 |
| 8.
A Dread Meditation |
| "That's
the strangest man I've seen, wearing the
mark of a Nazarene....." (Bunny Wailer) |
| |
| According
to the story that is told, when the first
Rastas began to throw the comb away they
were called dreadlocks because people were
afraid when they saw someone with locks.
Later on, the word dread also pointed to the
fear of God, and to the dreadfull future of
babylon. It is also said, that Rastas took
over the locks from Afrikan Warriors. Others
point out to the fact that in almost any
culture and religion, you can find this
"hair style". It is also said,
that dreadlocks can be found in the Bible.
This article is not about how to grow your
dreadlocks outwardly, this article is an
in-depth meditation of the Law on the
Nazarites. |
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| |
|
| It
was not until I was about 23 years old, that
I started to grow dreadlocks for the first
time in my life. Not, that I am a Rasta or a
Jah Lover since that age, I "just"
did not feel righteous enough to wear them.
Where did that feeling come from? It was, I
believe, the voice of Jah. Being the son of
a pentecostal preacherman, I was brought up
with the Bible, I was tought that there is
no significance in hair, the standard
christian response to a locksman. I knew by
feeling, this approach was wrong. In a way,
it is the same approach as so many atheist
people today who have locks. They "just
like it". They don't find any
significance of the spiritual (JAH!) kind in
it, so they don't care. Oh yes, for sure I
wanted to have dreads, I even felt in a way
I had to, but even stronger I knew I
couldn't. I felt, that the state of my
connection to Jah was directly related with
the state of the hair on my head. Not as a
commandment, but as a natural fact.
[footnote 1] |
|
| |
|
| "Ah,
feeling," one theological founded
person might say. "Feeling, that is a
most subjective thing, and certainly no
empirical prove". Sure. That is true.
But when the feeling gets confirmed by later
experiences, the feeling turn into a
spiritual thing. I was pointed to this
scripture, to name but one experience: |
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| |
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| And
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak
unto the children of Israel, and say unto
them, When either man or woman shall
separate themselves to vow a vow of a
Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the
LORD: {to separate...: or, to make
themselves Nazarites} He shall separate
himself from wine and strong drink, and
shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar
of strong drink, neither shall he drink any
liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or
dried. All the days of his separation shall
he eat nothing that is made of the vine
tree, from the kernels even to the husk.
{separation: or, Nazariteship} {vine...:
Heb. vine of the wine} All the days of the
vow of his separation there shall no razor
come upon his head: until the days be
fulfilled, in the which he separateth
himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and
shall let the locks of the hair of his head
grow. All the days that he separateth
himself unto the LORD he shall come at no
dead body. He shall not make himself unclean
for his father, or for his mother, for his
brother, or for his sister, when they die:
because the consecration of his God is upon
his head. {consecration: Heb. separation}
All the days of his separation he is holy
unto the LORD. (Numbers 6:1-8 AV) |
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| |
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| In
short, the spiritual wearing of the hair in
locks, is installed by JAH. The locks are
the outward sign of the inner livication. It
does not matter if you are a man or a woman
in this livication called
"separation". Separation from
what? From the grapes, and from the dead.
Separation for what? Separation unto the
Lord, unto Jah. There is a nice thing to say
about this word, separation. It comes from
the same word as "sanctifying",
which means: "making holy". When
you separate yourself for Jah, you make
yourself holy for Jah. When you want to wear
dreadlocks, you must be ready to livicate
yourself to the Most High. |
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| |
|
| Oh
yes, it is true, that in almost any culture
and religion you will find dreadlocks,
without any mention of Jah or Nazarites.
Also in modern day babylon culture, where it
is each one for himself and: "No
absolute truth or One God please", we
have dreadlocks who wear it because they
like it. This stance is, when it comes to
dreadlocks, the same one I have experienced
from some parts of the christian world, in
which I was brought up. It's okay to have
dreads (at best), but please don't mention
any spiritual significance. Now, if anyone
wants to wear dread for fashion, let that
one do just that. It is a personal matter
between Jah and the one wearing dreads. |
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| |
|
| Now,
let me go back to my story. It was
absolutely not my christian upbringing, but
the movement of Rastafari that has shown to
me the Nazarites by showing themselves to I.
