Current reality

In this final article in the series on the Bridal Paradigm, I'm going to transition from Old Testament foreshadowings to New Testament realities.

In Jewish custom there were several stages leading up to a marriage.

The first was the betrothal. This was where a young man and his father prepared a covenant and presented it to the intended girl and her family. Involved in this was the payment of a bride price where the young man paid the family for the cost of raising a daughter. It also indicated the importance she held to him and his commitment to her. In addition to the bride price, which went to the family, the young man brought gifts for his intended.

The betrothal was formalized by the Banquet of Wine. As discussed in a previous article, this is a celebration of the coming marriage where the groom-to-be pours out a glass of wine for his intended. This symbolizes the terms of the covenant wherein he commits himself and all he has to her. She then drinks this, symbolizing her acceptance of his provision on her behalf.

At the end of the betrothal ceremony, the young man announces that he's going to prepare their wedding chamber but as soon as it's prepared, he'll return to get her. They will not see each other again until he finishes this work. It might take a year or more to complete this bridal chamber, and since the young man's in a hurry, he might be tempted to cut corners. Hence, his father has the responsibility to decide when it's ready, not the young man.

While the young man is preparing the wedding chamber, the bride-to-be prepares herself. This involves a ceremonial cleansing. She prepares herself physically and emotionally to leave her father's house and join her betrothed in his. She uses the gifts he's given her to make herself ready. She's not sure when he will return, it could be at any time of the day or night; she just needs to be ready. It was customary for the bride to keep an oil lamp beside her bed, along with her veil and other belongings.

On one of the father's inspections of the bridal chamber, he announces to his son that it's finished and he may fetch his bride. The son gathers his close friends and sets out for her house. When the wedding party gets close, they give a shout and blow the shofar to let the bride know her groom is on his way. He comes in and carries her away to the wedding chamber where they celebrate for seven days.

Each of these stages can be seen in the New Testament.

Matthew writes, starting in chapter 26, verse 26: 'While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.' This is the bride price he was willing to pay: his own blood. Peter says in chapter 1, verses 18 and 19: 'knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold ... but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.'

In addition, he gave gifts. First while he was here in the form of healing, wine, food and teaching. And second, after he left, he gave the gift of the Holy Spirit and His empowerment.

When we partake of the Lord's Supper, we are accepting his offer of marriage. We are drinking the cup of wine from the betrothal feast.

After the Lord's Supper, Jesus proclaimed in John 14:3: 'If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.' He's announcing his intent to build a wedding chamber and he's promising to return for us. When asked when he'd be returning, he replied that 'of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.' (Matthew 24:36)

In this time of separation, we are to prepare ourselves. Just as the bride partook in a ceremonial washing, we partake in baptism. We use the gifts he's given us to His glory and preparation of the bride. John writes 'His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in ... the righteous acts of the saints.' (Revelation 19:7) We are not to love the world or the things in the world. (1 John 2:15) We are to be holy as He is holy. (1 Peter 1:15-16) We are to keep ourselves for Him for He is jealous over us. (James 4:5) Having been washed with the water of the word, we are to be holy and blameless. (Ephesians 5:27)

And finally, there will be a day when the wedding chamber will be finished, the Father will say it's time and 'the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.' (1 Thessalonians 4:16) 'Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. ... Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' (Revelation 19:7-9)

Hosea and Gomer

In the previous articles in this series on the Bridal Paradigm, I've written about God's heart in creation and it's reflection in the stories of Adam and Eve, Isaac and Rebekah, Ruth and Boaz, Esther and Xerxes. In these historical accounts, we've looked his desire for an equal companion, one with a servant's heart, who keeps herself from lesser loves and intercedes from a position of intimacy. I've looked at these as foreshadowings, types or models of the relationship God desires with us. In all these, I've given an implied interpretation; it has not been explicit in the scriptural account. Here, I want to look at a story that, like the others, is a model of the relationship God's seeking, but the interpretation is included explicitly.

God commanded a young prophet to find and love a wife whose heart was not wholly committed to him; one whose heart would be enticed by other lovers. So, Hosea married Gomer. In time they had two boys and a girl. At some point, Gomer decided she'd had enough of family life and left, sought out a glamorous, promiscuous lifestyle, and eventually fell into slavery. At this point God again commanded Hosea to love her, seek her out and bring her out of her fallen state into one of restoration as his wife.

All this was orchestrated by God to be a prophetic picture for his people, Israel. They had been loved by God and brought to a land flowing with milk and honey. They'd left Him while seeking after lesser gods and fallen into the depths of depravity, eventually becoming slaves to others. While in this state, God had compassion on them and paid the price to restore them to Himself.

