Nazirite Profiles in Scripture

Blessed Love

I really wanted to post today, but didn't find the time to sit down and get the words out because it's just been very busy.  So instead I combed my works for a topic that could be appreciloved as an historical insight into the Nazirite Vow, which can be used for your personal Ible study time - something which every Ras should be livicated to at least once a week if not a chapter a day.
Since the Nazirite Vow is definitely a foundation for Rastafari's hairy livity - unshaved bodies, beards and dreadlocks, it is certainly a topic worth researching. Because it  is shrouded in mystery, what can be said is that it is a priestly Covenant and Identity that is quite spiritual and ultimately overstood by personal faith in Kristos, in JAH.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 

 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, 

He shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins.  All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.
'All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.  

All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. 

He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. 

All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord.
 ‘And if anyone dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it.

The Holy Nazirites in the Bible

              Apart from the description of the Nazirite and his/her vow in Numbers 6, nothing much is said about the people or where they lived. What can be summarized about them is that they were predecessors and partners of the Essenes and later Nazirenes who were meagre, holy, set-apart Israelites dwelling in the Roman-colonized Land of Israel's Covenant.

            Lamentations 4:7-9, Amos 2:11-12 and John 1:45-46 imply that Nazirites were people of Israel who, due to the disobedience of the tribes, fell from grace. Those who chose to keep away from idolatry, became spiritually and bodily sullied by the unclean acts of the tribes.         

            However, what we notice is that the mentioned Nazirites in Scripture were affiliated with the Temple or Levite Priests or High Priest; ensuring they would grow up to be righteous and steadfast in the Way of Israel. This makes also a divine plan which was so either from birth or “baptism” (anointment). Naturally therefore, the Nazirites lived in seclusion and generally were strict keepers of the Laws of Israel as was the way of priests and prophets. In light of this they were probably regarded contemptuously by those who were adulterous and serving idols. From this we may begin to see reasons why John and Jes-us were scorned by the Jews.

            Adjoined to this Levite affiliation, there is a certain law of the first-born male offspring of creation in the Book of Exodus, be it human or animal within Israel; and it is that the first-born opens the matrix of the womb and therefore is to be holy and sanctified or placed in the right path from the beginning. The first-born son is the one offered up as an undefiled Nazirite to be a servant of the Lord whether in a high or low position; whereas the first-born animal is to remain completely unblemished in order to be a blood sacrifice for man in the Temple of the Most High. The Nazirite therefore bears an important mark as a sacrifice for holiness in the Temple of Isra'el.

            Following this we see that the Nazirites of Scripture were also set apart especially as first-born sons to their honourable parents and thereafter sacrificed by their mothers, meaning given to the High Priest to be the Lord’s first-born rather than the families' – Samuel, Samson, John and Yesus . Their mothers shared the vow with their sons in the pre-weaning stages and then handed them over to the priesthood after weaning. Proverbs 31:1-2 is more than likely an indication that King Lemuel's mother carried a Nazirite vow also: The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him: What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows?

            (But this is not the only pattern in the Ible, because the works of JAH in Scripture are also carried out by the second-born son and daughter in important cases - Aaron and Moses, Esau and Jacob, Leah and Rachel, Ishmael and Isaac.)

 Samson

            Samson’s parents, Manoah and his unnamed wife, were Danites who received a visit from the Most High JAH through a Messenger and were told that they were selected in their barren state to conceive a man-child. This son would bring a judgement to the children of Kham, delivering Israel out of the hands of the wicked Philistines. Samson was a judge – rather than a prophet or priest – according to Genesis 49:16. Therefore, being a manifestation to bring justice to the Covenant of Abraham, determined that he be a Nazirite from his mother’s womb. Samson’s 7 dreadlocks[1] were apparently the seal of his physical strength - meaning also a symbol of his sanctification in the midst of Philistia. This therefore implies that a Nazirite was a bearded and dreaded man or woman in the Biblical days:

And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” 

(Judges 13:3-5).

Samuel

            Samuel (circa 1100 BC) was apparently from the Kohathite family of Levi through his father Elkanah (1 Chron. 6:3-15). They lived at Ramah (1 Sam. 1:19; 2:11), in the district of Zuph. According to the Book of Samuel quoted below, they were Ephrathites, which means associated with the tribe of Judah or Ephraim. Jewish opinion is that this title was analogous for Judah and Ephraim, and Levites were commonly called such. By interpretation Ephrath refers to the Bethlehem area of Judah which is sacred and a royal region. Samuel’s lineage was therefore a very good one for him to be established in the Trinity Office and Melchizedekian way for Israel. Samuel’s heritage is a good ensample of how Joseph and Judah became one as they both inherited the birthright of the Covenant of Abraham/Isra'el/Jacob.

