Content warning: The offerings. You say, “A bunch of offerings. Not my dispensation. Next article.” The Old Testament offerings can seem irrelevant when we skim through them, but I will suggest that even a shallow understanding is essential to worship with our lips and lives, including a consecrated life. Believers want a closer walk with God, yet it comes at an expense. Completing the vow required a Nazarite to count the additional cost of all the animals and food offerings. Stay to read a barebones outline of the Nazarite’s offerings and practical application to our Christian consecration.
Location
First, note that the Nazarite was brought to the door of the tent of the tabernacle (Num 6:13). This is the place where the Lord said, “There I will meet with the children of Israel” (Exo 29:43),1 and thus where the people brought their offerings (see Lev 1:3). The Nazarite was not above the people in his approach to God. It is dangerous to assume that somehow moral standards do not apply in certain cases. This was an issue with the unregenerate Pharisee (meaning “separated one”) who held a double standard (see Mat 23:25-28). It is a lie to think that our Christian consecration earns us bouts of secret unholy action.
Burnt Offering
Leviticus 1 and 6:8-13 contain the basic instructions for a burnt offering. The Hebrew word for “burnt” means “to ascend” and contains the idea of being completely burned up. This offering was voluntary (Lev 1:3) and was “accepted for him to make atonement for him” (v4). Like the peace and meat offerings, it was a sweet-smelling savour to God. It was also Israel’s corporate offering that was always upon the wood upon the altar (Exo 29:38-46; Num 28:1-8). Note that the holy life of the Nazarite was not enough to make him acceptable before God. God still required that he bring a male lamb without blemish. Likewise, no matter our devotion to God, we are only accepted before God in the Beloved, the true burnt offering (Eph 1:6).
Sin Offering
Leviticus 4 and 6:24-30 give the main details for an individual’s sin offering. The sin offering was for sins of ignorance (Lev 4:2), and through the offering “the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him” (vv31,35). If the individual brought this sacrifice to God, believing that God said He would forgive him, he was forgiven based on the future sacrifice of Christ that would satisfy God (Rom 3:25-26). A right standing before God is and always was by faith (Heb 11:6; Rom 4:2-5). Such is the human heart that even the most consecrated believer requires the efficacy of Calvary’s sin offering (1Jn 1:5-2:2).
Peace Offering
Leviticus 3 and 7:11-36 outline the peace offering. An individual would bring a peace offering in thanksgiving for fellowship with God. It expressed that fellowship existed, while the burnt offering obtained it. It was a unique communion offering shared by an offerer, the priest and God. Each received their allotted part from the appropriate animal, a basket of unleavened bread, pierced cakes of fine flour mingled with oil and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil. Part of the peace offering is detailed in verses 19-20 when specific items of the offering were waved before the Lord. The conclusion of the vow of the Nazarite was a time to celebrate the fellowship that he had with God, shared by the priest. In our pursuit of holiness, we enjoy the fact that we have peace with God (Rom 5:1).
Meat Offering
Leviticus 2 and 6:14-18, along with Numbers 15:1-10, are the main passages regarding the meat or “grain” offering (ESV, NAS95, NIV, NET). It was food made from flour for the priest. The meat and drink offerings accompanied a burnt or peace offering, with exact proportions of ingredients stipulated, depending on the offering. The fine flour meat offering reminds us of Christ’s perfect humanity. God illustrated the requirement of blood, mandating a burnt or peace offering that included blood, coupled with the meat offering. Christ’s blood is necessary for our righteousness before God (Rom 5:9).
Drink Offering
The drink offering is specified as “wine,” and accompanied any meat offering or peace offering (Num 15:7,10). The quantity of the drink offering depended on the offering and ranged from one-fourth to one-half a hin.2 The first drink offering was poured out by Jacob after God blessed him at Bethel (Gen 35:14). Paul employs the concept when speaking of himself being poured out upon the Philippians’ “sacrifice and service of [their] faith” (Php 2:17) and “already being poured out as a drink offering” (2Ti 4:6 ESV). The drink offering reminds us of a life poured out for God.
Hair Offering
The shaved hair upon the altar, under the peace offering, is unique to this passage. The Lord said that “the Nazariteship of his God is upon his head” (v7 Newberry), and his head was holy (v11).3 The removal of the hair was the end of special consecration and was given to God. Paul’s teaching from nature on long hair (1Co 11:14-15) is that to a woman it is a glory, and to a man it is a shame. This man with his shaved hair under the peace offering could glory in the peace he has with God, which eclipses his former Nazarite shame, while the woman could glory in the peace that covers the shame she will experience for God with a post-vow shaved head.
Conclusion
The last specific instruction freed the Nazarite to drink wine (v20). The wine reminds us of self-control and joy. The Nazarite learned self-control in his consecration so that he would not have anything apart from his vow. Resuming drinking wine also reminds us of the joy that they could celebrate because of their consecration, which came at a cost. For ourselves as spiritual Nazarites, we can be motivated that the cost of consecration is worth it, while looking forward to the joy of the coming Kingdom when we will share in the joy of our example Nazarite, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will again drink of the fruit of the vine (Mat 25:21,23; 26:29).
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
2 1 hin = about .95 US gallons or 3.6L
3 For thoughts on the Nazarite and a crown of royal priesthood, see Alfred Edersheim’s chapter “On Vows” in The Temple: Its Ministry and Service.
