The Wedding of the Messiah/King
The Bible is a marriage covenant. God ordained man to have one wife and designed the institution of marriage. Let’s examine this closer. Adam was made after the likeness of Yeshua (Romans 5:14 and Philippians 2:8). Yeshua is called the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-47). In Genesis 2:21, God had a deep sleep fall upon Adam. Sleep is synonymous with death (Daniel 12:2; John 11:11-14; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; Ephesians 5:14). The deep sleep that God caused to fall upon Adam is a picture of the crucifixion and death of Yeshua. God brought a deep sleep upon Adam so He could take a rib from the side of his flesh. This required the shedding of blood. This is a picture of Yeshua who was pierced in the side of His flesh, shedding His own blood when He hung on the tree (John 19:34).
From the rib of Adam, God made Eve. Likewise, by the death of Yeshua and faith in Him, God established the assembly of believers which we refer to as the Church but was known in the Hebrew as the Assembly or Congregation. The believers in the Messiah, His bride, become wedded to Him by faith.
This marriage can be seen in the Old Testament as well as in Jeremiah 3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you… and Paul makes that clear. God gave the wedding customs, service, and ceremonies to the Jewish people (Romans 3:2; 9:4) to teach us about the Messiah Jesus (Colossians 2:16-17). In examining the weddings of Scripture we can see the process whereby God chose us as a Bride for His only Son. The ancient Jewish wedding ceremony God gave to the Jewish people to teach us about the wedding of the Messiah specific stages or steps.
The Bride is Chosen
The bride was usually chosen by the father of the bridegroom. The father would send his trusted servant, known as the agent of the father, to search out the bride. An excellent example of this can be seen in Genesis 24. In this chapter, Abraham (a type of God the Father) wishes to secure a bride for Isaac (a type of Messiah) and sends his servant Eliezer (a type of the Holy Spirit to do this task (Genesis 24:2-4; 15:2). Even Samson required his father to secure the girl he desired in judges 14 v 1-2.
Believers in the Messiah are chosen by God (John 15:16). In Genesis 24, Rebekah consented to marry Isaac even before she ever met him. Believers in the Messiah consent to become the bride of Messiah even though we have never seen Him.
A bride price was established.
A marriage is not merely an incidental transaction between the two families; it creates and cements a relationship of alliance between them.
One family gives a very precious possession, a daughter; the other, `to put things on an equal footing’ gives a valuable present. The (mohar) bride price thus establishes the prestige of the husband and his family, gives him authority over his wife, makes the contract binding on both parties, and creates and alliance between the two families.”
We see Jacob working 7 years for his Uncle Laban as the bride price of Rachel. Yeshua, being our bridegroom, paid a very high price for His bride, the body of believers. 1st Peter 1:18-19 says, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” In First Corinthians 6:20 it is written, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Betrothal Process.
Betrothal is the first of two steps in the marriage process.
Jewish marriages were legally formalized by a written marriage contract, called a ketubah. Historically, God betrothed Himself to Israel at Mount Sinai (Jeremiah 3:14 and 20; Hosea 2:19-20).
The ketubah is the marriage contract that states the bride price, the promises of the groom, and the rights of the bride. The word ketubah means “that which is written.” The groom promised to work for her, to honor, support, and maintain her in truth, to provide food, clothing, and necessities, and to live together with her as husband and wife.
