Up Close and Personal
Scripture: Numbers 6:2-3, 5-6, 13-14
“If any of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way, 3 they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks.5 They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow,for they are holy and set apart to the Lord...6 And they must not go near a dead body...13 they must each go to the entrance of the Tabernacle 14 and offer their sacrifices to the Lord."
Observations:
Early on in His relationship with the Israelites, God instructed them regarding how they were to handle themselves in view of His holiness so that they could worship Him and so that His presence would live among them. For the most part, God's instructions primarily applied only to the priests, who were the primary mediators of Israel's covenant relationship with God. In that sense, they enjoyed a special relationship with God that most people were not permitted to experience simply by virtue of their office. However, God's desire for personal intimacy with everyone for the first time emerges in this chapter in the form of a Nazirite vow- a voluntary special dedication of one's self to God for a set period of time. What's amazing is that God provided this opportunity to anyone (not just a select group) who wanted to commit themselves to God on a deeper level(vs. 2). This time of special devotion to God served the purpose of setting the individual apart for the purose of drawing closer to God by forgoing things like alcoholic drinks, cutting their hair, and not touching any corpses. What's significant though is that these activities were typically only required of priests, not everyone else. But God, through His Word, made it possible for every Israelite, for however long they wanted, to enter into a priest-like role and enjoy the benefits of having a closer, more intimate relationship with God.
Application:
God truly desires relationship with all people, not merely those who we would consider "super spiritual" Christians. While it's true that we may not all know God to the same extent, His Word promises all of us that we have each been invited to "draw near to God and He will draw near to [us]" (James 4:8). It's because of the price Christ has paid "...Jesus opened a new and life-giving way [for us]...right into the presence of God..." (Hebrews 10:20-22). It's because of this access that "whosoever will" can now enjoy a special relationship with God. The thing is, each of us has as much of God as we want. Unfortunately, many times we don't really want more of God because we don't see the "need" for it; yet, God in His love for us has made avaialble to us an intimate relationship with Him through the death of His Son. From God's perspective, if He would pay any price and go to any length to merely give us the opportunity to know Him, how can we treat His invitation to voluntarily "give up" anything in our lives for the purpose of getting closer to Him as unnecessary or unimportant? In spite of ourselves, God is pursuing an upclose and personal relationship with us beyond what we currently know. What will your response to Him be today?
Prayer:
Father, we recognize our need to live our lives in relationship with You. We choose this day to devote ourselves to You more than have before. Help us to separate ourselves from that which would keep us from knowing You more. Give us a genuine hunger in our spirits for more of You. Amen.
“If any of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way, 3 they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks.5 They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow,for they are holy and set apart to the Lord...6 And they must not go near a dead body...13 they must each go to the entrance of the Tabernacle 14 and offer their sacrifices to the Lord."
Observations:
Early on in His relationship with the Israelites, God instructed them regarding how they were to handle themselves in view of His holiness so that they could worship Him and so that His presence would live among them. For the most part, God's instructions primarily applied only to the priests, who were the primary mediators of Israel's covenant relationship with God. In that sense, they enjoyed a special relationship with God that most people were not permitted to experience simply by virtue of their office. However, God's desire for personal intimacy with everyone for the first time emerges in this chapter in the form of a Nazirite vow- a voluntary special dedication of one's self to God for a set period of time. What's amazing is that God provided this opportunity to anyone (not just a select group) who wanted to commit themselves to God on a deeper level(vs. 2). This time of special devotion to God served the purpose of setting the individual apart for the purose of drawing closer to God by forgoing things like alcoholic drinks, cutting their hair, and not touching any corpses. What's significant though is that these activities were typically only required of priests, not everyone else. But God, through His Word, made it possible for every Israelite, for however long they wanted, to enter into a priest-like role and enjoy the benefits of having a closer, more intimate relationship with God.
Application:
God truly desires relationship with all people, not merely those who we would consider "super spiritual" Christians. While it's true that we may not all know God to the same extent, His Word promises all of us that we have each been invited to "draw near to God and He will draw near to [us]" (James 4:8). It's because of the price Christ has paid "...Jesus opened a new and life-giving way [for us]...right into the presence of God..." (Hebrews 10:20-22). It's because of this access that "whosoever will" can now enjoy a special relationship with God. The thing is, each of us has as much of God as we want. Unfortunately, many times we don't really want more of God because we don't see the "need" for it; yet, God in His love for us has made avaialble to us an intimate relationship with Him through the death of His Son. From God's perspective, if He would pay any price and go to any length to merely give us the opportunity to know Him, how can we treat His invitation to voluntarily "give up" anything in our lives for the purpose of getting closer to Him as unnecessary or unimportant? In spite of ourselves, God is pursuing an upclose and personal relationship with us beyond what we currently know. What will your response to Him be today?
Prayer:
Father, we recognize our need to live our lives in relationship with You. We choose this day to devote ourselves to You more than have before. Help us to separate ourselves from that which would keep us from knowing You more. Give us a genuine hunger in our spirits for more of You. Amen.
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