Numbers 5-6 – Nazirite Vow

Chapter 5 has an interesting ‘adultery test’ if a husband suspects his wife. The priest makes a drink and if she’s guilty, her abdomen swells and her thigh wastes away (image of miscarriage). But otherwise, she’s fine (and probably shames the man pretty bad).

Serious stuff – probably made them think twice before doing anything: cheating or accusing.

Chapter 6 discusses the Nazirite Vow – a special, temporary time dedicated to God to keep yourself particularly clean and set apart.

I think we can still do this today – a period of time set apart to be close to God. Not that we don’t always want to be close to Him, but sometimes we specifically focus mostly/solely on that. Paul talks about something like this in 1 Corinthians 7:5…

“Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again…”

It’s good at times to set time aside to focus on God and our hearts sd always be devoted. But we’re note meant to be hermits who avoid all other things either.