Bible references

Key NT Scriptures

• Acts 18:18
• 2 Corinthians 6:17-18
• Matthew 16:24
• 1 Peter 2:5

Key OT Scriptures

• Joshua 3:5
  Jewish Commentary
• Numbers 6:1-21
  Click to retrieve Numbers 6:1-21
  Jewish Commentary
• Numbers 8:5-7
  Jewish Commentary

Supportive NT Scriptures

• Colossians 3:17
• 2 Corinthians 8:5
• Ephesians 5:18
• 1 Peter 2:9-10
• Philippians 2:9-11
• Revelation 1:4-6
• Revelation 5:9-10
• Revelation 20:6
• Romans 3:1-2
• Romans 6:19
• Romans 10:8
• Romans 12:1
• Romans 13:14

Supportive OT Scriptures

• Deuteronomy 7:6-8
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 13:1-2
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 19:4-6
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 28:1
  Jewish Commentary
• Genesis 17:9-14
  Click to retrieve Genesis 17:9-14
  Jewish Commentary
• Isaiah 61:6
  Jewish Commentary
• Isaiah 66:16-23
  Click to retrieve Isaiah 66:16-23
  Jewish Commentary
• Judges 13:1-25
  Click to retrieve Judges 13:1-25
  Jewish Commentary
• Numbers 3:9-13
  Jewish Commentary
• Numbers 3:45
  Jewish Commentary

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Commentary

Rabbi Michael Rudolph

God has always required that mankind worship and obey Him, which is a form of dedication. Nevertheless, from very early times, God chose certain men to dedicate 3 their lives to Him in a special way. Sometimes God imposed it on them and sometimes it was voluntary. Sometimes they were referred to as priests, but not always. Let's start with God's covenant with Abraham. The Scriptures show that there was a voluntary relationship between Abraham and God, but there came a time when God gave Abraham a covenant that was not voluntary on Abraham's part. The covenant had several components to it, but the bottom line was that Abraham and his descendants were to be dedicated to God for special service. We know this because, by the time of Moses, God was referring to the children of Israel (Israelites) as a " kingdom of cohanim for me, a nation set apart " ( Exodus 19:6 ). But God went further than that, and commanded that the firstborn of every Israelite and every animal within the camp of Israel must be dedicated to His service: Exodus 13:1-2 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Set aside for me all the firstborn. Whatever is first from the womb among the people of Isra'el, both of humans and of animals, belongs to me. Then God reversed Himself. He ordered that all the firstborn of the Israelites be redeemed from their service, and He dedicated Aaron and his sons (from the tribe of Levi) to be priests instead: Numbers 3:10a You are to appoint Aharon and his sons to carry out the duties of cohanim And He dedicated the rest of the Levites to serve Aaron and his sons in carrying out their priestly functions: Numbers 3:9 Assign the L'vi'im to Aharon and his sons; their one responsibility in regard to the people of Isra'el is to serve him. Numbers 3:11-12 ADONAI said to Moshe, "I have taken the L'vi'im from among the people of Isra'el in lieu of every firstborn male that is first from the womb among the people of Isra'el; the L'vi'im are to be mine." All of the dedications referred to up to now were imposed dedications; they were not voluntary. But there came a time when God allowed a very special kind of dedication that could be either imposed or volunteered for, and those who were so dedicated were called "Nazirites". The voluntary Nazirite vow of dedication was normally for a specified season, after which the person who took the vow was released. The law of the Nazirite is partially as follows: Numbers 6:2-8 Tell the people of Isra'el, 'When either a man or a woman makes a special kind of vow, the vow of a nazir, consecrating himself to ADONAI; he is to abstain from wine and other intoxicating liquor, he is not to drink vinegar from either source, he is not to drink grape juice, and he is not to eat grapes or raisins. As long as he remains a nazir he is to eat nothing derived from the grapevine, not even the grape-skins or the seeds. Throughout the period of his vow as a nazir, he is not to shave his head. Until the end of the time for which he has consecrated himself to ADONAI he is to be holy: he is to let the hair on his head grow long. Throughout the period for which he has consecrated himself to ADONAI, he is not to approach a corpse. He is not to make himself unclean for his father, mother, brother or sister when they die, since his consecration to God is on his head. Throughout the time of his being a nazir he is holy for ADONAI. Because there are other requirements for the Nazirite that require the Temple and the Levitical priests, it is not possible to become a Nazirite today and, by the grace of God it is not needed any longer. The reason it is not needed is that today, our vow of dedication to Yeshua as Lord of our lives is the New Covenant equivalent of the Nazirite vow and more: Romans 10:8 and 12:1 that if you acknowledge publicly with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord and trust in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be delivered ... I exhort you, therefore, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer yourselves as a sacrifice, living and set apart for God. This will please him; it is the logical "Temple worship" for you. In the New Covenant, this new way of dedicating ourselves to God is both available to everyone and required of everyone. 3. "Dedicate" and "Consecrate" are interchangeable.

Rabbi Daniel Juster

Notwithstanding the Nazirite vow's obsolescence, we do occasionally find people who believe that God is asking them to give themselves to Him for a period of special consecration, prayer or other purpose. Sometimes they believe that they are led, as part of that, to emulate the Nazirite vow by giving up wine and other foods such as meat, and to a time of partial liquid (e.g. water) fasting. If done with balance, there should be no objection to special seasons of dedication done in that way.

Classical commentators

Maimonides and HaChinuch wrote several mitzvot pertaining to Nazirite vows but wrote none pertaining to any other kind of personal dedication to God. Meir did not address Nazirite vows or matters of dedication at all.

Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2

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Based on The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective by Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster.

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Disclaimer: the original content is authored by Rabbi Michael Rudolph and Rabbi Daniel Juster; additional notes or implementation details on this website are not part of their original work and do not represent their views.

Record source: The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective - Volume 1 & 2

Copyright note: Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2