Abstain נָזַר

We are moving into chapter twenty-two of Leviticus with our word for today. נָזַר consecrate oneself to God, desert, deal respectfully, hold oneself back from, proclaim a decree for abstinence, separate, live as a Nazirite. It is used 10 times in the Old Testament. Our word is used in the sense of to fast, to abstain from certain foods. Zechariah 7:2-5 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and הִנָּזֵ֕ר abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?” Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? We also find our word used in the sense to dissociate, to discontinue an association or relation, go different ways. Ezekiel 14:7 For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who וְיִנָּזֵ֣ר separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I the Lord will answer him myself. Our word is used most of the time to keep separate, to cause to remain separated from something. Leviticus 15:31 Thus you shall keep the people of Israel וְהִזַּרְתֶּ֥ם separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst. Numbers 6:2-3 Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, לְהַזִּ֖יר to separate himself to the Lord, יַזִּ֔יר he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. This is how our word is used in our chapter today. Leviticus 22:1-3 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons וְיִנָּֽזְרוּ֙ so that they abstain from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they dedicate to me, so that they do not profane my holy name: I am the Lord. Say to them, ‘If any one of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord. God is teaching about holiness with these rules of uncleanness for his leaders. If the leader will respect God and take him at his word, then most of the people will be influenced in a good way. One of the ways devotion in leaders is seen is when the leader does not have all the answers but choses to continue to serve God anyway. And in the process the leader becomes more like God himself who is making him holy. Another use of our word shows how this works in the negative direction of becoming what or who you devote yourself to. Hosea 9:10 Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers. But they came to Baal-peor וַיִּנָּֽזְרוּ֙ and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame, and became detestable like the thing they loved. The good news is that we can chose to follow Christ and become like him because of the salvation and transformation he works in us. I’ll close with these great passages. Romans 7:21-25 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? hanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 8:28-29 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.