Tanak Foundations-Concepts in Numbers-Chapter 6

Num 6.1-27 tells us about the Nazarite Vow, which is a voluntary separation from drinking wine, vinegar, grape juice or grapes, or eating anything produced by the grape vine. The individual, either male or female, will also shave their head and they will not go near the dead. The length of the vow varied, and it could be a few days or a lifetime. Paul had a Nazarite Vow in Acts 18.18 and cut his hair. In Acts 21 he comes to Jerusalem and the Temple at Shavuot to give the commanded sacrifices when the vow is complete (Acts 21.23-26). If the person was accidently defiled during the vow, you cut your hair and brought a korban (sacrifice). Then you could start again. When your time is up, you shaved your head, brought the commanded korbanot and your hair was burned under the pot where the Korban Shelem was boiled in the southeast chamber in the court of the women in the Temple . We also have the account of the Birkat Kohanim or the “Priestly Blessing.”

v 1…Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

v 2…Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or a woman makes a special vow (a vow brings the future into the present), the vow of a Nazarite (Hebrew “nazir” meaning separated) to dedicate himself to the Lord (this carries the idea of a royal priesthood; the word “nazir” is related to “nezer” which is the word for the mitre of the high priest and no razor shall pass over his head, or crown. The priest cannot drink wine or strong drink when serving, and a priest cannot approach the dead);

v 3…he shall abstain from wine and strong drink ; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh or dried grapes.

v 4…All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine from the seeds even to the skin.

v 5…All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy (have a kedusha and not participating in some ordinary things) until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord; he shall let the locks of his hair on his head grow long.

v 6…All the days of his separation to the Lord he shall not go near to a dead person.

v 7…He shall not make himself unclean (out of place) for his father or for his mother, for bis brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation (nazir) to God is on his head (hair was the sign of his consecration; the wine symbolized the spirit, the hair symbolized the mind, and the body alluded to no dead bodies).

v 8…All the days of his separation he is holy (has a kedusha with limitations and restrictions) to the Lord.

v 9…But if a man dies very suddenly beside him and defiled his dedicated head of hair, then he shall shave his head on the day when he becomes clean; he shall shave it on the seventh day.

v 10…Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting.

v 11…And the priest shall offer one for a sin offering (violated his vow by contact with the dead) and the other for a burnt offering (as a gift to God in thankfulness for accepting the sin offering), and make atonement (restore a covering) for him concerning his sin (violated the vow) because of the dead person, and that same day he shall consecrate his head (resume his life as a Nazarite),

v 12…and he shall dedicate to the Lord his days as a Nazarite, and he shall bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering (for being defiled); but the former days shall be void (he gets to begin again) because his separation was defiled.

v 13…Now this is the law of the Nazarite when the days of his separation are fulfilled (as in the case of Paul in Acts 18.18; 21.23-26, 24.17), he shall bring the offering to the doorway of the tent of meeting.

v 14…And he shall present his offering to the Lord; one male lamb, a year old without defect for a burnt offering (which was totally the Lord’s) and one ewe lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering (he draws near to God as he comes out of his vow and he is brought into remembrance that man has sinned and is separated from God, so he offers a sin offering) and one ram without defect for a peace offering (in thankfulness that he has completed his vow);

v 15…and a basket of unleavened cakes of fine flour (matzot solet chalot) mixed with unleavened wafers (matzot rekikin) spread with oil, along with their grain offering (minchah) and their libations (these are the offerings Paul brought, but he also paid for the offerings here of four more messianic believers in Yeshua who were coming out of a Nazarite vow to prove he was Torah observant-Acts 21.23-24).

v 16…Then the priest shall present them before the Lord and shall offer his sin offering and his burnt ofering.

v 17…He shall also offer a ram for a sacrifice (zevach) of peace offerings to the Lord, together with the basket of unleavened cakes; the priest shall likewise offer its grain offering and its libation.

v 18…The Nazarite shall then shave his dedicated head of hair at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and take the dedicated hair of his head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings (under the pot that boiled the peace offering in a southeast chamber in the court of the women called the Lishkat Nazir, or chamber of the Nazarite).

v 19…And the priest shall take the ram’s shoulder when it has been boiled, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazarite after he has shaved his dedicated hair.

v 20…Then the priest shall wave them for a wave offering (putting his hands under the Nazarite’s hand and moving to and fro, forward and back, up and down, signifying God’s mercy and goodness and his dominion) before the Lord. It is holy for the priest (the shoulder and the wafer belong to the priest, it has a kedusha), together with the breast offered by waving and the thigh offered by lifting up; and afterward the Nazarite may drink wine.’

v 21…This is the law of the Nazarite who vows his offering to the Lord according to his separation, in addition to what else he can afford; according to his vow which he takes, so he shall do according to the law of his separation.”

v 22…Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Now we have what is called the Priestly Blessing and it comes in three parts, six lines and “you” is mentioned six times. In Hebrew it is very poetical in style and it has a structure. Line one has three words and fifteen letters; line two has five words and twenty letters; line three has seven words and twenty-five letters. When the priests gave this blessing, they stood on the steps that led into the sanctuary with their backs to the Holy of Holies, which was never to be done, but this blessing came from God through the priests, so it was allowed. The name of Yehovah is mentioned three times and we believe this alludes to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Lord did not tell the priests to bless the people using their own words, but to use the exact form we are given here because he is the one blessing the people, not the priests. This command prescribed that only the descendants of Aaron were allowed to give this blessing.

v 23…”Speak to the sons of Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:

v 24…”The Lord (Yehovah) bless (“bareka” and it means to protect, contentment, happiness, health and prosperity) you, and keep (“v’rishmereka” and the root is “shamar” meaning to guard) you.

v 25…The Lord (Yehovah) make his face shine (“ya’er”) on you (this means he is looking at you and he is our light; in the desert people would oil their face and it shined), and be gracious (“vi’chuneka) to you (meaning to fulfill your prayers, and it is linked to “chanan” meaning to help, refuge, rescue).

v 26…The Lord (Yehovah) lift up his face on you (turn his face to you; to take a long look and see what the needs are), and give you peace (“shalom” which is having no lack; it ultimately means eternal life and this is a gift from Yehovah).’ “

v 27…So they (the priests) shall invoke my name (Yehovah) on (set or place) the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them (the priests were to invoke God’s name Yehovah on Israel. The way this is sung today using “Adonai” in place of Yehovah does not do this because his name is Yehovah. Why are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob called “Jews?” The word comes from Yehudah (Judah) and is spelled with a yod, hey, vav, dalet, hey. Take the dalet out, and you have the name of Yehovah (YHVH). When you say “Jews” or “Yehudim” you are invoking the name of Yehovah on Israel-Rev 7.3, 9.4, 14.4). Replacement Theology want God’s name on them, a sign of ownership, and they want the blessing, but they want it without the Torah. Yehudah means “praise” and it is the same thing as saying “Hallelujah.” That is why Yehudah has taken prominence as a name for Israel).”

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

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