A Nazarite Prepared
HE SHALL DRINK NEITHER WINE NOR STRONG DRINK [Lk.1:15]
How blessed are those children whose godly parents have brought forth notable servants of God! Righteous Zacharias and Elizabeth received power to conceive in response to their effectual fervent prayers. The scenes attending the birth of John call to remembrance those of his prophetic predecessor [1Sam.1:9-16]. There too a mother travailed in prayer before the groans of labor graced her lips. In both cases, Samuel as well as the Baptist grew up to be the greatest prophets of their generations.
Had either of those barren couples put asunder what God has joined together, they would have offended the Lord and violated the most sacred and intimate of all human relations. Beyond that, they would have aborted the possibility of conceiving two of the most noteworthy men of all time. Barrenness is never a reason to dissolve a marriage. It is rather a cause to pray and thereby prove the faithfulness of God; and that is precisely what each did.
Both sets of parents continued in the worship of the Lord though no fruit of the womb blessed their union. Hannah earnestly poured out her soul in the temple and Zacharias was discovered discharging his priestly duties in the sanctuary when the message of thrilling expectation arrived [Lk.1:6-17].
Joy and rejoicing burst upon the scene with their glad tidings marshaled by the angelic messenger [Lk.1:14]. Exultation peals its notes of cheer at the arrival of all such heralds whose beautiful feet bring good news, who proclaim peace and convey glad tidings of good things [Isa.52:7].
Yet how strange the angelic announcement fell upon their ears, You shall call his name John—Lk.1:13. Hear Elizabeth’s neighbors and relatives object, There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name—Lk.1:61. Ah, but this was no common conception. This was the divinely ordained forerunner who was to prepare the way of the Lord. All true prophets will be considered as of a different breed even from their birth, especially by their own families and relatives.
Imbedded in the prophecy about John is the seed of his genius, He shall be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink—Lk.1:15. Greatness in the sight of the Lord consists of wholehearted devotion to the calling of the Most High. It has nothing to do with performance of signs and wonders. Even Pharaoh’s heathen magicians conjured up signs and wonders through their enchantments [Ex.8:7]. And so it continues up till today. Many presumptuously boast of supernatural displays though their lawless character will consign them to everlasting destruction [Mtt.7:21-23].
Dear reader, are you seeking the miraculous and the spectacular? Do you despair because no wonders accompany your ministrations? You need not be discouraged, these things do not signal greatness in the sight of the Lord. Generally our misconceptions of supernatural workings are drawn from a misunderstanding of Mark 16:17-18. And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
The key to understanding this passage is the word those. The word those could mean all or some. Let us consider the first option, all. If inserted in the text, it makes the verse read, “And these signs will follow all who believe.” And so we must ask ourselves, “Will these signs indeed follow all who believe?” Of course not! The Bible itself makes this clear. All do not speak in tongues, all do not work miracles, all do not have gifts of healing. There are diversities of gifts, variations in activities and differences in ministry. It is the Spirit who distributes these things to each one individually as He wills [1Cor.12:8-10, 28-30]. If all these signs will follow every single believer, who then qualifies as a true Christian?
However, if we place the second option some into the verse, its meaning becomes lucid. The verse then reads, “And these signs will follow some who believe.” Documented in the Scriptures are records of these signs following some of those who have believed. The 120 in the upper room spoke in tongues, yet the 3000 that were added to the church that day did not [Acts. 2:4, 37-41]. Some laid hands on the sick and they recovered [Acts.19:11-12]. Paul took up a serpent and suffered no harm [Acts.28:3-5]. Though the Scriptures contain no record of any who drank or ate any deadly thing, though we expect that the Lord can and will protect His children in specific situations.
It is therefore an error to think that every single believer will perform or even experience these wonders. The call of God is not to the uncertainty of miraculous manifestation, but to the godliness of character that shall never disappoint.
Despair not, O weary pilgrim! Heed the advice of wisdom: Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses—1Tim.6:10-11.
Commitment to the Lord in spirit and in truth is the yardstick of measuring greatness before the Lord. Gratifying self is the antithesis of such commitment and is never to be the desire or motivation of the consecrated [Rm.14:17; 1Cor.6:12]. Of this, John was an eloquent testimony.
That John drank no wine or strong drink testified that he was a Nazarite indeed. Separation unto the Lord is the hallmark of such consecration [Num.6:2]. God, not the world, was his point of reference. He was not merely removed from the defilement of this world, but was first and foremost separated unto the Lord.
Three things characterized his devoted vow. He was to refrain from drinking wine or any strong drink [Num.6:3], not to shave his hair [Num.6:5], and was prohibited from contacting corpses [Num.6:6].
In various places in the Scriptures, wine is that apt symbol of joy springing up from below [Judg.9:13]. Jesus turning water to wine illustrates Christ as the restorer of true joy to a marriage turned sour. In relation to the Baptist, refraining from wine signifies that his joy is not to be derived from any earthly source. The world has no joy to offer the true servant of God, but only an intoxicating delusion that confuses the mind. The Lord Jesus affirms this when He says, These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full—Jn.15:11.