Hosea chapter 1 is a narrative of God's call on Hosea's life. Chapter 2 and most of the rest of the book, contains prophetic poetry about Israel's rejection of God as they pursued idolatry, His hemming them in and allowing judgment to fall. There are several sections throughout the book where God balances the gloominess of judgment with promises of restoration. The first is an arresting series of statements in chapter 2. I'm starting at the end of judgments in verse 13 to give context for the change in verse 14.

'I will punish her for the days of the Baals
When she used to offer sacrifices to them
And adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry,
And follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,'
...
'Therefore, I will allure her,
...
And speak kindly to her.
...
'It will come about in that day,' declares the LORD,
'That you will call me 'My husband'
And will no longer call me 'My master'.'
...
'I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice,
In loving kindness and in compassion,
And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.
Then you will know the LORD.'

This is the first time in scripture that God explicitly reveals the depth of intimacy He desires. Deuteronomy 6:5 indicates that we're to love God with our all. David had a good understanding of God's forgiveness and loving-kindness, echoed in his life and writings. But it's Hosea to whom God first indicates the heart of a husband. Jesus leans over and whispers in Hosea's ear: 'The way you love Gomer, even in the place she's at right now, well that's the same way I love my people. I will pay the price; I will give my all. I will woo them and bring them out of the place they're in now so we can live together in righteousness.' He doesn't want a master/slave relationship. He wants a love relationship. We're to be betrothed to him. He wants us to know him and be known by him.

Xerxes and Esther

King Xerxes threw a six-month party for all his nobles. At the end of this he threw a huge, seven day, bash for everyone in the capital city. During this finale, he wanted to show off the greatest treasure of the kingdom, his queen. But she insulted him by refusing his summons and was removed from her position of privilege.

Some would say this request was lewd and inappropriate and should have been denied. However, I don't think this was the nature of the request. Isaiah 62 talks about the church's glory being made evident as a crown of beauty in God's hand. 1 Corinthians 11 tells us that the glory of a man is his wife and man is the glory of God. Ephesians 3 tells us that the work that God is doing in the church to bring her to glory is to reveal His wisdom to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. I think this indicates that Jesus is going to do with his bride what Xerxes was trying to do with Vashti: demonstrate his glory by the way in which his queen is dressed.

In time, a search was made for a new queen. One of those included in this search was Esther, a Jewish captive whose family was taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. After 12 months of preparatory treatments, it was Esther's turn to go before the king. She asked the king's adviser, Hegai, to dress her to please the king.

In a similar way, the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit purifies believers and makes them ready for the heavenly groom. The things we go through, the ways we respond, the decisions we make under His guidance, all make us ready for that last day. We are to be washed and without spot or wrinkle when we're presented to Christ (Ephesians 5:27). We are to be diligent in our pursuit of righteousness in order to be blameless in His sight (2 Peter 3:14). We are to repent under his reproof and so acquire garments of white (Revelation 3:22).

That night Esther captured the king's heart and was made queen. In celebration, the king threw another party. Traditionally this was called a Banquet of Wine, which was the betrothal feast in Middle Eastern cultures. During the party, the groom would pour a glass of wine and set it on the table. This symbolized the pouring out of himself for the bride; offering all he had for her. Later, she would go to the table and drink it, symbolically saying 'Yes, I accept. My life is sustained by you. We are one.'

Some years later, Haman, an enemy of the Jews, rose to a place of prominence in the court. Through this position of authority, with the king's ascent, he was able to pass a law to kill all the Jews in the land.

Similarly, Satan seeks to destroy God's people, and does it in the bounds of God's authority. Remember the stories of Job, Peter and Jesus, who all were harassed by Satan, with God's permission. I believe God allows strategic threats of the enemy to force the queen into her place of intercession before the king.

Esther learned of Haman's plan, prepared herself to meet the king and went to stand in his presence. When the king saw her, his heart was moved. He raised his scepter to her, granting her an audience. He watched her as she approached the throne, stunned by her loveliness. By the time she reached him, he was ruined. He was a man in love. The king invited her to presume upon her positional authority: what is your request? Up to half the kingdom. Rather than responding with her intercessory burden, Esther invited him, along with Haman, to a Banquet of Wine.

It is here that the idea of bridal intercession begins to be revealed. Outside, the Jews are distressed. They're going around in sackcloth and ashes. They're weeping and fasting. However inside, near the heart of the king, the bride is reminding him of their romance. She's reminding him of that first Banquet of Wine, the intimacy they share and renewing her commitment to him. Standing opposite to Vashti's refusal to be seen as his bride, Esther is actively creating an environment, in the presence of his nobles, in which she can be seen as his and his alone.

