Numbers · chapter 6 of 36
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Numbers 6 explains the Nazirite vow, a voluntary consecration to God by men or women that requires abstaining from every product of the vine, leaving the hair uncut and avoiding any contact with the dead. The chapter ends with the priestly blessing, the formula with which Aaron and his sons will bless Israel: may the Lord bless you, keep you, show you his face and give you peace.
Numbers 5 guarded the holiness of the camp. Numbers 6 shows that consecration to God was not only for priests and Levites: any Israelite could take a special vow of devotion. The chapter ends with one of the best-known blessings in the Bible, which closes this section of laws and prepares for the start of worship at the newly raised tabernacle.
The Lord tells Moses to speak to the Israelites about the Nazirite vow: a man or a woman who wishes to be set apart for the Lord for a time. During that period he must abstain from wine and every fermented drink, and from any product of the grape, fresh or dried. No razor may touch his head while the vow lasts: his long hair is the visible sign of his consecration.
The Nazirite also may not go near a dead body, not even that of his father, mother or siblings. If someone dies suddenly beside him and defiles his consecrated hair, he must shave his head on the seventh day, bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest on the eighth, and begin his period of consecration again, without counting the earlier days. When the time is fulfilled he presents burnt, sin and peace offerings before the Lord, shaves his hair at the entrance of the tent of meeting and puts it on the fire of the peace offering. After that he may drink wine.
The second half of the chapter is a formula of blessing. The Lord commands Aaron and his sons to bless Israel with three lines: may the Lord bless you and keep you, may he make his face shine on you and be gracious to you, and may he lift up his face toward you and give you peace. In this way they will put the Lord's name on the Israelites, and he will bless them.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Nazirite vow is open to men and women who wish to consecrate themselves to the Lord in a special way. Holiness was not a monopoly of the priests: any Israelite could give himself to God.
Uncut hair is the visible sign of the vow. While the consecration lasts, the person lives differently from others, and his appearance testifies that he has been set apart for God.
The blessing has three lines: may the Lord bless you and keep you, show you his favor and be gracious to you, and turn his face toward you and give you peace. These are three simple requests that cover God's care, favor and peace.
When the priests speak the blessing, they put the Lord's name on his people, and it is the Lord who blesses. The blessing is not the priests' magic but a promise of God that they pass on.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: A man or a woman who wished to consecrate himself or herself to the Lord. — Numbers 6:2
Answer: Wine, fermented drink and every product of the grape. — Numbers 6:3-4
Answer: No razor touched his head, and he let his hair grow. — Numbers 6:5
Answer: A dead body, not even that of his father, mother, brother or sister. — Numbers 6:6-7
Answer: Shave it at the entrance of the tent of meeting and put it on the fire of the peace offering. — Numbers 6:18
Answer: That the Lord blesses and keeps, shows his face in grace and gives peace. — Numbers 6:24-26
The Nazirite vow reminds us that devotion to God can be voluntary, concrete and visible. Today there is no hair to let grow, but many believers set themselves apart for a time to pray, fast or give themselves to a service. In a small group you might talk about which concrete habits express devotion to God today, always from gratitude and not from pride.
The blessing at the end is a text that can be prayed over others. Leaders and teachers can use it to dismiss their class, remembering that the blessing comes from the Lord and not from them. It is a simple way to entrust children, youth and adults to God's care: his favor, his keeping and his peace.
Numbers 6 joins the devotion of those who set themselves apart for God with the blessing God pours out on all his people. Numbers 7 will show the tribal leaders bringing their offerings for the dedication of the tabernacle.
Samson was consecrated as a Nazirite from before his birth, according to Judges 13. Samuel is described in a similar way in the story of his birth, and Paul made a vow with a shaved head in Acts 18. The vow could be temporary or for life.
It is a prayer in three parts in which God is the subject: he blesses and keeps, he shows his favor, he gives peace. It was used as the official blessing for Israel, and Christians use it today to close a gathering. The shining face expresses God's favor, and peace includes complete well-being, not just the absence of conflict.