 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.  And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

 Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” (1 Samuel 1:1-2,11).

            Samuel was a blessed youth from conception in his mother’s womb, because he was a gift of love and answer to Hannah’s vow and maternal desires. In hopes that JAH would open up her matrix she vowed that her first-born son would be a Nazirite and a priest from her womb so that he'd belong to JAH for all his days. She would give her child back to serve Zion just to redeem herself as a wife.

            And the Lord in hearing this righteous woman’s vow to HIM, or because of her decision to consecrate her temple, accepted this vow and used it for the good of Israel. It was a Covenant made between JAH and Wombman and managed by Eli (the Levite High Priest) who took the child when he was weaned. Hannah honoured the law of the first-born son by taking the vow herself and by making sure that Samuel was in due subjection and would be given to the priesthood (note the priesthood by law does not put a razor to their heads).

            She also offered thanksgiving and sacrifice for her blessing. She gave her soul as well as her son’s to the Lord Jahovah, in addition to giving up her parental right to raise her son after weaning.  Samuel as a result, from a young age, heard the Voice of JAH speaking to him where he lived in the Levite quarters. He went on to become High Priest replacing Eli's sinful sons and served Israel in its darkest days by being prophet, priest and judge. Hannah's Nazirite sacrifice was one that saw the blessing of Israel with kings from Benjamin and Judah.

Daniel , Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

            Daniel is not attributed with such a birthright or background as Samson, Samuel or John are in the Bible, but his Nazirite orientation is implied in the first chapter of his manuscript, where he is called to the king as a certain one from Judah who is “without blemish.” The Nazirite Vow serves exactly this purpose in the separation and dedication of a first born son, so we can assume that this vow is implied when a figure in Scripture is described as “without blemish.”

            We assume by Daniel's power of prophecy concerning the Messiah, that he was one who took the oath and as a result was a priestly Man of Right, one living in the Way of the Lord. It is also important to note that Daniel refused wine and the king’s meats because he did not wish to defile himself with a stranger’s food. Furthermore, he and his three also holy, loyal brethren who again seem to be Nazirites - the infamous Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - were found to have a countenance that was better and healthier than those who ate of the king’s meat. Scripture mentions that those who walk in the path of the Lord (meaning sanctified) will be blessed with health and a comely demeanour. It is therefore not doubted that they were Nazirites.

 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.

(Daniel 1:3-5).

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Daniel 1:8).

And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my Lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.”
So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.  Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.
 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. 

(Daniel 1:10-16)

            Let us also not forget that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (same ones mentioned in verse 13 as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) were also cast into the fire for not bowing down to worship the molten gods of the kingdom. They were seen to have been with a fourth figure unharmed in the furnace, which had the form like the Son of JAH. This description is a way of showing that they were protected by the Kristos through their holy Livity of separation ad obedience to this vow, and by their refusal to eat of the king’s meat (in the King James Version, and delicacies in the New King James Version) and wine.

            What these four brethren show most is that Nazirites are ones who are visibly distinct from the common men because of the Order they keep; and are Ivinely protected for their purity and obedience unto the Lord JAH of Israel. They are also raspected by those who can recognize their holy countenance and see that overall they were Man of Principle, Man of Righteousness.

John the Baptiser

            Zacharias was a Levite Priest who offered incense in the Temple, and at the point of worship (incense accompanies Ises) he was visited by the Word and told that he and his wife Elisabeth would be blessed with their first man-child. This child would also be a Nazirite from birth, but more importantly filled with the Word of JAH from the time of his conception, again proving the Ivine Order or Prophet Priest and King and the Nazirite initiation:

 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.  And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 

(Luke 1:11-17)

            Zacharias then went on to prophesy of his son’s special purpose and ministry as the forerunner to the horn of salvation of the house of David, saying: And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;  For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins,  (Luke 1:76-77).

            It is certain that John grew up to be a firm Nazirite  as he is said to have been strong in spirit and lived in the deserts/wilderness of Judaea as a recluse or separated until the day of his showing in Israel (Luke 1:80, Matthew 3:1). Scholars claim that he was a practising Essene, which was another separated priestly Israelite group among the tribes. Furthermore when he came into the cities to prepare the way of the Lord (fulfilling his father’s prophecy, see also Matthew 3:13-15) he was described in the likeness of a Nazirite as it pertains to his own exceptional birth:

 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:' The voice of one crying in the wilderness:‘ Prepare the way of the Lord;
      Make His paths straight.’”

 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 

 (Matthew 3:1-6).