After the feast, the king again asked her what she needed. Esther does a remarkable thing. Once again, rather than interceding, she invited the king and Haman to another Banquet of Wine the next night. She took full advantage of her prerogative to stir the king's heart. Her request is secondary, for she's coming to grips with the fact that the king's heart is ravished for her. He will take care of the issues as they present themselves. So plans are made for the next night, where she promises to let the king know what is on her heart.

The king knows that there is something on her mind, but he's pleased with her approach. The next night, he again invited her to presume upon her standing and offers up to half the kingdom. This time Esther responds by telling him of the plan to destroy her and her people. She's careful not to reveal too much or say who it is. She just lets the reality sink in and let the king's anger build. The king is outraged. Who would dare to threaten his bride? Haman.

It's here that the wisdom of including Haman in the celebration becomes evident. He's had two nights to observe first hand the romance and affection between the king and queen. The previous night he went home and bragged to his friends and family of his position near them. All of a sudden the tables have been turned and he realizes the serious trouble he's in. The king is so distraught, he leaves the party to think. Haman is terrified and pleads with the queen for his life. On his return, the king immediately orders Haman's execution.

I believe all this is a prophetic story of our relationship with God. First, He's a joyful God who enjoys throwing parties. He's looking for a bride who will prepare herself to stand before him in the glory that He's bestowed upon her. He gave himself and poured himself out for us, to bring us into a relationship with him. Finally, He strategically allows problems into our lives. In the words of Psalm 23: 'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.' This gives us an opportunity to grow in our understanding of our position before him. Also, it provides Satan an opportunity to see the mutual love between us and be terrified.

Boaz and Ruth

There was a famine in the land. And so the man packed up his wife and two sons and went to a neighboring country. In due time, the two sons married local girls. But tragedy shortly struck, killing the father and sons, leaving the three women alone. In the mean time, the famine in the mother-in-law's country ended, so she decided to return. One daughter-in-law stayed in her home country, but the other committed herself to her mother-in-law and threw her lot in with her.

So, Naomi and Ruth arrived back in Bethlehem at harvest time. In order to eat, Ruth went into the fields to glean what the harvesters missed. While doing this, she met the field's owner, Boaz, who encouraged her to stay with the servant girls in his field and told his harvesters not to harass her. In doing so, she was able to gather more than she would have otherwise.

Upon returning home that evening and reporting to her mother-in-law, Naomi realized there may be a deeper relationship possible between these two. So she instructed Ruth in how to present herself to Boaz to see what would happen. His heart was touched and the next day he proceeded to pay the price to bring Naomi and Ruth into his household.

There are a couple points in this story that I want to focus on as prophetic pictures of God's dealing with us.

First, there's Naomi. In this story, I see her as a picture of the Holy Spirit. Through her relationship with Ruth, Ruth came to love her and be committed to both her and her people. As the story unfolds, Naomi also guides Ruth into a loving relationship with Boaz. In a similar way, the Holy Spirit draws our hearts and opens our eyes to things spiritual. He brings us first to repentance from our old life and commitment to a new one and then prepares us as a bride for the Son.

Second, there's Ruth, a Moabitess, a stranger to the covenant and promises. She's a great picture of Gentile believers. We're born in a foreign country, with no inheritance. But our hearts are ignited by love and we commit ourselves to God, without really knowing what that means. We are welcomed into His family and become inheritors of the promise. As the relationship progresses, we move from the role of child to that of bride. I think this is a clear picture that from the beginning, God had in his heart to include all humanity in redemption.

Finally, there's Boaz. He starts out as a father figure, providing for and protecting Ruth and Naomi. As Ruth's heart is revealed by her service to Naomi and keeping herself from other lovers, Boaz's heart is moved. He pays the price for them and the relationship moves to one of intimacy and marriage. Similarly, we tend to start our Christian walk understanding our relationship with God as a child of His, he protects us, provides for us, meets our needs. But as we mature and spend time with Him, we get a better understanding of the price he paid for us and our relationship grows, deepens, intimacy forms. Our hearts are knitted together; we become friends.

I find it staggering to think that this is just a model of the eternal heart of Jesus. He loves me enough to pay for my protection and provision. His heart is made glad by me. He considers it a kindness to Him when I keep my affections for Him alone, not turning to lesser loves, gazing on Him with singleness of focus and desire. And as I spend time sitting in His presence, He burns this into my heart, convinces my innermost being and transforms me by the knowledge of his extravagant love.

Isaac and Rebekah

In the last two postings, I wrote a bit about the delight in the heart of God over mankind, his rejoicing over creation as he prepared a place to meet with us, the longing He placed in Adam to mirror His heart and finally the way Eve was created as a foreshadowing of the Son's death and the church's redemption.