I was 15 or 16 when I got introduced to
reggae and Rastafari. In that time I was
only rebelling against Jah, because I did
not want to be like all the christian
hypocrites that I saw as a child. I knew I
had to stop my struggle against the Most
High, but I could not let go of the picture
in my head I had of Jah, of a Big Brother up
in the sky, just waiting to cut me down. I
knew I was sinful, I knew I was not serving
Jah (where I knew I had to serve Him) but I
did not want to serve the God that was
painted for my eyes in the church. Thanks to
Rastafari I slowly turned from a rebel in
the sight of Jah to a servant of Jah (at
least, that's my intention in life). I had
to realize that my rebellion needed not to
be directed at Jah, but at the hypocritical
man-made religious christian shitstems.
Rasta had one simple message: "Who are
you Mr. christian when you have no
love?" Yes, that is what Iesous said:
Love one another. |
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| |
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| It
was not after I had surrendered my life to
Jah Christ, the One that Selassie I points
to, and was tought some obedience (to JAH,
not to human institutions), that I started
growing them at the age of 23. How can I say
it? It surely was not my own complete
decision. I felt the need to express my
livication, my gratefulness to Jah, by
livicating myself to Jah like a Nazarite. My
hair was always directly related to the
state of my connection with Jah. When the
connection wasn't there, I could not grow
them. Now I could, and I was grateful. But
that did not mean, I was there! It was
merely the beginning of another series of
lessons I had to learn. A lot of these
lessons can be learned, by meditating about
the scriptures that deal with dreadlocks. I
have named one already, the most important
part, Numbers 6. I would like to elaborate a
bit more about this scripture, to share with
you what I have learned. |
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| |
|
| A
lot of words in Hebrew have different
meanings. Because the Old Testament was
written in Hebrew, and before the coming of
our Lord and Savior, some research of the
ancient texts enriches the measure of
blessings in an extensive degree. The Old
Testament is an Ikon of the New Testament.
Although it is true, that who soever is
saved by Christ is not subjected under any
law but the law of Love, we see in the New
Testament numerous references to Old
Testament laws, with a symbolical
explanation. I will give you an example:
When Paulus, the New Testament Apostle (Who
was a Nazarite, by the way) speaks to Jah
Disciples in Corinth about him not having to
work for his money because he is doing Jah's
work, he points to a scripture in the Old
Testament that says that when you use a cow
on your field you should let him eat from
the field as well while he is working. This
is a symbolical use of an Old Testament Law.
(read the scripture) The fact that he did
not make use of this right did not have
anything to do with him not having the
right. |
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| I
felt driven by Jah to grow my dreadlocks as
a sign of my livication to Him. I am still
growing them up until this day. That is a
thing, that I can find back in Numbers 6,
and in other places of the Bible. What to
say about Samson, the strongest Nazarite? He
was a Nazarite from the day he was born, it
was not his own choice. Sometimes you choose
yourself, sometimes Jah makes the choice for
you. But whenever you make any decision to
livicate, or separate yourself for Jah, this
is a direct result of Jah's work in you.
What needed I to do? Number 6 told me what
to do: Not using grapes, and not being in
the middle of the dead. In the first years I
took only these outward things seriously.
Now, when I grow a little older, I am
learning the deeper meanings, which are more
important. The New Testament clearly gives
us the knowledge that food can not save you,
hair can not save you, anything you do or
don't must be for Jah. So some people
refrain from grapes, other's don't that is
not the most important issue. The refraining
from the spiritual grapes and dead, that is
the importance. Even dreadlocks themselves,
they are not important in a way. They're an
outward sign. For those who must wear them,
it is important that they do, when they have
the oppurtunity. I personally wear the
dread, as an outward sign of the inner
livication. |
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| |
|
| There's
some interesting things to say about locks.