            The Gospel of the Nazarenes 7:4 and10 below shows an extended account to this excerpt of Matthew which confirms that John was, by his ruddy unadorned appearance, teachings of purity and his meatless and wineless livity, a Nazirite:

And the same Iohn had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a girdle of the same about his loins, and his meat was the fruit of the locust tree [carob tree] and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in the Jordan confessing their sins. And to all he spake, saying, Keep yourselves from blood and things strangled and from dead bodies of birds and beasts, and from all deeds of cruelty, and from all that is gotten of wrong; Think ye the blood of beasts and birds will wash away sin! I tell you Nay, Speak the Truth. Be just, Be merciful to one another and to all creatures that live, and walk humbly with your God.   (Ouseley, Gospel of the Nazarenes 7:4 and10)           

Yesus Kristos

Defining the Nazirene Messiah as a Nazirite

            Aside from what proof is plainly stated in the Gospel of the Nazarenes (the text that one could say the New Testament Gospels were derived in part from) about Maryam, Joseph and the Nazirite conception of Yesus; it is not specifically stated in the Holy Bible that Yesus was a Nazirite at all, far less from the womb. It is also not specifically stated that He wasn't under the oath either.

            We are led to believe that He wasn’t so especially since He went about healing the sick, and eating the meats of the people which was a taboo act for the put-apart Essene, Nazarene or Nazirite sects of Israel (liken to Daniel’s case with the pulse and how he remained put apart from the king’s delicacies). According to the New Testament he was never said to be nazir, or consecrated; as he supposedly made and drank wine and touched the dead as part of completing his ministry to heal and reclaim Judah’s spirit from the Roman gods.

            Note however, that some theologians/historians/translators/reasearchers show that: first it is not certain that he was indeed consuming the fruit of the vine – but rather a concoction of herbs, and when the Roman soldiers afflicted him, in Luke 23:36 of the original King James Version it says that they mocked him by offering him vinegar to drink, but that He refused it. To mock someone with something could only be possible if they are against it by principle.

            And thirdly, it has also been proffered by these scholars that the “dead to life” miracles were instances where people where in comas, thought to be dead by their families. In those days comas were unknown or misunderstood. Yesus had the medical knowledge and power to bring people out of this “dead” state given that he learned the mysteries of illness and flesh through His travels to Afrika and India. This means that He was therefore not touching the dead in these cases.  He said, in John 11:11, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”  In Luke 8:52-56:   “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.”  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

            It can also be noted that Maryam and Joseph subscribed to the laws marking the blessedness of the first-born son of the womb (Genesis 17:10-14; Exodus 13:1-16, Deuteronomy 18:4, Leviticus 12:1-8). They followed the laws of circumcision and temple sacrifices in Jerusalem. As the underlined shows, they went to present their special first-born son to the Lord through the holy Priesthood of Levi. Going to the Temple was the time of offering, like with the other mothers and their Nazirite sons. Maryam was also a daughter of Aaron, in some way by being Elisabeth's cousin. Later in life Yesus became a regular at the Temple and seen as a Rabbi , similar to Samuel's youthful connection to the Church and its elders. There are therefore quite a few instances, in addition to Him being called a prophet, priest and king; that can support a Nazirite foundation.

And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Yesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:21-23)

             The Ible states that Yesus' Nazarene connection arose because the family relocated to a town of Galilee called Nazareth: And he [Joseph] came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene (Matthew 2:23). However, despite the fact that the Prophets spoke of a mission led by the Messianic Priest-King and the re-gathering and healing of Israel’s nationhood and faith (Ezekiel 20:33-44, 37:24) - there was never any mention in the Old Testament of him or such a figure being a Nazarene. Prophetically or historically speaking, and in reference to the Old Testament, Matthew 2:23 makes little sense.  The only two titles Matthew could have been referring to are Immanuel or Nazirite.

            Was a Nazarene a native of Nazareth? Some historical searches prove this place did not exist by that name until 300 years after Yesus’ crucifixion. Such findings make it possible for Nazareth to have been named later because of the type of Israelites that lived there after the Nazirene Church gained popularity, but nothing states that one came from the other. Aside from both of them not being linked to the Old Testament, the words Nazareth and Nazarene in Hebrew do not share the same root-syllables to be linked in the same family, or to explain that Yesus was Nazarene because he was born in Nazareth.

           

            The etymology of Nazareth from as early as the apocryphal 2nd century Gospel of Phillip    has       been said to derive from the Hebrew word Nazara meaning truth, but the 4th century       writer Eusebius,           followed until the 20th century, instead derived it from the word netser,             meaning a shoot/sprout.

Since the 2nd century A.D., Christians have generally interpreted the term Nazarene as meaning "of the village of Nazareth." There is, however, no scholarly consensus regarding an original linkage between "Nazarene" and the place Nazareth, a linkage which presents etymological difficulties. (The Free Online Dictionary and Encyclopedia, Nazarene, 2009).

