Praise the Lord, there is a “side-door” opened into God’s economy for those who are unqualified, by means of the Nazarite vow, that they would give themselves to the Lord for His purpose as His Nazarites today! Amen!
This week in our holy word for morning revival we come to the third week in the Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Samuel entitled, Spiritual Principles, Life Lessons, and Holy Warnings Seen in the History of Samuel.
What we read in these books are not merely stories or part of the history of Israel; rather, we see many spiritual principles, we learn many life lessons, and we receive many holy warnings in the history of Samuel.
If we look at Samuel from this point of view – spiritual principles, life lessons, and holy warnings – we will have a newfound appreciation of how applicable this history is to each one of us.
God today is still seeking a person, a group of people, who would be today’s Samuel, today’s age-turners.
Such ones are a collective person who would rise up, in cooperation with God, so that God can carry out His move in our age today.
So we need to learn these principles, learn these life lessons, and receive these holy warnings.
There is a process for us to pass through if we want to be a useful person in God’s hands for His outworking in His economy today; we need to be trained, perfected, and learn the lessons.
Our burden today is that we become today’s Samuel, the corporate Samuel of today. We want to be the acting God, the corporate acting God on the earth today.
May we in the Lord’s recovery want to be those who are one heart with God, one being with Him, so that in every way we are simply synchronized with our God. Amen!
God in His wisdom and foresight has established the law of the Nazarites; He knows that there will be a day when the ordained priests of God would degrade, as the house of Aaron, so He opened a side door for His people to voluntarily give themselves to God.
There is a supplementary provision of God for His people to meet His need voluntarily in the abnormal conditions of His priests not functioning in a proper way.
Samuel was such a one; he was under the custody of Eli, who was not a good priest, but he learned the lessons of serving the Lord, and he was produced to be one who turned the age.
He turned the age from the age of judges to the age of the kingdom. This one, Samuel, was fully one with God; his entire being and person were altogether according to God.
He was so one with God that he was the acting God on earth. We aspire to be such ones, His Nazarites today to replace the degraded priesthood and be the acting God on earth to bring in His kingdom and Christ, the King.
Ministering to the Lord as a Nazarite, those Sanctified and Separated Absolutely to God
If we look at the origin of Samuel we see that he was of the tribe of Levi (1 Chron. 6:33-38) but was not of the house of Aaron, the family of priests ordained by God.
Samuel ministered to the Lord as one who was a priest not by birth but by the Nazarite vow.
His origin was not man but God; he was prayed for and consecrated by his mother even before he was born.
Hannah realized that, in those days, God was poor in the matter of people; He didn’t have anyone to cooperate with Him, so He needed Samuel.
God was not wealthy in the matter of a human instrument, a human vessel, who would cooperate with Him to bring in the age of the kingdom.
So God allowed Hannah to be without child so that she would be desperate to come and pray at the tabernacle; that prayer was answered.
God actually initiated the situation and He put the prayer in the heart of this woman so that she would pray according to God’s need and His economy for a son.
Though Samuel was not of the tribe of Aaron, he was a Levite; however, he was not a priest, so he was not qualified by birth to be a priest according to God’s ordination.
Rather, he was a son of the Kohathites, who were sons of Levi; his origin can be traced back to the great rebel Korah.
God’s move with His answer to Hannah’s prayer was to produce an overcoming Nazarite who was absolute for the fulfillment of God’s desire; even before he was born, Samuel was consecrated by his mother to be such a person (1 Sam. 1:10-11, 18-20).
In a sense, he had no choice; he was consecrated by his mother even before he was born to be a Nazarite.
We all need to pray for our sons and daughters and consecrate them to the Lord for His purpose.
God desires that all His people would be Nazarites; to be a Nazarite is to be sanctified, separated, absolutely and ultimately to God.
To be a Nazarite is to be for nothing other than God ad for nothing other than His satisfaction – the testimony of Jesus, which is the testifying church as the testimony and the expression of Christ (Num. 6:1-2; Psa. 73:25-26; Rev. 1:2, 9-13; 19:10; cf. Exo. 38:21).
We all need to be today’s Samuel, today’s Nazarites for God’s satisfaction, for the testimony of Jesus. Amen, we want to be His Nazarites today!
