Nizarite Vow
Brenda, a childhood friend, would periodically shave her head completely bald. Remarkably, her hair would always return even more beautiful than it had been before. I initially found her hair-care approach odd, but after several months of growth, her new hair was truly astonishing.
Did Brenda know a biblical secret about consecration that many of us have overlooked in Scripture?
On his second missionary journey, the Apostle Paul shaved his head on the last stop in the region of Acachia to return to Jerusalem to celebrate a feast.
Acts 18:18 KJV — And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.
Paul decided to practice a Nazarite vow. The Nazarite vow (or Nazirite vow) is a voluntary vow described in the Old Testament Scripture (specifically in Numbers 6:1-21) that an Israelite man or woman could dedicate himself or herself to God for a special period. (biblehud.com)
The term Nazirite in Hebrew is nazir which means to set apart.
This vow would entail three types of prohibition to separate from the world.
• Abstinence from grape products like wine including grapes, raisins, and even the seeds.
• Prohibition from cutting one’s hair, therefore, no razor was to touch the Nazirite’s head. The hair will grow long throughout the period of the vow as a visible sign of their dedication and “crown of consecration” to God.
• Avoidance of contact with the dead which allow the Nazirite from NOT becoming ritually unclean if he or she touches a dead corpse to include a close family member (father, mother, brother, or sister).
Each of these rituals was an external demonstration of their concentration to God while evoking self-sacrifice and separation from pleasures of life to enhance one’s connection to God.
The Old Testament named two individuals by birth as Nazarites: Samson and Samuel. In the New Testament, there was one, John the Baptist. God designated each of them to fulfill specific roles within His Kingdom. When Paul ended his second missionary journey, he felt the urge to create a vow by shaving his head prior to his return for the festival activities in Jerusalem. Why?
Luke recorded two visions that Paul received on this missionary journey. The first vision changed his course to Macedonia, and the second vision provided assurance to keep preaching despite the oppositions. Now Paul wanted to do more for the Kingdom. Instead of pursuing his personal agenda, he took the Nazarite vow and sought what God desired for him. Later, Paul found himself on his third missionary journey covering more and different territory for the Kingdom.
How frequently do we experience an ardent desire to achieve more, and subsequently find ourselves collaborating with another organization to pursue their goals? Yet, we should rather seek a deeper connection with God through consecration, much like a Nazarite vow, to fulfill the mission that God intended for us.
