N
U M B E R S
CHAP. VI.
In
this chapter we have, I. The law concerning Nazarites, 1. What it was to which
the vow of a Nazarite obliged him, ver. 1-8. 2. A remedial law in case a
Nazarite happened to be polluted by the touch of a dead body, ver. 9-12. 3.
The solemnity of his discharge when his time was up, ver. 13-21. II.
Instructions given to the priests how they should bless the people, ver. 22,
&c.
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The
Law Concerning Nazarites.
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B.
C. 1490.
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1 And the LORD
spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and
say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to
vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:
3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink
no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any
liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. 4 All the days
of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the
kernels even to the husk. 5 All the days of the vow of his
separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be
fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD,
he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head
grow. 6 All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD
he shall come at no dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean
for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when
they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.
8 All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.
9 And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his
consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the
seventh day shall he shave it. 10 And on the eighth day he shall
bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation: 11 And the priest shall offer the
one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an
atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head
that same day. 12 And he shall consecrate unto the LORD
the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a
trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his
separation was defiled. 13 And this is the law of the
Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought
unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 14 And he
shall offer his offering unto the LORD,
one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one
ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram
without blemish for peace offerings, 15 And a basket of unleavened
bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread
anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings.
16 And the priest shall bring them before the LORD,
and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering: 17 And
he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD,
with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat
offering, and his drink offering. 18 And the Nazarite shall shave
the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it
in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.
19 And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one
unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them
upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is
shaven: 20 And the priest shall wave them for a wave
offering before the LORD:
this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder:
and after that the Nazarite may drink wine. 21 This is the
law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD
for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to
the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.
After the law for the discovery and shame of those that by sin had made
themselves vile, fitly follows this for the direction and encouragement of
those who by their eminent piety and devotion had made themselves honourable,
and distinguished themselves from their neighbours. It is very probable that
there were those before the making of this law who went under the character of
Nazarites, and were celebrated by that title as persons professing
greater strictness and zeal in religion than other people; for the vow of a
Nazarite is spoken of here as a thing already well known, but the obligation
of it is reduced to a greater certainty than hitherto it had been. Joseph is
called a Nazarite among his brethren (Gen. xlix. 26), not only because
separate from them, but because eminent among them. Observe,
I. The general character of a Nazarite: it is a person separated unto the
Lord, v. 2. Some were Nazarites for life, either by divine
designation, as Samson (Judg. xiii. 5), and John Baptist (Luke i. 15), or by
their parents' vow concerning them, as Samuel, 1 Sam. i. 11. Of these this law
speaks not. Others were so for a certain time, and by their own voluntary
engagement, and concerning them rules are given by this law. A woman might
bind herself with the vow of a Nazarite, under the limitations we find, ch.
xxx. 3, where the vow which the woman is supposed to vow unto the Lord seems
to be meant especially of this vow. The Nazarites were, 1. Devoted to the Lord
during the time of their Nazariteship, and, it is probable, spent much of
their time in the study of the law, in acts of devotion, and instructing
others. An air of piety was thereby put upon them, and upon their whole
conversation. 2. They were separated from common persons and common things.
Those that are consecrated to God must not be conformed to this world. They
distinguished themselves, not only from others, but from what they themselves
were before and after. 3. They separated themselves by vowing a vow. Every
Israelite was bound by the divine law to love God with all his heart, but the
Nazarites by their own act and deed bound themselves to some religious
observances, as fruits and expressions of that love, which other Israelites
were not bound to. Some such there were, whose spirits God stirred up to be in
their day the ornaments of the church, the standard-bearers of religion, and
patterns of piety. It is spoken of as a great favour to their nation that God raised
up of their young men for Nazarites, Amos ii. 11. The Nazarites were known
in the streets and respected as purer than snow, whiter than milk, Lam.
iv. 7. Christ was called in reproach a Nazarene, so were his followers: but he
was no Nazarite according to this law; he drank wine, and touched dead bodies,
yet in his this type had its accomplishment, for in him all purity and
perfection met; and every true Christian is a spiritual Nazarite, separated by
vow unto the Lord. We find St. Paul, by the persuasion of his friends, in
complaisance to the Jews, submitting to this law of the Nazarites; but at the
same time it is declared that the Gentiles should observe no such thing,
Acts xxi. 24, 25. It was looked upon as a great honour to a man to be a
Nazarite, and therefore if a man speak of it as a punishment, saying for
instance, "I will be a Nazarite rather than do so or so," he is (say
the Jews) a wicked man; but he that vows unto the Lord in the way of holiness
to be a Nazarite, lo, the crown of his God is upon his head.
II. The particular obligations that the Nazarites lay under. That the fancies
of superstitious men might not multiply their restraints endlessly, God
himself lays down the law for them, and gives them the rule of their
profession.
