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Numbers 6:1 The few, the proud, the Nazirites.

Good afternoon friends,

Not everything in Numbers is related to numbers.  Spent some time this afternoon pondering this somewhat obtuse passage.  Not sure I have any great insight, but confident that the practices God appoints in His word are to be respected.

Blessings,

Jeff

These verses give the  process for a man or woman to separate themselves to the Lord for some period of time.  Only Samuel and Samson are specifically identified as being Nazirite but this was initiated by their mothers before they were born.  Both of them have a birth narrative similar to John Baptist and Jesus with angelic appearance and direction.  

Since the priests were already consecrated and separated, this process applies to non-Levites who choose to make a similar commitment but for a limited time.  

Unlike priesthood, women could take this vow.

Calvin believed that God was the initiator of this vow.  People didn't' take it upon themselves, but were called by God to take the vow.  Similar to the craftsman who were called by name to construct the furniture of the tabernacle.  But this makes me wonder if the 12 disciples would be considered Nazirites.  They were certainly set apart.  And then Paul, Barnabus, and Silas were set apart by the Spirit for the missionary journeys.  Yet none of these took this vow.  

The bottom line is that God establishes the methods for people to set themselves apart.  Various commentators note the man-made distinctions that religious orders use to mark their dedication to God.  The test of willingness to be separated is in submission to God's method.  We don't know how many people were called, but we know that all who were called did it the way God appointed in his Word.

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