By looking up the original words, there is
absolutely no reason to deny it is actually
locks that we speak of. The word used is
pera` which can mean both long hair of the
head or lock from the head. The word also
means leader. It comes from the root pr`,
which means "to lead", but also
"to let go". |
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| |
|
| When
Iesous Kristos walked on the earth, he
judged the scribes and the pharisees, who
kept the complete law (and even more) for
not overstanding a single word. What they
did, they took the words and not the spirit.
The same thing happens when you only read
Numbers 6 and keep the commandments without
trying to overstand the spirit. Real
Nazariteship does not consist of not eating
this and that but by following the Spirit.
Samson had to kill the Philistines, he was
around dead body's and therefore trespassed
against the law, but he abided by the
Spirit. [read scripture below] |
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| When
Jah speaks about "letting the locks of
the hair of your head grow", He does
not only say grow your dreadlocks. Where
"head" also means leader, we can
easily detect a hidden reference to the
Ethiopian King, Haile Selassie for isn't he
the Ras (Head, king) for Rastafarians? And
there is more, as a true Ikonical
Personality there is a Reference to Iesous
Himself in this reference to Selassie,
Christ being the ultimate Head and Leader or
the Ras and King of Kings. Didn't Selassie
say he was a servant of Christ? When Ras
Tafari is your Head, you must let the Leader
of your Head, which is Christ, grow. And
growing, the Hebrew word used here is g d l
, can mean both growing your hair and to
glorify. When scripture says: "you
shall let the lock of your hair grow",
the spiritual part of it means: "you
shall glorify the Leader of your
leader". A true follower of Rastafari,
I have said this before, is a true follower
of Iesous Kristos, because Selassie is a
devout follower of Kristos and he is urging
everyone to do the same. The head (Selassie)
is telling us to let our locks grow long
(glorify Kristos). |
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| What
I also had to learn was, that we do not have
to have the outward sign(s) of a Nazarite to
be one. I bet you can imagine this to be a
ephemism for pride. I realize to the
fullness, that in order to make it we have
to put all our trust in Jah and separate our
lives for Him through Kristos, in other
words be a Nazarite, a "separated
one" (n aa z I r). But not all of us
(are called to) wear the dread. Should
everyone wear dreads in order to make it?
Should someone wearing dreadlocks also be
keeping the other commandments on the
Nazarite? Is that what Jah wants? Kristos,
of Whom it is said He was a Nazarite
[footnote 2] drank wine. You only have to
see pictures of the funeral of Bob Marley,
to see Nazarites "coming at a dead
body". Did they cut their locks, or did
they have to? According to the laws on the
Nazarites, they had to. Maybe a few did,
there were also a few that did not want to
attend the funeral, but the majority
"broke the rules". Did they? I
don't want to say anything negative against
people who are keeping the complete law on
the Nazarites. It is good to let the locks
of the hair of your head grow, not to drink
strong drink, not to be eating grapes, or
not to be coming at a dead body. But I
think, it is more important, to take a look
at the spiritual significance of the laws on
the Nazarites. Is there more to say? We
know, as the prophet Gad of the Twelve
Tribes of Israel says, there is no hair or
food doctrine, they can not save you. But we
must be separated from babylon, for the Lord
God Jah. We must all be Nazarites. But not
all of us have (to have) (all) the outward
signs (food and/or hair). I have already
said, that letting the locks of your hair
grow spiritually means also glorifying
Kristos, the One Selassie said he served.
Now I would like to share with you, the
spiritual meaning of the refraining from
strong drinks, grapes, and the coming at no
dead body. |
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| The
Nazarites had to abstain from wine. We as
Nazarites [footnote 3] have to abstain from
the spiritual wine as well. When we go to
the last book of the Bible, the Apocalypse,
an angel introduces John to babylon, the
great whore. [read the scripture] There is a
mention of some kind of an altered
consciousness, something like....
drunkenness from wine. Not only the kings of
the earth, but also the inhabitants are made
drunk by the wine of the fornication of
babylon. When you live in babylon, look
around you. There is a mystery of iniquity [read scripture below]
going on that is keeping the people asleep.
