afar unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee. I will build thee again, and thou shalt be built, o virgin of Israel! Thou shalt again be adorned with thy tambours, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Thou shalt again plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall eat the fruit. For there shall be a day when the watchmen upon mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise, and let us go up to Zion, unto Jehovah our God. For thus saith Jehovah, Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and shout at the head of the nations, publish ye, praise ye, and say, Jehovah, save thy people, the remnant of Israel’ (Jer. 31:1–7).

Then indeed the time will have come when Israel, as God’s Nazarite, can drink wine, i.e. can rejoice. Then enjoyment will replace deprivation. Then Christ will look upon His people with joy, the nation that once had played a significant part in His rejection, and will be able to rejoice over that nation: ‘Jehovah thy God is in thy midst, a mighty one that will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will exult over thee with singing’ (Zeph. 3:17); and He will share this joy with His people. He will say, ‘Eat, o friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, beloved ones!’ (Song of Songs 5:1). As one once wrote[9]: ‘The prophets, from Isaiah to Malachi, are full of the most glowing and soul-stirring allusions to that bright and blissful day. To quote the passages would literally fill a volume.’   

Summary (6:21)

‘This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed; his offering to Jehovah for his consecration, beside what his hand is able to get, according to the vow which he vowed, so shall he do, according to the law of his consecration’ (6:21).

The repetition of the phrase, ‘This is the law of the Nazarite’ (v. 13) forms a frame around this passage (vs. 13–21). As has been mentioned already, here we find– in contrast to the middle section of the chapter – that which is the whole aim and purpose of the entire period of the Nazarite’s consecration. 

The offerings that were stipulated in this section should not prevent the Nazarite from bringing additional sacrifices voluntarily: ‘... beside what his hand is able to get’. Voluntary consecration was the starting-point of the whole chapter: ‘If a man or a woman have vowed ...’ (v. 2). At the time of fulfilment provision is made for something extra to be given.

The measure is not what was prescribed, but ‘what his hand is able to get’. God does not expect the Nazarite to give what he must, but to give as he is able to give.

The main part of this chapter thus ends with the complete fulfilment of the Nazarite’s vow: ‘According to the vow which he vowed, so shall he do, according to the law of his consecration’.

Part 4: The blessing (6:22–27) 

The context of the blessing (6:22)

‘And Jehovah spoke to Moses saying ...’ (6:22).

The final section of our chapter (vs. 22–27) deals with God’s blessing for the people of Israel. At first sight there seems to be a somewhat abrupt change of subject. But the Word of God is perfect, even regarding the sequence in which it treats different subjects. In fact, this passage is a fitting end, not only for our chapter but also for the first large section of this book (viz. the section ‘The law of the Nazarite and its place in Numbers’).

The blessing that is introduced in these verses forms a fitting conclusion and the culmination of this chapter. It is as if God wished to point out that the way of consecration is always a pathway of blessing for us. Seen prophetically, it will be so as well, when the days of Israel’s consecration are fulfilled (vs. 13–20) and the time of rejoicing comes (v. 20), i.e. the time of the millennium; then God will be able to reign without any hindrance.

The priesthood as a channel of blessing (6:23)

‘Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel; saying unto them ...’ (6:23).

It is remarkable that God dos not simply pronounce this blessing over His people. Nor does He leave it to His servant Moses. Instead, Moses has to pass on these instructions on to Aaron and his sons. This indicates that God wishes to employ the priesthood to give this blessing to His people.

That is how it had been at the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests (Lev. 8–9). At the end of this consecration, on the eighth day, Aaron blessed the people. So we read in Leviticus 9:22: ‘And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and came down after the offering of the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and the peace-offering.’ 

This principle has been valid until the present day: it is Christ through whom all blessing comes to us. When He ascended from the earth to go ‘to the Father’ and ‘into heaven’, we read: ‘He led them out as far as Bethany, and having lifted up his hands, he blessed them. And it came to pass as he was blessing them, he was separated from them and was carried up into heaven’ (Luke 24:50, 51). Aaron also raised his hands to bless (Lev. 9:22), but his hands had not been pierced. Those of the Lord Jesus had indeed been pierced, and that is how the disciples saw Him ascend.  In Acts 1 we find the expressions ‘they beholding him’ and ‘they were gazing’ (Acts 1:9, 10). No wonder they ‘returned to Jerusalem with great joy’! (Luke 24:52).

The Lord Jesus is now our High Priest, the true Aaron. As such He intercedes for us and is in God’s presence for our blessing.

The blessing to be pronounced falls into seven parts: there are six concrete individual blessings, and the seventh part represents a concluding statement (v. 27). Some of these blessings have a spiritual character, which is actually surprising, since the people of Israel, in contrast to Christians, had chiefly enjoyed earthly blessings, which will also be the case in the millennium (the land, the fruit, their descendants, etc.). But it appears that God wishes to show that His response to dedication to Himself is to grant more than merely material things.

Seen prophetically, the full blessing that is pronounced here will one day rest on the people of Israel, when they have received Christ and in true dedication to Him fulfil their consecration (see the comments on Israel in verses 12 and 22).

God, the One who gives the blessing (6:24a)

‘Jehovah bless thee ...’ (6:24a)

In the final instance blessing can only ever come from God; so it is here, too. A fine biblical illustration of this is rain (in southern countries this is surely understood best of all): without rain there can be no life or growth. It originates in the clouds of the sky, above, and therefore illustrates that blessing comes from God. In Deuteronomy 28 Moses explains the way of blessing to the people and connects rain expressly with it (and with heaven): ‘Jehovah will open to thee his good treasure, the heavens, to give rain unto thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand’ (Deut. 28:12; cf. Lev. 26:4; Deut. 11:14; 28:24; 32:2).

The land of Egypt stands in stark contrast to this. In this case it is not rain from above but water from beneath that is characteristic: ‘For the land, whither thou enterest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs’ (Deut. 11:10). Egypt’s water came solely from below. The spiritual interpretation is obvious: the world does not know God’s blessing, but only the treadmill – a wretched substitute.

