a Scriptural Consideration entry

 

The man stood apart from the crowd—not by status or station, but by devotion. No razor had touched his hair. He avoided all contact with the dead, even that of a close relative. He refused even the fruit of the vine. His life was shaped by a vow, invisible to most but vivid in Jehovah’s eyes. Each morning, as he awoke to the scent of the camp and the hum of daily life, he remembered: Today too, I belong wholly to Jehovah.

The Nazirite vow was not required. It was a choice—a holy offering of time, behavior, and self. (Num. 6:1-8) For a set period, or in rare cases a lifetime, a man or woman could voluntarily adopt this sacred form of worship. They renounced certain freedoms, not to prove their strength, but to declare their love. (Deut. 6:5) The Nazirite was not more important than others, but they became a living symbol of wholehearted devotion.

“He is holy to Jehovah all the days of his Naziriteship.” —Num. 6:8

So what about us? We are not under the Mosaic Law, and we are not commanded to abstain from wine or grow our hair long. But every day, we too can choose to make sacrifices for Jehovah—not out of duty, but out of love. A pioneer forgoes a higher-paying job. A youth resists peer pressure for the sake of clean worship. A caregiver sacrifices sleep to care for a believing spouse, whispering a prayer for strength before dawn. These are modern-day vows of love, spoken not with words but with choices.

To Jehovah, such devotion is not small. It is holy.

And like the Nazirite, when we keep our vow, however quiet or unseen, we bring joy to the heart of our God. (Prov. 27:11)

“He is holy to Jehovah…” Those words echo still—not just over the head of an ancient Israelite, but over any servant who says with their life, ‘I choose you, Jehovah.’

Jehovah treasures that choice. And he never overlooks a vow made in love.

—w24.02 14 ¶1-2