Numbers 6
McGeeCHAPTER 6THEME: Nazarite vow; the triune blessingWe come now to something that is quite remarkable: the vow of the Nazarite. This was a voluntary vow. Any man or woman of Israel who wanted to become a Nazarite could do so. He could take the vow for a certain period of time or for a lifetime. God did not command it; it was purely voluntary. But if any of His people wanted a closer walk with Him, this is what they could do.
Numbers 6:1
NAZARITE VOWWhen a person took this voluntary vow of the Nazarite, there were three things he was forbidden to do. First, he was not to drink wine or strong drink. Anything that came from the vine was forbidden him. This has nothing to do with the question of whether it is right or wrong to drink wine. May I say this, and I want to say it carefully and I want you to hear me carefully. The Christian standard is not a standard of right or wrong. The question is this: What is your purpose in doing what you are doing?
Are you doing it to please Christ? Do you want to be a Nazarite? Do you want to live for Him? That is the question. People will ask me whether it is right for a Christian to drink wine. My friend, I won’t argue that point.
I won’t argue right or wrong with you. I want to know whether you really want to please Christ. Wine, in the Scriptures, is a symbol of earthly joy; it is to cheer the heart. The whole point here is that the Nazarite was to find his joy in the Lord. There are a great many Christians today who do not find their joy in the things of God, in the Word of God, or in fellowship with Christ. They find their joy in the things of this world. I go to a great number of church banquets, and I know there are church members there who would never come to a weekday meeting unless it was a banquet. I always feel sorry for those Christians who, like the poor woman, got crumbs from God’s table. Don’t misunderstand me; there is nothing wrong with banquets, but when they go to Christian banquets, they get crumbsthat’s all. There would be the time of eating, then a few pious things would be said; someone would take a verse of Scripture and say some sweet things about it, and everyone would leave, feeling very spiritual and very satisfied and even challenged.
But they would drop right back and live just as they had always lived. I feel sorry for them. Where do you find joy, friend? I ask you that very personally. Do you need the stimulants of this world in order to enjoy “Christian” things? Can you really get joy out of studying the Word of God? Does prayer turn you off or turn you on? My, how many of us today think we are being really Christian and really spiritual when all we have been doing is bringing the world into our activities! Second, when a person took the Nazarite vow, he was not to shave his head.
Numbers 6:5
Paul says in 1Co_11:14, “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” I wish we could hang signs to state this in public places. I still think it is a shame for a man to have long hair. I agree with the apostle Paul; it is a shame to the man. Therefore, the Nazarite must be willing to bear shame for Christ. His long hair would indicate that he was willing to share that position with Christ who said, “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people” (Psa_22:6). Third, he who took the Nazarite vow was not to touch a dead body.
Numbers 6:6
We read in chapter 5 that a leper was to be taken out of the camp and also whoever was defiled by the dead. You see, the world is the place of death. I think one can say that death is the deepest mark that is on this world today. Death is the seal of a sin-cursed earth. It is the judgment which God pronounced. It was because of sin that death came into the world. In order to deal with death, sin must be dealt with, because the wages of sin is death. The Nazarite was not to touch a dead body. He was to be separate from the world. The Lord was to be first in his life. Remember the Lord Jesus said, “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” (Mat_10:37). He is to be put above loved ones. He has top priority. Remember that this vow is voluntary. He doesn’t command the vow of the Nazarite. But if one wanted to take this vow and dedicate his life to Him, he could do so. Do you find your joy in the Lord? Are you willing to bear shame for Him, to take a humble place for Him? Are you willing to put Him first, above everything in this life? You see, although the believer today doesn’t take a Nazarite vow, there is the offer of a closer walk with the Lord. It is voluntary. You must want it. It is an act of dedication. It is incorrect to call it consecration; you cannot consecrate yourself. Only God can consecrate you. Actually, what we do is come to God with empty hands, offering nothing but ourselves to Himour devotion, our worship, our love, our service, our time. Sometimes when you stand for God, you will find you must stand alone. He must be first in your life. Many people today talk about being consecrated Christians, but they wouldn’t dare do anything that would offend the little clique in their church. They are afraid they might find themselves outside, which would be much better for them because some of these church cliques are not of God and can be a very cruel crowd! Yet, there are folk who think they are consecrated, who do not have the strength or stamina to stand against such a clique; so they just go along with the crowd. You see, if you want to give yourself to the Lord, Christ must have top priority. You must find your satisfaction and your joy in Him.
Numbers 6:8
I’m of the opinion that a great many folk today are missing a great blessing. Perhaps even now you are going through a particular time of trial. Why not set yourself aside for God? If you are a Christian, give yourself to God in a very definite way. It won’t remove the trial, but it will make it more bearable. The Lord Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Mat_11:28-29). It is wonderful to be yoked with Him.
Numbers 6:9
God is very earnest about having a vow to Him kept. If the Nazarite was defiled, he was to bring a sacrifice. God does not require a vow, but when a vow is made, He expects it to be kept, and it is a serious matter if it is broken. I am confident that there are a great many Christians who promised God things that they never made good, and that explains their sad spiritual plight today. Through the years of my ministry, I have watched some people come to church every Sunday with their halos brightly shined. They would be so pious that you’d think any moment they would sprout wings and fly away. Yet, these people would let the Lord down, over and over again. Then, later on, something would come up in their lives that would make shipwreck of their faith. A great many people today will not make a pledge to God because they are afraid they may not keep it. People are afraid to put it on the line with God. They are afraid to pledge something financial, for example, because they might see a new car or a new television set and buy that instead. So they don’t want to commit themselves about something to God. May I say, I believe this is one reason people miss out on blessings today. Now it is true, God goes into great detail here to reveal that He does expect us to follow through right down to the details. It is also true that we shouldn’t pledge something to God and then decide to do something or to buy something else instead. But, if we make an agreement with God and stick with it, He will bless. God is very serious and very practical about these matters, and we should be also. God will always bless us if we are faithful to Him and to the promise we make to Him. There is a great spiritual lesson here for us. This is something you should think about very seriously today.
Numbers 6:22
THE TRIUNE BLESSINGHere we find the Trinity in the Old Testament. God the Father is the source of all blessing. The Lord Jesus is the One who makes His face to shine upon us. The Holy Spirit lifts up His countenance upon us and gives us peace. This is the only way we can come to God and experience the peace of God. He is the One who makes these things real to our hearts. The triune God gives them this blessing. The census has been taken, and they all know their pedigree. The standards have been raised; so they all know where they belong. They are to follow their standard, and they are to camp in their assigned place in the camp with their own tribe and their own family. The camp has been cleansed. Now the Lord blesses them. It is the only way God can bless. Many churches today are not experiencing the blessing of God. The problem is that they are not properly prepared for the march. They are trying to start out without first setting things in order. They are like a soldier who forgot to put on his belt one morning. Believe me it is pretty hard to march and carry a gun without your belt or suspenders! And there are churches like that, my friend. They are starting out before things are set in order. Paul is writing to the church when he says, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1Co_14:40). Know your pedigree; that is, know you are a child of God; know your standard; know what your gift is and use it for Him; and keep your life clean. What a wonderful blessing there is here. God the Father keeps us; the Son makes His face to shine upon usHe is the light of the world; God the Holy Spirit gives us peace. What a glorious chapter this is!