Genuine blessing therefore comes from God, although God is here designated by the name Jehovah. This name is used for God when it is a case of His entering into a relationship with mankind, in particular with His people Israel (see the use of ‘God’ (El) in Genesis 1 and 2 and, concerning Israel, in Exodus 3:15, 16).

The original meaning of the Hebrew word for blessing (‘barak’) is ‘kneel’ and is used in two different senses: ‘to bless’ (when God acts) and ‘to praise’ (relating to man when he ‘blesses’ God). In the New Testament the relationship between these two acts becomes clearer, since the Greek word (‘eulogeo’) is a compound of ‘good’ (‘eu’) and ‘speak’ (‘logeo’). When we praise God, we are expressing good things about Him. When He expresses good things about us, He is blessing us. 

It is impressive to note how God has approached man as a God of blessing from the beginning. The report of creation already shows how God blesses – first the creatures in the water and the air (Gen. 1:22), then man (Gen. 1:28; cf. Gen. 5:2) and the Sabbath Day (Gen. 2:3). After the flood He blessed Noah (Gen. 9:1). Then He called Abraham and blessed both him and those who would bless him (Gen. 12:2, 3). With Melchisedek we find both senses of the word: he blessed (praised) God and pronounced God’s blessing on Abraham (Gen. 14:19-20). It is not possible to list here all the passages where God is mentioned granting blessing (the word occurs over 300 times in the Old Testament), but it is impressive to see God’s intention of blessing mankind.

In our passage it is a specific matter of the blessing that the people of Israel should experience from the God who had entered into a covenant with them. This reminds us of Psalm 134: ‘Jehovah ... bless thee out of Zion’ (Ps. 134:3).

God’s keeping power (6:24)

Having been occupied with the context of the blessing, the priesthood as the channel of blessing and God as the One who blesses, we can now turn to the actual content of the blessing.

‘Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee’ (6:24).

When it says, ‘Jehovah ... keep thee’ it involves preservation. Already in those days God’s people had numerous enemies: at first in the wilderness (e.g. Amalek, Ex. 17:8–13), then before entering the land (Edom, Moab, the Amorites, see Num. 21-25) and finally in the land of Canaan (see the reports in the book of Joshua). As long as God could go along with them (i.e. they did not depart from Him through sin or unbelief), they could be sure of conquering all their enemies. God would use them to drive the enemies out of the land.

In its application to ourselves as Christians we think of our preservation from evil (John 17:15). It confronts us on all sides and it pours down upon us, making use of the latest means and avenues. The sin that still indwells us is inclined to give way to such temptations. To these come real attacks from outside: through persecution or scorn, or even through false teaching. But God can and will preserve us. He can do so in such a way that we will not stumble (Jude v. 24) through His power and, on our part, through faith (‘by the power of God through faith’). For how long? Until our ‘salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time’ (1 Pet. 1:5). This is our future salvation, which we shall experience when the Lord comes and our bodies are transformed (Phil. 3:21) and we are outside this ‘danger zone’ for evermore.

Light (6:25a)

‘Jehovah make his face shine upon thee’ (6:25a).

This verse gives us the next two components of the blessing that Aaron was to pronounce on the people. If it says that God (here again ‘Jehovah’) was to let His face shine on them, it has to do with light. It is the light or revelation to us of a God known to us with reference to our dwelling-place, our pathway and our circumstances. When Israel left Egypt to journey to the promised land, God used the cloud of His presence and the pillar of fire to show His people the way (Ex. 13:21, 22). In our verse it is more personal: it is His face that is to shine upon us and them respectively.

God wishes to reveal His will to us regarding our life. And if we recognize and carry out His will, He will grant us the assurance that the way we are going, corresponds to His will. We shall see His face shining over our way. In Psalm 31 we find these two aspects: first David requests God’s guidance and leading ‘and, for thy name’s sake, thou wilt lead me and guide me’ (Ps. 31:3), then he expresses the wish: ‘Make thy face to shine upon thy servant’ (Ps. 31:16).

Even if this practical aspect of the pathway is here in the foreground, this sentence reminds us that we as Christians can know and enjoy the radiance of Christ’s face. We can look back to the cross and also look up to a glorified Christ; then we see nothing less than ‘the shining forth of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Cor. 4:6), and indeed without fear or care, for it is in the face of Him who suffered for us that we see God’s glory. Glory on its own causes fear, but glory in the face of Christ is glory in grace. 

Grace (6:25b)

‘... and be gracious unto thee’ (6:25b).

When it continues ‘and be gracious unto thee’, then we remember how God constantly showed grace to the people of Israel even when they were under the law. Think, for example, of the incident with the brazen serpent (Num. 21) or in connection with Balaam (Num. 22–24). Even in view of failure that called forth judgment in God’s governmental ways upon the people, He was gracious towards Israel again and again. Several times God had threatened to destroy that nation (which they had thoroughly deserved), but had graciously relented upon Moses’ intercession and finally brought   the people into the promised land of Canaan.

For the Christian dispensation, on the other hand, grace is characteristic. God has not just been gracious towards us; He has been pleased to work in us according to ‘the riches of His grace’ (Eph. 1:7) in us by meeting our needs, and not only that: He has also appointed us to be sons ‘to the praise of the glory of his grace’ (Eph. 1:6).

Nevertheless, we still need the grace of God in our daily circumstances. This was the wish of the Apostle Paul for the recipients of his epistles: ‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’ (cf. Eph. 1:2). Only on the ground of grace (i.e. the principle that we can do nothing of ourselves, but may expect all necessary help from God) can we walk our pathway happy and rejoicing. It is only on this basis – in grace – that we can be strong: ‘Thou therefore, my child, be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus’ (2 Tim. 2:1).  

An untroubled relationship (6:26a)

‘Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee ...’ (6:26a).

Raising one’s face to look at another person signifies an unimpeded relationship.