Due to the degradation of the church, most Christians lost their function as priests; the priesthood is waning and almost inexistent.
On this background, the Lord needs Nazarites, those who overcome by standing against the tide of this age and stand for Jesus to be His testimony, testifying the church as the testimony and expression of Christ in this Christless religion that is Christianity.
We need to make the Nazarite vow so that we may minister to the Lord as a Nazarite, being fully sanctified and separated unto God.
A Nazarite is to abstain from wine and anything related to its source; this signifies that we should abstain from all kinds of earthly enjoyment and pleasure, and take and experience Christ as our enjoyment and pleasure (Num. 6:3-4; Judg. 9:12-13).
As believers in Christ, we need to eat the tree of life, that is, enjoy Christ as our life supply, as a primary matter in the church life (Rev. 2:7).
May we not be usurped by religion or the earthly enjoyment and pleasure with a religious cloak on it; may we see what the enemy does to cause an evil cosmos to exist to usurp God’s people.
May we love the Lord and be His Nazarites today, give up the world Christ to obtain and gain!
A Nazarite was not to shave his head, signifying that he should not reject but be absolutely subject to the headship of the Lord as well as to all deputy authorities appointed by God (Num. 6:5; Rom. 13:1-2a; Eph. 5:21, 23; 6:1; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:5).
We need to be under the Lord’s headship fully; He must be preeminent in our life, and He must be our Lord, our Husband, and our King.
In our daily life, in big and small things, we need to say Amen to the Lord’s authority and direction, being fully under His rule and governing.
Some people say that they submit only to God and not to anyone else; this sounds good, but it is not enough, for God has appointed some delegated authorities who represent Him.
He rules not only directly but also indirectly, through the authorities He established in human society and also in the church.
For us to have any kind of rebelliousness within us would disqualify us from being one who is separated unto God.
A Nazarite was not to be defiled by the death of his blood relatives but remain in his separation to be holy to God; this signifies that a Nazarite overcomes natural affection (Num. 6:7).
This is a very important item in the law of a Nazarite; we need to not have natural affection but rather, cut off all the natural affection and take care of the Father’s house.
Our brothers and sisters are in the church life, and we have no preference or natural affection in the church life.
For us to be a Nazarite, we must overcome the natural affection and be thoroughly holy to Jehovah.
A Nazarite was to not come near a dead person or to be defiled by the sudden death of one beside him; this signifies that a Nazarite is separated from death (vv. 6-9; Rev. 3:4; Lev. 11:31; 5:2; cf. 1 John 5:16).
We may be with some saints and even with some close saints, but suddenly they become dead, for they were poisoned.
Sometimes some saints receive the poison of death and they become dead; they are right next to us, and this may also affect us.
As those who make the Nazarite vow, we need to not be defiled by the sudden death of one beside us.
Sin is dirty, but death is even more dirty and more defiling in the eyes of God.
Once we are defiled by death, we need to rededicate ourselves, reconsecrate ourselves, and re-establish ourselves in this separation according to its laws, to be a Nazarite again.
Lord Jesus, we give ourselves to You to be Your Nazarites, those who are sanctified, separated, absolutely and ultimately to God! Amen, Lord, we want to live a life for nothing other than God and for nothing other than His satisfaction! We consecrate ourselves to You for Your testimony; we want to be part of the testifying church as the testimony and the expression of Christ on earth! We give ourselves to You for Your purpose voluntarily. We want to meet Your need in this age; we lend ourselves to You for what You want to do today. Amen, Lord, make us Your Nazarites, those who make a Nazarite vow to meet Your need in this age!
May we Lend ourselves to the Lord as His Nazarites for His use, the Consecrated Ones
At the time of Samuel, the priesthood of the house of Aaron was utterly fallen, and God was poor in the matter of having someone who cooperates with Him.
God, however, foresaw the situation and made a supplement – the Nazarite vow in Num. 6.
Besides His ordaining the house of Aaron to be the priests, God made a supplement, just in case there should be an inadequacy in the ordained priests.
Surely at the time of Eli, it has come to a point that it is a complete, total inadequacy and deficiency.
