The Hinge Of History

There are moments in history when a door for massive change opens.

There is one thing certain: We are living in uncommon times.

Uncommon times demand an uncommon response, and an uncommon response requires uncommon men and women. Men and women who are willing to voluntarily forgo the standards of their contemporaries, break through the lull of the present age and are thus able to forge a new path for their generation. This is the tension in which revolutionaries are born, or rather found —those who define the storyline of their times.

History speaks of these types of uncommon people. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Karl Marx, Winston Churchill, and even Adolf Hitler —these leaders radically changed the flow of their times and the fabric of history itself. They became a hinge of history as they not only understood the times they lived in but were willing to risk everything to shape it. For better or for worse, the world we live in now has been impacted by these titans of history.

We can be assured, God has His own. Though at times unseen in times of great crisis, His dancing hand of history is never idle. With great sweeps of His strong arm, He weaves together divine narratives across the face of nations to realize His purposes. The story of the Bible is the story of God intervening through His prepared men and women to define the course of nations.

The Bible has a name for these kinds of men and women: Nazarites.

The Nazarites

Throughout Biblical history, God raised up Nazarites at the darkest hour to turn the nation back to Himself. These Nazarites were extreme lovers of God, firebrands who went against the status quo of their day. John the Baptist (Luke 1, 3), Samson (Judges 13), Samuel (1 Samuel 1), the Rechabites (Jeremiah 35) —their lives occupied times of great crisis and transition, and they became the hinges of history to usher in Israel and the Church into the next phases of divine glory and promise.

They lived extreme lives —but lives for an extreme time. They lived a fasted lifestyle, rooted in devotion to Jesus, and identified with His Kingdom culture. Out of love (and not a legalistic duty), they voluntarily forsook certain legitimate pleasures of this world (Numbers 6) to fully pursue the extreme pleasure of knowing God (Psalm 16).

They took a threefold vow:

• To not drink wine or eat grapes: this represented the sweets and pleasures that were legitimately granted by God but voluntarily given up for the greater pleasures of knowing Him. Today, we can look at Netflix, Youtube, and social media as kinds of pleasures and entertainment. Though all things are permissible, not all things are beneficial (Numbers 6:3-4).

• To grow out their hair: a visible sign of their consecration before the Lord. There was no hiding from public accountability —you couldn’t sneak into a bar and drink wine without everyone recognizing the long hair. In essence, there were no “Sunday Nazarites” (Numbers 6:5).

• To touch no dead thing: Nazarites were forbidden to touch anything dead, even so far as attending the funeral of a family member. Likewise, modern-day Nazarites ought to be keenly aware and discerning of the things that would cause spiritual death —any window of immorality, greed, or bitterness that would kill our souls (Numbers 6:6-8).

The Hinge of History

In the Book of Judges, it is these Nazarites, letting their locks hang loose, who led the charge of the armies of Israel (Judges 5). There is a place reserved in the frontlines for those who have given themselves to the highest consecration by the grace of God. Like John the Baptist, we believe there will be those who give themselves voluntarily to the wilderness to be prepared for the greatest days of human history.

The wilderness is no place to die —it is the place to live unto God. We are living in an uncommon time. Political tension is increasing. The Covid-19 pandemic and shutdown continue to loom over our nation. Economic uncertainty is brewing. But in the words of AW Pink, “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” This could mark the beginning of the transition into the greatest days of revival and reformation. Don’t let the parade of history pass you by!

Join us this summer for our Nazarite Intensive, a three-week program for young adults and college students. to be trained up in a consecrated lifestyle, prayer, and fasting unto revival. Come be the hinge of history.

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