Moses had himself such a direct and unhindered relationship with his God. Therefore, we read that God spoke with Moses ‘face to face, as a man speaks with his friend’ (Ex. 33:11), and Moses knew Him ‘face to face’ (Deut. 34:10).

In our verse the wish for the blessing is directed towards God’s side. When He lifts His countenance upon someone, it is a sign of His favour towards that person. This is confirmed in Psalm 67:1: ‘God be gracious unto us, and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us.’ 

We have a particularly interesting, though negative example with David, when Absalom was not permitted to see his father’s face (2 Sam. 14:24). In this way it became clear that Absalom no longer enjoyed his father’s favour.

God raises His countenance upon those in whom He takes pleasure. This was David’s prayer in Psalm 4: ‘Lift up upon us the light of thy countenance, o Jehovah’ (Ps. 4:6). This psalm, incidentally, sets forth beautifully the characteristics of the Nazarite: ‘set apart’ for God (v.3) and having joy that did not depend on wine (v. 7).

Psalm 11 gives us a further confirmation, this time not as a request in prayer, but as an established fact: ‘For righteous is Jehovah; he loveth righteousness, his countenance doth behold the upright’ (Ps. 11:7).

Peace (6:26b)

‘... and give thee peace’ (6:26b).

Then our verse continues ‘and give thee peace’. These two aspects are connected. If we enjoy an undisturbed relationship with God, then peace will ensue in virtue of the fact that we are doing God’s will. The Lord called this peace ‘my peace’ (John 14:27). He had known it to perfection. So He could approach His enemies in perfect peace, saying, ‘If ... ye seek me, let these go away’ (John 18:8). After His resurrection, too, He grants not only the foundational peace with God on the ground of His work, great as it is (John 20:19), but also peace to be experienced practically on our pathway and in our mission (John 20:21).

My Name (6:27) 

‘And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them’ (6:27).

Verse 27 brings the blessing to its conclusion. Whereas in verses 24–26 the person or the recipients of the blessing are addressed directly, verse 27 again takes the form of an instruction: ‘And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel’. Those referred to as ‘they’ are once again Aaron and his sons (cf. v. 23).

This sentence is not so much a separate seventh blessing as a summary or interpretation of the six blessings of this benediction: the Name of Jehovah was put upon the children of Israel. In this way God identified Himself with them, and they became, so to speak, His representatives on earth.

What a perspective! From the outset this possibility had been open to the people of Israel. Unfortunately, they did not live up to this calling. Again and again the history of God’s people shows that their consecration was interrupted and frequently gave way to defilement. This book of Numbers bears eloquent witness to the fact (cf. Num. 13–14; 21:25 etc.).

Nevertheless, God will achieve His purpose with this nation. For centuries God had not been able to acknowledge them as His people – they have been designated as Lo-Ammi, i.e. ‘not my people’ (Hos. 1:9). But the moment will come when Israel is restored, when they have accepted Christ, confessed their guilt and will serve God with true dedication. Then they will again be able to bear the Name of God (Hos. 2:23; Rom. 9:26). Then the full blessing will rest on that nation.

The Name of Jehovah was, and will one day again, be put upon Israel. Christians, on the other hand, know God as their Father. Shall we not walk our pathway in fellowship with Him? That it will ever be imperfect is clear to us all. Yet we know that the time will come when we shall enjoy fellowship with the Father and the Son absolutely unhindered and unspoilt.

It is a great privilege to be able to bear the Name of God. The overcomers in Philadelphia were given the promise: ‘He that overcomes, him will I make a pillar in the temple of my God ...; and I will write upon him the name of my God ... and my new name’ (Rev. 3:12). This will be one of our greatest privileges in eternity: ‘And they shall see his face; and his name is on their foreheads’ (Rev. 22:4).

Part 5: Some examples

 Let us look briefly into some examples of people in the Bible who were, or can be assumed to have been, Nazarites. A detailed treatment of each individual biography would not only go beyond the framework of this booklet but would also overlap what has already been written in many good Bible commentaries. Therefore, we will confine ourselves to some of the key lessons of these Nazarites.

Samson (Judges 13–16)

Samson was called upon to be a Nazarite from his birth to the day of his death. This was ordered by the angel of the LORD. His mother, Manoah’s wife, reports: ‘A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of an angel of God, very terrible; but I did not ask him whence he was, neither did he tell me his name. And he said to me, Behold thou shalt conceive and bear a son; and now drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not anything unclean; for the boy shall be a Nazarite of God from the womb to the day of his death’ (Jdg. 13:6, 7). 

The important lesson from Samson’s life, which we do not learn from the law of the Nazarite in Numbers 6, is the connection between consecration to God (expressed by the long hair) and strength. We should not imagine Samson to be a giant with an impressive physique. Samson’s strength was a mystery to the Philistines. They were forced to appeal to Delilah: ‘Persuade him, and see in what his great strength is’. But that great strength depended entirely on his consecration as a Nazarite. When his hair was cut off, he became as weak as a child: even a woman, Delilah, was then stronger than he and ‘began to overpower him’ (16:19).

What is especially tragic here is that Samson did not realise that he had lost his strength together with his hair: ‘He awoke out of his sleep and thought, I will go out, as at other times, and disengage myself. And he knew not that Jehovah had departed from him’ (Jdg. 16:20).

Samson was a judge through whom God brought about great victories. It is all the more tragic to see that he constantly appeared to interrupt his Nazariteship. Instead of being separated for God, he associated with the enemies (Jdg. 14). Contact with death and the enjoyment of wine[10] (cf. Jdg. 14:9.10) were not unknown during his life. Samson’s life gives us a warning. It shows, in a striking manner, the consequences of the failure of a person called to be separated unto God.

Samson ends up as a blind prisoner, a servant of his enemies, having lost not only his strength, but also his sight (his insight) and his freedom. In this way he became a warning example to us: a sad illustration of a Christian who surrenders his devotion to God and eventually becomes a captive and slave of the world, and then, bound with fetters of bronze, is forced to grind at their millstone and, as if that were not enough, has to play and make music for the amusement of his enemies.

