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By ROBERT FIGUEROA The Vow Of The Nazarite: We Have Been Called OutPraise the Lord Saints! I would like to write to you on the subject of separation to God. In the days we are living in all morality has fallen to a great low. Yet, we as the chosen people of God have been called out to be different. Just as Jesus was a Nazarene, so are we, spiritually speaking. The word Nazir comes from Nazarite which means to be separated, signifying merely a separated person, one peculiarly devoted to the service of God. We can read in Numbers 6:1-21 the vow of the Nazarite. It states three laws that cannot be overlooked. The first is abstinence from wine or strong drink or any part of the grape vine. How can we apply this towards our lives today even though we do not drink? According to 1st Thessalonians 5:6-8 we need to be spiritually sober in our daily Christian walk:
Our separation or lifestyle has to include faith and love and our ultimate reward is to have the hope of salvation. Let us be sober! The second law is to refrain from cutting the hair. No razor shall come upon the head. Men would usually not have longer hair than women and this meaning of not cutting the hair was to symbolize someone on a vow or physically and publicly announcing their separation. Anyone making a vow was to be noticed. We as Apostolics should be looked at as being different than the world and yes, Christ looks at the heart but the outer appearance is also a part of holiness and separation.
The outward appearance reminds us that we are called out and separated. The hair is a physical appearance and so is this part of the law of the Nazarite. The third and final law was to avoid contact with a dead body. There was to be no contact with a dead body or carcass which would cause defilement or uncleanliness. We as Christians need to remain the true living light. For our God is Holy and is looking for a church that is alive! Every baptized Christian is a true Nazarite. He is separated from the world and dedicated solely to the service of God. His life is a life of self-denial. He mortifies and keeps the flesh in obedience to the Spirit. This is done in the baptismal vow. For in that, He promises to renounce the devil and all his works, the temptations, and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh - to keep God's holy word and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of his life. The vow of the Nazarite has some very important truths for us today. We need to live a life of separation and holiness to God. Although we will not follow exactly these steps, the principals and teaching is the same. When we are asked, "For how long will you serve the Lord?", it is not just forever but also to live a Holy and separated life for God.
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