God is preparing His people for the Promised Land, and so far in Numbers, Israel has been counted, centered, guarded, assigned, and cleansed.

As we have noted, these chapters have come in pairs. Chapters 1 and 2 concerned the whole congregation of Israel. Chapters 3 and 4 narrowed the focus to the Levites. Now, chapters 5 and 6 address specific cases for individuals.

Chapter 5 addressed the topic of sin. Since Israel was chosen as Yahweh’s holy nation to be a kingdom of priests (see Exodus 19), the sin in their midst needed to be dealt with. The first twenty-one verses of chapter 6 are the inverse of chapter 5. If sin is what alienates us from Yahweh, the Nazarite vow is an expression of deep devotion and consecration to Him. Thus, both chapters are linked by a theme of purity, which is necessary to put away sin and become holy. Ronald Bergey also notes:

Added to the overall purity theme are linguistic links connecting chapter 6 to the three cases in chapter 5. A Nazarite vow concerns a man or woman (6:1), as do the laws on impurities (5:3, 6). The defilement (Hb. tame’) of a Nazarite is the major concern of this law (6:6-8, 9-12), as it was for the camp at large (5:2-3). “Atonement” must be made for the Nazarite (6:11) involving a “guilt offering” (‘asham; v. 12), as with someone who embezzles and lies under oath. The vow of a defiled Nazarite “shall be void” (naphal, “fall”; 6:12), while the adulterous woman’s thigh “shall fall away” (naphal; 5:27). (EEC Vol I, 1126)

Thus, the two chapters focus on individual Israelites and are connected thematically and linguistically.

Our text has three major divisions, which will naturally guide our study. Verses 1-8 give us the nature and requirements of the Nazarite vow. Verses 9-12 show what must be done if the vow is broken. Finally, verses 13-21 give instructions for completing the vow.

DEVOTION DISPLAYED // VERSES 1-8

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘When either a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazarite, to separate himself to the LORD…'”

These verses establish the subject of the chapter: a special vow, which is also called a Nazarite vow. The word Nazarite literally means “one who is set apart,” and it comes from the verb nazar, which means to separate or to set apart. Thus, a Nazarite is someone who has taken a vow to be set apart from the rest of the congregation of Israel. And this vow was not limited to a particular tribe nor even to only men. Any Israelite, man or woman, could make this vow before the LORD.

But why might they make a special vow at all? Most often, the Nazarite vow was either made alongside a petition or as an expression of thanksgiving to Yahweh. For example, a woman whose son is very ill and near death may pledge to be a Nazarite for one year, if the LORD heals her son. Or after her son is recovered, she may make her vow as an expression of thanksgiving to God.

Of course, that might seem like a person is attempting to barter with God. And perhaps in some cases, that is exactly what the person was trying to do. But the intention is not to haggle with God nor to manipulate Him with expressions of devotion (as if we could!). The vow, instead, acted as a kind of exclamation point to the prayer. It was a display of the supplicant’s seriousness.

Probably the closest comparison today would be monks and nuns, but even here, there are notable differences. First, like monks and nuns, Nazarites did not hold any office of leadership in Israel. Unlike the Levites or the priesthood, anyone could become a Nazarite. And even though they held no office, the Nazarites were held in high esteem. Their holiness is certainly placed on nearly the same level as the high priest. Of course, they were not permitted to enter the tabernacle, but they did become a kind of living embodiment of living a holy life.

Yet there was a crucial difference between Nazarites and monks or nuns today. The Nazarite vow was not for life. Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist were lifetime Nazarites, but they are the exception, not the rule. Also, there was no vow of celibacy with being a Nazarite. Both Samson and Samuel were married, and Samuel had children.

But most importantly, the Nazarite did not fulfill his or her vow by retreating from the rest of the congregation into a monastery or convent. Though the Nazarite was set apart, he continued to live out his ordinary life. If he was a farmer, he continued farming. Mothers would continue their household duties. The Nazarite vow did not fundamentally change the outward motions of one’s life.

