The Lord said to Moses, “Speak
to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special
vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, they must
abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made
from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat
grapes or raisins. As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow,
they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or
skins. Numbers 6:1-4
A Nazirite vow was a time of special dedication to the
Lord. It could be looked at as a
recommitment, a personal offering or a fast.
Samson, the most famous Nazirite, tried to keep a lifelong Nazirite vow,
but most were done for periods of time.
Three things a person could not do during a Nazirite vow:
1. Don’t eat or drink anything from the grape
2. Don’t cut their hair
3. Don’t touch a dead body (even a relative)
The person showed
others their dedication to God and denying themselves food and drink, but also
sacrificing their looks with long, unruly hair.
You had to really be dedicated to this vow to make it public.