Beloved, Christ alone can cheer your heart with true joy. The world may suggest happiness, but it is incapable of producing that joy which alone can satisfy the deep longings of your heart. Happiness is both external and transient. Its feeble flames are soon quenched by the gushing torrents of daily problems. In contrast, come to Christ, the fountain of true joy, despite your situation’s seeming hopelessness. The joy He offers is a fiery flame that evaporates the opposing waves of sorrow.
Do not faint, neither be weary! Steady your gaze on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith. Though life may fire arrows of disappointments, wickedness and sorrow, you can yet be sheltered in the joy of the Lord. Are you falsely accused? Have you failed an exam? Has your spouse dealt treacherously with you? Perhaps you are maligned and slandered. Look right beyond these things and see your Lord with His offerings of joy. Rise, come to Him, cast your cares and burdens unto Him. He cares for you.
Secondly, no razor was to come on the Nazarite's head. His hair was to be allowed to grow freely and fully though the Bible tells us that, If a man has long hair it is a dishonor to him—1Cor.11:14. But this dishonor is precisely the point. The genuine servant of God is to bear shame and reproach for the sake of his devotion to his Lord. The intent of God is never to absolutely shelter His faithful ones from disgrace in this life. On the contrary, it is His design that when we are reproached, His grace might gain expression and be made manifest through His suffering servants.
Friend, it is well-pleasing to God if through your suffering Christ is glorified. The Lord is not unaware of what you are passing through. Rather, by divine favor, you have been nominated to constitute a wonder to angelic spectators in the heavens and to this dark and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights through your sufferings.
This was the experience of the apostle Paul. Listen to his glowing testimony in the midst of untold suffering, But I want you to know brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ—Phil.1:12-13.
What will your own testimony be as you pass through these trying periods? Will you honor the Lord like Paul, or will you follow after the example of the thief crucified along Christ on the cross, who, in his suffering, chose to ridicule the Lord? Your reaction to suffering matters to God. He will relieve you in His own time. Only be diligent to maintain a good testimony in spite of the barrage of undeserved reproaches that assault you. In so doing, the Lord will testify of you as He did in Job’s case, saying, there is no one like him—Job.1:8.
The third requirement of the Nazarite’s consecration was to avoid defiling contact with dead bodies [Num.6:6]. Since the Christian saint is joined to the Body of Christ [Col.3:15] and is therefore one with the Lord [1Cor.6:16], for him to make contact with any spiritually lifeless system is to be opposed to the very essence of the living God Himself. God is not the God of the dead but of the living—Mtt.22:32. In Him was life and the life was the light of men—Jn.1:4
All religious systems that do not own the Lord Jesus as Savior in spirit and truth are dead bodies with spiritually contaminating influences. Christ’s body is joined to Him as the Head [Col.1:18], while all such lifeless movements are dangerously defiled by contact with their human and carnal presidents and founders. To remain spotless from the corrupting death of this world requires divine enablement.
John was filled with the Spirit of God. No other power is available to work the works of Christ. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God—Rm.8:8. No earthly wisdom or human effort can proclaim the mind of God or demonstrate His power. All wisdom and power of this world are at best profitless and, at worst, demonic [Jm.3:15]. By strength no man shall prevail, and this is particularly so with respect to ministry [1Sm.2:9]. Every priestly service rendered to God must be by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit if it will meet with divine approval [Zch.4:6].
John, though endued with the Spirit, retired into a desert seclusion of spiritual devotion until thirty years had passed. Many, who devoid of the Spirit but armed with theological degrees, have rushed unapproved into public religious service unto their own ruin and the spiritual demise of multitudes.
Is it not true, dear reader, that many today are “ministers,” not because the Spirit of God indwells them, but because they passed through some man-made hierarchical stages in their churches? The sobering fact is that many who are pastors, though eloquent and articulate, have no clue as to what the gospel is. Such “ministers” have never encountered God as John did. Their pastoral vocation has only been assumed because, after becoming workers in the church and with misdirected zeal catalyzing their actions, they emerged as “deacons” and eventually metamorphosed into “pastors!” This is not Christianity at all; it is an abysmal aberration.
Because John was qualified by the standards of heaven, He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God—Lk.1:16. This is the singular desire of every true prophet and is the identifying mark of those who truly represent the Lord. Others may speak a vision of their own hearts and even allure disciples after themselves, but the genuine servant of God will always provoke conviction in his listeners [Jer.23:22].
The prophet John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, and though he bore semblance to the ancient prophet in many ways, he was not Elijah reincarnate, as some suppose. John, like Elijah, rebuked wicked political rulers and both suffered at their hands. Both had their abode in the wilderness, fearlessly proclaiming God’s word.