The text lists three commitments that distinguished the Nazarite. Importantly, verse 21 notes that a person could make other commitments in addition to these three. For example, a person could vow not to eat meat until the peace offering of their vow’s completion. The Nazarite would need to uphold any of those vows as well. Every Nazarite, however, had to avoid three things: consuming wine, cutting their hair, and being near the dead. These three prohibitions all protect the purity of the Nazarite, but each does so with a particular emphasis.

First, the Nazarite is not permitted to drink wine nor even eat grapes. Wine, as we discussed in the Song of Songs, often represents joy and celebration in Scripture. Thus, by abstaining from wine, the Nazarite was voluntarily giving up one of life’s greatest pleasures to display his devotion to Yahweh.

Second, all the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the LORD. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of his hair grow long. Iain Duguid explains this prohibition, saying, “Because the hair is a living part of the body, it was a natural symbol for the life of a person. To let your hair grow without human restriction represented giving your life over completely to God’s control. It was a vivid symbol of giving God the reins of your life.”

Third, he was not permitted to be near a dead body, not even for his family. Of course, contact with the dead was not a sin, but it did make a person unclean. Because death came into the world as a consequence of sin, it is a perpetual reminder of sin’s deadly result. The regulations here resemble the high priest, who was also not allowed to be near the body of a deceased family member either.

Since we rarely have much contact with deceased loved ones today, we may fail to understand how great a sacrifice this prohibition was. There was no funeral home to call in the ancient world. Families buried their own dead, and preparing their bodies for burial was an intimate, almost sacred, practice. The Nazarite vow, therefore, forced the maker of the vow to tangibly show that their commitment to Yahweh surpassed even their commitment to their family. We see an echo of this thought in Jesus’ response to the man who wants to bury his father before following Christ: “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60).

As Christians today, we still make vows, such as marital vows, but our commitment to follow Christ, which is symbolled and proclaimed in baptism is quite similar to the Nazarite vow. We confess Christ and vow to follow Him. We are covenantally set apart in Christ, and it is permanent, not simply lifelong but eternal.

And like the Nazarites, He does not send us to a monastery or a convent, nor does He call each of us to celibacy. He sets us apart within our ordinary, day-to-day lives, living in the world though we are not of the world.

Of course, these prohibitions do not directly apply to us, but they are still pictures of what Jesus expects from His people. Indeed, from the principles of the prohibitions, we can ask ourselves three questions.

First, are there any pleasures that, though not sinful, I ought to freely surrender to the Lord, either for a season or permanently? Perhaps it is a form of entertainment that has begun to master your heart. Perhaps it is a hobby that consistently crowds out prayer and Scripture. Perhaps it is food, or social media, or simply the constant noise that keeps you from meditating upon God’s Word. The point is not that these things are inherently sinful. The point is this: if I cannot freely lay them down for Christ, then perhaps they have become more than gifts. Perhaps they have become masters.

Notice, however, that when the vow was completed, “the Nazarite may drink wine.” God was never opposed to wine itself. He created wine to gladden the heart of man. He delights to give good gifts to His children. The temporary fast from wine taught the Nazarite—and it teaches us—that the greatest joy is never the gift but the Giver. Once that lesson had been displayed, the wine could once again be received with thanksgiving.

Second, is my life fully surrendered to Christ’s control? Does Christ have authority over my finances? My calendar? My career ambitions? My speech at work? My parenting? My marriage? We often ask Jesus to forgive our sins while quietly keeping certain rooms of our lives locked. The Nazarite’s uncut hair was a public declaration: ‘My whole life belongs to Yahweh.

Third, is there any contamination of sin that I am staying too near? Our hearts often ask, “How close can I get to sin without actually sinning?” The Nazarite asked the opposite question: “How far can I stay from anything that symbolizes death because I belong to the living God?”

These are the kinds of questions that guide us in how to be set apart for Christ within our daily lives, which is the kind of life that Paul calls a living sacrifice.

