Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20010926.htm
NUMBERS: ON SPIRITUAL CASUALTIES AND VICTORS
Part IV - Rich Lifestyle Blessings By Total Consecration Unto God
(Numbers 6:1-21, 22-27)
- Introduction
- Many of us Christians have heard of the walk with God people like Spurgeon, George Mueller or Dwight Moody enjoyed, and we may have even desired such a close fellowship with Christ.
- Well, to enjoy such a blessed life, the believer must pay the practical price of this walk (as follows):
- Rich Lifestyle Blessings By Total Consecration Unto God, Numbers 6:1-21, 22-27:
- God provided the practical means for any person in Israel, man or woman who wanted to enjoy a close walk with the Lord in his or her life: it was the law of the "Nazarite," a word from the verb that means "to separate or abstain,'" Numbers 6:1-2; Ryrie Study Bible: KJV, ftn. to Num. 6:1-8.
- This means of fellowship with the Lord involved a series of separations FROM some things in order for one to fellowship WITH the Lord (as follows), Numbers 6:3-8:
- The Nazarite was to avoid wine and strong drink that were normally used to produce a merry heart, Num. 6:3-4; McGee, Thru the Bible, vol. I, p. 468. This separation was intended to show the godly gained his JOY not from things in this WORLD, but from FELLOWSHIP with GOD, Ibid.
- The Nazarite was to avoid cutting his hair all the days of his Nazarite vow, Numbers 6:5. Since even nature itself taught it was a shame for a man to have long hair (cf. 1 Cor. 11:14), and since Israel was a patristic society where men played the dominant role, this practice signified the Nazarite's willingness to suffer shame for his close fellowship with the Lord, Ibid., McGee.
- The Nazarite was to avoid touching a dead body, even if it was the body of a close relative, Num. 6:6-8. Just as the follower of Christ in the New Testament was to put obedience and fellowship with God above his relationship with mother or father (Mtt. 10:37), so the Nazarite was to be dedicated unto the Lord above even close earthly, human relationships, Ibid., McGee, p. 469.
- So exacting was God about this separation that even RELATIONSHIP compromises of these rules were to be handled by various sacrifices and an extended postponement of the Nazarite vow, Numbers 6:9-12:
- A Nazarite might be in contact with another living person when that party might suddenly die, contaminating him in his Nazarite vow, Numbers 6:9a.
- In such a case, he was to go through a protracted period of cleansing, including shaving his head before resuming his Nazarite commitment, Numbers 6:9b-12! (Bib. Know. Com., O.T., p. 223)
- Since such sudden deaths at the time occurred to sinners according to the Mosaic Covenant (Deut. 28:15-68), this divine cancellation of one's Nazarite dedication meant the Nazarite had failed to keep separate from UNGODLY associations to the corruption of his own sanctification! (1 Cor. 5:3-8)
- Once the Nazarite vow had been Biblically kept, the Nazarite party would offer peace, grain, drink, sin and burnt offerings, shave his head and offer the hair in the peace offering's fire, Num. 6:13-21; Ibid., Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, ftn. Since we learned in Leviticus that these offerings all typified the blessings rising from Christ's death, the Nazarite sanctified walk with God was thus shown to be the result of God's GRACE rather than any innate righteousness on the part of the Nazarite devotee involved!
- After supplying these instructions on the Nazarite vow, God framed the benediction the priests were to voice as God's blessing to worshippers. The placement of this blessing after the Nazarite stipulations implies God supplies great spiritual blessings for those who fellowship with Him: these include (1) God's emotional, physical, mental and spiritual provisions (Numbers 6:24b), (2) His gracious attitude toward the faithful (Numbers 6:25) and (3) His provision of deep peace for the godly (Numbers 6:25).
Lesson: (1) Total dedication to the Lord in living COSTS (a) our looking to God instead of the world for happiness, (b) suffering reproach in the world for putting God first and (c) valuing God's fellowship above communion with even close relatives who are ungodly. (2) The VALUE of this separation COST is found in its yield where (a) God supplies of all we need for emotional, physical, mental and spiritual fulfillment, (b) His grace handles our sin and (c) we experience His great peace in our walk with Him.
Application: God and the world's system and values are OPPOSING entities, 1 John 2:16, so to enjoy God's richest blessings, we must be prepared to SEPARATE from the WORLD, 1 John 2:15, 17.