by Rogath Henry | 26 March 2021 08:46 am03
Blessed be the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
A Nazarite is a person who sets himself apart by abstaining from certain things in order to fulfill a vow or promise made to God.
In the Old Testament, if someone made a vow before God—perhaps to offer a special sacrifice—there were specific instructions that accompanied such a vow so that the person would not forget or break it.
The very first command for anyone under a vow was this: they were not to drink wine or any form of intoxicating drink.
Numbers 6:1–4
“The Lord said to Moses,
‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazarite, to dedicate himself to the Lord,
he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.
All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.’”
Because alcohol dulls the mind and clouds a person’s understanding.
When someone is intoxicated, they easily forget their commitment and may act contrary to the vow they made before God. That would bring great sin and shame.
Thus, a person who dedicates themselves to God must remain sober and self-controlled at all times, never allowing anything to take away their awareness or clear judgment.
Numbers 6:5
“All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head; until the days are fulfilled, he shall be holy, and he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long.”
Hair was a symbol of God’s presence and covering. Just as hair continues to grow daily, so do the mercies and grace of God increase continually over His people.
Lamentations 3:22–23
“Because of the Lord’s great mercy we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
So, every Nazarite was forbidden from cutting their hair until the day their vow was completed.
(See Acts 18:18; Acts 21:23 for New Testament references to such vows.)
Beyond avoiding wine and cutting the hair, a Nazarite was also required to remain pure from all forms of defilement.
If the person became unclean or broke any of these commandments, the vow became void and it turned into sin.
But there were also special blessings upon those who kept their vow before God—chiefly, the supernatural power of God’s presence, which protected them from spiritual enemies and gave them strength beyond ordinary men.
Let us look at one remarkable example: Samson, a man who lived under the Nazarite vow from his mother’s womb.
He enjoyed God’s power mightily until he forgot his consecration and stepped outside the vow. Through him, we learn the importance of remaining faithful to the commitments we have made before God.
The Bible says Samson was a Nazarite chosen by God Himself—before he was even born.
Judges 13:3–5
“The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said,
‘Behold, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
Now therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean,
for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.’”
Samson’s hair was not to be cut—not because he was special by nature, but because he was under a divine vow.
The law of the Nazarite demanded abstinence from wine and preservation of the hair. These were outward signs of inward consecration.
Many people think Samson’s power was only in his hair.
But in truth, his strength was in the Word of God—the divine command that governed his vow.
If Delilah had made him drink wine instead of cutting his hair, his power would still have left him, because drinking wine would have equally violated the Word of God concerning Nazarites.
Numbers 6:1–5 — (repeated for emphasis)
“If a man or woman makes a vow of the Nazarite… he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink… no razor shall touch his head…”
So, whether by cutting the hair or drinking wine, breaking the vow meant forfeiting divine power.
That is exactly what happened to Samson—he betrayed his consecration, and his strength departed.
In the Old Covenant, men made physical vows; but in the New Covenant, we too are under spiritual vows.
Some vows we make ourselves—like promising to serve or give to God.
Yet there are others that God places upon us, just as He did with Samson.
When a person is born again, God Himself sets them apart by His Spirit. That new life in Christ is a vow of holiness—a divine consecration.
We are called to walk according to God’s Word every day. If we live contrary to it, we open the door for the enemy to cut our “spiritual hair”—our strength and power in the Lord.
When a believer falls into immorality after being born again, they surrender their spiritual strength to the enemy.
This was Samson’s downfall.
Proverbs 31:3
“Do not give your strength to women…”
1 Corinthians 6:18
“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”
Notice—it says flee, not “negotiate” or “resist slowly.”
Yet today, many Christians—especially the youth—entertain relationships that defile them spiritually.
Then they wonder why they no longer feel strong in prayer, why temptations easily overcome them, or why their joy in reading the Word has vanished.
It is because the enemy has already cut their spiritual hair.
This is another doorway Satan uses.
When we put anything—or anyone—in the place of God, we violate our spiritual vow.
It may be a person, an image, money, or even self-importance. Whatever replaces God in your heart becomes an idol and drains your strength.
And there are many other subtle ways in which sin disconnects us from our holy consecration.
Maybe the enemy has already cut your spiritual hair.
Once you were strong in prayer, mighty in faith, full of power and zeal for the Lord—but now, like Samson, you feel weak and bound.
There is still hope.
Humble yourself before God. Repent sincerely.
Abandon every act of sin and separate yourself from whatever defiles you—whether it’s fornication, deceit, or idolatry.
If you do this, God, who is full of mercy, will restore you—just as He restored Samson when his hair began to grow again.
When Samson repented, his strength returned, and he accomplished more in his death than in his life.
So will God renew your spiritual power, if you return to your first love.
If you still love the world and have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, know this:
you are like a prisoner whose eyes have been blinded by the enemy.
But today, while Christ’s voice still calls, come to Him.
There will come a day when you will long for just one more chance—and it will not be found.
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” — Isaiah 55:6
May the Lord bless you and restore your strength as you walk faithfully in your holy calling.
Amen.
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