However, there is something particularly encouraging: we also see God’s grace in the life of Samson, restoring him and enabling a fresh start to be made. Even if the consequences of his failure remain with him, we read that his hair began to grow again: ‘but the hair of his head began to grow after he was shaved’ (Jdg. 16:22). Samson calls upon God to help him, and God responds. In his death Samson achieves his greatest victory ever (Jdg. 16:28-30).

Samuel (1 Samuel 1)

Samuel’s birth, unlike Samson’s, was not announced by an angel, but was God’s answer to Hannah’s prayer. In additionally to her request Hannah had made a vow: ‘O Jehovah of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man child, then I will give him to Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon him’ (1 Sam. 1:11). Many expositors have concluded from this that Samuel was a Nazarite. The other two marks of a Nazarite are not mentioned, but the thought that Samuel was to be wholly for God and live for Him follow from Hannah’s words: ‘I will give him to Jehovah all the days of his life’.

Nowhere do we read that Samuel broke his mother’s vow. His life is characterized by total dependence upon God. He was a man of prayer (see e.g. 1 Sam. 12:23), and God was able to use him for the blessing of His people.

We thus have, in a twofold respect, a wonderful example before us: on the one hand, Hannah with her fervent wish to have a son who would belong to God and be of service to Him (1 Samuel 1:11). On the other hand, we see in Samuel’s life how that wish was fulfilled: Samuel served God at a very early age and ‘grew on, and was in favour both with Jehovah and also with men’ (1 Sam. 2:26).

The Rechabites (Jeremiah 35)

We encounter the Rechabites in Jeremiah 35. God had instructed Jeremiah to offer the Rechabites wine in a chamber of the temple (where no-one could see them). The Rechabites refused on the ground of their father Jonadab’s order not to drink wine: ‘Ye shall drink no wine, ye nor your sons for ever’ (Jer. 35:6). This leads some expositors to regard the Rechabites as Nazarites. Whether they had the other characteristics of a Nazarite we can hardly tell.  However, their obedience is noteworthy.

What is especially impressive here is the dimension of time: Jonadab had lived during Ahab’s reign (2 Ki. 10:15, 23), approximately 850 years before Christ’s birth. The incident in Jeremiah 35 occurred much later during the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah (Jer. 35:1), about 600 years before Christ’s birth. The intervening period between Jonadab’s command and the Rechabites’ obedience, therefore, amounted to some 250 years, which corresponding to 8–10 generations. They had understood that the time factor played no part for God in this respect. God took note of the Rechabites’ faithfulness, which stood in stark contrast to the disobedience of Judah. So God proclaimed: ‘Yea, the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people hath not hearkened unto me’ (Jer. 35:16). The Rechabites, on the other hand, are presented as a model: ‘The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his son not to drink wine, are performed; and to this day they have drunk none, for they have obeyed their father’s commandment. But I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking, and ye have not hearkened unto me’ (Jer. 35:14).

God made sure that the Rechabites were received a rich reward: ‘Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, There shall not fail to Jonadab the son of Rechab, a man to stand before me, for ever’ (Jer. 35:19).

It is interesting that in the case of the Rechabites the abstinence from wine is connected with the abstinence from sowing and harvesting, and from building houses. Jonadab had said: ‘Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor shall ye have any; but all your days ye shall dwell in tents in the land where ye sojourn’ (Jer. 35:7). They were to live as strangers.

The two main characteristics in the case of the Rechabites were therefore obedience and pilgrimage.

Paul (Acts 18)

In Acts 18 we have an interesting statement concerning Paul: ‘And Paul, having yet stayed there many days, took leave of the brethren and sailed thence to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Cenchrea, for he had a vow’ (Acts 18:18). This mention of Paul shaving his head and of the vow raises the question[11] of whether it was here a matter of a Nazarite’s vow and, if so, whether copying such an act should be recommended for Christians today. We should be cautious about such conclusions (and, for that matter, with conclusions concerning divine things generally). In the first place, we are unaware of the content of this vow, and apart from that, we need to remember that Paul sometimes acted out of consideration for the Jews (whom he wished to win for Christ). This may have been the case here. The question arises, moreover, as to whether Paul acted here in the full light and enjoyment of the Christian truth that had been revealed through him. But who would dare to judge such a prominent, gifted and blessed servant of the Lord? 

In any event, these considerations show that, even had it was a Nazarite’s vow, this does not mean that imitation is recommended.

In another sense, however, Paul was a Nazarite. Concerning the spiritual significance of Nazariteship, there has rarely ever been a Christian on whom the character of a Nazarite has been brought to bear in such a measure as was the case with Paul. He considered earthly joys and advantages ‘as dung’ (Phil. 3:7, 8). This man, who worked day and night, also led an active, profound prayer life. From the start he had also been subject to the Lord’s will (Acts 22:10) and kept himself from defilement. Reading Acts 13–28 will impress every Bible reader with the fact that, for the apostle, Nazariteship was his way of life.

‘Poor Paul!’ his former fellow students, who had sat at Gamaliel’s feet, may well have thought. ‘What has become of him? An itinerant preacher without a fixed abode and frequently in jail.’ But what did Paul himself say, as he looked back on his life? He regretted nothing. On the contrary, he says; ‘It was worth it.’ In his last inspired epistle we read, ‘I have combated the good combat, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth the crown of righteousness is laid up for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will render to me in that day’ (2 Tim. 4:7, 8).   

Amasiah (2 Chronicles 17)

Amasiah lived in the concurrent reigns of Jehoshaphat and Ahab. It is said of him that he ‘willingly offered himself to Jehovah’ (2 Chron. 17:16). This is the only passage that mentions him: we know nothing else about him.

The fact that he ‘offered himself willingly’ has led to the supposition that he was a Nazarite[12].

In our view this cannot be substantiated from Scripture. The context indicates rather that what is meant is that he served voluntarily in Jehoshaphat’s army. The emphasis is on Jehoshaphat’s spiritual and also political power; he built store-cities and had many ‘mighty men of valour’ (2 Chron. 17:13–19).

