We often hear that “it’s the heart that matters before God.”

It is true, but let’s be aware of the downside of this statement. 

Summary

The law of the Nazarite was given to the Israelites. The Nazarites were those, men or women, who made a special vow to dedicate themselves to the LORD. The Nazarites were to remain holy to the LORD during all the days of their separation (Numbers 6:8): by abstaining from drinking anything made out of grapes; by having no razor over their head; and by not going near a dead person.

When the days of their separation were fulfilled, they shall bring the offering to the doorway of the tent of meeting. Their offerings were to comprise a burnt offering, sin offering, peace offering, grain offering, and drink offering. The Nazarites shall shave their dedicated head, and the priest would present the offering to the LORD. 

The chapter ended with the LORD’s instruction on how Aaron and his sons were to bless the Israelites. 

The Nazarites and the Levites: Remember the LORD your God

There are some similarities in outward regulations between the Nazarites and the Levites. Therefore, the message and the effect conveyed by the lives of the Nazarites on the Israelite society would have been similar to that of the Levites. 

What was the role of the Levites? The Levites were given a special task by the LORD to be in charge of taking care of and moving all the equipment pertaining to the tabernacle. Three Levite clans, the Kohathites, the Gershonites, and the Meratites, had different roles in overseeing the tabernacle. Therefore, the primary, practical function of the Levite was to set up a tabernacle and move it in a proper manner whenever the Israelite camp was guided to march by the LORD in the wilderness. 

The Levites’ primary, practical function of overseeing the tabernacle  in the wilderness was to transform to a slightly different role of reminding each Israel tribe of the LORD after the LORD gave the land of Canaan to the Israelites. Unlike other tribes, who received their dedicated lots, the presence of the Levites spread out to 48 cities throughout the land of Israel. The presence of the Levites would facilitate the remembrance of the LORD to each Israel tribe by their specially dedicated lives. 

Consider Nazarite in a similar role as the Levite – more at the community level than at the national level. The Nazarites, as those wholly dedicated to the LORD God, would be easy to be recognized as they would have long hair and abstain themselves from any drink made out of grapes. People would be reminded of the LORD in the presence of the Nazarites just as each Israel tribe would be reminded of the LORD by the presence of the Levites.

Consider Nararite not as a regulation, but as an opportunity for non-Levite Israelites to dedicate themselves like priests and live out their full life or a limited period of their lives as priests. Note the inclusivity of this opportunity: both men and women were allowed to dedicate themselves to the LORD (Numbers 6:2). Also, this was strictly voluntary. 

Outward Regulations Matter

It is often said among Christians that “it’s the heart that matters before God.”

This statement is true, but could pose a potential danger if one separates the heart from the outward behavior. As Morpheus in the Matrix movie said “the body cannot live out the mind,” the heart and the outward behavior is not distinct, but one. A heart fully dedicated to the LORD God, but without commensurate outward behavior (not saying that we have to be perfect in our daily lives) dedicated to the LORD God, is not a truly dedicated heart. 

For that reason, a few outward regulations, which may seem outdated, such as abstaining from grape-made drinks, keeping long hair, and staying away from a dead body can actually help the Nazarites to set up their hearts dedicated to the LORD. Some restrictions on the outward behavior can help people to maintain the appropriate posture of the heart. 

What are some restrictions on your behaviors that can help you set up the right posture of the heart before the LORD? 

Active Holiness

At the center of Nazarite life is holiness (Numbers 6:8). The Nazarites were to remain holy to the LORD during all the days of their separation. We know from the text that what the Nazarites were not to do (Numbers 6:1-8), and what the Nazarites were to do at the end of their dedication time (their offering before the LORD and the priests in Numbers 6:13-21)

But what about their daily lives as the Nazarites? What does it mean to live a life of holiness? Does it comprise reading and meditating on the word of God and worshipping Him? Yes, but more. 

Many concrete examples of holiness are given in chapter 19 of Leviticus. The chapter starts by “You shall be holy for I the LORD your God am holy (Leviticus 19:3).” Then, the chapter provides many example holiness: honor your mother and father; in your harvest time, leave the grain and grapes for the needy and for the stranger; you shall not steal falsely; you shall not oppress your neighbor; do not be partial to the poor; you shall have just balances and weights in your business transactions.

If the person who took a vow to be a Nazarite happened to be wealthy, that person was to exercise generosity by leaving grains for the needy during the harvest time. If that person was in business, he/she needed to be honest in business transactions. Inside their family, they need to honor their father and mother even more as they made a vow to be a Nazarite dedicated to the LORD. 

Although not explicitly stated in Numbers 8, the Nazarites were to live out a holy life as stated in Leviticus 19. Holiness is an action, not a status. 

God wants to bless you

The chapter ended with the blessing. The bottom line is that God wanted to bless the Israelites. Being a Nazarite is a blessing and opportunity for the Israelites, especially to the non-Levites, to be close to the LORD God, the very embodiment of life. 

Let this chapter of the law of Nazarite be an opportunity for you to be nearer to the LORD your God.