I believe this strong delusion to be the
wine that the followers of babylon drunk, as
described by John. We as Nazarites have to
abstain from the babylonian drinks that make
the inhabitants of the earth and their kings
drunk. We should identify the mystery of
iniquity, and abstain from it. For the
mystery of iniquity is the wine we don't
want to drink. If you drink from that wine,
according to prophecy, you will also drink
from the wine of the wrath of Jah. So there
is also a promise in this commandment: if
you do not drink from the wine of the
fornication of babylon, you will also not
drink from the wine of the wrath of Jah. |
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| Wine
is made from grapes, most of the time that
is. What are the grapes, we should not eat?
From the kernel, unto the husk? Yes, I know
that there are fruits called grapes, and
that you can abstain from them. Iesous did
not abstain from them. If you abstain from
them, that is a good thing, do it for JAH.
Let no one judge you! But I want to find
out, what are the "spiritual
grapes"? I believe, that these grapes
are the ingredients for the "mystery of
iniquity". From these grapes you can
make wine, but also raisins, from the kernel
unto the husk it they are used. This grape,
that we should abstain from, roots for this
iniquity, is the most ancient sin: satan's
attempts to exalt his throne above JAH [read scripture below].
Ever since in the garden of Eden men fell
into sin, until this present day, satan is
trying to make the children of man rebel
against their Creator. You can read in the
Book of Enoch, how satan and his angels
corrupted themselves and the daughters of
man, and when babylon was installed some
years after the flood, organized idolatry
was installed with her. Not only the mystery
of iniquity, or in New Age terms "The
Plan", is a product from this grape.
All sin, all unrighteousness, wickedness,
these are all products from the same grape:
the rebellion against Jah. When lucifer ate
from this grape, he became satan. When the
first humans ate from the grape, they also
became enemies of Jah. Becoming a Nazarite
in the spiritual sense, means letting go of
the sin. Abstain from sin. Now ofcourse, we
all know that no matter how hard we try, we
will never be without sin as long as we walk
in our earthly termples. But it is so, that
for those that have surrendered themselves
to JAH by acknowledging the fact that Iesous
Kristos, the Son of Jah, came and died for
their sins and risen again, are free from
sin even though they commit sins [read
scriptures]. The abstaining from the grapes,
from the sins, from the kernel to the husk,
is the same as "walking in the
Light". |
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| Another
very important thing that we can read in the
law on the Nazarites in Numbers 6, is
"All the days that he separates himself
unto Jah, he shall come at no dead
body". We have already seen Nazarites
in scripture eating and drinking grapes and
wine (Iesous), and we have seen them coming
at dead body's (Samson, Bob Marley's
Funeral). What does it mean, when you are a
Nazarite, you should not come at a dead
body? Another dive into the Hebrew Texts
give me a clue: "Body", can also
mean "life". You can also read,
you shall not come at a dead life. When you
are a Nazarite, you are not living a dead
life like the babylonians who are all racing
the rat race with pleasure, thinking that
that is their fulfillment of life. That life
is a dead life, in which people follow the
god of money (Mammon) rather than Jah. The
babylonian lifestyle, of materialism,
lovelessness. |
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| The
wine is the mystery of iniquity, the grapes
is the sins, the dead body's is the
babylonian way of thinking. The Locks on
your head is Iesous Kristos. The Nazarites
are the ones, that separate themselves unto
the Lord, through Kristos. Just like the
prophet Gad of the twelve tribes of Israel
says, just like His Imperial Majesty, Haile
Selassie the 225th in the Line of Solomon
said, Iman say the same: "only through
the blood of Kristos". I think, that
Jah is calling on to each and every woman
and man to be Nazarites. For some, Jah wants
them to wear dreadlocks, the outward sign of
the Nazarites. For some, Jah does not find
it necessary to wear them. For some, it is
impossible. But all of us have to fight
against babylon by revealing her wicked
schemes and intentions. [read scripture below].
