Numbers 6:1-5: a reflection

1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, 3he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. 4All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins. 5“‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled in which he separates himself to the LORD. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.

The vow of the Nazirite was a way for an ordinary person, man or woman, to set themselves apart to the LORD in a special act of dedication, marked by particular disciplines for the time of their separation. When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, the law says, he shall separate himself from wine, and let his hair grow. The Nazirite vow was a voluntary, wholehearted dedication of oneself to God for a period, set apart by outward signs, a way of giving oneself more fully to the LORD. It shows the value of a wholehearted, voluntary consecration to God, a giving of oneself more fully to him. A voluntary, wholehearted consecration to God is a good thing. The Nazirite set himself apart to the LORD in special dedication. Giving oneself more fully to God is a worthy act. Wholehearted dedication to God is worth offering.

Notice what the Nazirite vow represented: a voluntary, wholehearted setting-apart of oneself to God. It was not required of everyone; it was a special vow anyone, man or woman, could freely take, to dedicate themselves more fully to the LORD for a time, marked by particular disciplines that set them apart. It expressed a desire to give oneself more completely to God, to be specially consecrated to him, beyond the ordinary. This reflects something worth valuing: the impulse to give ourselves more fully to God, to dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to him, not content with the minimum but desiring a deeper consecration. While we are not under the specific Nazirite law, the heart behind it, a wholehearted, voluntary dedication of ourselves to God, a desire to be set apart for him and to give ourselves more fully, is something the whole of Scripture commends. God is worthy of our wholehearted dedication, and there is a real good in freely giving ourselves more fully to him, consecrating ourselves to his service and to a deeper walk with him. We do well to desire and offer such wholehearted consecration to God. Wholehearted, voluntary dedication to God is a good worth offering. God is worthy of our fuller, wholehearted consecration. Desire to give yourself more fully to God, not just the minimum. A deeper dedication of ourselves to God is a worthy act.

That is worth taking to heart, for wholehearted, voluntary dedication of ourselves to God is a good worth offering, as the Nazirite freely set himself apart to the LORD. We can be content with the minimum in our walk with God, never desiring to give ourselves more fully; but the Nazirite vow expressed a wholehearted, voluntary consecration, a desire to give oneself more completely to God. God is worthy of such dedication. Do not be content with the minimum; desire and offer a wholehearted consecration of yourself to God, giving yourself more fully to him. Desire and offer a wholehearted, voluntary consecration of yourself to God, giving yourself more fully to him rather than being content with the minimum, as the Nazirite vow allowed any ordinary person, man or woman, to set themselves apart to the LORD in a special act of dedication, marked by particular disciplines for the time of their separation; for the Nazirite vow was a voluntary, wholehearted dedication of oneself to God, freely taken by one who desired to give themselves more completely to him and be specially consecrated beyond the ordinary, and while we are not under the specific Nazirite law, the heart behind it, a wholehearted, voluntary dedication of ourselves to God and a desire to be set apart for him and give ourselves more fully, is something the whole of Scripture commends, since God is worthy of our wholehearted dedication and there is a real good in freely giving ourselves more fully to him, consecrating ourselves to his service and to a deeper walk with him, so that we do well to desire and offer such wholehearted consecration rather than being content with the minimum.

Lord, the vow of the Nazirite was a way for an ordinary person, man or woman, to set themselves apart to you in a special act of dedication, marked by particular disciplines for the time of their separation. When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, the law says, he shall separate himself from wine, and let his hair grow. The Nazirite vow was a voluntary, wholehearted dedication of oneself to you for a period, set apart by outward signs, a way of giving oneself more fully to you. It shows the value of a wholehearted, voluntary consecration to you. Show me what the Nazirite vow represented: a voluntary, wholehearted setting-apart of oneself to you. It was not required of everyone; it was a special vow anyone could freely take, to dedicate themselves more fully to you for a time. It expressed a desire to give oneself more completely to you, to be specially consecrated, beyond the ordinary. This reflects something worth valuing: the impulse to give myself more fully to you, to dedicate myself wholeheartedly, not content with the minimum but desiring a deeper consecration. While I am not under the specific Nazirite law, the heart behind it, a wholehearted, voluntary dedication of myself to you, is something the whole of Scripture commends. You are worthy of my wholehearted dedication, and there is a real good in freely giving myself more fully to you. Take that to my heart, for wholehearted, voluntary dedication of myself to you is a good worth offering. Keep me from being content with the minimum in my walk with you; give me a desire to consecrate myself more fully to you, Lord, offering you a wholehearted dedication, set apart for you and giving myself more completely to your service and to a deeper walk with you, for you are worthy of it.