Numbers 6:10
On the eighth day he must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
On the eighth day
The phrase "on the eighth day" signifies a period of completion and new beginnings in biblical numerology. The number eight often represents a new order or creation, as seen in the resurrection of Jesus, which occurred on the first day of the week, the day after the Sabbath, symbolically the eighth day. In the context of the Nazirite vow, this day marks the transition from a period of purification back to normal life, emphasizing renewal and dedication to God.

he must bring
The requirement that "he must bring" indicates a personal responsibility and commitment to fulfill the vow. This act of bringing an offering is a demonstration of obedience and reverence towards God. It underscores the importance of personal accountability in one's spiritual journey and the necessity of approaching God with a heart willing to give and sacrifice.

two turtledoves or two young pigeons
The offering of "two turtledoves or two young pigeons" reflects the provision for those who might not afford more expensive sacrifices, such as a lamb. This inclusivity highlights God's understanding and accommodation of different economic statuses among His people. The use of birds in sacrifices is significant, as they symbolize purity and innocence, aligning with the Nazirite's vow of holiness.

to the priest
The role of "the priest" is crucial as a mediator between God and man. The priest's involvement in the offering process signifies the importance of spiritual leadership and guidance in the community. It also reflects the priestly duty to ensure that the offerings are made according to God's commandments, maintaining the sanctity and order of worship.

at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting
The "entrance to the Tent of Meeting" is a sacred space where God met with His people. This location is significant as it represents the threshold between the divine and the human realms. Bringing the offering to this specific place underscores the importance of approaching God with reverence and the acknowledgment of His presence among His people. It serves as a reminder of the holiness required to stand before God and the community's collective worship and dedication.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Nazirite
An individual who has taken a special vow of consecration to the Lord, which includes abstaining from wine, not cutting their hair, and avoiding contact with dead bodies.

2. Priest
A mediator between God and the people, responsible for performing sacrifices and rituals according to the Law of Moses.

3. Tent of Meeting
The portable earthly dwelling place of God among the Israelites, where the priest would perform sacrifices and rituals.

4. Eighth Day
A significant day in biblical rituals, often symbolizing a new beginning or completion of a purification process.

5. Turtledoves/Young Pigeons
Common sacrificial animals in the Old Testament, often used in purification rituals due to their accessibility and affordability.
Teaching Points
Consecration and Purity
The Nazirite vow emphasizes the importance of setting oneself apart for God. In our lives, we are called to live in a way that reflects our dedication to Him.

The Role of Sacrifice
Sacrifices in the Old Testament were a means of purification and atonement. Today, we rely on the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus for our purification and reconciliation with God.

Symbolism of the Eighth Day
The eighth day represents new beginnings. In Christ, we are given a new life and a fresh start, free from the bondage of sin.

Accessibility of Worship
The use of turtledoves or pigeons shows that God made a way for everyone, regardless of their economic status, to participate in worship and purification.

Community and Accountability
The involvement of the priest and the community in the Nazirite's vow reminds us of the importance of accountability and support in our spiritual journey.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the concept of a Nazirite vow challenge us to consider areas of our lives that need to be set apart for God?

2. In what ways does the sacrificial system in the Old Testament point to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ?

3. How can the symbolism of the eighth day inspire us to embrace new beginnings in our spiritual walk?

4. What lessons can we learn from the accessibility of worship in the Old Testament that apply to our church communities today?

5. How can we foster a sense of community and accountability in our spiritual lives, similar to the role of the priest in the Nazirite vow?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 12:6-8
Discusses the purification offering after childbirth, which also involves bringing turtledoves or pigeons, highlighting the theme of purification and consecration.

Luke 2:22-24
Mary and Joseph bring turtledoves or pigeons for Mary's purification after Jesus' birth, connecting the Old Testament purification rituals to the New Testament.

Hebrews 9:13-14
Compares the blood of animals used in Old Testament purification to the superior sacrifice of Christ, emphasizing the fulfillment of the Law through Jesus.
A Faithful AbstainerNumbers 6:1-21
Dangerous Things to be AvoidedJ. Spencer.Numbers 6:1-21
Degrading Effects of DrinkJ. B. Gough.Numbers 6:1-21
Nazarite RulesDean Law.Numbers 6:1-21
Of the Vows of the Nazarites, and the Use Thereof to UsW. Attersoll.Numbers 6:1-21
Separated to the Service of GodW. Binnie Numbers 6:1-21
The Law of Vows (With Special Reference to the Nazarite)W. Roberts, M. A.Numbers 6:1-21
The NazariteLewis R. Dunn, D. D.Numbers 6:1-21
The Ordinance of NazariteshipC. H. Mackintosh.Numbers 6:1-21
The Vow of the NazariteW. Jones.Numbers 6:1-21
The Regulations for Observance of the Nazarite's VowD. Young Numbers 6:3-21
People
Aaron, Israelites, Moses, Naziriteship
Places
Sinai
Topics
Bring, Bringeth, Congregation, Door, Doorway, Doves, Eighth, Entrance, Meeting, Opening, Pigeons, Priest, Tabernacle, Tent, Turtledoves, Turtle-doves, Turtles
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Numbers 6:10

