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Chapter 6: The Nazirite Vow
The priesthood and the lesser ministers of the tribe of Levi were dedicated to the Lord's service by heredity. But what about the ordinary layperson, the men and woman who believed they were called to God's service? Holiness and service were not the sole prerogatives of the priests and Levites. Yahweh made a provision for ordinary men and women in the "Nazirite Vow" so that all the members of the covenant community could commit themselves wholly to God by entering into a state of complete devotion to God's service, even being called to service from their mother's womb.
The Hebrew root n-z-r means "separate oneself," and when the word is used of one who whose separation is for God the word then implies sanctification (JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, page 44). The word nazir is most often translated as "consecrate" or "dedicate" (The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, page 634). The institution of the Nazirite, the one consecrated to God, existed prior to the covenant formation at Mt. Sinai. Joseph son of Jacob is said to be a Nazirite (Gen 49:26; Dt 33:16)). The instructions that Moses received at Sinai were intended to regulate the practice of the Nazirite vow within the Sinai Covenant.
Question: Can you name two other Nazirites in the Old Testament in addition to Joseph? What made their Nazirite vows unusual? See Judg 13:5-7, 14; 16:17; 1 Sam 1:11.
Answer: Samson and the prophet Samuel. Both men were dedicated from their mother's wombs for lifetime service.
Numbers 6:1-8: Conditions of the Nazirite Vow
A man or a woman could take a Nazirite vow for a specific reason for at least the period of a month or for a lifetime (Mishnah: Nazir 1:3). When the Jerusalem Temple is completed, there will be a special chamber set aside for the Nazirites to assemble on the southeast side of the Court of the Women (Mishnah: Middot 2:4). There the Nazirites cooked their communion sacrifices and ate the sacred meal.
Question: What three abstentions were the signs of a Nazirite's vow?
Answer:
- Abstention from wine or any fermented liquor, vinegar from fermented liquor, and grapes in general (verses 3-4)
- Abstention from cutting one's hair (verse 5)
- Avoiding contact with a dead person (verse 6-7)
The first abstention from wine or strong drink signified that the Nazirite denied himself a life of ease. Abstention from fermented liquor was also part of the prevention necessary to avoid neglecting God's Law (Prov 31:4-5). Drinking fermented beverages could impair one's judgment in discerning what is "clean and unclean" (Lev 10:10).
In the second abstention, the Nazirite's long hair was a symbol of his dedication to God and a sign that his strength came from allowing God's divine power to act in his life.
The third abstention was to avoid ritual defilement from contact with the dead. Such a defilement lasted a week and prevented the Nazirite from continuing in his vow. Like the priests (Lev 21:1-2, 10-11), the Nazirite was to avoid anything that caused service to Yahweh to be suspended.
Numbers 6:9-12: A Nazirite Contaminated by Death
Provision was made for when the circumstances of life temporarily suspended the Nazirite's vow, like having someone die in his/her presence.
Numbers 6:13-21: The Ritual of a Completed Nazirite Vow
This passage records the ceremony for the fulfillment of a vow for a temporary Nazirite.
In Acts 21:23-26 St. James, Bishop of Jerusalem, asked St. Paul to sponsor four men who are under a Nazirite vow, paying all their expenses as a sign of good will to the Jewish community. In obedience to the Bishop, St. Paul honored his request and accompanied the men to the Temple, even though it was quite an expensive gesture and Paul understood that Temple worship was no longer part of the New Covenant faith. Under the Old Covenant the Nazirite could only cut his hair in the ceremony in front of the altar in the Sanctuary/Temple. St. Paul completed a vow to God at Cenchreae in Greece and cut his hair off there (Acts 18:18).
The Command to give the Priestly Blessing
Excavating a burial cave on the slope of the Hinnon Valley near Jerusalem in 1979, archaeologist Gabi Barkay discovered two small silver scroll amulets that dated to the 7th century BC. When they were unrolled both scrolls contained the same priestly prayer recorded in this passage-word for word! This is the most ancient record of Sacred Scripture every discovered.
