Paper Altars

“All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of his hair of his head grow long.”

-Numbers 6:5

I’m reading the book of Numbers, and I’ve come across something that struck me as really strange. For those who have specially given themselves to the Lord for a time, as one under a Nazirite vow, they are not allowed to go near death. Not for parents, siblings, or any close relative. If someone unexpectedly dies in front of them, the Nazirite now has to go and make a sin offering because that other person died! Then, the Nazarite must shave their head, even though their uncut hair is the emblem of their vow. For the symbol that set them apart has now defiled them because it has come into contact with death.

My initial reaction was, “Goodness, that seems harsh! They can’t help it if someone dies in front of them. How could they possibly know that’s going to happen? Why do they have to make an offering to atone for sin? Is it really sin? It’s just death, part of life.”

In pondering why God would take such an absolute stance concerning a holy, set apart person, and coming into contact with natural death (even accidentally), I couldn’t wrap my mind around it at first. But then, it hit me.

DEATH OFFENDS GOD.

God, the author of life, detests death. It is an offense to His nature. Death is the antithesis to He Who Was and He Who Is and He Who Is To Come. Death was never intended to be part of life. He is holy, He is the giver of life – therefore – He despises death. And the ones who belong to Him have no part in death! That in and of itself will preach, but it gets even better.

A couple chapters later, death gets brought up again, this time relating to Passover. Some Israelites ask Moses, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the people of Isreal (Passover)?” (Numbers 9:7) God answers back that everyone among them, whether clean or unclean, native or foreigner, may partake in Passover. They are still to keep it and still to remember it, despite being unclean. (Numbers 9:10-14)

According to this passage, no matter who you are, no matter clean or unclean, no matter native to the kingdom of God or foreigner, you are welcome to keep the Passover. Why? How is it possible that the God who was just so strict about a Nazirite’s mere exposure to death is now allowing even unclean foreigners to partake in Passover?

It is because the Passover Lamb has the power to atone for the sin of death. THE PASSOVER LAMB HAS THE POWER TO ATONE FOR THE SIN OF DEATH. JESUS IS THAT PASSOVER LAMB!

We were all unclean. We were all children of death. Yet, God still sent us His one son, this Passover Lamb, this sin offering, this Jesus, to ransom us! To make us clean, to make us holy, to make us belong to Him once more. While we were still yet sinners, He came for us and invited us to partake in the Passover Lamb.

Thank God He is unchanging. Thank God His plan was always Jesus. Thank God his covenants remain unbroken. Thank God that from Genesis to Revelation, from Alpha to Omega, from beginning to end, it’s all about Jesus.