Numbers 6: The Nazarite Vow --- 2019/06/12

Rev. Stewart Crown, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Palo Alto, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Numbers 6.

Fasting, detox, and multi-day cleanses are part of our modern vocabulary. In the world of ancient Israel, these things were done for spiritual reasons as well as the physical. Numbers chapter 6 gives instructions for a special kind of fast or cleanse. Among other things, you had to give up grapes, which included many sweet foods, since the ancient Israelites used juice and dried fruit to sweeten things rather than sugarcane. You also would give up alcohol during this set period of time, abstaining from certain aspects of everyday life. Anyone in Israel could voluntarily undertake one of these spiritual experiences. But why these particular protocols, and what was the significance?

Finally, the bulk of the instructions in Leviticus and Numbers comes to a close with the blessing of Aaron, a threefold blessing over the people of Israel that emphasized the name of God. This foreshadowed our Lord’s blessing given as He ascended into heaven, giving us the three-fold name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which we put on in baptism.