Presented to Nipawin Corps, 15 March 2009
and Prairie Division Men's Camp, 21 February 2010
By Captain Michael Ramsay
Today we are talking about an important covenant, a significant vow in our text, the Nazarite vow. It is not unlike the Soldiership oath or the Christian marriage covenant. Susan and I, like every married Christian couple, made our wedding covenant and took these very serious vows with our spouse before the Lord. We promised to forsake all others and be joined by God with this one other person – separated from all others - until our death (Cf. Romans 7:2,3).
Covenants, vows, and oaths are very important to God. They are quite common in the Bible.[1] Covenants are a way for God to bind us to the vehicle of Salvation, his Son. This is very important. People used to enter into covenants more in this country. People used to call God as a witness and/or mention Him right in official documents. Even our national anthem and our country’s official motto refer to God (cf. Psalm 72). There was a time not too long ago when people would take an oath in our public courtrooms, on the Bible, before God, that they would be honest and tell the truth. And when people took oaths they used to realize their significance as well (cf. Joshua 9; Judges 2, 11; 2 Sam 21).
Canadians used to realise the importance of marriage – a very important oath that people still take before God today – before the 1970s. Between 1971 and 1982, however, the annual number of divorces more than doubled from 29,684 to 70,430. They peaked some years later in this country.[2] It seems that the ‘good old days’ where one’s word was one’s bond are long gone and it seems that now people tend to forget how important covenants are and that covenants before God do not end just because we have difficulty living up to them.[3]
In our congregation today, we have people who are considering two very important covenants. One with God and The Salvation Army: their Soldiership oath; and the other with each other, before God: their marriage covenant. In our text today, Numbers 6, we have another sort of vow –similar to these– that the Lord used to greatly bless some of the ancient Israelites: the Nazirite vow.
Numbers 6:1,2: The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite…” There are some things she must do. But first can anyone name for me any famous Nazirites from the Bible to help us sort things out a little bit? (Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist.) I invite you to keep these fellows in your mind as we are thinking today.
Off the bat I should tell you that there are some key differences between their vows and other people who took a Nazirite vow.
By Captain Michael Ramsay
Today we are talking about an important covenant, a significant vow in our text, the Nazarite vow. It is not unlike the Soldiership oath or the Christian marriage covenant. Susan and I, like every married Christian couple, made our wedding covenant and took these very serious vows with our spouse before the Lord. We promised to forsake all others and be joined by God with this one other person – separated from all others - until our death (Cf. Romans 7:2,3).
Covenants, vows, and oaths are very important to God. They are quite common in the Bible.[1] Covenants are a way for God to bind us to the vehicle of Salvation, his Son. This is very important. People used to enter into covenants more in this country. People used to call God as a witness and/or mention Him right in official documents. Even our national anthem and our country’s official motto refer to God (cf. Psalm 72). There was a time not too long ago when people would take an oath in our public courtrooms, on the Bible, before God, that they would be honest and tell the truth. And when people took oaths they used to realize their significance as well (cf. Joshua 9; Judges 2, 11; 2 Sam 21).
Canadians used to realise the importance of marriage – a very important oath that people still take before God today – before the 1970s. Between 1971 and 1982, however, the annual number of divorces more than doubled from 29,684 to 70,430. They peaked some years later in this country.[2] It seems that the ‘good old days’ where one’s word was one’s bond are long gone and it seems that now people tend to forget how important covenants are and that covenants before God do not end just because we have difficulty living up to them.[3]
In our congregation today, we have people who are considering two very important covenants. One with God and The Salvation Army: their Soldiership oath; and the other with each other, before God: their marriage covenant. In our text today, Numbers 6, we have another sort of vow –similar to these– that the Lord used to greatly bless some of the ancient Israelites: the Nazirite vow.
Numbers 6:1,2: The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite…” There are some things she must do. But first can anyone name for me any famous Nazirites from the Bible to help us sort things out a little bit? (Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist.) I invite you to keep these fellows in your mind as we are thinking today.
