Hair as a Measurement

Judges 15-16; Psalm 103; Proverbs 14:17-19

 

Did Samson have magical hair? Why did it matter that the hair on his head began to grow back again after it had been shaved (Judges 16:22)?

 

It mattered because Samson was a Nazirite, not because his hair had any special qualities of its own. When Samson finally told Delilah how to subdue him, he said, “No razor has ever been used on my head because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth.” – Judges 16:17

 

Nazirites were people who made a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD (Numbers 6:2). Whatever vow they made, they had certain rules to follow. The most constantly visible mark of being a Nazirite was their hair. Here’s why:

 

Numbers 6: 5-8 During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to the LORD is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long. Throughout the period of his separation to the LORD he must not go near a dead body. Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to God is on his head. Throughout the period of his separation he is consecrated to the LORD. …

 

Numbers 6:18-21  … Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that he dedicated. He is to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering. After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair of his dedication, the priest is to place in his hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and a cake and a wafer from the basket, both made without yeast. The priest shall then wave them before the LORD as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine. This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD in accordance with his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford. He must fulfill the vow he has made, according to the law of the Nazirite.

 

The hair was an exact physical representation of the number of days that a Nazirite had been devoted to the LORD. Nazirites turned their hair in at the end of their vows as a statement that they had been faithful to God for as long as the vow was in place. So what happened if, like Samson, a Nazirite lost his hair? Did that kill the vow? Was he doomed to failure?

 

Numbers 6:9-12 - If someone dies suddenly in his presence, thus defiling the hair he has dedicated, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing--the seventh day. Then on the eighth day he must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for him because he sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day he is to consecrate his head. He must dedicate himself to the LORD for the period of his separation and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because he became defiled during his separation.

 

So getting a Nazirite’s hair shaved off didn’t mean his vow was over. It didn’t mean God was done with a him. Instead, it was a time to start over, to re-commit to one’s vow and to God all over again. For Samson, it meant another chance to fulfill God’s plans for his life. What were those plans?

 

No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. – Judges 13:5

 

So God had given Samson a lifelong vow to keep. Yes, most people get to make their own vows. But God had given Samson his lifelong vow before he had even been conceived. And that vow was that Samson would begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.

 

When Samson lost his hair to the Philistines, it was evidence at the most basic level that he had broken his vow. But Samson served the same God we serve today, a God who has built grace into His system so that, even when we fail, we can look forward to serving Him another day. When Samson’s hair was shaved off, it showed that Samson had been unfaithful to God. And when Samson’s hair grew back, it showed that God was still faithful to Samson and would still give him a chance to fulfill his designated vow. Samson did more to deliver Israel from the Philistines after his hair had begun to grow back than he had ever accomplished while he still had his eyes and his braids as long as life.

 

God does not forsake His children forever.

 

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your forgiveness, and for Your willingness to show me how fully I break Your commands while still giving me the chance to repent and call on You again. I am like Samson and like Paul; when I am weak, then I am strong, because Your power is made perfect in weakness. As I see my limitations and sinfulness in any and every area of my life, may I repent and start over with You as the constant source of all the wisdom, love and talent in my life.