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The Spiritual Significance of the Nazarite Vow

Study Aired June 1, 2014

The spirit of God inspired Moses to give ancient Israel a law concerning the taking of a vow known as ‘the Nazarite vow’:

Num 6:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 6:2 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:

Here is Rotherham’s version of verse 2:

Num 6:2 Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say unto them,—When any man or woman, would make the special vow of One Separate, by separating himself unto Yahweh, (REV)

Because a few prominent characters of the scriptures were life-long Nazarites, it is often assumed that those who were under this vow were typical of God’s elect, and indeed they are types of God’s elect, but not in the sense that we may have thought. We need to understand clearly the sense in which this vow typifies God’s elect.

As we will come to see, this vow actually typifies us when we are “sanctified in Christ Jesus [but we] are yet carnal… babes… in Christ” and cannot yet be spoken to “as unto spiritual but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (1Co 3:1-4).

Three Biblical characters were life-long Nazarites. The first two were judges of Israel, Samson, then the prophet and judge, Samuel, the last judge of Israel, and finally John the baptist. This is what we are told concerning John:

Luk 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

John was “filled with the holy ghost” in the same sense that his predecessor Nazarite, Samson was:

Jdg 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

Jdg 13:25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

John was definitely not “filled with the holy ghost” in the sense that it changed his heart inwardly, because the holy spirit was not even given until the day of Pentecost, and Christ told us that the person who was least in the kingdom of God was greater than John, and He said the holy spirit could not come to men in a way that would change our hearts until after his death and resurrection:

Mat 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

The way the holy spirit dealt with John “from his mother’s womb” was in an immature, Nazarite way, and this Nazarite stage of our own spiritual development is revealed to us in 1Co 1:1-7 and 3:1-4:

1Co 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
1Co 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
1Co 1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
1Co 1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
1Co 1:6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

In spite of this outward blessing, like Samson, a Nazarite, we all are at first spiritually immature, and we are still very carnally minded Christians with “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge”:

Rom 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Rom 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

That is the significance of the Nazarite vow. It symbolizes the self-righteousness which was the keeping of the law of Moses. It symbolizes all of us when we are “yet carnal… babes in Christ”. It is “not [the] meat” of the Word of God, rather it prohibits partaking of that meat as we will see.

1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

The way the law of this vow is introduced typifies the immature, carnal, zeal which is typical of “carnal… babes… in Christ”. A Nazarite wants to separate himself by a vow which makes his zeal known to all.

Num 6:2 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:

On the other hand, here is how Christ reformed the law of Moses concerning the taking of a vow:

Mat 5:33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’
Mat 5:34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
Mat 5:35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Mat 5:36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
Mat 5:37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. (ESV)

It is very revealing that the first phrase ‘separate themselves’ of Num 6:2 is completely different from the second ‘separate themselves’ in this verse.

Here is the first word that phrase is taken from with its Strong’s definition:
H6381
פּלא
pâlâ’
paw-law’

A primitive root; properly perhaps to separate, that is, distinguish (literally or figuratively); by implication to be (causatively make) great, difficult, wonderful: – accomplish, (arise . . . too, be too) hard, hidden, things too high, (be, do, do a, shew) marvelous (-ly, -els, things, work), miracles, perform, separate, make singular, (be, great, make) wonderful (-ers, -ly, things, works), wondrous (things, works, -ly).

