“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.
“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, they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks. They must not use vinegar made from wine or from other alcoholic drinks, they must not drink fresh grape juice, and they must not eat grapes or raisins. (Numbers 6:2, 3 NLT)
This is an interesting restriction. Wine, which was not as strong as what we drink today was a very common drink. Water would not always be clean and the fermenting process would make the grape juice safer. So why this restriction? Well, I have to imagine that while wine was less
Potent, it could still impair someone's thinking. Making this something that you could not have when you took a Nazarite vow would protect that vow. It would prevent you from messing it up while impaired.
So the interesting question that brings up for me is in what ways to we protect our vows today? Have you made a vow to God? And what are you doing to protect it? Promises made to God should be held very sacred and deserve the highest level of protection.
When I look around at society today, promises and commitments seem to have lost their importance. Marriages end in divorce, people shift commitments to enjoy the best offer. As children of God, we need to be recapturing the importance of our commitments to God first and then to those around us. I know I have work to do in this area and I invite you to join me.
No comments:
Post a Comment