Off the bat I should tell you that there are some key differences between their vows and other people who took a Nazirite vow.
1) None of these three people - Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist -entered into the Nazirite vow of their own accord;
2) And their vows, which were made on their behalf (Samson's and John's were initiated by God and their parents), were for their entire life – which is the default position for vows, covenants, and oaths unless otherwise specified.[4]
This is different than most times when a Nazirite vow would be taken; in general, the Nazirite vow was voluntarily entered into by both men and women and it was for a specified period of time (verse 4). And unlike Soldiership vows and Christian marriage covenants, the typical Nazirite vow has an expiry date. The vow itself is interesting and I think it is important for us today because it is not entirely different from our Soldiership vows that we take with the Lord in The Salvation Army.[5]
Verse 3: “He [the Nazirite] must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins.” And 4, “As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.”
1) No Grapes
This is interesting. Now, as many of us may know, in general The Salvation Army Soldier (with some exceptions, i.e.: France) does not drink. He swears that, he “will abstain from alcoholic drink…and all else that could enslave the body or spirit.” Abstaining from fermented drink, alcohol, is common to both the Nazirite and the Soldier; you can see how this could be beneficial for setting people apart for God. In The Salvation Army, when God raised us up in London’s East End over a century ago, alcohol was one of the primary things that the enemy was using to enslave people. They would even serve drinks to young children. We were separated from that societal evil of alcoholism for God.
Today, we can see how much good God can do in delivering people from alcohol still. We even have an AA group that meets here on Wednesdays. It is exciting because in AA you can hear more than one testimony of people who have actually found God through the Alcoholics Anonymous programme. The first seven steps that they take in enjoying sobriety are as follows:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Now in order to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understand Him (step 3), we need to seek God and when one truly seeks out God, God promises that we will find Him (Matthew 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-10; cf. also Matthew 6:33). One anonymous friend of mine recounts almost every week how when he told a priest that he didn’t believe in God; the priest asked him, well what if God didn’t believe in you? This gave my friend some food for thought and he – like so many others through AA – came into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ as he abstained from alcohol.
There is more than abstaining from alcohol to this part of the vow though. This separation from alcohol for the Lord is part of it but there is more. You see the Nazirite is not permitted any grapes – not just fermented grapes- so Welch’s grape juice is out of the picture[6] as well as those little packages of Sun-Maid raisons that so many kids have in their lunches. Many people, like I said, could readily find reasons why one might want to abstain from alcohol at least for a time but why do you think we would want to abstain from raisins, grapes, grape juice, etc.?
Grapes were generally seen as frivolous for the Israelites. They were seen as extra. They were dessert while they were in the desert (which is where they are in the book of Numbers). No one needs to drink grape juice; we can just drink water. This is reminiscent of the primitive Salvation Army as well. In the old days we were not allowed to wear earrings (Cf. 1 Tim 2:9) or even engagement rings. Soldiers weren't even allowed to have a feather in their hat. These we seen as frivolous; they weren't necessary so why would we want to spend the money that God has given us stewardship over on something as frivolous as a feather or an engagement ring? In the Army we have moved away from that and both Susan and I have rings – and before my daughter pulled it out, when she was two, I had an earring as well (cf. Exod 32:2-3, 35:22; Num 31:50; Judges 8:24) and I know many good Salvationists who even have tattoos (cf. Lev 19:28)!
That being said, we do come back to our roots of self-denial at this time of year. During the Lenten season, The Salvation Army concentrates on missions and we used to even call this season ‘Self-Denial’. It is when we put aside money every day and every week that we would normally spend on dessert, going out for dinner, or renting a movie, for example. We are – for this season – to deny ourselves, take up our cross in this way for Jesus and His mission through us (Matt 16:24, Mark 8:34, cf. Luke 14:27).[7]
2) No Haircut
That brings us to the next part of the Nazirite vow and this refers to the hair. (Show old picture of myself). Nazirites were not supposed to cut their hair for the whole time that they were separated from society for God.[8] We, of course, are all familiar with the story of Samson (Judges 13-16). This was the straw that broke the camel’s back as it were. He strained against his covenant more than once in his life but it was when he provided for his hair to be cut, that the strength of his covenant was no longer available to him – for a time (16:20,21).