I have underlined the fact that Strong’s says this word is “perhaps to separate”, because as we can see below, of the 74 entries for this word in the Old Testament, it is translated as ‘separate’ only one time, and that one time is right here in this verse concerning the Nazarite vow:
H6381
פּלא
pâlâ’
Total KJV Occurrences: 74
marvelous, 16
1Ch 16:12, 1Ch_16:24, Job_5:9, Job_10:16, Psa_9:1, Psa_31:21, Psa_98:1, Psa_105:5, Psa_118:23, Isa_29:14 (3), Dan_11:36, Mic 7:15, Zec_8:6 (2)
wondrous, 14
1Ch 16:9, Job_37:14, Psa_26:7, Psa_72:17-18 (2), Psa_75:1, Psa_78:32, Psa_86:10, Psa_105:2, Psa_106:22, Psa_119:18, Psa 119:27, Psa_145:5, Jer_21:2
wonderful, 13
Deu 28:59, 2Sa_1:26, 2Ch_2:9, Job_42:3, Psa_40:5, Psa_78:4, Psa_107:8, Psa_107:15, Psa_107:21, Psa_107:31, Psa_111:4, Pro 30:18, Isa_28:29
wonders, 9
Exo 3:20, Jos_3:5, Neh_9:17, Psa_78:10-11 (2), Psa_96:3, Psa_106:7, Psa_107:24, Psa_136:4
hard, 5
Gen 18:14, Deu_17:8, 2Sa_13:2, Jer_32:17, Jer_32:27
marvelously, 2
2Ch 26:15, Job_37:5
performing, 2
Num 15:3, Num_15:8
work, 2
Isa 29:14 (2)
accomplish, 1
Lev 22:21
hidden, 1
Deu 30:11
high, 1
Psa 131:1
make, 1
Deu 28:59
marvels, 1
Exo 34:10
miracles, 1
Jdg 6:13
separate, 1
Num 6:2
singular, 1
Lev 27:2 (2)
wonderfully, 1
Dan 8:24
wonderously, 1
Jdg 13:19
wondrously, 1
Joe 2:26

It is obvious from what we see here that the real meaning of this Hebrew word, ‘pala’ has to do with the concept of ‘marvelous works’ or ‘wondrous works’. 57 of the 74 entries for this word are translated as some form of the verbs ‘marvelous’ or ‘wonderful’.

Here are the first two entries found in 1Ch 16:

1Ch 16:12 Remember his marvellous works [H6381 – pala] that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

1Ch 16:24 Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works [H6381 – pala] among all nations.

It appears earlier in this same chapter as ‘wondrous works’ in verse 9:

1Ch 16:9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works [H6381 – pala].

Here are two entries where this same Hebrew word ‘pala’ is translated as ‘wondrously’:

Jdg 13:19 So Manoah [Samson’s father] took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously [H6381 – pala]; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

Joe 2:26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously [H6381 – pala] with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

Considering that the words “marvelous works” and “wondrous works” are a better translation for this Hebrew word ‘pala’ this is what we are actually being told here concerning this Nazarite vow:

Num 6:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall [wondrously work] themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:

I have italicized the word ‘themselves’ to indicate that it is not in the Hebrew and is best just left out. If we do that, this verse would read:

Num 6:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall [wondrously work] to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:

The requirements of the Nazarite vow

There are three requirements of a Nazarite, 1) He was forbidden from drinking any wine or strong drink (beer), or even touching anything made of the fruit of the vine, 2) He could now cut the locks of the hair of his head, and 3) he could not so much as touch a dead body until the days of his vow were fulfilled.

Now let us examine these requirements that are placed upon the person who desires to separate himself unto the Lord, and let’s see what they are telling us:

1) Wine and strong drink

Num 6:3 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.
Num 6:4 All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

“All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.” Those words make the Nazarite sound like a very special person indeed.

Here is this same very special sounding statement made in New Testament terms:

1Co 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
1Co 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
1Co 1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
1Co 1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
1Co 1:6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1Co 1:8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This all sounds so very commendable and so glorious, and indeed, it is glorious when compared to being unsanctified or not being called to be a saint. Nevertheless the glory of this stage of our experience has “no glory at all by reason of” a later part of our walk which excels this immature, “carnal… babe in Christ” part of our walk in Christ:

Here is what scripture reveals is the later, much more mature part of our “one event” which is common to “all men” (Ecc 9;2):

2Co 3:7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
2Co 3:8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
2Co 3:9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
2Co 3:10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

“That which was made glorious” was the law of Moses, which included this Nazarite vow. It was glorious for its time, but it has no glory when compared to “the ministration of the spirit” which was yet to come. Indeed that is exactly what Paul tells us of ourselves when we are yet “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” Corinthians as in the 3rd chapter of 1st Corinthians:

1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

“All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.” (Num 6:4) After “all the days of his separation” are fulfilled then he can eat and drink of the fruit of the vine, because in type he is now mature enough to do so. He is now mature enough to partake of the mature Christ, the vine of which we must all partake:

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

What all of this tells us about ourselves is that our initial introduction to Christ, with our ten-second sinner’s prayer, or our initial introduction to Christ where physical blessings and physical healings are the emphasis of our zeal to serve God, is the same as being under the law of Moses, where we expect and want only outward signs of our dedication to God. All outward healings, baptisms or rituals have absolutely no influence on the inward man. The Nazarite, like the Pharisee, wants everyone to know that he is “not like other men” as he looks down on the poor publican. He thinks of himself as the elder son who has never left his father, the sheep that has never gone astray, the person who is whole and has never needed a physician, and who has always had superior vision and has certainly never been blind.

That is the true spiritual lesson of the Nazarite vow which a half-hearted Samson lived under while at the same time being married to the daughter of an uncircumcised Philistine, and later living with a known harlot named Delilah. Samuel and John the baptist were whole-hearted in keeping their vow, nevertheless all the symbols we see in this vow are symbols of a lack of maturity, and it is all part of the law for the lawless:

1Ti 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Like Samson, the life long Nazarite, we too, do “many wonderful works” in Christ’s name while we live and walk in this spiritually immature stage of our “one event… [which is] common to… all men”. Like Samson we too, must be brought to acknowledge our own blindness.

Jdg 16:21 But the Philistines took him [Samson], and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

Isa 42:19 Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’S servant?

Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
Joh 9:40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Joh 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

Act 9:8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
Act 9:9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

Like Samson our salvation comes only through our death to our spiritually immature old man. Until we are mature enough to admit that everything we learned in our immature state is indeed immaturity, we are simply being “made blind” by God Himself.

Jdg 16:28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
Jdg 16:29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
Jdg 16:30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Until that dying daily process begins our old man will hear only these words:

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Here is the second requirement of who are under this Nazarite vow which is part of “the law… for the lawless”:

2) No razor was to come upon his head

Num 6:5 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.

This again is the exact opposite of what is expected of him after “the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD”. After the time of his vow is fulfilled he can then let cut his hair and live by a much more mature law:

1Co 11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

Here is how this word translated as ‘Nazarite’ and ‘separated’ is translated elsewhere:

Lev 25:5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed [H5139 – nazir, nazarit]: for it is a year of rest unto the land.

Again, this is the exact opposite of this more mature revelation:

Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

In our more mature state we are “dressed”, and purged and pruned so we will “bring forth more fruit”.

Here are a couple of other very revealing verses which contain this same Hebrew word ‘nazir’:

Gen 49:26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate [H5139 – nazir] from his brethren.

Amo 2:11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.
Amo 2:12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

It is “your young men [who are] for Nazarites”, and God condemned Israel for making the Nazarites drink wine and forbidding the prophets from prophesying right things. Those two things are grouped together for a reason, and that reason is that they have a lot in common. Isaiah tells us this about ourselves, at our own appointed time:

Isa 30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

We have all been guilty of perpetrating the lies of the churches of Babylon by teaching her false doctrines. While condemning our adversaries to eternal torment, at the same time we taught smooth things like a ten-second sinner’s prayer, and a secret rapture to those who were of our own doctrine. If “prophesy not” means to “speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits”, then how are we spiritually guilty of giving a Nazarite wine to drink? The answer is that every time we taught anything akin to the ten-second sinner’s prayer, the secret rapture or we laid hands upon those who were not yet prepared to be teachers and preachers of the true gospel, we have given an immature Nazarite wine to drink, before his “days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD”, and before he is capable of dealing with the more mature wine of the gospel of Christ:

Mat 26:27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Mat 26:29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

The last requirement of the Nazarite was that:

3) He could not touch a dead body

In Christ we are told that we are to reckon ourselves as dead with Christ, while the Nazarite, on the other hand could not touch a dead body:

Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Num 6:9 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.
Num 6:10 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:
Num 6:11 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.
Num 6:12 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.

