Daily Devotion

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.


Watching Hair Grow
The LORD said to Moses, "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. As long as they are bound by their Nazirite vow, they are not allowed to eat or drink anything that comes from a grapevine— not even the grape seeds or skins.
"They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow, for they are holy and set apart to the LORD. Until the time of their vow has been fulfilled, they must let their hair grow long. And they must not go near a dead body during the entire period of their vow to the LORD. Even if the dead person is their own father, mother, brother, or sister, they must not defile themselves, for the hair on their head is the symbol of their separation to God. This requirement applies as long as they are set apart to the LORD." - Numbers 6:1-8 NLT

Sometimes all you'll get out of a vow is distress. A Nazirite vow meant giving up haircuts and anything made out of grapes, among other things. People in the Bible who took a Nazirite vow include both Samson and Samuel, who were Nazirites from birth (Judges 13:7 and 1 Samuel 1:11). The apostle Paul took the vow as an adult, but only for a specified, limited period (Acts 18:18). Paul also paid for the ending ceremony for other Nazirites (Acts 21:17-26).

Why did God give the Israelites a spiritual discipline like the Nazirite vow? Did God delight in discomfort or deprivation? God is not brought nearer or better understood as a consequence of self-inflicted suffering. Rather, the discipline of the vow became the learning experience for the Nazirite—perseverance, seeing something through to the end. A person gets to know God better not in the pain but in the practice of God's qualities. A person who vows makes a promise that needs to be kept even when it is hard. To make a vow and to see it through to the end builds patience and perseverance, qualities that are valuable in life and in one's relationship with God. After all, God may not fulfill his promises instantly. His answers to our prayers often take time. We need to be patient.