This part of the vow is certainly noticeable, as the bulk of the Israelite population at this time - Israelite men, anyway - would have had short hair. People separated for the Lord would let their hair grow long (Num 6:5; cf. Lev 21:12, 2 Sam 14:25-26). It was a distinctive feature of their vow.[9] The Nazirite would intentionally stand out, drawing attention to the fact that he is separated; he is holy unto the LORD.
This is akin to The Salvation Army uniform. We are noticeable when we are in uniform and if someone knows anything about the Soldiers’ covenant then they know that we are separated from a number of societal behaviours – ‘all that can enslave the mind and the body’ – for God. They know that we are separated for God. This has come in very useful for my ministry here in Nipawin, and in Winnipeg’s North End and Stony Mountain Penitentiary before that, an even in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside before that. When in uniform, we are immediately recognizable for someone who finds himself in need of help from a servant of God.
I have literally had people running up the street behind me yelling ‘Captain, Captain!’ and even ‘Priest! Priest!’ The uniform also came in very helpful when offering emotional and spiritual care after Hurricane Ike struck Galveston Island in the fall and immediately following the explosion that hit Nipawin a year ago. After the tragedy, a number of the clergy in this town here even lamented that they did not have some sort of uniform –like ours - to show themselves as distinct, separated for God. The uniform, like a Nazirite’s long hair, is a way that people can know that indeed we have been set apart, we have been made holy for God. This is of course what holiness is –in this context – it is a setting apart, a separateness for God. Therefore, when we don our uniforms, as every soldier in The Salvation Army is eligible to do, we are recognisable to people, as an instrument of hope from the Lord; therefore, let us indeed be holy as the Lord our God is holy (Lev 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:7-8; 26).
3) No Dead Bodies
The third aspect of the vow is no less significant than the first two and I can’t say that it really has its direct equivalent to our Soldiership vow but it does have its parallels: that is the prohibition against contact with dead bodies. Verse 7 states specifically that the Nazirite is not to come in contact with a dead body: even if the dead person is your own mother or father. If your mother or father passes away during your Nazirite vow, you may not attend the funeral ceremony. You may not! Ordinarily the Israelite has very special responsibilities pertaining to the passing of one’s parents, even though it would make her ceremonially unclean (Num 5:2, 19:11; Lev 21:1-3). For the Nazirite, she is not allowed to be unclean – even for her parents (Cf. Lev 21:10-12). One must choose between one’s family responsibilities and one’s responsibilities to God (cf. Lev 21:10-12; Matt 10:35,12:22-48, 19:29; Mark 3:23-35, 10:29-30, 13:1-28; Luke 8:19-21, 14:25-26; John 19:27). This is important. God is more important than anyone else in the holy person’s life. To the covenanted Nazirite, to the covenanted Soldier, to the devout marriage partner and to the fully committed Christian, God is first. What good is it to gain the whole world and yet lose your very own soul? (Matt 16:26, Mark 8:36).
Our Covenant remains secure
There is even more to this though – believe it or not. Look at Verse 9ff. This is very important. This is extremely important for the Nazirite and it is equally significant for Soldiers in The Salvation Army or anyone else taking a covenant before the LORD. If a person dies in the Nazirite’s presence, the Nazirite is STILL guilty of sin. Even though the Nazirite did not mean to break his vow, he still broke it and needs to be restored in his covenant relationship. Take a look, reading from Verses 9-12 (NIV):
“If someone dies suddenly in his presence, thus defiling the hair he has dedicated, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing—the seventh day. Then on the eighth day he 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 him because he sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day he is to consecrate his head. He must dedicate himself to the LORD for the period of his separation and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because he became defiled during his separation.”