All of us have to walk in the Light. JAH
Light. |
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| These
are some of my humble thoughts on being a
Nazarite. I wear my dreadlocks with
gratefulness, knowing that it is the grace
of Jah. Personally I feel, that Jah wants I
to grow my natty dreadlocks but I have
learned throughout the years, that it is
more important what is happening on the
inside, than on the outside. In this time of
tribulations and confusion, in which even
white neo nazi's are spotted wearing
dreadlocks, it matters more and more if you
are a Nazarite from the inside. May JAH
guide you. |
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| FOOTNOTE
1 |
|
| I
by no means want to state, that this is a
natural fact for everyone. I do not say that
only those with dreadlocks are the ones
livicated to Jah. This is the personal way
that Jah is going with me, I know there are
millions more on the face of the earth that
also are called by Jah to be livicated as
dreads |
|
| FOOTNOTE
2 |
|
| There
is a big discussion whether the term
"Nazarene" means Nazarite, or
simply "someone from Nazareth". I
have met christian pastors and preachers who
said that He was a Nazarite. Interesting
discussion because it is clear Kristos used
wine. Only during the installation of last
supper, soon before He was arrested, killed
and risen again, He said He did not want to
take from the fruit of the vine anymore |
|
| FOOTNOTE
3 |
|
| In
this context, I use the word "Nazarite",
to point to all people who have livicated
themselves to JAH through Kristos, because
the word means nothing more or less that
"seperated one". |
|
| QUOTED
SCRIPTURES: |
|
| Jud
15:16 And Samson said, With the jawbone of
an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an
ass have I slain a thousand men |
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| Am
I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not
seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my
work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle
unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for
the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the
Lord. Mine answer to them that do examine me
is this, Have we not power to eat and to
drink? Have we not power to lead about a
sister, a wife, as well as other apostles,
and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
{wife: or, woman} Or I only and Barnabas,
have not we power to forbear working? Who
goeth a warfare any time at his own charges?
who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of
the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock,
and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say
I these things as a man? or saith not the
law the same also? For it is written in the
law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the
mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn.
Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it
altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no
doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth
should plow in hope; and that he that
thresheth in hope should be partaker of his
hope. (1 Corinthians 9:1-10 AV) |
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| |
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| And
there came one of the seven angels which had
the seven vials, and talked with me, saying
unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee
the judgment of the great whore that sitteth
upon many waters: With whom the kings of the
earth have committed fornication, and the
inhabitants of the earth have been made
drunk with the wine of her fornication. So
he carried me away in the spirit into the
wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a
scarlet coloured beast, full of names of
blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
And the woman was arrayed in purple and
scarlet colour, and decked with gold and
precious stones and pearls, having a golden
cup in her hand full of abominations and
filthiness of her fornication: And upon her
forehead was a name written, MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND
ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (Revelation
17:1-5 AV) |
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| |
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| Now
we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering
together unto him, {unto him: or, around
him} That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or
be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word,
nor by letter as from us, as that the day of
Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by
any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, and
that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself
above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, shewing himself that he is
God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet
with you, I told you these things? And now
ye know what withholdeth that he might be
revealed in his time. {withholdeth: or,
holdeth} For the mystery of iniquity doth
already work: only he who now letteth will
let, until he be taken out of the way. And
then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the
Lord shall consume with the spirit of his
mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness
of his coming: Even him, whose coming is
after the working of Satan with all power
and signs and lying wonders, And with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them
that perish; because they received not the
love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe a
lie: That they all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 AV) |
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| |
|
| How
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son
of the morning! how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations! {O
Lucifer: or, O day star} For thou hast said
in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I
will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north: I
will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt
be brought down to hell, to the sides of the
pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15 AV) |
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| |
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| But
if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. (1 John 1:7-8 AV) |
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| |
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| We
are sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews
10:10 AV) |
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| |
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| And
have no fellowship with the unfruitful works
of darkness, but rather reprove them.
(Ephesians 5:11 AV) |
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|