It’s almost as if, at the time of Eli, the whole priesthood is gone, compared to what it should be. Yes, there was a priesthood, and the priests were serving in the tabernacle, but there was no reality or actuality there.
When the house of Aaron fell, this supplement in Num. 6 was put into practical use; Samuel became a priest by being consecrated, separated, and lent to the Lord (1 Sam. 1:11, 27-28).
At that time, Jehovah even said, You are kicking My sacrifice and My offerings. They usurped God.
The people were still making offerings and sacrifices to God, but Eli’s sons came with their forks and wanted to take whatever they wanted from the offerer, profaning the offerings that belong to God.
They were stealing God’s food. And they even committed fornication right there in front of the tabernacle with the serving women.
When the house of Aaron fell to such an extent, this supplement in Num. 6 was put into practical use; Samuel became a priest by being consecrated unto the Lord, separated unto Him, and lent to the Lord by his mother.
In this situation God became poor; His house was poor, for He had no real priest, no real serving ones. So He needed someone, but there was no one on the main line, according to His ordination.
However, the side door was open – the supplemental way of serving God was available. The supplementary door was opened up for Samuel to come in and be the priest that God needed; he was lent to God by his mother.
In Samuel, God has found a priest. Hannah saw that God’s house was lacking and God was poor at that time, so she lent Samuel to the Lord.
When the situation is abnormal, the Lord becomes poor with respect to His administration, and there is the need for someone to voluntarily lend himself to the Lord.
Today we live in such abnormal times; the whole situation in the world is upside down and corrupted, and the situation in Christianity is degraded.
God’s house is poor and His administration is in want. Will we not stand up and meet His need and offer ourselves willingly, voluntarily, to Him for His purpose?
He needs the young men to offer themselves willingly in the splendor of their consecration to water Him on the day of His warfare.
Many young brothers and sisters today need to give themselves to the Lord voluntarily. We need to volunteer.
This world will be gone; all the riches and entertainment and things around us are just vanities – one day they all will be gone. Just give yourself to love the Lord and serve Him.
The side door is still open; the Lord is still receiving voluntarily consecrated ones that take the supplemental way to serve Him.
We have the opportunity of a lifetime, even the opportunity of a century, to cooperate with the Lord today by voluntarily consecrating ourselves to Him to make a Nazarite vow and be available for His use.
If we see His economy, if we realize His need, we will just be the voluntary consecrated ones today, the Nazarites of today, those who volunteer to the Lord for what He wants to do today.
Lord Jesus, thank You for making a provision for us to give ourselves to You for Your purpose. Grant us to see Your need and to realize that You need men who voluntarily consecrate themselves to You for what You want to do today. Oh Lord, we want to water and refresh You today, in the day of Your warfare, as You are on Your way back. We volunteer ourselves to You. We give ourselves to the Lord for His purpose. Amen, Lord, we want to take the opportunity to lend ourselves to the Lord voluntarily for what You want to do in this age. We are open to You. We do not care for today’s pleasures and enjoyment; we just want You and Your purpose. Gain many Nazarites today for You to end this age and bring in the age of the kingdom!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Minoru Chen, and portions from, Truth Lessons – Level 1, vol. 1, lsn. 10 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization Study of 1 and 2 Samuel (2021 winter training), week 3, entitled, Spiritual Principles, Life Lessons, and Holy Warnings Seen in the History of Samuel.
- Hymns on this topic:
– What a blessing, what a priv’lege! / Called of God a royal priest, / That this glorious, holy office / I should bear, though last and least. / All the building of the Body / On the priesthood doth depend; / Ever praying in the spirit / I this office would attend. (Hymns #848)
– A voluntary offering, / The young ones are to Thee; / In consecration’s splendor / How beautiful to see! / For as the dew of morning / Refreshes all the land— / The young ones given to Thee / Are precious in Thy hand. (Hymns #1102)
– You need the Nazarites to turn this age. / Move in me to turn my heart and consecrate. / Save me from all selfish seeking, search my heart. / Set me free, make every bondage break apart! / I need You, but You need me too, / To do what You want to do. / Rekindle all of my love for You, / To be a voluntarily consecrated one. (Song on, Consecrated One)
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