Yesterday we learned that the word "Nazarite" is derived from the Hebrew word "nazir" meaning "set apart". A man or woman could make a vow for a specific period of time in which they would behave differently than someone who had not taken this vow. During that time they were especially consecrated to the Lord and would abstain from any grape products and they could not cut their hair. Next we'll see that they had to refrain from certain mourning rituals during their vow.
"Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body. 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. Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord." (Numbers 6:6-8) No exceptions to this rule could be made, not even if the deceased person was a next of kin. The Nazirite could not have contact with a dead body.
When the Bible says "the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head" this refers to the uncut hair that is upon their head. The Nazirite must not do anything of a defiling nature while this hair is upon their head.
Things sometimes happen that are beyond a person's control. A situation might arise in which a person dies suddenly and unexpectedly in the presence of one who is under a Nazarite vow. A man and his father might be working together in the field, for example, and the father might suddenly experience a heart attack and pass away. Or a Nazirite might be in the company of someone else when an accident occurs and the other person dies of their injuries. It probably wasn't all that common to have a person die unexpectedly in one's presence, but it must have happened sometimes, and a situation like this renders the Nazirite ceremonially unclean. "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. 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. 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 a dead body. That same day they are to consecrate their head again. 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." (Numbers 6:9-12)
It was not the Nazirite's intention to become unclean but he or she still must end the vow and cut the hair. The appropriate offerings to restore ceremonial cleanliness must be brought. Then the person must start over and fulfill the entire time period of the original vow. This information serves to illustrate how serious was the taking of a Nazirite vow. It was not to be entered into lightly. A person would need to think deeply and soberly about it beforehand and consider whether or not they are mentally and physically and emotionally and spiritually capable of fulfilling every aspect of the vow. Even if they decided they are up to the task, they would still have to take into consideration that a situation might arise which would render them ceremonially unclean. Knowing this, they would have to also consider whether they are capable of starting their vow over if the need arises. If a person decided to make a vow of thirty days, they would have to feel capable of keeping the vow for up to sixty days because if they inadvertently came into contact with the dead at any time during the thirty days they would have to start over, even if the contact occurred on the last day of their original vow.
"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. 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, 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." (Numbers 6:13-15) Keeping a Nazirite vow took effort and willpower. It involved a fair amount of expense, based on the sacrifices and offerings that had to be brought when the vow was completed. The Lord doesn't want anyone casually making promises to Him without thinking them through or counting the cost. The Lord wants people who are all in---who are willing to see things through.
"The priest is to present all these before the Lord and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. 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. 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." (Numbers 6:16-18) The hair is burned in the same way as the offering. The Bible doesn't tell us what was done with hair that was shaved off if a person inadvertently became unclean and broke his or her vow. Ancient tradition states it was buried and I think that's a likely answer. I would not expect it to be burned as an offering because it would have been considered unclean.
"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. 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." (Numbers 6:19-20) The Nazirite is freed from fasting from the fruit of the vine now. He or she may drink wine or consume other products made from grapes.
"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." (Numbers 6:21) The Nazirite must bring at least all the items mentioned in this passage; more offerings can be brought voluntarily in addition to those which are required. A person not under a Nazirite vow could supply the required offerings on the Nazirite's behalf, as evidenced by Acts 21:17-16 in which the Apostle Paul pays the expenses of four men who are under a Nazirite vow. He did this as an act of good faith and good will, at the urging of some of the elders of the Christian church at Jerusalem, because unfounded rumors were going around about him claiming he did not respect the law of Moses. Paul did not have to bear the expense of these four men; they were responsible before taking their vow for making sure they could fulfill all its obligations, but Paul bore the expense to prove to the Jewish Christians that he was not going around speaking against anything contained in the book of Numbers or any other book of the Old Testament.
It is believed that a person could step in and fulfill a Nazirite vow on behalf of another person if they were rendered incapable of fulfilling it. One example I found in my research is that a man could fulfill the vow his father made if his father died before completing his Nazirite vow. The son could take on the duties of the vow in honor of the memory of his father.
The main thing we can take away from today's passage in modern times, I think, is that we aren't to make any vows lightly. We don't want to be irresponsible people who promise things to God or to anyone else without considering whether we are capable of following through. Also we aren't to promise anything that is ungodly. Naturally the Lord wouldn't want us keeping a sinful promise, but we shouldn't be agreeing to sinful acts in the first place. As the people of God we must be men and women of our word, and we shouldn't agree to anything that contradicts the Scriptures, but if we have made a wholesome promise and obligated ourselves in some way, the Lord expects us to keep our word. He expects us to keep holy vows we have taken, such as vows we make to Him or the vows we make in our wedding ceremony. King David talked about the kind of person who is close to God, the kind of person whose faith will not be shaken, and he says this type of person "keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind". (Psalm 15:4b) Keeping godly and noble promises won't always be easy. That's why we have to think carefully before putting ourselves under a vow. But God honors the effort and faith it takes to see a vow through.
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