After we have fulfilled our days under the law of Moses and after we have spent the time we must while still attached to the churches who teach that the law of Moses is a spiritual law, we can then touch a dead body and even count ourselves as being “dead to sin, dying daily, [and] being crucified with Christ”:

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

The Nazarite, on the other hand, could not so much as touch a dead body, and there is nothing here telling him to count himself as dead. The Nazarite like “him that is weak in the faith” in Romans 14, if He cannot “eat all things [or] esteem every day alike”, then he is not acting in faith, and for him it is a sin to do so. Likewise, as long as the Nazarite is under his vow, according to his faith in the law for the lawless, “to him it is sin… [to] drink wine or strong drink, [to let a] razor come upon his head [or] come at [a] dead body”.

“He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die”. (Num 6:7) In Christ it is for our spiritual father, mother, brothers and sisters, that we fill up in our own flesh the afflictions of, and the dying daily with Christ:

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

It is the death of our old man which makes us partakers of Christ’s affliction in our flesh for His body’s sake which is the church. This is not a job for a Nazarite who was not permitted to touch a dead body, not even for Christ’s “body’s sake which is the church”.

Now let’s take careful note of what happens.

“When the days of his separation are fulfilled”

Num 6:13 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:
Num 6:14 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,

The first thing he does is to “come to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation”. This “door of the tabernacle” is referred to as “an hanging for the door [on] pillars” in the directions for the construction of the tabernacle:

Exo 26:36 And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.
Exo 26:37 And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.

These “pillars” are types of God’s elect according the the promises given to the overcomers in Revelation 2:

Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

All Nazarites will, each in his time, be “brought unto the door of the tabernacle”, and if the Lord wills he will be “made a pillar in the temple of God…”

The next thing the Nazarite does is to offer a he-lamb and a ewe lamb signifying the offering of Christ and His Christ “for His body’s sake which is the church”. (Col 1:24) See also the studies on the scapegoat and the second bird of the offering for the leper.

With this peace offering of a he-lamb and a ewe lamb the Nazarite had to offer a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, as a meat offering and a “drink offering of wine” which to this time the Nazarite could not drink or even touch. He must also offer a sin offering and a burnt offering.

Num 6:15 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.
Num 6:16 And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering:
Num 6:17 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.

Moses tells us what a drink offering consists of:

Exo 29:40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.

Finally the Nazarite is now given to take a razor and “shave the head of his separation” and put that hair in the fire which is under the sacrifice of his peace offering of the he lamb and the ewe lamb.

Num 6:18 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.

Then the priest, as the Christ, is to take the sodden shoulder of the ram and one unleavened cake and one wafer, “and he shall put them in the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven, signifying our far more mature works being given to us only upon the death of the blood offering of the ram, and our own dying with Christ to fill up what is behind of His afflictions. (Col 1:24)

After all of this is done “the Nazarite may drink wine”, because he is now able to do so in mature faith.

Num 6:19 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:
Num 6:20 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.

The sodden shoulder of the ram, one unleavened cake and one unleavened wafer are given by the Nazarite to the priest as his portion of the peace offering.

Num 6:21 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.

When we have grown in our faith we will get past the need for any vows, and will be able to follow in the words and the footsteps of our king and priest, Christ, who now tells us this:

Mat 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:

Conclusion and review

What we have seen is that wine is more mature and more valuable than grapes, strong drink, which is beer, is more mature and more valuable than the grain from which it is derived. We have seen that a man is shamed to have long hair, and that the shaving of the Nazarite cannot be done till after the time of his separation is fulfilled and he has endured the shame of his immature state. Finally we have seen that the ability to handle the dead without being defiled by a weak conscience is given to the former Nazarite, and he is now able to do all those things which were a sin for him while he was immature, carnal, and weak in the faith.