From childhood I have been somewhat fascinated by the Nazirites found in the Bible. Three of them are quite famous for their exploits. The first one was a jerk named Samson. If you pay attention to his story, you can understand why I call him a jerk. At the end of his life, Samson returns to his faith and his calling. His faith in God places him in the Hall of Faith of Hebrews 11. He may not have been a very pleasant person most of his life, but in the end he rededicated himself to his God and his faith was rewarded. Samuel was a Nazirite who annointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and later a young shepherd named David. The third Nazirite was John the Baptist, the "voice in the wilderness" encouraging people to prepare themselves for the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.
A Nazirite is one who consecrates his or her life to YHWH. A less technical way of saying this would be that one dedicates his or her life to God. The description of the Nazirite lifestyle is found in Numbers 6. Some parts of this are now obsolete, in that the animal sacrifices came to an end with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross. However, other parts are still binding, and perhaps should be modified in order to bring them into the 21st century.
For a while I have been thinking about what it would mean to be a Nazirite. The level of dedication one would need to live committed to God with no compromise to the standards, requirements or demands of the rest of the world would separate one from most if not all of society. Realistically speaking, there would be no place found for them. On the job market, most employers require men to be clean-shaven with short hair. The Nazirite was not to allow a razor to cut his hair, so the crew cut is out. The only reason why short hair became a standard for men was due to its interference in combat. When fighting hand to hand, the hair and the beard can become weapons used against a person. Grap a man's beard and you can pull him off balance, cause him to drop his defenses from the pain of having that hair pulled. If attacked from the rear, the hair can be grabbed, jerking the head back, leaving the throat exposed. If one has a helmet, the hair will cause problems with it fitting properly. In today's military, the beard prevents protective masks from sealing properly, exposing a soldier to nuclear, biological or chemical agents. The wisdom of the world requires men to shave and to get the occasional haircut.
I have never really enjoyed the taste of grape juice. When my dad introduced me to grape wine, I immediately didn't like it. I tasted it, and it wasn't good. So living without grapes has been easy for me. But why is the grape and its juice/wine addressed in this lifestyle? Simply enough, the Nazirite was to be sober in all that he or she did. It is possible that one reason a man would make the Nazirite vow was due to problems with alcoholism. One complaint I have heard from a few people who stopped attending church was due to relatives with hangovers singing in the choir on Sunday morning following a Saturday night spent drinking beer or whiskey. This simple lesson is that a Nazirite was to be sober and self-controlled, living a temperate lifestyle that honored God. I look at my ancestry and consider the contributions they made to contemporary drinking culture. The Scots and Irish developed their versions of whiskey. The Germans perfected the brewing of beers, lagers, and ales. The Norse worked with honey to make mead. I am sure that deep enough in my family history are the French who worked their own wonders with the grape. While serving as a missionary in South Korea, there were times when I wasn't too comfortable eating with students as they drank soju, an alcoholic beverage first introduced to Korea during the time of the Mongul invasions. About the only time I drink anything with grape juice in it is during the communion service at my church.
What I do have a problem with when it comes to drinking are the carbonated sodas that are loaded with caffeine and high fructose corn syrup. These things are, for me, a modern version of strong drink that don't need to be in my diet. Coca-cola, Pepsi, Lipton, doesn't matter. It all has to go. I want go get to the point to where I never again drink this stuff. And I write this a few minutes after having had a bottle of Pepsi. Yes, I am a hypocrite. I'm working on overcoming a lot of things.
For a few months now I have been thinking about the implications of being a Nazirite. What does it mean to be totally dedicated to God? It is more than an issue over haircuts and what one chooses to eat and drink. It deals with the commitment one is willing to bring to a relationship with God. I will share my thoughts on that soon.
Your prayers are appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
