What the heck is a "Nazarite?"

 

A Nazarite was a person, man or woman, who took certain vows to dedicate their lives to the service of the Lord. 

As such, Nazarites took vows that would distinguish them from the rest of the population, namely:

• ·         Abstaining from wine or strong drink (or any type of grape-product) (see Numbers 6:3-4).
• ·         Not cutting their hair (Numbers 6:5).
• ·         Staying away from dead folks, including family members (Numbers 6:6).

Being a Nazarite could be lifelong, or for a period of time, after which, the once-Nazarite would return to regular grape-eating and hair appointments. Apparently they didn’t always self-subscribe, but some had their parents who made the vows for them.

Some famous Nazarites we know of are:

• ·         Samson (see Judges 13:5)
• ·         Samuel (see 1 Samuel 1:11, 28)
• ·         John the Baptist (see Luke 1:15)
• ·         Also, Paul makes reference to shaving his head and taking a vow in Acts 18:18-19, and there is another reference in Acts21:23-24 to men taking what appear to be similar vows.

In Alma 5:57, it says:

“And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things…”

So the Nazarite example shows us that as followers of Christ, we need to dedicate ourselves to the differences that distinguish us as His. These may not include abstaining from grapes, avoiding the barber, and passing on funerals; but there should be noticeable differences in the way we live our lives that identify us as the Lord’s. This should include avoiding the unclean things of the world, whether it be in our media choices, the way we choose to dress, or the words that come from our mouths (yes, there should be distinguishable differences here in all three). The communities we live in should be able to tell that we are different, not just by the way we spend our Sundays, but also our friendliness, and our desire to serve others. 

These differences should not be expressed in ways that are self-righteous or exclusive, but in ways that invite others to discover why we are happy, and connect it to our differences. We should, as Paul said, be an “example of the believers.”