1. They must have nothing to do with the fruit of the vine, v.
3, 4. They must drink no wine nor string drink, nor eat grapes, no, not the
kernel nor the husk; they might not so much as eat a raisin. The learned Dr.
Lightfoot has a conjecture (Hor. Heb. in Luc. 1. 15), that, as the ceremonial
pollutions by leprosy and otherwise represented the sinful state of fallen
man, so the institution of the order of Nazarites was designed to represent
the pure and perfect state of man in innocency, and that the tree of
knowledge, forbidden to Adam, was the vine, and for that reason it was
forbidden to the Nazarites, and all the produce of it. Those who gave the
Nazarites wine to drink did the tempter's work (Amos ii. 12), persuading them
to that forbidden fruit. That it was reckoned a perfection and praise not to
drink wine appears from the instance of the Rechabites, Jer. xxxv. 6. They
were to drink no wine, (1.) That they might be examples of temperance
and mortification. Those that separate themselves to God and to his honour
must not gratify the desires of the body, but keep it under and bring it into
subjection. Drinking a little wine for the stomach's sake is allowed,
to help that, 1 Tim. v. 23. But drinking much wine for the palate's sake,
to please that, does by no means become those who profess to walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit. (2.) That they might be qualified to
employ themselves in the service of God. They must not drink, lest they should
forget the law (Prov. xxxi. 5), lest they should err through wine,
Isa. xxviii. 7. Let all Christians oblige themselves to be very moderate in
the use of wine and strong drink; for, if the love of these once gets the
mastery of a man, he becomes a very easy prey to Satan. It is observable that
because they were to drink no wine (which was the thing mainly intended) they
were to eat nothing that came of the vine, to teach us with the utmost care
and caution to avoid sin and every thing that borders upon it and leads to it,
or may be a temptation to us. Abstain from all appearance of evil, 1
Thess. v. 22.
2. They must not cut their hair, v. 5. They must neither poll
their heads nor shave their beards; this was that mark of Samson's
Nazariteship which we often read of in his story. Now, (1.) This signified a
noble neglect of the body and the ease and ornament of it, which became those
who, being separated to God, ought to be wholly taken up with their souls, to
secure their peace and beauty. It signified that they had, for the present,
renounced all sorts of sensual pleasures and delights, and resolved to live a
life of self-denial and mortification. Mephibosheth in sorrow trimmed not
his beard, 2 Sam. xix. 24. (2.) Some observe that long hair is spoken of
as a badge of subjection (1 Cor. xi. 5, &c.); so that the long hair of the
Nazarites denoted their subjection to God, and their putting themselves under
his dominion. (3.) By this they were known to all that met them to be
Nazarites, and so it commanded respect. It made them look great without art;
it was nature's crown to the head, and a testimony for them that they had
preserved their purity. For, if they had been defiled, their hair must have
been cut, v. 9. See Jer. vii. 29.
3. They must not come near any dead body, v. 6, 7. Others might touch
dead bodies, and contracted only a ceremonial pollution by it for some time;
some must do it, else the dead must be unburied; but the Nazarites must not do
it, upon pain of forfeiting all the honour of their Nazariteship. They must
not attend the funeral of any relation, no, not father nor mother, any more
than the high priest himself, because the consecration of his God is upon
his head. Those that separate themselves to God must learn, (1.) To
distinguish themselves, and do more than others. (2.) To keep their
consciences pure from dead works, and not to touch the unclean thing. The
greater profession of religion we make, and the more eminent we appear, the
greater care we must take to avoid all sin, for we have so much the more
honour to lose by it. (3.) To moderate their affections even to their near
relations, so as not to let their sorrow for the loss of them break in upon
their joy in God and submission to his will. See Matt. viii. 21, 22.
4. All the days of their separation they must be holy to the Lord,
v. 8. This was the meaning of those external observances, and without
this they were of no account. The Nazarites must be devoted to God, employed
for him, and their minds intent upon him; they must keep themselves pure in
heart and life, and be in every thing conformable to the divine image and
will; this is to be holy, this is to be a Nazarite indeed.
III. The provision that was made for the cleansing of a Nazarite, if he
happened unavoidably to contract a ceremonial pollution by the touch of a dead
body. No penalty is ordered by this law for the wilful breach of the foregoing
laws; for it was not supposed that a man who had so much religion as to make
that vow could have so little as to break it presumptuously: nor could it be
supposed that he should drink wine, or have his hair cut, but by his own
fault; but purely by the providence of God, without any fault of his own, he
might be near a dead body, and that is the case put (v. 9): If a man
die very suddenly by him, he has defiled the head of his consecration.