But while Elijah’s ministry was graced with spectacular miracles, John evidenced none; not even one [Jn.10:41]! Yet Christ spoke of the Baptist as the greatest born among women [Mtt.11:11]. Clearly this indicates that miraculous manifestations are not the evidence of divine approval. Rather, coming in the power of Elijah means turning 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—Lk.1:17. And even if miracles are performed by the power of God like those of Elijah, the intention is to lead unto repentance and not for the self-exhibition or exaltation of man.
Even so, miracles have never been known to change the heart of people. It was written of the Lord Jesus, Although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him—Jn.12:37. Then He began to rebuke most of the cities in which His mighty works had been done because they did not repent—Mtt.11:20.
The gospel, not miracles, is the power of God to salvation [Rm.1:16; 1Cor.1:17-18]. Believers are sent to preach the gospel; miracles may follow, but that is not the purpose of proclaiming salvation. [Mk.16:15]. It is for neglecting the word of God, not signs and wonders, that we shall be judged [Heb.2:1-3].
Christ tells us of a man who, languishing in the smoking fires of hell, cried out; “O that you might send someone from Your presence to alarm them of the torments of this place!” But even the miraculous will fail to convince the unbelieving according to the reply of heaven, If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead—Lk.16:27-31.
Things have not changed. The quest for miracles is the unmistakable sign of a perverse and adulterous generation [Mtt.16:4]. This generation of miracle seekers is a movement which will culminate in that final deception of the lawless one who will work miracles according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders—2Thess.2:9. Multitudes will follow after such demonic revival and miracle crusades just as they are doing today.
Miracles, by definition, are not normal occurrences but are unusual supernatural intervention in the affairs of men. It is a delusion to imagine that God’s miraculous power can be called into existence by the empty declarations of men whenever they deem fit. It is only those who conjure powers in dark realms who are capable of doing so.
But lusting after signs and wonders is not the only indicator of spiritual decline. Complacency with regard to the word of the Lord is equally disastrous. The command of the Lord to the Israelites from of old, was that they declare the divine revelation to their children [Dt.6:5-7]. This they had willfully neglected. In effect, there was a breakdown in the transmission of truth, so that each successive generation became further separated from God.
Judaism, which began with a divinely given set of moral and spiritual principles, had decayed into a multiplicity of empty man-made codes. It had passed into the fearful and devastating practice of contentedness with an endless series of external ceremonies with no reference to godly commitment.
Disdaining the moral and spiritual implications of God’s word, the people had degenerated into the dreaded delusion of supposing that religion was an adequate substitute for true spirituality. Though the outward form was still quite apparent, true spiritual perception was lacking. Their religious meetings were borne out of a sense of obligation, not of inward conviction and true spiritual desire.
Tragically, the people were well content with this bankrupt pretence to godliness. The temple, priests, sacrifices and fasts were readily approved by the carnal populace, but no inward reality of spiritual life accompanied their vain practices.
Upon this dismal scene the Baptist burst forth with the convicting call of repentance from dead works. The hearts of the fathers must be turned back to their children! That the fathers had not been teaching the children, tells us that they themselves do not know the law. Devoid of the knowledge of the Lord, and bereft of the wisdom of God, each had departed to his own way following his own occupation and interests.
All true servants of the Lord will devote themselves to turning the hearts of the fathers to the children. It is an error to imagine that the weekly Sunday school lessons in the churches will accomplish this. They may assist us, but will not absolve us from this sacred obligation. Parental teaching is a natural duty and a spiritual necessity. No one qualifies to instruct children like the ones who conceived them. This divine mandate of the word of God should be soberly impressed upon fathers, who must in turn teach their children the way of truth.
Like Judaism, professing Christendom is a cause for lamentation. We are far removed from the moral excellence for which the early church was well known. Programs have replaced personal commitment, and the word of God itself has been set aside for denominational constitutions. Though pastors and reverends, Bible schools and churches are on the increase, holiness of life, purity in heart and godly character is grievously absent. Complacency in the visible and outward sanctity of our religion is the curse of this generation with its hollow pretense void of life.
Let me ask you, is your heart turned to the Lord? Are you raising godly children? What testimony of true spiritual life do you evince at home and before God? These are questions to ponder. If your religion has failed to produce a godly character in you, you are yet manacled in the bonds of iniquity.
But in spite of this vast wasteland of religious insanity, the Christ of God yet seeks men and women of godly inclinations. He is looking for those who despair of the empty profession that is characteristic of Christendom today; He yet seeks Nazarites who will separate themselves unto Him in devotion and truth.
Will you join the ranks of the consecrated or will you turn a deaf ear to His call? May we be prepared and refined by the Lord to be His vassals, calling men to life and repentance from dead works.
O Lord, we beseech Thee, raise up prophets unto Thyself who will seek to turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, for the advancement of Thy kingdom and for the sake of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment