The Journey Betrothed in Covenant
♫ On the road again! ♫
LOL Sorry. Couldn’t resist!
Today, we’re back on our journey. We’ll stroll along the path of betrothal and be joined by the ancient bride. We’ll learn how the betrothal of old applies to us today in our earthly marriage and our spiritual marriage.
~Hope you’ve been following along, but, in case you haven’t, please check the end of this post if you’d like to catch up on the previous journey stops.~
The bride of old...
When a young woman went through the process of being betrothed to a man, she would participate in kiddushin. Kiddushin was (and still is) a very serious commitment.
The word kiddushin comes from the same root word as “holy” but has no English word equivalent. This process consecrates a man and woman to each other
Being bound together by the Law, the couple was referred to as husband and wife, though the marriage covenant forbade them to live together physically. They pledged to remain holy in their covenant relationship, making a strict vow of purity and allegiance to each other.
If the bridegroom found any uncleanness in his bride, according to the Law, he had the option of divorcing her, or putting her away, which required a public performance. Only death or a public document had the power to end betrothal or the marriage itself. The bride or wife could never divorce her husband
Just what constituted uncleanness sometimes became a matter of debate between the rabbis. Some even considered bad cooking a good reason.
The bride of today...
How seriously do we take the wedding vows of our earthly marriage covenant? Are they just ceremonial words we stumble over in nervousness? Do we adhere to a holy relationship of strict purity?
Those vows we repeated—to love, honor, forsaking all others, until death do us part—were definitely covenant language.
Today, it has become all too easy just to toss the marriage certificate of covenant in the garbage, especially for Christians. Not a gleaming witness to the world.
Understandably, under certain conditions, divorce does occur, and although God’s forgiveness covers divorce, it is not His ultimate will for He hates divorce (Mal. 2:16a).
The spiritual Bride...
Covenant is one of the most significant truths in God’s Word, laying a foundation for establishing our relationship with God as our provider, with Christ as our Bridegroom, with the Holy Spirit as our comforter, with our spouse in marriage, with each other in God’s family, and for understanding Scripture.
As our ancient, betrothed bride and groom were considered as one entity, the same truth exists when believers covenant themselves with Christ, for they become a part “of His body, of His flesh and of His bones,” (Eph. 5:30 NKJV) as a divine oneness.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, telling them, “I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God Himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:2 NLT)
In our divine, covenant relationship, we vow to remain pure and holy. We vow to love, honor, and obey. When our Bridegroom finds uncleanness in us, He does not dismiss us with a certificate of divorce. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin; then, we ask for forgiveness and are cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus, being restored to our state of purity.
Just as our earthly marriage makes no room for any additional partners, so our heavenly espousal allows no desire in our hearts to be a rival for our Bridegroom. A heart yoked together with the Bridegroom in a holy union—one undivided in its affection, giving Him its full allegiance, without infidelity, hypocrisy, or unbelief—is His desire for us, His Bride.
Scripture cautions us, “Shun (keep clear away from, avoid by flight if need be) any sort of idolatry (of loving or venerating anything more than God).” (1 Cor. 10:14 Ampc) Anything! If anything is dearer to our hearts than the Lord, then, it is an idol and threatens our relationship with our heavenly Bridegroom.
So, if He is the Lord of all, then, “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus,” (Heb. 12:2a Ampc) we cleave only to the Bridegroom, saying as the Shulamite woman, “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” (SOS 6:3 NKJV)
We cherish our Bridegroom as our First Love, to have and to hold from this day forward, guarding our covenant of betrothal with Him.
“Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual
covenant that shall not be forgotten.”
(Jer. 50:5b Ampc)
And so ends today’s journey. Thanks for walking with me. Happy trails!
May your heart always long for purity in your covenant with the Lord...Lynn
*The Journey: The Price of the Bride​
*The Bride of Choice​
*Come, I will show you the bride​
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