Note, Death sometimes takes men away very suddenly, and without any previous
warning. A man might be well and dead in so little a time that the most
careful Nazarite could not avoid being polluted by the dead body; so short a
step is it sometimes, and so soon taken, from time to eternity. God prepare us
for sudden death! In this case, 1. He must be purified from the ceremonial
pollution he had contracted, as others must, upon the seventh day, v.
9. Nay, more was required for the purifying of the Nazarite than of any other
person that had touched a dead body; he must bring a sin-offering and a
burnt-offering, and an atonement must be made for him, v. 10,
11. This teaches us that sins of infirmity, and the faults we are overtaken in
by surprise, must be seriously repented of, and that an application must be
made of the virtue of Christ's sacrifice to our souls for the forgiveness of
them every day, 1 John ii. 1, 2. It teaches us also that, if those who make an
eminent profession of religion do any thing to sully the reputation of their
profession, more is expected from them than others, for the retrieving both of
their peace and of their credit. 2. He must begin the days of his separation
again; for all that were past before his pollution, though coming ever so near
the period of his time set, were lost, and not reckoned to him, v. 12.
This obliged them to be very careful not to defile themselves by the dead, for
that was the only thing that made them lose their time, and it teaches us that
if a righteous man turn away from his righteousness, and defile himself
with dead works, all his righteousness that he has done shall be lost to him,
Ezek. xxxiii. 13. It is all lost, all in vain, if he do not persevere, Gal.
iii. 4. He must begin again, and do his first works.
IV. The law for the solemn discharge of a Nazarite from his vow, when he had
completed the time he fixed to himself. Before the expiration of that term he
could not be discharged; before he vowed, it was in his own power, but it was
too late after the vow to make enquiry. The Jews say that the time of a
Nazarite's vow could not be less than thirty days; and if a man said, "I
will be a Nazarite but for two days," yet he was bound for thirty; but it
should seem Paul's vow was for only seven days (Acts xxi. 27), or, rather,
then he observed the ceremony of finishing that vow of Nazariteship from
which, being at a distance from the temple, he had discharged himself some
years before at Cenchrea only by the ceremony of cutting his hair, Acts xviii.
18. When the time of the vowed separation was out, he was to be made free, 1.
Publicly, at the door of the tabernacle (v. 13), that all might
take notice of the finishing of his vow, and none might be offended if they
saw him now drink wine, who had so lately refused. 2. It was to be done with
sacrifices, v. 14. Lest he should think that by this eminent piece of
devotion he had made God a debtor to him, he is appointed, even when he had
finished his vow, to bring an offering to God; for, when we have done our
utmost in duty to God, still we must own ourselves behind-hand with him. He
must bring one of each sort of the instituted offerings. (1.) A
burnt-offering, as an acknowledgment of God's sovereign dominion over him and
all he had still, notwithstanding his discharge from this particular vow. (2.)
A sin-offering. This, though mentioned second (v. 14), yet seems to
have been offered first (v. 16), for atonement must be made for our
sins before any of our sacrifices can be accepted. And it is very observable
that even the Nazarite, who in the eye of men was purer than snow and whiter
than milk, yet durst not appear before the holy God without a
sin-offering. Though he had fulfilled the vow of his separation without any
pollution, yet he must bring a sacrifice for sin; for there is guilt
insensibly contracted by the best of men, even in their best works--some good
omitted, some ill admitted, which, if we were dealt with in strict justice,
would be our ruin, and in consequence of which it is necessary for us to
receive the atonement, and plead it as our righteousness before God. (3.) A
peace-offering, in thankfulness to God who had enabled him to fulfil his vow,
and in supplication to God for grace to preserve him from ever doing any thing
unbecoming one that had been once a Nazarite, remembering that, though he was
now freed from the bonds of his own vow, he still remained under the bonds of
the divine law. (4.) To these were added the meat-offerings and
drink-offerings, according to the manner (v. 15, 17), for these always
accompanied the burnt-offerings and peace-offerings: and, besides these, a
basket of unleavened cakes, and wafers. (5.) Part of the peace-offering, with
a cake and wafer, was to be waved for a wave-offering (v. 19, 20); and
this was a gratuity to the priest, who had it for his pains, after it had been
first presented to God. (6.) Besides all this, he might bring his free-will
offerings, such as his hand shall get, v. 21. More than this he
might bring, but not less. And, to grace the solemnity, it was common upon
this occasion to have their friends to be at charges with them, Acts
xxi. 24. Lastly, One ceremony more was appointed, which was like the
cancelling of the bond when the condition is performed, and that was the cutting
off of his hair, which had been suffered to grow all the time of his being
a Nazarite, and burning it in the fire over which the peace-offerings were
boiling, v. 18. This intimated that his full performance of his vow was
acceptable to God in Christ the great sacrifice, and not otherwise. Learn
hence to vow and pay to the Lord our God, for he has no pleasure in
fools.
