Acts 18
Much can be said about this chapter with its legal challenge of Christianity and violence in the courtroom but there’s a small detail that I have always overlooked in this passage. I’m referring to the last sentence in verse 18: “Before [Paul] sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken.”
While growing up, I always had this weird thought in the back of my mind that Paul had lost a bet or something but I just knew that was too silly to be right. After all, everyone knew gambling was wrong, right? In my mind that was true. Later, having entertained that thought off and on for a while I concluded that Paul was shaving his head because he felt guilty about sinning against God. Either way, I was wrong.
It is suggested that Paul’s vow was a temporary Nazirite vow as detailed in Numbers chapter 6. This vow was special because a person would separate themselves from the population and consecrate himself or herself to God. There was always a time limit placed on this vow. It could be as little as 30 days or for a lifetime. Sometimes children were dedicated to God from birth in such a way as in the case of Samson (Judges 13:2-7), Samuel (1 Samuel 1:10-11) and possibly even John the Baptist (Luke 1:15).
There were three main conditions or regulations that the Nazirite had to follow. First, he or she must not drink any wine (or any other product of the vine) or fermented drink. Second, the person’s hair could not be cut nor could the beard be shaved. And third, he or she must not touch a dead person. Numbers 6 explains the situations under which a person would have to “reset” the vow clock.
This whole thing was a very public act. It was obvious who took the Nazirite vow because of the hair but it was equally obvious who had just completed their vow because at the end of the separation period, the Nazirite would shave his head and place the hair “in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.” (Numbers 6:18). After this, the hair would slowly grow back to its normal length making it possible for the person to easily transition back into society.
