Numbers 6:1-27
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.” (Numbers 6:1-4)
The Nazarite vow was a commitment to devote oneself to God for a specified period, seeking a closer relationship and devoting one to service. It was the vow Paul had taken descrived in Acts 18:18. “And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.” Other Christians had taken the same vow in Acts 21:23-24. “Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.”
“All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.” (Numbers 6:5)
Many have taught that Jesus had to wear his hair long because he was a Nazarite. In fact he was not a Nazarite, but a Nazarene, meaning he was from Nazareth. Nazarites were forbidden eat or drink anything made of grapes, but Jesus himself said, “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners…,” in Matthew 11:18-19. While John may have been a Nazarite, Jesus clearly was not. The scripture gives no evidence as to the length of Jesus hair except to indicate it was probably similar to that of others of the time. The pictures of him wearing long hair all stem from paintings many centuries later.
We know from I Corinthians 11:14-15 that it was considered a shame for a man to have his hair long or for a woman to shave her head. "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering." By taking the Nazarite vow, the person was accepting the shame of going against the accepted norm, just as the Christian is to bear the reproach of being a Christian according to Hebrews 13:13. "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach."
“All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head. All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.” (Numbers 6:6-8)
In addition to not cutting his hair or partaking of anything from the grape vine, the Nazarite was forbidden to touch or associate with any dead body, even those of his immediate family. Jesus regularly broke this requirement, as illustrated in Matthew 9:23-25, when raising the ruler’s daughter. “And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.”
“And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it. And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And the priest shall offer the 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, and shall hallow his head that same day. And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.” (Numbers 6:9-12)
If a Nazarite accidentally came in contact with a dead person, he was to observe the standard seven day quarantine, then follow the standard cleansing ritual, shaving his head and bringing both a sin offering and a burnt offering for having broken his vow. The time spent in quarantine was not to be counted as part of fulfilling his vow. This was the requirement, for either man or woman making the vow.
“And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings, And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings.
And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering: And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering.” (Numbers 6:13-17)
Upon fulfilling his vow, the Nazarite was to offer a burnt offering of a yearling male lamb, a sin offering of a yearling ewe lamb, and a mature ram for a peace offering. All had to be without any deformities or sickness. These were to be accompanied with unleavened bread, cakes, and wafers, as well as a drink offering.
“And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.” (Numbers 6:18)
It appears from Acts 18:18 and 21:23-24 that the Nazarite shaved his head upon taking the vow then again at completion. The hair that was shaved off at the end was then burned along with the peace offering, seemingly as a symbol of having given that time to God.
“And the priest shall take the sodden 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 the hair of his separation is shaven: And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine. This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.” (Numbers 6:19-21)
Once the terms of his vow had been fulfilled, and shown complete by the closing sacrifices, the Nazarite was free to resume his normal life.
The Nazarite vow illustrates the commitment required if one is to truly follow Christ. In fact, Luke 14:26 states, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” As Matthew 10:37 says, “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.” Our relationship with Christ will be directly related to our choices whether to yield to his will or have our own way.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.” (Numbers 6:1-4)
The Nazarite vow was a commitment to devote oneself to God for a specified period, seeking a closer relationship and devoting one to service. It was the vow Paul had taken descrived in Acts 18:18. “And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.” Other Christians had taken the same vow in Acts 21:23-24. “Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.”
“All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.” (Numbers 6:5)
Many have taught that Jesus had to wear his hair long because he was a Nazarite. In fact he was not a Nazarite, but a Nazarene, meaning he was from Nazareth. Nazarites were forbidden eat or drink anything made of grapes, but Jesus himself said, “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners…,” in Matthew 11:18-19. While John may have been a Nazarite, Jesus clearly was not. The scripture gives no evidence as to the length of Jesus hair except to indicate it was probably similar to that of others of the time. The pictures of him wearing long hair all stem from paintings many centuries later.
We know from I Corinthians 11:14-15 that it was considered a shame for a man to have his hair long or for a woman to shave her head. "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering." By taking the Nazarite vow, the person was accepting the shame of going against the accepted norm, just as the Christian is to bear the reproach of being a Christian according to Hebrews 13:13. "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach."
In addition to not cutting his hair or partaking of anything from the grape vine, the Nazarite was forbidden to touch or associate with any dead body, even those of his immediate family. Jesus regularly broke this requirement, as illustrated in Matthew 9:23-25, when raising the ruler’s daughter. “And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.”
“And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it. And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And the priest shall offer the 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, and shall hallow his head that same day. And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.” (Numbers 6:9-12)
If a Nazarite accidentally came in contact with a dead person, he was to observe the standard seven day quarantine, then follow the standard cleansing ritual, shaving his head and bringing both a sin offering and a burnt offering for having broken his vow. The time spent in quarantine was not to be counted as part of fulfilling his vow. This was the requirement, for either man or woman making the vow.
“And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings, And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings.
And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering: And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering.” (Numbers 6:13-17)
Upon fulfilling his vow, the Nazarite was to offer a burnt offering of a yearling male lamb, a sin offering of a yearling ewe lamb, and a mature ram for a peace offering. All had to be without any deformities or sickness. These were to be accompanied with unleavened bread, cakes, and wafers, as well as a drink offering.
“And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.” (Numbers 6:18)
It appears from Acts 18:18 and 21:23-24 that the Nazarite shaved his head upon taking the vow then again at completion. The hair that was shaved off at the end was then burned along with the peace offering, seemingly as a symbol of having given that time to God.
“And the priest shall take the sodden 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 the hair of his separation is shaven: And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine. This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.” (Numbers 6:19-21)
Once the terms of his vow had been fulfilled, and shown complete by the closing sacrifices, the Nazarite was free to resume his normal life.
The Nazarite vow illustrates the commitment required if one is to truly follow Christ. In fact, Luke 14:26 states, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” As Matthew 10:37 says, “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.” Our relationship with Christ will be directly related to our choices whether to yield to his will or have our own way.
I wore long hair since I was 17-18 years old. Despite how I look in my profile pic, I still wear long hair to this day, tied at the back, after more than forty years. Simply, I dislike short hair. Yet I had never felt any guilt over this matter before God. Maybe because since the 1960s, men wearing long hair is now more socially acceptable.
ReplyDeleteThen again, there are many men to whom long hair would look ridiculous on them, particularly the portly types with short necks or with no necks at all.
Acceptable hair length is very much a cultural thing, which was Paul's point in I Corinthians 11. Making an issue of cultural differences drives people away from the Lord. In Jewish culture, it was a shame for a man to have long hair or for a woman to have short hair. In other cultures it is a shame for a man to cut his hair. The important thing here is that one be focused on pleasing God, rather than satisfying the world's standards.
ReplyDelete