DEVOTION BROKEN // VERSES 9-12

Verses 9-12 now turn to a necessary matter:

If any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing. On the seventh day, he shall shave it. On the eighth day, he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering, the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him because he sinned by reason of the dead body. He shall consecrate his head that same day and separate himself to the LORD for the days of his separation and bring a male, a year old, for a guilt offering. But the previous period shall be void because his separation was defiled.

Imagine that you’ve nearly come to the end of your three-year Nazarite vow, and someone dies near you. That vow is now void because it has been defiled. Three offerings must be brought to the tabernacle. A sin offering (though it is better called the purification offering), a whole burnt offering, and a guilt offering. The purification offering is for the person’s ritual cleansing. The burnt offering is for their atonement, that is, for their general sinfulness and to restore their relationship with Yahweh. The guilt offering was for a specific transgression: the defilement.

But, we might argue, what was the transgression? He didn’t mean for a person to die next to him. Why should that be counted as sin against him? While it is true that, in this case, there was no intention to sin, intention alone does not sufficiently explain sin. Of course, unintentional sins are less grievous than intentional ones, but both are sins. Consider the difference between murder and manslaughter. Murder is certainly the graver sin, but in both cases, a human being has lost his life.

Something similar is happening here. A Nazarite took a vow. To be near a dead body defiled that vow. Period. Intentional or not.

What then could the Nazarite do?

Offer sacrifices and start over.

That is certainly a picture for us as Christians. Like the Nazarites, we are all set apart as holy to God through our vow to follow after Christ. But we also have all defiled and broken that vow. We fail to wage war against our sins and forsake our idols. Each one of us has valued a good gift of God over the Giver Himself. Sometimes that failure is without intent. We stumble into sin and only later realize what we have done.

But, if we are honest with ourselves, most of the time it isn’t accidental. We treat our vow to the LORD as Samson did his own. Even though Samson was set apart as holy to Yahweh as a lifelong Nazarite, Judges 14 introduces him to us with a seven-day wedding feast for his Philistine bride (that probably featured plenty of wine!) and his scooping honey from a lion’s carcass, which ought to have defiled his vow long before Delilah cut his hair.

Indeed, isn’t that one of the most fitting images of sin in Scripture? Honey within a decaying carcass. Like honey, sin is sweet at first. If sin wasn’t so pleasant, it wouldn’t be so prevalent. We become so enamored by its sweetness that we ignored the putrid stench and countless maggots nearby. As sweet as sin may be, it is always surrounded by death because, in the end, it brings death.

Thankfully, God continues to be gracious to us, even in the face of our continual failures. Whenever we break and defile our vow to Christ, we follow the principle of the text: we repent. We certainly do not bring any offerings or sacrifices because Christ is the once-for-all sacrifice. We bring ourselves instead. We come to the throne of grace, confessing our sin and receiving His forgiveness.

Confession, we should note, is for our own benefit. God’s love for us does not change. In fact, if you are in Christ, He has already forgiven all of your sin, even future sins. After all, each of our sins were future sins while Christ canceled them upon the cross. He knew them all, and He forgive them all. So, before we confess, He already knows, and He has already paid the debt of that specific sin.

But why then must we still repent? Not necessarily to be forgiven again; we already are forgiven in Christ. But we do need to receive His forgiveness afresh. And we need to renew our vow to Him. Every sin is a defilement and an adultery, a breaking of the covenant. Whenever we sin, we turn away from our Lord, but repentance is the act of coming back to Him. He remains unchanged, steadfast. Repentance is for our benefit. Through it, we return to Him.

THE END OF DEVOTION // VERSES 13-21

We have surveyed the nature of the Nazarite vow as well as what happens whenever it is broken. Verses 13-20 address how a Nazarite was to properly complete his vow.

And this is the law for the Nazirite, when the time of his separation has been completed: he shall be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and he shall bring his gift to the LORD, one male lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering, and a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings. And the priest shall bring them before the LORD and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering, and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its grain offering and its drink offering. And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering. And the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened loaf out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the hair of his consecration, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. They are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed. And after that the Nazirite may drink wine.