Numbers 6:24-27: The Priestly Blessing
22 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 23 'Speak to Aaron and his sons and say: "this is how you must bless the Israelites. You will say:
24 May Yahweh bless you and keep you.
25 May Yahweh let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
26 May Yahweh show you his face and bring you peace."
27 This is how they must call down my name on the Israelites, and then I shall bless them.'
The blessing is presented in the singular (verses 24-26), blessing Israel as one covenant people, but the framework that surrounds the actual blessing in verses 23 and 27 is in the plural.
Question: Name the three gifts and three actions.
Answer:
| Yahweh's Gifts | Yahweh's Actions |
| Line #1: Bless | Keep/protect (samar) |
| Line #2: Shine | Be gracious |
| Line #3: Show (bestow) | Bring peace |
His blessing results in protection, His shining face results in grace; His favor results in peace (JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, page 51). Not only is the blessing that God's face will shine upon the faithful covenant member, radiating His Divine grace, but that the face of the faithful worshiper will reflect the glory of God as Moses' shinning face reflected God's glory after his encounters with Yahweh in the Tent of Meeting (Ex 34:29). The rabbis and the Mishnah identify this blessing as being recited at the conclusion of the morning and afternoon Tamid liturgical services (Mishnah: Tamid 7:2; also see Sir 50:21).
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Deuteronomy 6:1-3
Promised Blessings for Obedience to the Law
Verses 1-3 are a general preface to what follows. In this section of Moses' second homily from chapters 6-11, his focus is on developing the central ideas of his teaching from the first section of the Ten Commandments (5:7-10)-loyalty to Yahweh the one true God demonstrated by faithfulness in rejecting pagan idols and continuing the covenant in future generations. In the introduction to this section, Moses speaks of God's promised blessings for Israel's obedience in putting God's laws into practice in the Promised Land; it is one of the central themes of Moses' homilies. Moses urges the Israelites to "hear" his teaching on the Law and to "keep/protect" what they have learned. Moses repeats what he taught at the end of his Ten Commandment commentary in Dt 5:29 that the Israelites are commanded to pass on Moses' teaching and their fear of God (the deeply felt respect for God) to future generations as the basis for covenant continuation in applying God's commands and prohibitions to their daily lives as examples of righteousness living for their children (Dt 6:20-25).
Moses will urge the Israelites to "fear the Lord" and be obedient to His commandments numerous times in his three homilies. However, Moses is not speaking of the kind of fear that drives the people away-the fear the people felt after witnessing the Theophany at Mt. Sinai. At the end of the first homily in Deuteronomy 4:34-40 and in 6:2-5, Moses is actually juxtaposing the "fear of God" and the call to obey His commandments (verse 2) with his call for the people to "love God" (verse 5). Moses is using "fear" as an expression typifying a deep reverence for God that inspires fear of offending God and therefore faithfulness to God and loyalty His covenant.
Question: If they will put what Moses urges into practice, what is the promise? See verse 3.
Answer: God will reward their obedience with prosperity and fertility in a land that has an abundance of everything that makes life good-a land "flowing with milk and honey."
Question: What is the revelation of God's love for mankind in the New Covenant? What link does this revelation have to the Old Testament? See 1 Jn 4:9-17.
Answer: For love of us, God willing sent His only beloved Son into the world to die for the sins of mankind that those who accept God's gift of salvation through the New Covenant of Christ Jesus might have life. One of the central points of God's revelation to man, in the Old Testament and in the New, is that "God is love."
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
To Love Yahweh is the Essence of His Law
Moses has defined the essence of Yahweh by stating the central message of monotheism in his first homily in 4:35 and 39:
- This he showed you, so that you might know that Yahweh is the true God and that there is no other ... (Dt 4:35).
- Yahweh is the true God, in heaven above as on earth beneath, he and no other (Dt 4:3).
In these verses Moses stated the oneness and omnificence of God. However, here in 6:4 he states: Hear [Shema] Israel, Yahweh our God is the one, the only Yahweh ...
Question: How does the statement of faith in 6:4 go beyond the earlier statements of monotheism?