Now, I'd like to consider the story of Isaac and Rebekah. The story is familiar, so I won't include it all here. For reference it's found in Genesis 24.

In synopsis, it begins with Abraham wanting a bride for Isaac. But this bride had to be special, someone from their country and relatives. He wanted someone with the same background, values and beliefs. So, Abraham commissions his head servant, probably Eliezer, to the task. A caravan of gifts is loaded and Eliezer sets off to the old country. Upon arriving he meets Rebekah and finds her willing to water, not only himself, but the camels too. He woos her in Isaac's name and she consents. Finally, the story concludes with Rebekah returning back through the wilderness with Eliezer. Scripture doesn't say, but I suspect much of this time was spent with Eliezer telling family stories of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, preparing her to meet and marry Isaac.

I want to focus on two parts of this story: The first part is Eliezer going, meeting and wooing. This is a foreshadowing of the incarnation. The Father sends the Servant to humanity with sufficient gifts to reveal his heart and intentions, but not so many as to overwhelm and coerce. The Servant looks for another servant, not because he has need of servants, but because his heart is to serve and he's looking for one with a heart like his.

The second part is the return trip. This is a picture of our journey with the Holy Spirit guiding us through the paths in this wilderness here on earth which will conclude with the wedding feast of the Lamb.

We probably all remember the story of Isaac's birth and that his name means 'son of laughter'. What may not be quite so well known is that Eliezer means 'God is help' and Rebekah means 'snared by beauty'. So, even in the names of the historical characters, we see the New Testament story of the Helper/Comforter capturing the hearts of the redeemed with the beauty of the one who was anointed with joy/laughter over all others.

Adam and Eve

Consider the story of Adam and Eve.

God created Adam from the dust of the ground, along with all the other pairs of animals, and he brought them before him to see what he'd call them. When it was all done, there was no companion found for Adam, even though all the others came in pairs.

Ever thought about why? Why didn't God create Eve at the same time as Adam? I think it's because he wanted Adam to experience a bit of the same longing in his heart that Jesus had in his. C.S. Lewis noted that hunger, regardless of whether or not it's satisfied, is an indication that food exists. The fact that Adam knew he was incomplete demanded a fulfilling reality somewhere. This did not come from Adam's experience for he had no prior experience of having had this completion. Rather, this ache in Adam was a reflection of God's chosen longing to have a counter-part for his Son.

Once Adam had fully experienced this longing, God put Adam to sleep, took a rib from his side and fashioned Eve. This is a bit odd, compared to the previous way of creating creatures. Why not create Eve the same way? I think it's as a foreshadowing of the church and Christ, where the last Eve also comes forth from the riven side of the last Adam. The blood and water which spilled from Jesus side symbolizes redemption and cleansing. He went through this in order to have a bride, without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless, a partner with a heart like his.

In the beginning...

In looking at the Bridal Paradigm, a good place to start is at the beginning, before time began.

Proverbs 8:22-31
The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.

From everlasting I was established,
From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.

When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no springs abounding with water.

Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills I was brought forth;
While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.

When He established the heavens, I was there,
When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became fixed,
When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth;
Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having my delight in the sons of men.

In Proverbs, the 'I' here is wisdom personified. The attributes are: eternal, being with God since before anything else was, and a master craftsman at creation. Given the New Testament, I think it's easy to interpret this as Jesus. We know Him as eternal and the agent of creation:

John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Colossians 1:15-17
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities?all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Hebrews 1:2b His Son ... through whom ... He made the world.

In the Proverbs passage, we see the Father taking delight in the Son and the Son rejoicing before the Father; a mutual glad-hearted, joyful relationship existing in the trinity. The word 'rejoicing' has the connotation of amusement, celebration, joking, laughing, making merry, playing. It's the same word David used to describe his entry into Jerusalem with the ark. (2 Samuel 6:5, 12; 1 Chronicles 13:8, 15:29) It's the same word used to describe people in the streets of Jerusalem when the Lord reigns there. (Zechariah 8:5)

We also see the Son taking delight in the sons of men. This is echoed in 'He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him (Ephesians 1:4).' Before creation, He knew us, loved us and chose us.

Later Paul writes 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31)' It's not that our relationship with Jesus is sort of like a marriage, but the other way around. Marriage is given to us as a shadow of the relationship that Jesus wants with his people.

The Bridal Paradigm

In this series of devotionals, I look at the concept of the Bridal Paradigm, wherein the primary way God relates to us is as a groom to his bride. For me personally, intimacy with God has grown as I've come to understand to a greater degree the passionate love He has for me and this idea of Christ as bridegroom has been foundational in this growth.