Not only is he guilty of breaking his vow but the covenant remains in tact. It is even renewed: the previous days do not count; he gets a fresh start. This is important. The covenant remains until it is fulfilled. We are not released from covenants and vows simply for disobeying them. This is VERY important. The covenantal tie is not broken when we disobey God. Even when we are faithless, God is faithful (Romans 3:3,4). There are consequences for transgressing the covenant. There are natural and logical results of not living up to our vows, our promises, our covenants with or before the Lord – but we are not released from them for simple disobedience.
This is one of the very important aspects of covenants that we enter into with and before the LORD. When we disobey the covenant – there are consequences – but He is still there for us. Until the successful completion of our covenant, if it has an expiry date, or until our death (Romans 7:1-3), if it does not, our covenants remain to bind us to the Lord.
Our covenants in this way are like seatbelts. When the car crashes, we don’t take off our seatbelt and say that we are never going to wear it again. No, this is when we praise the Lord for it more than ever before.
It is like last spring when my daughters and I were coming home from Tisdale. We were driving that highway like we did a couple of times every week when all of a sudden we hit black ice, we swerved into on-coming traffic and then off our side of the road where the car proceeded to flip: it rolled over a time and a half. We did not see the accident coming and therefore could do nothing to prepare for it anymore than a Nazirite could prepare for someone suddenly dying in his presence. Even though the experts admitted that there was nothing we could do to avoid the accident, I guarantee you that SGI (the insurance company) declared that it was our fault. This is the same with the Nazirite. YHWH Insurance, so to speak, declares that they are at fault and requires payment. In this case the payment is their hair and as far as their clean driving record is concerned, they have to start over again – but the insurance isn’t cancelled. Similarly when the Soldier runs into troubles her covenant isn’t cancelled; it remains in place to protect her.
It is the same with seatbelts. In my accident the seatbelts did not break and this too is like our covenants before the Lord. Even though the car was totalled, the seatbelts held. This is important. Like sometimes an alcoholic makes a mistake and has a drink; like a husband sometimes does not operate perfectly as a loving husband; like at times we might sin before the Lord and like there are times when our lives just come crashing down all around us; when my car rolled over, there was that moment of panic as I looked back to see if my daughters were all right. To my relief they were safe and sound – even though we were all dangling upside down after the accident – they were all right because the LORD protected them through their seatbelts that did not break. We are safe and sound and soon restored to our normal life because of the Lord and our seatbelts.
Likewise, for all of us when our lives come crashing down around us, we will be safe and sound as long as we rely on the strength of our holy seatbelt -our covenant with the Lord- because the Lord will not let His covenant with us break no matter what happens to the automobile of our life. So then, let us enjoy the security of this holy seatbelt and, like the ancient Nazirite, through our covenants, let us rely fully on His strength rather than our own so that we may indeed be holy unto the LORD even as the LORD our God is holy.
Let us pray.
---
[1] Cf. Michael Ramsay, Journal of Aggressive Christianity, Issue 40, December 2005 – January 2006, pp 16-17. Available on-line: http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC_Issue_040.pdf
[2]Jane F. Gentleman and Evelyn Park,Health Report. Vol 9. No. 2: Divorce in the 1990s, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/studies-etudes/82-003/archive/1997/3242-eng.pdf
[3] Cf. Michael Ramsay. Do you know JAC about covenant? Available on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Michael_Ramsays_opinion.htm
[4] Cf. Michael Ramsay. Samson. To be Publish in The Officer Magazine.
[5] The Salvation Army's closest approximation on baptism which I AM NOT discussing here
[6]…and non-alcoholic communion wine, if it existed then; they, due to this art of the oath, were separated from rituals as well.
[7]Cf. Irving L. Jensen, Numbers: Journey to God's Rest. Moody Press, Chicago, 1964., P.37.
[8] CF. Expositors’ Bible Commentary, re: Priest cutting their hair.
[9] Cf. Irving L. Jensen, Numbers: Journey to God's Rest. Moody Press, Chicago, 1964., P.37.
Posts
