The Lesson of the Nazarite
Below is the summary of a sermon that I prepared for school. Pastor Brown will review it and use it as the basis for my final grade in his class. A couple weeks back, I preached a seven minute, shortened version of this during our “Practice Preaching” class, and several men, whom I respect and admire, told me that they learned something from it, so hopefully it will be good enough. I would love to preach the full message someday, maybe one day I’ll get that chance.
Subject: Living Consecrated
Introduction:
Numbers 6
“1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:” He then list three things that someone must do to become a Nazarite.
The title “Nazarite” is a noun that stems from the Hebrew verb “nazar,” which means, “to dedicate, consecrate, separate.” So, what God is literally saying here is, “If anyone wants to separate themselves to become one of my consecrated ones, this is what they must do…”
The Calling: (Anyone could…)
“When either man or woman…” The Nazarites were neither prophets nor priests nor great warriors for God, though they sometimes would become these things later on in life. (i.e. Samson and Samuel) These were just regular men and women, who made a conscious decision to go beyond tithes and offerings and sacrifices and instead to dedicate themselves entirely to God…mind, body, and soul.
The Conviction: (Every Christian should…)
By becoming a Nazarite, an individual was quite literally making themselves to be a “living sacrifice” to God. In Romans 12 it states, “1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Paul shows here that as Christians, each of us, in a sense, are to become a Nazarite, or “Consecrated One,” to God by renewing our minds and presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice.
It reads in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, “As God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” It is our calling as Christians to separate ourselves for God, just as the Nazarites did in the days of old.
Proposition: Every Christian should live a life that is consecrated to God, by adhering to the three decisions of the Nazarite, as found in Numbers 6.
1. Monitor Your Actions (The Mind)
“3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.”
The first thing that the Nazarite is told to do is to abstain from anything that may contain any form of alcohol. At this point in history, wines and alcoholic beverages were widely acceptable. Even great men of God are recorded to have had a drink from time to time, so why is it that the Nazarite was not allowed to? I believe it is because alcohol affects your mind and, as one who is consecrated to God, you must be able to guard and control your own thoughts. Alcohol allows a door to open in your mind that can allow all sorts of evil in. But…so does television…and music…and books…and the internet.
The first part of consecration is protecting our minds. How well have you, as a living sacrifice, been protecting yours?
2. Mind Your Appearance (The Body)
5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.”
The second thing that a Nazarite was told to do was to let their hair grow out to uncomfortable and unattractive lengths. They were not allowed to shave it. They were not allowed to trim it. I believe that this serves two purposes:
A.) No Shame
One, who has devoted their lives to God, will feel no shame in living for God. They won’t always be popular, they won’t always be accepted, but their devotion to God means more to them than how they look or how well others accept them.
B.) No Secret
Imagine that you were a person living in the Old Testament times. You are down at the market trading livestock when suddenly you see a man with long, unkempt hair and a beard that looks like he may have been auditioning for ZZ Top. He stands out like a sore thumb and you can’t help but perceive him to be an odd, possibly crazy individual. Then you realize suddenly, “Oh! He must be one of the Nazarites…one of the Consecrated.”
Some one who is devoted to God cannot hide it from others.
How well does your appearance reflect your consecration to God? Are you unashamed to let it show? When people look at you, can they tell that you are one of God’s consecrated?
3. Manage Your Attention (The Soul)
6 All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.
The final way that a Nazarite was to devote themselves to God, was by avoiding death. They were not allowed to be in the room with a dead body, even if it was their own relative. Death is a result of sin. As one who is consecrated to God, our attention and our focus should be on life. As Jesus said in Matthew 22:32, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” Again in Chapter 8 and verse 22, “22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.”
As living sacrifices, consecrated to God, our attention in life should be on the things of God and not on the things of Satan. How often do you find yourself chilling out with the “dead?” Has your attention been on the things of God or on the things of Satan and this world?
Conclusion:
We can each, as believers, make the same commitment to God that the Nazarites did and consecrate our mind, body, and soul to the Lord by monitoring our actions, minding our appearance, and managing our attention. Then, and only then, can we truly be the living sacrifices that we are called to be, consecrated to God and separated for his perfect work.
Where do you stand? Can you say tonight that you are living your life as one who is consecrated to God? Perhaps you had been once, but you have back slidden. If you continue reading chapter 6, you will find that the Lord explains in detail what a Nazarite was to do if they were to defile their consecration. They were to shave their heads and present a sin offering to the Lord. Then, and only then, could they start over again. Isn’t it good to know that we serve a God of second chances? All we are to do is admit our faults and ask for forgiveness. Then, we consecrate ourselves again.
Samson was the most powerful Nazarite in history, but even he failed to keep his vows. He allowed a woman to have the best of him and cut his hair. But even Samson was given that second chance as he called out to God in Judges 16:28, “O Lord GOD, remember me.”
God gave him that second chance, Samson used it, and in doing so, killed more Philistines than he had in the rest of his life. God gives second chances, God uses second chances, and he can do incredible things with yours, if you let him.