Be this as it may, Amasiah shows us a characteristic that fits in very well with our subject: willingness of heart. It says of Amasiah that he ‘offered himself willingly to Jehovah’. Amasiah offered or dedicated himself to God. Even if it meant fighting in Jehoshaphat’s army, it was neither easy nor without danger. But that did not deter Amasiah because it was for God’s cause that such risks were taken. The expression he ‘offered himself to Jehovah’ encapsulates precisely the Nazarite’s voluntary attitude in relation to God’s interests.

John the Baptist (Luke 1) 

John the Baptist is not designated expressly as a Nazarite in the Bible. The angel had told his father Zacharias: ‘For he shall be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother’s womb’ (Luke 1:15). The other two characteristics of a Nazarite are not mentioned in his case. Nevertheless, it is clear from this verse that he was to be set apart for God from his birth. The next verse also shows that God had a special purpose for him: ‘And many of the sons of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God’ (Luke 1:16). This particular appointment and consecration to God is surely the reason why some reliable expositors[13] describe John the Baptist expressly as a Nazarite.

If Samson was marked by extraordinary physical strength, then it was rather spiritual strength that distinguished John (and also Samuel).

It is striking that in none of these examples is it a case of complete Nazariteship. With Samson the consecration was interrupted. With Samuel and John the Baptist we do not read of all three characteristics being mentioned. In the final analysis there is only one perfect Nazarite: Christ Himself.

Christ

The Lord Jesus was, of course, the Nazarite ‘par excellence’, the perfect example of God’s Nazarite, not in the literal, but in the figurative, spiritual sense.

Nazarites in Lamentations 4?

In some translations of the Bible the word Nazarite is employed in Lamentation 4:7. J N Darby uses it in his English and French translations, but adds the word ‘prince’ as a footnote: ‘Her Nazarites [princes] were purer than snow, whiter than milk; they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their figure was as sapphire. Their visage is darker than blackness, they are not known in the streets; their skin cleaveth to their bones, it is withered, it is become like a stick’ (Lam. 4:7, 8). The German Elberfelder Bible translates the word by princes (‘Fürsten’).

What leads to these different translations? It is a question of the point system (‘niqqud’[14]) used in Hebrew orthography. The Hebrew word for Nazarite, since the root nzr can mean ‘separation’, ‘consecration’, and also ‘crown’, which has led to the version ‘prince’. Those who translate with ‘princes’ may point out that, at the time of the captivity, there was no longer any consecration among the people that merited the term ‘Nazarite’ in the sense of Numbers 6. Therefore, Nazarites cannot be meant and, instead, the cause of this lamentation is seen in the absence or a king, or princes, in Jerusalem.

The other possibility is that Nazarites are in fact meant, and it is lamented that there are none present any longer where God had appreciated them so much.

It is admittedly a difficult matter which meaning should be given precedence (and I should not presume to be able to decide). However, both meanings and explanations have one thing in common: among God’s earthly people things had gone so far that there was no longer a single Nazarite, and that is the important point here. That does not mean that at the end of the Christian era there is no further consecration or Nazariteship. But it goes to show that it would be extremely sad – a cause for lamentation – if there were no more ‘Nazarites’ in our time.

The Nazarites in Amos 2 

A further interesting passage regarding Nazarites is found in the prophecy of Amos:

‘And I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, ye children of Israel? saith Jehovah. And ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not. Behold I will press upon you, as a cart presseth that is full of sheaves’ (Amos 2:10–13).

God had indeed done much for His people. As proofs of God’s care Amos mentions, for example, the exodus from Egypt and His guidance through the wilderness. Moreover, He had given them prophets who had spoken the word of God to them. In this connection Amos mentions a further privilege of the people: God had given among them young people with the desire to live especially for God: ‘I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites’ (v. 11). How had they treated these privileges however? Instead of rejoicing over the devotion of the Nazarites, they had unfortunately discouraged these young men and tried to distract them from their consecration to God: ‘Ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink’ (v. 12). They said, as it were, ‘Don’t take things so seriously: a little more earthly joy and a little less dedication is better – one shouldn’t overdo things ...’ This attitude was just as wrong as that towards the prophets: ‘And [ye] commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not!’ (v. 12).

One wonders what motivation led them to act in this way. Why, if they failed to encourage them, did they not simply let the Nazarites (and the prophets) be, even if they themselves did not feel called or inclined to follow their example? Is the explanation not that the greater dedication of my brother or my sister pricks my conscience and condemns me?

Even today the prophet Amos asks us how we handle the dedication of others. Should we not beware of disparaging or discouraging comments, and rather encourage them on this pathway and pray for them? The behaviour of the Nazarites can be a positive example and an incentive for us to live for the Lord ourselves.

Further examples

A few other men in the Old Testament have also been referred to as Nazarites[15], e.g. Joseph in Egypt, Moses in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon. Again, we find that none of these are expressly said to be Nazarites in Scripture (nor did they possess all three characteristics). Nevertheless, they were all marked out by their voluntary renunciation, consecration and separation for God.

Part 6: Nazariteship today

We have been considering this extremely interesting chapter in the book of Numbers. In the course of our study we have established that alongside its historical, literal significance this chapter also has a prophetic sense (with reference to the people of Israel and also the Lord Jesus as well as important lessons for the practical life of every Christian. Our last chapter is devoted to this final point.

What it does not mean

First of all, it is important that the subject and this book should not be misunderstood. A wrong application of the chapter could have fatal consequences and lead to pride, indifference or discouragement. Let us first show what the chapter does not mean.

No formal oath

In Old Testament times the way to become a Nazarite was to swear an oath to this effect (Numbers 6: 2). Under the law, such an oath or vow was permissible and intended. But the thought of an oath corresponds to the legal principle: I undertake to perform a certain task, I assume that I have the strength to do this, and I make a corresponding vow. Whenever a man vowed such a vow this resulted in an absolute obligation to carry out what had been promised (Num. 30:2). As a Christian one should not do such a thing.  Our word should always be trustworthy. The Lord Jesus Himself told His disciples even before the Christian era: ‘Do not swear at all’ (Mt. 5:34).

