The Law of the Nazirite

Introduction

Turn in your Bible to Numbers 6, Numbers 6, and we will be in verse 1-12

As a way of introduction today I would like to invite you to study the Nazirite vow. It is fascinating there are so many parts to it and it is amazing all of the places you find it referenced in scripture.

For example,

Samson was a Nazirite (Judges 13:5)

Amos the prophet charged Israel with wrong about Nazirites (Amos 2)

Paul practiced the Nazirite vow (Acts 21:24)

It is certainly worth your time for some reading and study.

Tonight we are going to focus in on the Nazirites and what they teach us about those who are near to God and those that are to exemplify God to the world.

Let us Read Numbers 6 starting in verse 1 going to verse 12

Numbers 6:1–12 ESV

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. “All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long. “All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord. “And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to 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 atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead body. And he shall consecrate his head that same day and separate himself to the Lord for the days of his separation and bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering. But the previous period shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

May the Lord Bless the reading of His Holy and Infallible Word.

LETS PRAY

Transition

Some of you might be familiar with the term Nazirite. But not everyone will be so let start with verses 1 - 5 and talk about being a Nazirite.

Body

Discipline! (1)

Text

Numbers 6:1–5 ESV

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. “All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.

Explanation

What is a Nazirites?

Like I said in the introduction, Nazirites are talked about a lot through the text of scripture. The Nazirite vow was an Iconic piece of Ancient Israelite culture.

Method

Last week we talked about the priests and how they were set a part.

The vow was a way a common person to physically set his body apart for the work of God like the priest.

Calvin said it like this, “Nazarites were thus separated from the multitude, that they might approach to the honour of the priesthood” [1]

Purpose

God had a Purpose for these Nazirites. Calvin explains, “We must remember, then, that the Nazarites shone among the people of God like precious jewels, and although few imitated them, yet that they were as standard-bearers and leaders to awaken zeal amongst the multitude for the service of God” [2]

Why no Grapes?

There are two reasons

Preventing licentiousness.

The most obvious reason for the danger the alcohol has in causing inappropriate behaviour.

If you know the story of Samson it highlights a lot of that behavior.

A form of fasting

Wine was often, as Calvin said it, a “chief pleasure[] of the table”[3]

Its not just wine, the alcohol, but also the things that would taste like it. “not even the seeds or the skins.” (Nu 6:4, ESV)

Whats with the hair bro?

Witness to the world

Reminder to the person

Transition

It already seems austere but it only gets worse, or better depending on your way of thinking, from here.

Sin? (2)

Text

Numbers 6:6–12 ESV

“All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord. “And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to 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 atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead body. And he shall consecrate his head that same day and separate himself to the Lord for the days of his separation and bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering. But the previous period shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

Explanation

It is a sin for them to bury there family and cannot attend a funeral of a loved one

Imagine if you got news that a loved one was about to die in the hospital. If you go there and they die while you are there, that is sin.

Requires the priest to atone with a sin offering.

On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to 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 atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead body. (Nu 6:10–11, ESV)

If someone dies near them it is a sin.

Imagine if you are just standing int he room and the person next to you has a heart attack?

The Hebrew word that could mean regular or violent death.

Imagine walking down the street and someone gets hit by a car or gets shot. If you are a Nazirites you have to turn and run because if that person dies near you its a sin.

“the previous period shall be void, because his separation was defiled. (Nu 6:12, ESV)

Application

Question 14 of the catechism asked what is sin? The Answer “Sin is any want of conformity to, or transgression of the law of God.” [4]

For the Nazirites sin was waiting at the door. Wrong place wrong time and they had sin and there was nothing that they could do about it.

God is Sovereign!

Takes life and gives life.

Keeps the Nazirite pure or requires them to restart their vow.

A culture of sin.

Jesus raised the the standard.

For the Nazirite it was just 3 physical things to do. But how much more for us?

It is not sin for us to go near a dead body, we know that because Jesus touched dead bodies and he was sinless.

Adultery

Hate/Murder

The standard is perfection! and we are a people that drink down sin like it is sweet wine, or pop if that what you like.

The Lord says, “Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.” (Le 10:3, ESV) yet we spend time on nothings.

The Lord says, “Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.” (Le 10:3, ESV) yet we neglect even the basics of our time in the word and prayer.

The Lord says, “Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.” (Le 10:3, ESV) yet we laugh at a course jokes and allow things before our eyes that he calls abomination.

The Lord says, “Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.” (Le 10:3, ESV)

The Lord says, “Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.” (Le 10:3, ESV) we are nearer to him than anyone tanks to Christ and do we have even the discipline of Nazirite but Jesus raised the standard. If the Nazirites were shining jewels in the people of God we should be stars in the heavens.

The scriptures say, “those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (Da 12:3, ESV)

This is the expectation of God for God’s people and we fall so utterly short.

I want to be clear I am not exclude from these things I have said friends. More so in fact because because I am a teach I am held doubly to the standard and I tremble at that thought knowing I do not meet the standard.

Transition

Friends, this is a stern thing. It is a hard thing, so hard we want to block it out of our mind. We don’t want to think about it and we cannot full understand how dire our sin is because we are so accustomed to sin. We role in it like a pig in the mud.

But we must try to see it. We must try for a moment to glimpse the darkness, because we must see our sin to the understand perfection that is in Christ. Read verse 3 through 9 again with me.

Perfection! (3)

Text

Numbers 6:3–9 ESV

he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. “All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long. “All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord. “And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it.

Explanation

We look at the requirements, and we see the absolute perfect that God’s law commands. But think about that for a moment,

Its just three things

No grapes

No haircuts

No going near the dead.

in just these three things we have seen how short we fall.

Application

Lets see Christ in this text for a moment.

The Lord said “Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.”

There was not a wasted moment with Christ his time was stewarded Correctly

He was never lacking in pray time. He would pray all night long

He was never lacking in study.

He was never to tired to do as he should.

he was never distracted

he never laughed a joke he should not have.

He never enjoy the company of sin

He NEVER SINNED! Even thought he live in a world where sin is what everyone does.

And because of all he has done we are know longer under the law but under grace.

Our imperfections are perfected

Our weakness are not strength

You see friends why you need to see your sin so see Christ in all his glory.

If you dont know how weak you are you dont see how strong he is.

If you do not see those imperfections of yours for just how imperfect they are, you don't see how perfect he is.

Benediction

Jude 24–25 ESV

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Go in peace or stay and fellowship, both are good.

References

[1] John Calvin and Charles William Bingham, Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 488.

[2] John Calvin and Charles William Bingham, Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 487.

[3] John Calvin and Charles William Bingham, Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 488.

[4] Charles H. Spurgeon Catechism, Question 14.

Bibliography

Calvin, John, and Charles William Bingham. Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.