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A
Form of Benediction Appointed.
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B.
C. 1490.
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22 And the LORD
spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons,
saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto
them, 24 The LORD
bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The LORD
make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The LORD
lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27 And
they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
Here, I. The priests, among other good offices which they were to do, are
appointed solemnly to bless the people in the name of the Lord, v.
23. It was part of their work, Deut. xxi. 5. Hereby God put an honour upon the
priests, for the less is blessed of the better; and hereby he gave
great comfort and satisfaction to the people, who looked upon the priest as
God's mouth to them. Though the priests of himself could do no more than beg a
blessing, yet being an intercessor by office, and doing that in his name who
commands the blessing, the prayer carried with it a promise, and he pronounced
it as one having authority with his hands lifted up and his face towards the
people. Now, 1. This was a type of Christ's errand into the world, which was
to bless us (Acts iii. 26), as the high priest of our profession. The
last thing he did on earth was with uplifted hands to bless his disciples,
Luke xxiv. 50, 51. The learned bishop Pearson observes it as a tradition of
the Jews that the priests blessed the people only at the close of the morning
sacrifice, not of the evening sacrifice, to show (says he) that in the last
days, the days of the Messiah, which are (as it were) the evening of the
world, the benediction of the law should cease, and the blessing of Christ
should take place. 2. It was a pattern to gospel ministers, the masters of
assemblies, who are in like manner to dismiss their solemn assemblies with a
blessing. The same that are God's mouth to his people, to teach and command
them, are his mouth likewise to bless them; and those that receive the law
shall receive the blessing. The Hebrew doctors warn the people that they say
not, "What availeth the blessing of this poor simple priest?
"For," say they, "the receiving of the blessing depends, not on
the priest, but on the holy blessed God."
II. A form of blessing is here prescribed them. In their other devotions no
form was prescribed, but this being God's command concerning benediction, that
it might not look like any thing of their own, he puts the very words in their
mouths, v. 24-26. Here observe, 1. That the blessing is commanded upon
each particular person: The Lord bless thee. They must each of them
prepare themselves to receive the blessing, and then they should find enough
in it to make them every man happy. Blessed shalt thou be, Deut. xxviii.
3. If we take the law to ourselves, we may take the blessing to ourselves, as
if our names were inserted. 2. That the name Jehovah is three times
repeated in it, and (as the critics observe) each with a different accent in
the original; the Jews themselves think there is some mystery in this, and we
know what it is, the New Testament having explained it, which directs us to
expect the blessing from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of
the Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, each of which persons is
Jehovah, and yet they are "not three Lords, but one Lord," 2 Cor.
xiii. 14. 3. That the favour of God is all in all in this blessing, for that
is the fountain of all good. (1.) The Lord bless thee! Our blessing God
is only our speaking well of him; his blessing us is doing well for us; those
whom he blesses are blessed indeed. (2.) The Lord make his face shine upon
thee, alluding to the shining of the sun upon the earth, to enlighten and
comfort it, and to renew the face of it. "The Lord love thee and cause
thee to know that he loves thee." We cannot but be happy if we have God's
love; and we cannot but be easy if we know that we have it. (3.) The Lord
lift up his countenance upon thee. This is to the same purport with the
former, and it seems to allude to the smiles of a father upon his child, or of
a man upon his friend whom he takes pleasure in. If God give us the assurances
of his special favour and his acceptance of us, this will put gladness into
the heart, Ps. iv. 7, 8. 4. That the fruits of this favour conveyed by
this blessing are protection, pardon, and peace. (1.) Protection from evil, v.
24. The Lord keep thee, for it is he that keeps Israel, and neither slumbers
nor sleeps (Ps. cxxi. 4), and all believers are kept by the power of
God. (2.) Pardon of sin, v. 25. The Lord be gracious, or merciful,
unto thee. (3.) Peace (v. 26), including all that good which goes to
make up a complete happiness.
III. God here promises to ratify and confirm the blessing: They shall put
my name upon the children of Israel, v. 27. God gives them leave to
make use of his name in blessing the people, and to bless them as his people,
called by his name. This included all the blessings they could pronounce upon
them, to mark them for God's peculiar, the people of his choice and love.
God's name upon them was their honour, their comfort, their safety, their
plea. We are called by thy name, leave us not. It is added, and I
will bless them. Note, A divine blessing goes along with divine
institutions, and puts virtue and efficacy into them. What Christ says of the
peace is true of the blessing, "Peace to this congregation," if the
sons of peace and heirs of blessing be there, the peace, the blessing, shall
rest upon them, Luke x. 5, 6. For in every place where God records his name
he will meet his people and bless them.
Contents
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