Becoming A Catalyst For Changeናሙና

YOU CAN BECOME A CHANGE AGENT FOR GOD

Nazirites, from the Hebrew word nazir which means “consecrated” or “separated,” were Old Testament national leaders who took the meaning of commitment to the highest level. They became God's grace to the spiraling moral degradation of Israel during their time. When necessary, they even became the deliverers of Israel-- such as Samson, Samuel, and Elijah. They voluntarily made an explicit vow as a Nazirite, as stated in Numbers 6:2-8, to not drink wine, not cut their hair, and not touch any dead body.

If you think about it, to simply exercise the restrains of not drinking wine, not cutting hair, and not touching a dead body do not make a genuine Nazirite, because religions all over the world throughout the ages have produced dedication more extreme than these.

Thus, the key to the Nazirite vow is the phrase “separated to Jehovah.” Without this phrase it simply becomes a self-imposed discipline that doesn’t have any physical, social or even spiritual benefit.

To be separated to God through these three categories or terms has deeper significance:
• To not drink wine would require HUMILITY --an inner strength to stand against social pressure;
• To not cut one’s hair is a symbol of HUNGER FOR GOD-- a growing reminder of one’s time spent with God; and
• To not touch any dead body obviously represents HOLINESS-- a symbol of a person’s determination to be free from contamination.

Consider Jesus. Jesus was not a Nazirite, but He fulfilled the consecration of a Nazirite. His temptations in Matthew 4 were tests of His consecration in humility, holiness, and hunger for God.

As believers, as modern-day Nazirites, as disciples of Jesus, this must be our standard as well. It is time to raise the bar of commitment so we can see a Nazirite Generation released as forerunners in our time. And, it is time to turn the vow into a lifestyle in order to affect national transformation.

Will you be the next Nazirite of today? The challenge and the call are given. It is up to you and me to respond.