     4636   dove
     4678   pigeon

Numbers 6:1-20

     5155   hair

Numbers 6:1-21

     4544   wine
     5741   vows

Numbers 6:5-12

     7340   clean and unclean

Numbers 6:9-11

     6175   guilt, removal of

Library
Separation to God.
NUMB. VI. 1-21. THE INSTITUTION OF THE ORDER OF NAZARITES. The first twenty-one verses of Numb. vi. give us an account of the institution and ordinances of the order of Nazarites. And let us note at the outset that this institution, like every other good and perfect gift, came from above; that GOD Himself gave this privilege--unasked--to His people; thereby showing His desire that "whosoever will" of His people may be brought into closest relationship to Himself. It was very gracious of GOD to permit
James Hudson Taylor—Separation and Service

Tenth Day. Holiness and Separation.
I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people. And ye shall be holy unto me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from other people that ye should be Mine.'--Lev. xx. 24, 26. 'Until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy.... All the days of his separation he is holy unto the Lord.'--Num. vi. 5, 8. 'Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered without the
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

Of the Duties which we are to Perform after Receiving the Holy Communion, Called Action or Practice.
The duty which we are to perform after the receiving of the Lord's Supper is called action or practice, without which all the rest will minister to us no comfort. The action consists of two sorts of duties:---First, Such as we are to perform in the church, or else after we are gone home. Those that we are to perform in the church are either several from our own souls, or else jointly with the congregation. The several duties which thou must perform from thine own soul are three:--First, Thou must
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

These Things, My Brother Aurelius, Most Dear unto Me...
38. These things, my brother Aurelius, most dear unto me, and in the bowels of Christ to be venerated, so far as He hath bestowed on me the ability Who through thee commanded me to do it, touching work of Monks, I have not delayed to write; making this my chief care, lest good brethren obeying apostolic precepts, should by lazy and disobedient be called even prevaricators from the Gospel: that they which work not, may at the least account them which do work to be better than themselves without doubt.
St. Augustine—Of the Work of Monks.

The Worship of the Synagogue
One of the most difficult questions in Jewish history is that connected with the existence of a synagogue within the Temple. That such a "synagogue" existed, and that its meeting-place was in "the hall of hewn stones," at the south-eastern angle of the court of the priest, cannot be called in question, in face of the clear testimony of contemporary witnesses. Considering that "the hall of hew stones" was also the meeting-place for the great Sanhedrim, and that not only legal decisions, but lectures
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Peace
Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. I Pet 1:1. Having spoken of the first fruit of sanctification, assurance, I proceed to the second, viz., Peace, Peace be multiplied:' What are the several species or kinds of Peace? Peace, in Scripture, is compared to a river which parts itself into two silver streams. Isa 66:12. I. There is an external peace, and that is, (1.) (Economical, or peace in a family. (2.) Political, or peace in the state. Peace is the nurse of plenty. He maketh peace in thy borders,
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Gen. xxxi. 11
Of no less importance and significance is the passage Gen. xxxi. 11 seq. According to ver. 11, the Angel of God, [Hebrew: mlaK halhiM] appears toJacob in a dream. In ver. 13, the same person calls himself the God of Bethel, with reference to the event recorded in chap. xxviii. 11-22. It cannot be supposed that in chap xxviii. the mediation of a common angel took place, who, however, had not been expressly mentioned; for Jehovah is there contrasted with the angels. In ver. 12, we read: "And behold
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Covenanting a Privilege of Believers.
Whatever attainment is made by any as distinguished from the wicked, or whatever gracious benefit is enjoyed, is a spiritual privilege. Adoption into the family of God is of this character. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (margin, or, the right; or, privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."[617] And every co-ordinate benefit is essentially so likewise. The evidence besides, that Covenanting
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Prayer
But I give myself unto prayer.' Psa 109: 4. I shall not here expatiate upon prayer, as it will be considered more fully in the Lord's prayer. It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer: he who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer; as he who often distributes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the soul's trading with heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. What is prayer? It is an offering
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Annunciation to Zacharias of the Birth of John the Baptist.
(at Jerusalem. Probably b.c. 6.) ^C Luke I. 5-25. ^c 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa [a Jewish proselyte, an Idumæan or Edomite by birth, founder of the Herodian family, king of Judæa from b.c. 40 to a.d. 4, made such by the Roman Senate on the recommendation of Mark Antony and Octavius Cæsar], a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course [David divided the priests into twenty-four bodies or courses, each course serving in rotation one week in the temple
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Things to be Meditated on as Thou Goest to the Church.
1. That thou art going to the court of the Lord, and to speak with the great God by prayer; and to hear his majesty speak unto thee by his word; and to receive his blessing on thy soul, and thy honest labour, in the six days past. 2. Say with thyself by the way--"As the hart brayeth for the rivers of water, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, even for the living God: When shall I come and appear before the presence of God? For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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