No heroic resolutions

One might now think: ‘Well, I won’t swear, but I’ll take a decision of heart to live for Christ and then I’ll manage to do it.’ Such a person may not swear a formal oath, but he steps on to legal ground, assuming he has the strength to live for the Lord. Such a procedure is doomed to failure from the start (Rom. 7).

No return to the law 

Therefore, it is not a question of submitting to the (or: a) law. Paul states clearly that we are not under the law: ‘For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under law but under grace’ (Rom. 6:14). Grace is our guiding principle. Grace stands in total contrast to the law. Its very basis is that I have no strength in myself and can do nothing by my own efforts. But grace links us with Christ.

Asaph could say: ‘Whom have I in the heavens? And there is none upon earth I desire beside thee’ (Ps. 73:25).  How much more should that apply to us who are associated with a glorified Christ in heaven! God has given us the Holy Spirit for this purpose: that we should be occupied with the glories of Christ (John 16:14). The more this is true, the less we shall be troubled by what we are not ‘allowed’ to do. Being united with a glorified Christ is a tremendous privilege. It is the ‘mystery of Christ’. On the one hand we are already ‘in the heavenlies in Him’ (Eph. 2:6); on the other hand, Christ is in us, ‘the hope of glory’ (Col. 1:27).

Christian liberty lies in our having the freedom to carry out the desire of our new, divine nature (and also that of the Lord).

No monastic seclusion

This book is not an appeal to ‘go into a monastery’ (or any modern equivalent with a similar purpose). The idea of monastic seclusion is based on the assumption that one needs only to eliminate external obstructive influences to obtain the strength to meet high standards. This approach ignores the fact that sin still dwells in us – or that we have the strength to overcome it as long as there is no hindrance from outside. This way would definitely equally prove a failure and only lead to discouragement for oneself and others. As C.H. Mackintosh once said: ‘The question is not whether we should become monks, but whether we wish to be Nazarites.’

No indifference 

It would be equally wrong to gloss over this chapter indifferently by saying, ‘I can well see that there have been such Nazarites, and I am delighted to see the prophetic significance, but as far as my life is concerned this subject has no import. I could never meet that high standard anyway.’ We can only warn against such an attitude towards the Word of God. It is very dangerous to consider God’s Word and yet neglect its moral impact.

No reason for pride

There are, of course, also contemporaries who are less self-critical. Such persons are more likely to be self-satisfied. They consider themselves faithful, or at any rate more faithful than others, and consider themselves exemplary Nazarites. Believers with this disposition are sincerely advised to allow the light of this chapter to take effect in them.

No despondency

Others again may take the matter very seriously. They have made many attempts and sincerely desire to follow the Lord. But it all went wrong and, to stick to the illustration of the Nazarite, they have touched a corpse. Now they are despondent and feel inclined to give up. What is to be done?

This is a situation in which, at one time or another, we may all have found ourselves. Such experiences help us to learn the lesson that ‘in my flesh, good does not dwell’ (Rom. 7:18). Then we shall be ready to examine ourselves in God’s light, and where necessary to judge ourselves. The Spirit of God will then again occupy us with the Lord Jesus and thus spur us on to dedication to Him, giving us the necessary strength. 

The true significance for Christians

What, then, is the practical significance of Numbers 6 for Christians today?

Positional and practical separation 

Since God has set Christians apart to belong to Him, they are sanctified ‘positionally’ (i.e. every Christian is in the position of being 100% sanctified, all the time). But what is true of us in principle should also be true of us in practice. These two aspects (position and practice) can be found repeatedly in the New Testament. To give just one example: Peter writes to believers who have already received the ‘sanctification of the Spirit’ (1 Pet. 1:2), once for all, but then goes on to encourage them to be sanctified practically: ‘Be ye also holy in all your conversation’ (or ‘in all your conduct’, ESV, 1 Pet. 1:15).

The starting-point is what God has done. The next step is then to live up to it with God’s help (and in the consciousness that in ourselves we do not have the strength to do so).

The wish for consecration

Once we realize and start to appreciate what Christ suffered and paid in order to bring us into this position and state of being sanctified,                we will desire to respond with gratitude to the Lord by living with and for Him. 

The readiness to renounce things

Then it will then not be too difficult to forego some legitimate joys (‘the fruit of the vine’). The Nazarite knows that there are a thousand things that can have a negative influence on him, or at least be a distraction for him, although they are harmless in themselves, judged by normal moral standards. This has perhaps never been as true as in our own age of electronic communication, when there is no subject and no distraction that is not available, literally at our fingertips. The flood of information is almost infinite. But in the measure with which we are prepared to refrain from things for the Lord’s sake, we shall notice that the Lord grants us more joy than we would ever been able to derive from earthly things.

The readiness for subjection

Another consequence is that we will be willing to bear situations where we feel that the world despises, and perhaps ridicules or derides our ‘long hair’, i.e. our submission to the Lord. We know that Christ Himself was subject and that on this pathway of dependence (and only on this pathway) we shall enjoy what He called ‘my peace’ (John 14:27).

Overcoming temptation

As far as contact with a dead body, i.e. with sin and its consequences, is concerned a similar principle applies: the more we know and enjoy fellowship with the Lord and the more we understand that sin drives a dark cloud between ourselves and the Lord, robbing us of the joy of our fellowship, we shall do all we can to keep free from defilement. Evidently, we do not have in ourselves the strength to do so, but in the moment of temptation we can pray, saying, ‘I thank you, Lord, that I do not need to do this, since you have set me free’ (cf. Rom. 6:14). 

A fresh start, if need be

Should we fail, ‘for we all often offend’ (Jas. 3:2), let us not give up. A fresh start is possible. It will not happen without loss, for ‘the first days are forfeited’ (Num. 6:12). But we should certainly not imagine that all is over, or that the Lord has no further use for us.

