Numbers 6-8

“All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord” (6:8).  The Nazarite vow was a radical way for a person to offer himself to God.  After a public vow of dedication, they could not drink wine or grape juice or eat grapes (a huge part of Mideast/Mediterranean culture), nor cut their hair, nor go near a dead body, until their stated time was over.  Living in this extraordinary way marked the person as “set apart” to God.

Strange rituals never made anyone holy.  But the willingness to live an unusual life can demonstrate our desire to share in God’s holiness.