Scripture Reading: Neh. 2:4, 10, 17-20; Rev. 21:18-20; Num. 6:1-9, 22-27; 1 John 2:15-17

Ⅰ　

Nehemiah took the lead to build up the wall, which is to build up the church as the kingdom of God; the wall separates God's people unto God from all things other than God—Neh. 2:4, 10, 17-20; 4:11-23; Rev. 21:18-20.

Ⅱ　

God desires that all His people be Nazarites, those who separate themselves unto God to be absolutely, utterly, and ultimately for God, that is, to be for nothing other than God—loving God, seeking God, living God, and being constituted with God to bless others with God for the expression of God—Num. 6:1-8, 22-27; Psa. 73:25-26; Jer. 32:39; 2 Cor. 13:14:

A　

According to typology, among the human race the unique Nazarite is the Lord Jesus Christ; a Nazarite is a type of Christ in His living absolutely for God in His humanity—John 4:34; 5:19, 30; 7:18; 14:24.

B　

The Nazarite's separation lasted for seven days (Acts 21:27), signifying a full course, even a lifetime (Num. 6:8; cf. 1 Cor. 5:7-8; Exo. 12:15; 13:9, 2-4, 6-7).

C　

All overcomers live in the principle of the Nazarite with a voluntary fourfold consecration to God—1 Cor. 6:15-20; Rom. 12:1-2; 9:23; cf. Dan. 5:23:

１　

A Nazarite must overcome worldly enjoyment and pleasure, signified by abstaining from wine and anything related to its source—Num. 6:3-4; cf. Psa. 104:15; Eccl. 10:19; Dan. 1:8; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15; Rev. 2:17:

ａ　

Worldly pleasure leads to lustful conduct and a lustful intention; we must abstain from the worldly wine by enjoying Christ as the new wine to make us people who cheer God and cheer man—Judg. 9:13; Matt. 9:17; Eph. 5:18; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; cf. Isa. 42:4.

ｂ　

We need to maintain our joy in the Lord day by day; "I will go to the altar of God, / To God my exceeding joy"—Psa. 43:4; 16:11; 36:8-9; 46:4; 48:2; 51:12; Neh. 8:10; Jer. 15:16; Lam. 3:21-24, 55-56; Hymns, #523.

２　

A Nazarite must overcome rebellion, signified by not shaving his head; not shaving the head signifies not rejecting but being absolutely subject to the headship of the Lord—Num. 6:5; cf. 1 Cor. 11:3, 6, 10, 15:

ａ　

A Nazarite is absolutely subject to the headship of the Lord as well as to all deputy authorities appointed by God—Eph. 1:10, 22b-23; Col. 1:18; Rom. 13:1-2a; Eph. 5:21, 23; 6:1; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 3:1-7; 5:5.

ｂ　

A Nazarite is a person full of hair, full of submission; with him there is a submissive atmosphere and intention; if you are such a person, there will be a great blessing for you and for your future—Col. 1:18; 2:19.

ｃ　

"It is a blessing to be under someone or some thing. It is even a blessing to be severely limited. I thank the Lord that from the day I came into the recovery, the Lord put me under someone, some thing, or some environment"—Witness Lee, Life-study of Numbers, p. 70; cf. Eph. 4:1.

ｄ　

Samson was a Nazarite from his mother's womb for the full course of his life, and the source of Samson's power was his long hair; from this we see that in submission there is power—Judg. 16:17; cf. Josh. 9:14.

３　

A Nazarite must overcome death, signified by not being allowed to be defiled by the death of the relative closest to him or by the sudden death of one beside him—Num. 6:6-7, 9:

ａ　

Death is more defiling before God than sin; different kinds of spiritual death may spread among God's people in the church life—wild death (the carcasses of beasts), mild death (the carcasses of cattle), or subtle death (the carcasses of creeping things)—Lev. 5:2; Rev. 3:4; Rom. 8:6.

ｂ　

We must be those who are full of life, which is "anti-death"; this depends on how much we exercise our spirit to pray, not in a general way but with a prayer that fights against the enemy—2 Cor. 5:4; 6:1a; Matt. 26:41; Dan. 6:10; 9:17.

ｃ　

If we sense deadness in a meeting, we need to pray very much to counter that deadening situation: "Lord, cover me with Your blood against any deadening, against any spiritual deadness. Lord, cover this meeting with Your prevailing blood. Under this blood, we participate in the divine life."

ｄ　

The Nazarites are numbered for the formation of God's army and are very vigilant, full of feeling for the war against death; because the germs of death are even in the church life, we need to pray daily, hourly, fighting against death, the last enemy of God—1 Cor. 15:26.

４　

A Nazarite must overcome natural affection, signified by not making himself unclean for his father, mother, brother, or sister when they die— Num. 6:7; Matt. 12:46-50; 2 Cor. 5:16:

ａ　

The natural life with its natural affection is typified by honey that ferments and brings in rottenness (in the meal offering, honey is prohibited); the problem between Paul and Barnabas was caused by the honey of the natural life—Lev. 2:11; Acts 15:35-39, 25-26; Col. 4:10.

ｂ　

God does not want us to love with our natural love but with Him as our love—Phil. 2:2; 1 Cor. 13:4-8, 13; 2 Tim. 1:7.

D　

Once our former separation has been made void, we must reseparate ourselves to God by taking Christ as the reality of all the offerings—Num. 6:8-21.

E　

Our separation unto God is for our being blessed by God to bless others with God in the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity—vv. 22-27.