The joy that follows

There will be days on which the life of a Nazarite proves to be more difficult than on others (e.g. when the world mocks, or when other believers fail to understand us). Let us then remember that we shall not always have the opportunity to bear trials for the Lord – that one day our Nazariteship will end. Then the word will apply: ‘Afterwards the Nazarite may drink wine’ (v. 20). ‘The joy lying before us’ will diminish any renunciation we have borne out of love for the Lord.

A personal question

The question that the law of the Nazarite puts to our hearts in a very practical way is: For what purpose, or for whom do we wish to live? Are we going to be satisfied with the approach of asking ‘What is explicitly forbidden?’, assuming that everything else must be permitted? Are we going to arrange our whole life and direct our aspirations towards enjoying earthly things as much as possible (our career, fun, our reputation, and as much money as we can possibly get by honest means), so long as it is definitely not sin?

Or are we willing to dare to allow Another to guide us, by asking the question anew that Paul asked at the start of his pathway (and surely often repeated later): ‘What shall I do, Lord’ (Acts 22:10). The Lord not only set us the perfect example; He also paid an infinite price to deliver us from the world (Gal. 1:4) and make us His own possession.

We do not know how much more time we have. Maybe a few years, maybe not. The world is firmly opposing any Christian influence – in an increasing measure. It cannot be long before the Laodicean era expires. The Lord may come at any moment. When we consider this, should not revive a desire in our hearts to be here for Him at least for this short time? The opportunity to bear His reproach will never again arise.

That we might live for Him is something that He merits. Moreover, we know that we shall only be really happy now, if we live with the Lord and for Him. But we should also remember what our decision means to Him: He gave all, even Himself, into death. When He sees that someone for whom He did everything does not return such love, being absorbed instead in the countless things of this earth, will such an attitude not cause our Lord pain? But will it not bring Him great joy, if He sees that there is an echo in our heart, that a chord has been struck giving some resonance, so that one of His own wishes to live entirely for Him?

_______________________________________________________________________________

‘For me to live is Christ, and to die gain’ (Phil. 1:21).

‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the compassion of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your intelligent service. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God’ (Rom. 12:1, 2). 

‘Let us also, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us, run with endurance the race that lies before us, looking steadfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith; who, in view of the joy lying before him, endured the cross, having despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God’ (Heb. 12:1, 2).

‘My son, give me thy heart’ (Prov. 23:26).

Bibliography

It is not possible to give a complete list of all the books and articles that have been helpful in the preparation of this book, but the following selection may be of help to interested readers who wish to study the subject further. Works not in English are given in the language used in the compilation of this book, although it may not have been the language of the original work.

• André, Georges; More Fruit – The Father’s Loving Discipline.
• Anonymous; The Nazarite, Number 6, Notes of a Reading, The Christian’s Friend 1883, pp. 57–61
• Anonymous; Nazariteship, Numbers 6, The Christian’s Friend 1896
• Bremicker, Ernst-August & Manuel Seibel; Simson: Glaubensheld & Versager. 2013
• Chaudier, Louis; Méditations sur la Parole de Dieu, Nombres         
• Darby, John Nelson; Synopsis, Numbers
• Darby, John Nelson; Méditations de JND, Nombres 6: 1–12, Messager Evangélique, 1895, p. 35
• Darby, John Nelson; Méditations de JND, Nombres 6, Messager Evangélique, 1911, p. 96
• Dronsfield Paul; The Nazarite, www.biblecentre.org
• Fereday, W.W; The Man of God
• Gaebelein, Arno Clement; The Book of Numbers, The Annotated Bible
• Grant, F.W.; Numbers, Numerical Bible
• Grant, Leslie M.; Comments on the Book of Numbers
• Grant, Leslie M.; The Ancient Nazarite Vow, www.biblecentre.org
• Heijkoop, H.L.; Wenn du umkehrst – 5. Mose 30:1–16, Aus dem Wort der Wahrheit, Vol. 2, ps. 320–328
• Hole, Frank Binford; Numbers, Scripture Truth, Vol. 38, 1953 – 55
• Kelly, William; Lectures Introductory to the Pentateuch
• Koechlin, Jean; Ährenlese im Alten Testament
• Ladrierre, Adrien; Entretiens sur le livre des Nombres
• Langham, Andrew; Comments on the Drink Offering, www.biblecentre.org
• Mackintosh, Charles Henry; Notes on Numbers
• Mackintosh, Charles Henry; Being a Nazarite
• Mackintosh, Charles Henry; Discipleship in an Evil Day
• Morrish, George; A Concise Bible Dictionary
• Paterson, F.G.; Lessons for the Wilderness
• Remmers, Arend; Biblische Bilder und Symbole
• Whybrow, W.T. ; Consecration in The Christian’s Friend, Vol. 15, 1888, p. 75
• Rossier, Henri; Meditations on the Book of Judges
• Smith, Hamilton; Samuel the Prophet
• Stuart, C.E.; Heave-Offerings and Wave-Offerings, The Bible Treasury, Vol. 7
• Stuart, C.E.; Tracings from the Acts of the Apostles or 30 years of Christian Work
• Westcott, W.H.; A Lesson on the Holiness of God, www.biblecentre.org

Detailed Index

Foreword

Introduction

What is a Nazarite?

Various perspectives

The historical aspect: the Nazarite in history

The prophetic aspect: Israel as the Nazarite

The practical application of Christians as Nazarites

Nazariteship and church history

Christ: God’s true Nazarite

The law of the Nazarite and its place in the book of Numbers

The structure of Numbers 6

Part 1: The characteristics of a Nazarite (ch. 6 vs. 1–8)

The vow (6:1–2)

The voluntary nature

The vow

A man or a woman

Consecration and separation

A Nazarite

Abstinence from the fruit of the vine (6:3, 4)

All the days

His separation

From the seed-stones even to the skin

Christendom

Christ

Allowing the hair to grow (6:5)

Subjection

Dependence

Dedication

Reproach and shame

The source of strength

Christ

No contact with death (6:6, 7) 

1. When did death lead to defilement? 
2. For whom was contact with death permissible? 
3. What was the consequence of defilement?

