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Times Apart

Times Apart
Words of Faith 6-23-16
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2016
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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Acts 18
[18] Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken.

Paul continued to minister in Corinth for about nine more months before sailing for Ephesus. Before leaving, Paul had his hair cut "because of a vow he had taken". This was most likely the end of a Nazirite vow described in Numbers 6:1-20. Fulfillment of the vow required that his hair be presented in Jerusalem as an offering.
So what was this vow? A Nazirite vow was an optional vow completely at the desire of devotee. A man or a woman who committed themselves to deeper consecration or holiness for some period of time might take the vow.
All Jews sought to live by the law but this vow would set a person apart. The vow included abstinence from alcohol and any fruit of the vine that might be fermented. It also included strict avoidance of anything dead. The hair was cut and presented as a burnt offering with other special offerings at the conclusion of the vow.
We do not know why Paul made such a vow. It may have started during the time when Paul was deeply discouraged and need to draw closer to the Lord. This time of being "set apart" in holiness may have preceded the word of encouragement that came from the Lord. It may well have been part of the breakthrough which brought favor with proconsul and blessing in the ministry at Corinth.
As modern Christian believers, it does not make sense for us to take a Nazirite vow because we do not have the Temple and system of offerings. It might make sense, however, to realize that we from time to time need to draw apart from the world and be near to God.
We might achieve such a time apart through spiritual retreat, fasting, prayer, solitude, or a vow of separation for some period of time. The Nazirite vow avoided anything fermented because this was a symbol of sin. Yeast was generally symbolic of the way that sin works its way through the whole loaf or vat.
The Nazirite vow also included strict avoidance of anything dead. Dead bodies were considered ritually unclean but they also were the opposite of life.
Sometimes it is helpful to pull away from the ferment of the world which so easily invades our lives. We need to get away from the message of death that is so prevalent in our culture. There is power in being set apart. We hear God more clearly.
What might this look like? Certainly God will lead in this but it might include fasting from television, movies and other worldly influences for a period of time, deliberate times of fasting and prayer, significant times of solitude, and simply listening.
Is God calling you apart for a time? Is it time to draw close to Him and be set apart from the world for a while?

Lord, I am listening. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2001, 2016
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.