A Nazarite is a superior person, one who is absolutely, utterly, and ultimately for God. In order to be a Nazarite, one must pass through all the dealings with defilement and the test of suspicion in chapter five. Anyone who has not passed through the dealings and the test in Numbers 5 cannot be a Nazarite.
A Nazarite must overcome four main things. First, he must overcome the natural affection toward his blood relatives, the natural affection he has for his mother, father, wife, and children. The Lord Jesus overcame such natural affection. Matthew 12:48 through 50 say, "Who is My mother, and who are My brothers? And stretching out His hand over His disciples, He said, Behold, My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in the heavens, he is My brother and sister and mother." The Lord Jesus recognized as His relatives those who were His relatives in spirit, not those who were His relatives in the natural life.
Surely the Lord Jesus was a real Nazarite. The best pattern of a Nazarite is the man Jesus. Since He is the pattern, we all must learn of Him, follow Him, and take His yoke (Matt. 11:29-30). As a rule, every New Testament believer should be a Nazarite. However, today it is difficult to find one proper New Testament Nazarite in a city.
The second thing a Nazarite must overcome is earthly pleasure. If we would be Nazarites, we must abstain from earthly pleasure.
Third, a Nazarite must deal with the rebellion in his nature. Thank God that we were created with an abundance of hair on our head, indicating that we are under authority. I can testify that it is a great blessing to be under someone, some thing, or some environment. During the Japanese invasion of China, I was arrested by the Japanese and kept in prison for thirty days. Although I was under a very strict dealing and control, even that imprisonment was a blessing to me.
Children and teenagers need to be under authority. A child who is not under authority will be unruly and wild. The same is true of teenagers who are not willing to be under someone, some thing, or some environment.
In the church life we all have received God and have been born of God. We all have received the life of God. In this sense we all, including the Apostle Paul, are equal. However, in the church some are babes. In his first Epistle, John, in a general way, addressed all the saints as "little children" (2:1, 28; 3:7, 18; 4:4; 5:21). Nevertheless, he respectively addressed some as "young children," others as "young men," and still others as "fathers" (2:12-14). To say that all the members of a family of three generations are the same would make the family a mess. In family life we surely need to respect the differences between the grandparents, the parents, and the children. The principle is the same in the church life. First Peter 5:5 says, "Younger men, be subject to elders." Although, in the spirit, the older ones should also learn to obey the younger ones (Eph. 5:21; 1 Pet. 5:5b), still the difference in age remains.
It is a blessing to be under someone or some thing. It is even a blessing to be severely limited. I thank the Lord that from the day I came into the recovery, the Lord put me under someone, some thing, or some environment.
Today some are teaching that it is not necessary for believers to submit to a deputy authority, that believers should not be under anyone. This erroneous teaching is very damaging. First, it is damaging to those who teach in this way, and then it is damaging to the ones who receive such a teaching. Those who accept the teaching that the believers should not submit to deputy authority will be spoiled by this teaching. Some may even be spoiled without remedy in their youth. Therefore, it is a serious matter to teach that we should not submit to deputy authority, and it is also a serious matter to receive this teaching.
A Nazarite is a person full of hair, full of submission. With him there are a submissive spirit, standing, atmosphere, and intention. If you are such a person, there will be a great blessing for you and for your future.
Fourth, a Nazarite must always try his best to avoid death. Do not allow anyone to stand by you who is about to die suddenly. If someone beside you dies suddenly, you may feel that your situation is excusable. But there is no excuse for being defiled by death, and the sudden death of someone will cause your Nazarite vow to be made void. Especially when rumors and gossip are spreading, it is better not to stand by anyone. A person may suddenly die in front of you by uttering all kinds of death. Once you have been contaminated by death, you need to deal with that contamination and have a new start. Otherwise, you will be killed, and eventually the entire church, seemingly without explanation, will be brought into a deadened situation.
As Numbers 5 indicates, in order to be a Nazarite, one must pass through many dealings and severe tests. Furthermore, according to 6:1-12, a Nazarite must overcome natural affection, worldly pleasure, rebellion, and deadness. Therefore, to be a Nazarite is to be something that is spiritually very high and superior.
Let us now consider 6:13-21 to see some further matters related to being a Nazarite.