I’ve heard it said many times and now realize in my life that God is a close as our most sincere, fervent prayer. In truth, God is as close as the mere mention of His name! The Psalmist verifies it;
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” Psalm 34:18
How comforting it is to know that our God actually saves us by taking our pain and giving us special joy, comfort, healing that can only come from His Holy Spirit who lives in all who believe Him. Sometimes, in tragedies, we will suddenly feel an extraordinary calm, this is the Spirit of God drawing ever nearer to us. There is power in His Presence as we draw near to Him. We all face trials and tests that force us to decide daily and sometimes hourly to whom do we truly believe and trust with all our lives? Do we trust God fully and completely—no matter the current situation or circumstance?
The Nazirites took a vow to be fully dedicated to the Lord and trust in Him completely. It was God who established the Nazirite vow to form a small group who would serve God. The restrictions (abstain from drinking wine, cutting or shaving hair, and touching a dead body) were intended to keep a Nazirite’s life holy and clean. They followed special rules to be closer in mind and spirit to God. They provide examples for us of dedication to God. Religious rules should only be followed by people who have a sincere heart.
Numbers 6
The Nazirite
6 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, 3 they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4 As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.
5 “‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.
6 “‘Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body. 7 Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. 8 Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.
9 “‘If someone dies suddenly in the Nazirite’s presence, thus defiling the hair that symbolizes their dedication, they must shave their head on the seventh day—the day of their cleansing. 10 Then on the eighth day they must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 11 The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for the Nazirite because they sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day they are to consecrate their head again. 12 They must rededicate themselves to the Lord for the same period of dedication and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because they became defiled during their period of dedication.
13 “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the period of their dedication is over. They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting. 14 There they are to present their offerings to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering, 15 together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made with the finest flour and without yeast—thick loaves with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves brushed with olive oil.
16 “‘The priest is to present all these before the Lord and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. 17 He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the Lord, together with its grain offering and drink offering.
18 “‘Then at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that symbolizes their dedication. They are to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.
19 “‘After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair that symbolizes their dedication, the priest is to place in their hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and one thick loaf and one thin loaf from the basket, both made without yeast. 20 The priest shall then wave these before the Lord as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.
21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows offerings to the Lord in accordance with their dedication, in addition to whatever else they can afford. They must fulfill the vows they have made, according to the law of the Nazirite.’”
The Priestly Blessing
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
Don’t confuse “Nazirite” with “Nazarene.” Jesus was called a “Nazarene” because He came from Nazareth, a city despised by the people of Judea (John 1:43–46). The word “Nazirite” comes from a Hebrew word that means “to set apart, to dedicate.” Each Nazirite had a different goal in mind, but all of them wanted to glorify the Lord and obey His Word. They didn’t isolate themselves from society but rather were witnesses to others of the importance of total devotion to the Lord. Their vow was for a specified period (Read Acts 21:23–27 for an example) and a specified purpose. We think of Esther who believed God and “for such a time as this” dedicated herself to God and His people to save them from harm. Enjoy this beautiful story of dedication in the Book of Esther!
We do not need to become Nazirites to serve Christ. As believers, we strive to learn to follow God’s Word and pray for God’s wisdom so you can better serve Him in all places…family, vocation, and even on vacation! No matter where we are or what we are dealing with at any given moment; prayer takes away fears and anxieties as we place all our trust firmly in our heavenly Father. I know this because God has done in over and over again in my life. And just yesterday and today, as we face yet another trial, He’s doing it again!
God’s priests were not only given the privilege of serving at the altar and ministering in the sanctuary, but they were also allowed to bless God’s people in the name of the Lord. We still use this blessing today, for it belongs to us as well as to Israel.
The Apostle Paul reminds God’s church that we have been blessed with “every spiritual blessing” through the Lord Jesus Christ (See Ephesians 1:3), and we can claim this benediction through Him!
We need the blessings that God gave to the priests to deliver to His people. How sweet it is to know that when we draw near to God; He draws near to us! God’s blessings are to be cared for by the Lord who watches over us; to have the smile of His face upon us and the riches of His grace given to us; to have Him pay attention to us when we call; and, as the result of these things, to enjoy His peace in our hearts.
And that’s why we trust Him!
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
In Jesus Name, for our good and His glory, Amen! Yes, and Amen!
Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine
He’s been my fourth man in the fire, time after time
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood
And what He did for me on Calvary is more than enough
I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
Perfect submission, all is at rest
I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my steps
So this is my story and this is my song
I’m praising my risen King and Savior all the day long
I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail…
“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 