Answer: Moses is describing Israel's proper relationship with God-not only is He alone God, but He alone is Israel's God.
Shema, the first Hebrew word in verse 4 has become the name of the profession of faith that the Israelites have recited over the centuries: Keri'at Shema, "Recitation of the Shema" (JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy, page 76). Verses 4-5 constitute the opening lines of Israel's profession of faith in the unity of the Godhead as the basis of unity of purpose for the Old Covenant Church. Observant Jews recite this prayer morning and evening.
The Shema took on a special prominence in both the Synagogue liturgy and in individual prayer time (The Jewish Study Bible, pages 379 and 1942). In the Catholic Church, the verses of Deuteronomy 6:4-7 are said at Compline (the concluding hour of the Divine Office) after first vespers on Sundays and solemnities in the Liturgy of Hours.
Question: According to 6:6-9, when were the Israelites to teach their children about their covenant duties and obligations?
Answer: They were to continually teach their children at every opportunity about God's Law, about God's love for Israel and about His command for His people to love Him.
Question: What daily reminders were they to use to encourage this teaching?
Answer: They were to fasten the commands on their right arms and foreheads and on their doorposts.
Of the ritual items associated with Jewish life, none are more important than
- the talit (prayer shawl)
- the tefilin (phylacteries)
- the mezuza(h) (door-post receptacles)
The command to wear the prayer shawl was given in Numbers 15:37-41 when God told Moses to speak to the children of Israel and to command them to affix fringes or tassels (tzitziot) to the corners of their outer garments so that whenever they were seen, they served as reminders of God's commandments.
The talit was the garment that held the tzitziot. It was probably the tzitziot of Jesus' talit that the woman with the hemorrhage of blood touched and was healed in Matthew 9:20. The command will be repeated in Deuteronomy 22:12. Originally the word talit meant "cloak." In Biblical times this garment looked like a blanket and was worn by men, resembling the abbayah still worn by Bedouins today as protection against the elements (The Jewish Book of Why, vol. I, page 100).
The command to wear devices as a sign of faith and loyalty to the covenant is first mentioned in Exodus 13:9 and 16. This is the third time the command is give and it will be repeated a fourth time in Deuteronomy 11:18. In these verses the Old Covenant people are commanded to wear a "sign" wrapped on the hand and between the eyes as a reminder of God's commandments.
Tefillin are two cube shaped black leather boxes containing pieces of parchment on which Scripture verses from Exodus 13:9, 16; Deuteronomy 6:8 and 11:18 are written. Black leather straps called retzuot, two to three feet long, are attached to the boxes. The tefillin are a sign of faith in God, devotion to the Law and loyalty to the covenant. The head tefillah/tefila (singular) is symbolic of intellectual loyalty and the hand tefillah reminds the wearer that he must serve God his Great King with all his "might and strength." They are always worn as a pair, never worn separately and both cubes contain the same passages from Scripture. The hand tefillah is worn on the left hand of a right-handed person and on the right hand of a left-handed person with the straps wound around the arm seven times and around the fingers three times. The head tefillah has four compartments, one for each of the four verses, while the hand tefillah has one compartment containing all four passages on one piece of parchment. Jewish males thirteen years and older to wear tefillin each day during prayer time except on the Sabbath and holy days. Women are explicitly exempt from this obligation (The Jewish Book of Why, vol. I, page 108-113; The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 5, "Phylacteries," page 370).(5)
Question: In Jesus' condemnation of the arrogance of the Scribes and Pharisees, what did He say about their obedience in wearing the "signs" of the tefillin/phylacteries and the talit with its tassels/fringes? See Mt 23:5.
Answer: He accused them of wearing broader headbands and longer tassels not as signs of their faith and covenant loyalty but as arrogant signs of their own claim to piety.
Deuteronomy 6:9 ... you must write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.
