Day 263: Acts 18:12–18

Paul, having stayed on for many days, said good-bye to the brothers and sailed away to Syria. . . . He shaved his head at Cenchreae, because he had taken a vow (v. 18).

Dr. Luke seems to have included a sentence of pure trivia in Acts 18; yet in it we may discover a hidden treasure. At first glance, Acts 18:18 seems strange. When Paul left Corinth, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.

Luke’s writing is so tight, so succinct, his inclusion of Paul’s quick stop by the barbershop is almost comical. Why in the world would we need to know Paul got a haircut? Actually, this verse holds a primary key to understanding Paul’s visit to Corinth. The point is not the haircut. The point is the reason for Paul’s haircut.

Paul’s haircut resulted from a vow he had made. Remember, Paul was a Jewish Christian. His Jewish heritage was deeply rooted. He understood that Christ did not save him to make him forget his heritage but to complete his heritage. At times he still applied some of the former practices of the Jew, not as legalities but as wise choices. Virtually without a doubt, the vow to which Luke was referring was the Nazirite vow.

Numbers 6:1–8 describes the Nazirite vow. The second verse explains the nature and purpose of it: “If a man or woman wants to make a special vow,” he or she could employ the Nazarite vow as “a vow of separation to the Lord.”

The word “wants” identifies the first crucial element of the Nazirite vow—it was strictly voluntary. The word “special” points to the second element. The Nazirite vow was special because of its voluntary nature and because it was offered to men and women alike (v. 2)—unusual in ancient Judaism. Third, notice that the purpose of the Nazirite vow is “separation.” The Hebrew word is pala, indicating something consecrated to God, distinguished from others, something marvelous and even miraculous often coming from something difficult (Strong’s).

Now let’s see if we can put this definition into understandable terms. If an Israelite man or woman was going through a time when he or she felt the necessity to be extraordinarily consecrated to God—usually a time of extremely difficult circumstances or temptation—the person would voluntarily take this vow. They knew that in order to be victorious or obedient, they needed extra help and concentration on God.

Paul’s recent experiences in Athens were not the only problems he faced in coming to Corinth. He had to confront incredible depravity in this cosmopolitan city. Even by today’s standards, Corinth was extremely sexually explicit. The most significant pagan practice was the cult of Aphrodite. Aphrodite represented lust and every kind of sexual perversion. Her followers literally worshiped her through acts of immorality—often in plain sight. Paul had never seen anything remotely like the perversion he would encounter in Corinth.

The haircut in verse 18 is not the beginning of the vow. The haircut signaled the end. Before he entered Corinth’s gates, Paul wisely committed himself to the vow of the Nazirite so he could maintain consecration to and concentration on Christ, the only One who could lead him to victory (see 2 Cor. 2:14).

Paul’s actions teach us an important lesson. We obviously need to avoid temptation, but when we can’t help but face it, we can prepare ourselves.

Numbers 6:3 commands anyone taking the Nazirite vow to abstain from wine or strong drink. I have chosen to abstain from alcohol not because I believe alcohol is forbidden, but because I believe it could become a distraction to me. No one told me to abstain from alcohol. I voluntarily made the decision after an honest self-evaluation. I do not believe I could deal with both alcohol and the serious devotion God has asked of me. I can think of too many ways Satan could use it to trap me.

Another practice of the Nazirite provides our clue to understanding the message of Acts 18:18. Those who took the Nazirite vow were to allow their hair to grow long as a physical sign of special devotion to God. That way, if they temporarily forgot their vow, the quickest glance in a mirror would remind them. Also, others would ask why they let their hair grow so long, and this would give them an opportunity to testify about their devotion to God. Once Paul’s need for extraordinary consecration to God was over, he went to Cenchreae and got a haircut!

I am impressed with Paul at this point. How about you? His weaknesses, insecurities, and temptations were the same as ours, but he was wise in dealing with them.

Matthew 10:16 is one of my favorite verses. Jesus told His followers to be as “shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves” (hcsb). Innocence or harmlessness does not mean naïveté. In fact, had Paul approached Corinth naively, he could have gotten into serious trouble. The kind of innocence Christ described was righteousness in spite of reality! That’s the kind of righteousness Paul lived. It’s the kind we can live as well.