            It is also recorded that Mandeans, being a sect that followed John the Baptist, called their “Enlightened Leaders” Natsarenes.

            Nazarene by Greek rendering means Christians. So then who was a Nazarene, if not from Nazareth, but someone priestly? Could they not have been closely related to the Nazirites? Why was this group so important that the Son of David who was identified with Isaiah’s Immanuel, be then in turn called a Nazarene by prophesy according to the New Testament, even though the Old Testament prophecies in question knows not a Nazarene?  The only important prophetical or priestly group that was link to the holy office were the Nazirites.

            Given the inability of the New Testament Scripture to link Yesus to the Nazirites and then fail to properly explain the origin of the Nazarenes, there is one distinct reasoning from a Rastafari reasoning point of view which could determine what Nazarene really means; and which was formed by seeking information that is not common to the Church. Common to “Rasta language” is the break-down of words to reveal their true meaning, through the presence of smaller words in them.  Focusing on Nazarene as Nazar-ene, we can see that it is linked to the Biblical spelling of Nazarite, Nazar-ite.

            Since it appears that the best English spelling of Nazarite should be Nazirite given its nazir Hebrew root, we could alter Nazarene to Nazir-ene and based upon the character of the Nazir to be consecrated and set apart, and add the meaning of Nazara which explains that the Nazirene is a “truth-bearer”, to show that this person was one “consecrated by truth”. Breaking down this word it looks like Nazir-ene is a combination of two priestly words: Nazirite and Essene. The first half nazir and the second half of Essene: Nazirite-Essene.

            This is a manifestation of what theologians have debated for years in trying to place Yesus origins: Essene, Nazirene or Nazirite? But how about all three? There is no evidence in the King James Version of how Yesus spent His life before the age of 30. It can be assumed - apart from the Gospel of the Nazarene’s pre-30 account of His life - that this period was spent with the Nazirites or Essenes in seclusion, a rite of passage that Jacob himself achieved being raised for his first fifteen years by Shem and Eber (as recorded in Book of Jasher).

            Since there is no real idea of the origin of the Nazarene, was the Messiah of the Romanized Jewish kingdom born a Nazirite Son of David, and also influenced by the Essenes – in addition to being a Rabbi in the Temple? Could He have been seen as the one who would be called this as representative of these two holy groups of Israelites? (Groups that saw themselves as the Standard Bearers outside of the prestigious Levi?) An Essene could have been a more modern take on the Nazirite vow, as was the case with John, who was born Nazirite and is recorded to have been a member of the Essenes. Through John it is clear that if a Nazirene was a combination of a Nazarite and Essene, then this person was a religious and spiritual revolutionary. His rough appearance was like Samson’s, and he was a judge also. He was also Jes-us' forerunner. Nazirene is therefore taken to have been a modern term for Nazirite, based on the cultural sects that were in existence at the time the of the Immanuel and when the Gospels were written.

            Despite the discrepancies, the Gospel of the Nazarenes states the following confirmation on the Nazirite origin of Jes-us by means of the Covenant of Levi and Judah by means of his mother Maryam and father Joseph. It is likely that the Nazirite-Essene affiliation of both John and Jes-us is correct, and that Babylon cut it out like everything else to oppress Black Israel.

           Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel   answered and said unto her The Holy Spirit shall come upon Ioseph thy Spouse, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, O Mary, therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Christ, the Child of God, and his Name on earth shalt be called Iesu-Maria, for he shall save the people from their sins, whosoever shall repent and obey his Law. Therefore ye shall eat no flesh, nor drink strong drink, for the child shall be consecrated unto God from its mother’s womb, and neither flesh nor strong drink shall he take, nor shall razor touch his head. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God no thing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. And in the same day the angel Gabriel appeared unto Ioseph in a dream and said unto him, Hail, Ioseph, thou that art highly favoured, for the Fatherhood of God is with thee. Blessed art thou among men and blessed be the fruit of thy loins. And as Ioseph thought upon these words he was troubled, and the angel of the Lord said unto him, Fear not, Ioseph, thou Son of David, for thou hast found favour with God, and behold thou shalt beget a child, and thou shalt call his name Iesu-Maria for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was written in the prophets saying, Behold a Maiden shall conceive and be with child and shall bring forth a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God Within Us. Then Ioseph being raised from sleep did as the angel had bidden him, and went in unto Mary, his espoused bride, and she conceived in her womb the Holy One. (Gospel of the Nazarenes 2:1-12)

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[1] Dreadlocks rather than simply locks because no one has seven strands of hair on their head! The “locks” of Scripture must refer to seven clumps of matted hair. Much like Disney’s Tarzan depiction.

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