Returning to the consideration of the Nazarite

Christians

Christ

Holiness (6:8)

Christ

Part 2: Breaking the vow (ch. 6 vs. 9–12)

The consequences (6:9)

If ... suddenly

Inevitable consequences

The day of his cleansing according to Numbers 19

Shaving the head

Christ

The offerings (6:10, 11)

Two turtle-doves or two young pigeons

On the eighth day

At the entrance of the tent of meeting

Sinning by the dead person

He shall hallow his head that same day

A fresh start (6:12)

Peter

A yearling lamb for a trespass-offering

The days of consecration forfeited

Defilement of the consecration

Israel

Part 3: The fulfilment of the time of consecration (ch. 6 vs. 13–20)

The law of the Nazarite (6:13)

The final day of his consecration

At the entrance of the tent of meeting

Christ

The burnt-offering and the sin-offering (6:14a)

The peace-offering (6:14b)

A ram

Without blemish

The meal-offering (6:15)

The drink-offering (6:15b)

The presentation of the sacrifices (6:16, 17)

An overview of the sacrifices

The head of his consecration (6:18)

Shaving

The hair of the head

The ram’s shoulder (6:19)

The wave-offering and the heave-offering (6:20a)

The ensuing joy (6:20b)

Christ

Israel and the remnant

Summary (6:21)

Part 4: The blessing (ch. 6 vs. 22–27)

The context of the blessing (6:22)

The priesthood as a channel of blessing (6:23)

God, the One who gives the blessing (6:24a)

God’s keeping power (6:24b)

Light (6:25a)

Grace (6:25b)

An untroubled relationship (6:26a)

Peace (6:26b)

My Name (6:27)

Part 5: Some examples

Samson (Jdg. 13–16)

Samuel (1 Sam. 1)

The Rechabites (Jer. 35)

Paul (Acts 18)

Amasiah (2 Chron. 17)

Jon the Baptist (Luke 1)

Christ

Nazarites in Lamentations 4?

The Nazarites in Amos 2

Further examples

Part 6: Nazariteship today

What it does not mean

No formal oath

No heroic expression of one’s will

No return to law

No monastic seclusion

No reason for pride

No indifference

No despondency

The true significance for Christians

Positional and practical separation

The wish for consecration

The readiness to renounce things

The readiness for subjection

Overcoming temptation

A fresh start, if need be

The joy that follows

A personal question

Bibliography

[1] Both "Nazarite" and "Nazirite" are correct spellings in English — they refer to the same concept — but the choice depends on the Bible translation or style preference: Nazirite is more common in modern Bible translations (like the NRSV, ESV, CSB) and closer to the original Hebrew nāzîr (נָזִיר), meaning "consecrated" or "separated one". Nazarite, on the other hand, is a slightly anglicized spelling used in traditional translations, like the KJV, as well as in J N Darby’s New Translation. 

[2] See: Church History by Andrew Miller (chapter 56).

[3] Leviticus 25:5.11: in the 7th and the 50th year (‘years of jubilee’) the vines were not to be cut. Here the word ‘nasar’ signifies ‘uncut’, presumably an allusion to the Nazarite’s uncut hair.

[4]See the note on the translation in Lamentations 4:7 in the section ‘Nazarite in Lamentations 4’.

[5] The word for burnt-offering signifies ‘that which goes up’. It was wholly for God. The sin offering could be eaten, but only by the priest, who sacrificed it, and then exclusively ‘in a holy place’, at the tent of meeting (Lev. 6:19), and only in the case of the sin of an individual (a prince or one of the people). In the event of the sin of the high priest or the whole people the sin offering was burnt in its entirety (Lev. 3:12, 21).

[6] The quantity depended on the kind of sacrifice (Num. 15:5–10): the quantity of wine corresponded to the quantity of oil, and in both cases increased in line with the quantity of flour. This illustrates a beautiful interrelation: the more the Holy Spirit (the oil) can occupy us with the excellence of Christ (the fine flour), the more joy (the wine) we shall experience.

[7] Some expositors have associated the heave-offering with Christ as the risen One and the wave-offering with Him as the glorified One.

[8] Some translations render ‘shoulder’ as ‘thigh’.

[9] Charles Henry Mackintosh in ‘Being a Nazarite’.

[10] The literal meaning of the word for ‘feast’ in Judges 14:10 (Hebrew mishteh) is ‘drinking’ or ‘banquet’.

[11] ‘Tracings From The Acts of the Apostles or 30 years of Christian Work’ C. E. Stuart. See also ‘More Fruit’ by Georges André.

[12] Geneva Study Bible (note on 2 Chron. 17:16).

[13] E.g. Henri Rossier in ‘John the Baptist’; see also J N Darby in ‘Can a child be a Nazarite?’ in ‘Letters’, Volume 3, page 339.

[14] In Hebrew consonants alone are normally used in writing; vowels are omitted and simply added when texts are read. However, this resulted in ambiguity, since several words contained the same consonants in the same order (e.g. DM can mean either aDaM or eDoM). In the 8th century B.C. the Masoretes introduced a system of pointing: dots and tiny symbols above or below the consonants indicated which vowels were to be inserted. If there was more than one possibility of vocalizing a word, a decision had to be made. This was the case here. In the original text stands ‘NZR’ – the question is whether NeZeR (crown) or NaZiR (Nazarite) is the correct reading.

[15] See for example, J.G.Bellett in ‘The Patriarchs’, Part 6; and ‘The Earlier Days of Moses’ in The Bible Treasury, Volume 6.

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Translated from the German: “Leben mit Ziel - Eine Auslegung zu 4. Mose 6”, Verbreitung des christlichen Glaubens e.V. (VCG), Germany.