Whenever the time of his vow is complete, he brought four of the five main offerings. They are simply listed here because we are meant to remember their purpose and meaning from the opening chapters of Leviticus.

First, he presented a sin (or purification) offering. As the name suggests, it represented being cleansed from sin’s defilement. Thus, it was often required to remove a person’s ritual uncleanness, even though they may not have committed an actual sin.

Second, he presented a whole burnt offering, which represented both atonement and devotion. The burnt offering was offered entirely to Yahweh through burning up the entire animal. It was not for the forgiveness of specific sins (that was the guilt offering) but for a person’s general sinfulness. Because the whole animal was consumed, it also represented complete devotion to the LORD.

Third, the grain offering was made. This was also called the tribute offering because it proclaimed the offeror’s loyalty and fealty to Yahweh as king.

Finally, he made a peace offering. This is the only offering that is properly called a sacrifice because it was a communion meal in God’s presence. Some of the meat was burned to Yahweh, some of given to the priests, and the rest was eaten by the offeror and his friends and family or whomever he wanted to share the meal with. The peace offering represented the goal of Israel’s worship: fellowship with God.

Notice that this completion made the Nazarite vow quite costly. It was a large time commitment (slaughtering those animals would require real work). And it was a large financial commitment. A lamb, an ewe, a ram, unleavened bread, wafers, and oil would have been a sizeable financial sacrifice.

But notice what the Nazarite does with his hair. Before making these offerings, he shaved his head, his consecrated head, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. After then slaughtering the animals, he placed his hair upon the fire as the peace offering burns up as a fragrant scent to Yahweh.

If I were an ancient Israelite who had completed a Nazarite vow, that freshly shaved hair in my hand would have been something like a trophy, a tangible picture of my season of special devotion to the LORD. I would be tempted to keep it, to hang onto it as a token of that episode of my life.

But that isn’t what a Nazarite did. They burnt it to the LORD.

Something similar will happen on the last day. You see, the altar of Christ does not merely burn away our sin; it also burns up our greatest acts of service and the very best of good works that we might cling to for acceptance. If we stand before Christ, holding our good works before Him like a Nazarite holding up his hair, saying, “Look, Lord, look at how devoted I was to you,” we will only hear from Him: “Depart from me, I never knew you.” After all, saying “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast our demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name,” is like a Nazarite saying, “Look at my beautiful hair, Lord. Look at everything that I have done for you.”

But who made the hair grow at all?

The same One who empowers and equips us to do good works.

The Nazarite took the tangible picture of his greatest devotion to Yahweh, laid it on the altar, and watched it burn up to God. After all, that is what the vow was always about: worship. The hair became a part of the pleasing aroma before the LORD.

May the same be true of us. We certainly cast ours sins at Christ’s feet, but we also cast our good works. We lay them upon His altar and say, “Take it all, Lord. All my sin and failures, and all my good works and righteousness. The very best I can offer You is like filthy rags in Your sight, so burn it all. Take it all, until all I’m left with is You.”

Picture the Nazarite, head shaved and empty-handed, his offerings and his devotion burning on the altar in front of him. But then the priest places some of the ram’s meat in his hands. The priest has some too. He speaks the words that we will study next week, and they eat together in the presence of the Most High. He is spiritually seated at God’s own dinner table. He is not told to depart; rather, he hears, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.”

That is what the Lord’s Supper is still pictures today. In this bread and cup, we look by faith to the great day when we will be seated at the wedding supper of the Lamb. That day, we will hear Christ say, “well done,” not because we trusted in our good works, but because we trust in his broken body and shed blood.

As we come to this table, let it be a sign and seal of our consecration to the Lord, that Christ has redeemed us to be his own. Lay aside not only your sins, but all your righteousness as well. Come empty-handed and take up Christ instead. He is all the forgiveness and all the righteousness we need.