Today’s Scriptures:
- Revelation 19:7-9: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
- In 2 Corinthians 11:2: “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
- Ephesians 5:27: “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
Our modern view of marriage can somewhat leave us clueless to the magnificent portrait of grace the Lord paints with His invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Today we’ll unpack ancient Israel’s wedding customs and discover what it truly means to be the Bride of Christ.
There are several wedding customs we will explore:
The Shiddukhin, Arrangement: Custom was for the father of the groom to make all the arrangements. The father carefully selects a bride for his son. Amazingly, God the Father chooses us to be the Bride of Christ.
The Kiddushin, Betrothal: The bride-to-be was required to approve of the marriage before the families agreed to the betrothal. Just like our free will choice to accept Jesus as our groom. There’s an agreed upon payment price for the bride called the Mohar. Jesus pays the highest price and sheds His own blood for us. The groom gives a gift to his bride called the Mattan. We’ve been given the Holy Spirit as our Mattan. The bride and groom were to be ritually cleansed before the betrothal agreement was sealed by sharing a cup of wine. Our baptism models our cleansing and communion wine displays the sealing of our covenant with the Lord.
The Preparation Time Between The Betrothal And The Wedding: They part ways for an extended time, sometimes a year or more. The groom remains at his father’s house, and prepares a place for his wife. In John 14:1-4, Jesus is preparing a place for us in His father’s house, and He will come again (His second coming) and to bring us home.
She is to mekudeshet, to consecrate herself. She examines her life and makes any changes to be ready for their holy covenant. As we set ourselves apart for Jesus, He sanctifies us as we see in Ephesians 5:27.
The bride prepares her wedding garments. Beautiful wedding attire is a way to honor her groom. Today we adorn ourselves in the righteousness of Jesus. The great exchange at the cross provides His perfection for our sins. Christ gives us garments of salvation and a robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10).
The day of the wedding feast was a surprise to both bride and groom. If you asked the groom when’s the wedding? He may reply, “No man knows except the Father”. Jesus says this about His second coming (Matthew 24:36).
The bride eagerly awaits her beloved. Her groom could arrive anytime day or night to pick her up (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). Due to Jesus’s imminent return the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 is given as a warning to the Church to be ready and waiting for the Lord. Five virgins were ready with their lamps filled with oil. They represent the true believers filled with the Holy Spirit. The other five are unprepared with empty lamps, representing the false believers. They were unable to enter the door of the wedding. In John 10:7, Jesus calls Himself the door.
The Nissuin, Wedding Ceremony and Feast is a glorious seven day celebration. Different from Modern weddings, which focus mostly on the bride. Their weddings honored the groom. He was showered with songs of praise and poems. “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory”. As it’ll be with the marriage supper of the Lamb. The focus will be Jesus, not us. What a grand celebration, this will be!
Pause: Are you ready for the Bridegroom? Do you eagerly await His Second Coming?
Practice: Understanding Biblical customs are often the missing piece to discovering the rich depth of Scriptures. Pick an appointed feast or custom to study this week.
Pray: Dear Father, Your story of redemption is the greatest love story ever told. My heart is filled with deep gratitude to be chosen as the Bride of Christ. The blood of Jesus makes me without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish. I eagerly await Your return. If there is any hidden sin in my heart, please tenderly show me Lord, so I may repent. In Jesus name, Amen.
