COMMITTAL BY BELIEVERS

G. C. McKay

Numbers 6: 1–5; Judges 13: 1–5

We have been hearing tonight, dear brethren, of the divine provision for us and committal to us in love. We have had allusion to the rich spiritual blessings that are ours, and to the privilege of partaking of the Supper. We

begin each week with that, the emblems before us speaking most touchingly of Christ’s committal. We often think of Him in that way, the definiteness of it—“I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go free”, Exodus 21: 5. Divine love in its committal is brought to bear upon us. It is one of the most powerful things, divine love in its committal, not only a necessary service as occasion arises, but committal, Jesus is committed to serve the assembly. The Lord Jesus is committed to that; He delivered Himself up for the assembly, involving His death and involving His present service too, so that things should go right through to the end.

Now, I wondered if I could say a little about committal from our side. You can see that if we are affected by divine love there is going to be an answer in us, an appreciation in our hearts in praise, and also an answer in committal. We often speak of the divine side of things, and how affecting it is, but I think there has to be some kind of answer in our hearts. This scripture in Numbers makes provision for a special vow that we might make; it is not a prescribed thing that we have to make it. So that it is a kind of challenge, “If a man or a woman have vowed the special vow of a Nazarite”—so that brings in a brother or sister, and us all, if we want to do this. So the challenge would come as to whether we would like to be a Nazarite, and to make a special vow. The background in the book is really one of need and of difficulty; just as in the days of Judges where Jehovah gave Israel into the hands of the Philistines because they did evil in the sight of Jehovah. In chapter 5 of Numbers you get the trial of jealousy, a man challenging his wife as to whether she is faithful or not, and the matter being gone through and bringing to light as to whether she was faithful or unfaithful.

That speaks, of course, of the Lord Jesus and His right to challenge. Indeed the challenge was raised as to Israel and she was found to be unfaithful, and in days of Christianity too the challenge can be raised. Is there faithfulness to Christ or is there not? Chapter 5

includes the thought of the test bringing out that there has been unfaithfulness, but it also brings out the thought that the woman may not have been defiled and be clean. A woman that has not been defiled (Numbers 5: 28) shall be clear, and shall conceive seed.

Dear brethren, we want this seed produced amongst us, a pure seed. It is the product of God in us, it corresponds with that. With that work of God in us there is a response in our hearts in the way of committal and purity and separation and worship; divine love demands that. Very often we do not yield to it. When a young person asks to break bread, to commit themselves in that way, they make a kind of vow. If you commit yourself to break bread it is a serious matter, an important matter, but a blessed matter. You partake of these emblems and you make a vow, you make a committal. So against this background of the challenge as to faithfulness there is the thought that a man or a woman might take the special vow of the Nazarite and be special, be different. Are you prepared to be different? There is no suggestion that you would be specially gifted, or specially intelligent, just specially devoted. You separate from things that would stimulate the flesh; not only from what is unclean, but from anything that would simply minister to the flesh and build you up in the enjoyment of the flesh, a very, very testing thing to us all.

There is the thought of consecration to Jehovah. The challenge would be. Is this amongst us?

First of all, individually as to us all, brothers and sisters alike, is there something special about us? We are in 2 Timothy days and we take a path of separation, but are we actually any different from other believers who go on in man’s associations? Is there something special about us? It is not simply a kind of positional thing. Is there something special in a sense of devotion, not in a sense of gift? Nothing here suggests gift or light, just a special vow of committal. It involves separation, it

involves giving up things that you might enjoy in the flesh, and limiting yourself as to these things so that you might be more pleasing to God. Now, it is a very real thing, it is a very practical thing. It is very striking that one of the first things in the prescription as to the Nazarite is what to do if he fails. You might say, I cannot take this, I know what I am, I will fail. Well, there is provision for that too, for if a Nazarite fails he has to start again. The first days are forfeited, but he can begin again; he can bring the two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons to the priest, “one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering” (Numbers 6: 11), and he can recommit himself. Do not be discouraged by the thought that you might fail, but rather commit yourself, knowing that if you fail there is provision to recommit yourself.

Dear brethren, perhaps there is a great need of that with some of us, to recommit ourselves.

Maybe there is a time of special committal with us (many of us would say that), a time of real committal and separation and devotion, and then we just fall back and we fail. But then there is provision to take it up again and fulfil our vow. Then there is also the provision for what happens in the fulfilment of the whole time.

After the trial of jealousy and the consecration of the Nazarite you get a great blessing brought in. At the end of chapter 6 there is the idea of God blessing and making His face to shine upon Israel, and then in chapter 7 you get great wealth for God from the princes; but it is all on the basis of moral exercise. In this day of departure and difficulty and unfaithfulness there is not anything arrived at without moral exercise. There is nothing just positional; there is nothing going to be produced for God, and no prosperity and joy just by position or by light even. There has to be devotion, there has to be love, there has to be committal. That is the basis of the present recovery, that persons committed themselves in this way. They were laughed at and they were slighted. They gave up the respectability of the cathedrals and churches, for there

was great dignity in that and it was respected in those days more than nowadays; persons had positions in the church and supported the church, and there was a respectability accorded.

They gave it up and they went along to a little meeting room; one of them was, I think, a converted furniture store. Persons would say, What are you doing there with these poor-looking people? Why are you going on with them and not going to the church? It was because they had made a special vow; they were catering for what was natural no longer, just as the Nazarite would let his hair grow. It would be against nature and under reproach; but then he was committed to that, it was an outward testimony.

I read in Judges because it was a very remarkable thing that Samson was born as a Nazarite from the womb. You could hardly think of anything being added to the thought of being a Nazarite, but here is one who is a Nazarite from the womb. Now that is another thought; it brings in the responsibility that Samson’s mother was given. She was a very remarkable woman, more intelligent than her husband, knowing what to do, and receiving a divine communication from the angel. She was told that she had to be careful, “And now beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son, and no razor shall come on his head; for the boy shall be a Nazarite of God from the womb”. It is not that nature can produce anything, but it points to spiritual exercise in the mother, what is maternal amongst us, and literal mothers too. What is the product going to be? In Numbers 5 there was a seed of the woman, she was clean and she conceived seed. Here there was a seed, and it was to be one who was a Nazarite of God from the womb. That involved not only his exercise as of a man or a woman who makes a vow, but also the exercise of the mother. She was to keep herself from things that would cater for nature and things that were unclean, because she wanted the child in this holy character, so that Israel should be saved out of the

hands of the Philistines.

The prosperity of the brethren depends on these things, and so the test is for us all. It comes home very much to those of us who are parents as to the children in the family. What are you bringing them up for? What is your exercise? Are you devoted? Is there anything in your life that would lead them in the direction of Nazariteship? Think of that, that Samson’s mother had to carry this exercise so that someone should appear that began to save Israel out of the hands of the Philistines. So things depend on this. From one point of view everything depends on divine love and the wonderful character of divine provision; there will be nothing apart from redemption and all these blessed things. But practically, for things to be secured amongst us and enjoyed amongst us, there has to be committal on our side, dear brethren.

Then there will be something that corresponds. There is the devotion and free giving of divine love; but then there should be something that corresponds in our hearts so that the testimony may prosper and the saints may prosper in this place and everywhere. May this be the result for God, for His name’s sake.

Word in meeting for ministry, Glasgow
30 June 1998