The Hebrew word mezuza(h) means "doorpost." The mezuzah (plural mezuzot) also served as a sign to the covenant people of the need for God's Law and as a reminder of their loyalty to the covenant. It is receptacle that contains a small parchment (from the skin of a "clean" animal) inscribed with the 22 lines of Scripture from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 on one side and the word "Shaddai" on the reverse. The parchment is rolled up and inserted in a case that is attached to the doorpost of houses, rooms and gates. The mounting of mezuzah on doorways has been a continuous practice for Old Covenant believers.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 are the witness of the truth presented to future generations to teach the Law, recite Israel's history and provide signs of faith by wearing the frontlets and writing the profession of faith on doorposts of their dwelling places. These "signs" also serve to further separate the Israelites from their pagan neighbors.
Deuteronomy 6:10-19 An Appeal for Loyalty to Yahweh
Question: What is included in God's gift of the land of Canaan? How is that gift compared to the life in Egypt?
Answer: The Israelites will take possession of cities that have already been built, houses, wells, vineyards and olive groves established by the former residents. The Israelites had to labor as slaves for Pharaoh, but God the Great King will provide them with everything they need to become an established nation.
Question: In verses 10-16 Moses gives what three warnings/perils the Israelites will face when the live in the land of Canaan?
Answer: The Israelites will be in danger of loosing the blessings God promised their Patriarchs and will be driven from the land if:
- They fail to remember God's intervention in their history and their obedience to God and the covenant treaty.
- They follow other gods.
- They test God's faithfulness
Question: How will they avoid these perils and what are the three promises God will make to them if they are successful?
Answer: By keeping the commandments, instructions and laws, by dong what is righteous, and by worshiping and remaining loyal only to Yahweh they will avoid these perils and
- God will drive out their enemies.
- He will give them the land He promised to the Patriarchs.
- He will make them prosperous in the land.
Deuteronomy 6:16 Do not put Yahweh your God to the test as you tested him at Massah. Jesus will quote this verse in His confrontation with Satan in Matthew 4:7 and Luke 4:12.
Question: What was Israel's sin at Massah (means "testing")? See Ex 17:1-17 and Dt 9:22-23.
Answer: The Israelites challenged God to provide them with water, behaving rebelliously instead of with faith and trust.
Deuteronomy 6:20-25 The Command to Teach Future Generations
Moses resumes the theme he began in verse 7 in which the people are told to teach their children about these instructions, laws and customs.
Question: Verses 1-3 and 24-25 gives what principle of life for the covenant people?
Answer: Love of God is the basis of covenant loyalty.
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CHALLENGE: “The idea of supernatural realms like heaven and hell is scientifically absurd.”
DEFENSE: On the contrary: scientists themselves propose the possibility of realms with properties different from those of our world.
Contemporary scientific literature is filled with proposals that our universe might be just one realm among a much larger collection. This set of realms—referred to as the “multiverse”—is often proposed as a way of explaining why our universe has multiple properties that seem finely tuned to allow for the existence of life.
Scientists recognize that it would be very unlikely for a single universe to have such properties purely by chance. Consequently, some propose that there are a vast number of universes, each of which has different properties, making it probable that at least one would have the properties needed for life to exist. (An alternative would be to say that our universe was designed to have these properties.)
It is even proposed that these realms may interact with one another (e.g., “brane cosmology” proposes that our universe may have begun when two such realms collided, producing the Big Bang).
Thus far we do not have scientific evidence that any such realms exist, but the fact that scientists are proposing them shows that it is not scientifically absurd to suggest the existence of realms outside the visible world that have different properties than it does, or that are capable of interacting with it.
Indeed, even before contemporary physics, such realms were being discussed. In 1884, Edwin Abbott published a landmark book called Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, in which he contemplated the way worlds with different numbers of dimensions might interact. Abbott proposed many examples whereby a visitor from a higher dimension could be capable of producing effects that, from an ordinary perspective, would be regarded as miraculous.
Indeed, the parallels to religion are so clear that one character in the novel ends up being commissioned as an “apostle” to preach “the Gospel of the Three Dimensions.” This is not to say that supernatural realms such as heaven and hell are simply other dimensions or other universes on the model of those proposed by modern physicists or by authors like Abbott. However, this does show the intellectual defensibility of the idea that realms with different properties might exist and might interact with our own.
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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