A Wedding Story
Notes
Transcript
Introduction To Shavuot
Introduction To Shavuot
Shavuot is one of the three major biblical holidays, which require a pilgrimage to Jerusalem - Shalosh Regalim. These are Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot.
In the Torah this holiday is also called “the day of firstfruits”, as it appears in Numbers 28:26 and “the Festival of the Harvest” as it is called in Exodus 23:16.
In Hebrew the word Shavuot means “weeks”, it is called so, because we celebrate it after counting seven weeks from the first day of Passover:
Deuteronomy 16:9–11 (TLV)
9 Seven weeks you are to count for yourself—from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain you will begin to count seven weeks. 10 Then you will keep the Feast of Shavuot to Adonai your God with a measure of a freewill offering from your hand, which you are to give according to how Adonai your God blesses you.
11 So you will rejoice before Adonai your God in the place Adonai your God chooses to make His Name dwell—you, your son and daughter, slave and maid, Levite and outsider, orphan and widow in your midst.
As we count 50 days from Passover, this festival became known as Pentecost from the greek translation which means fiftieth.
During the time of the Temple, on each of these days an omer (a little more than 2 quarts) was presented to the priests as an offering. This is why we count the Omer.
On day 50 (Shavuot), two loaves of bread were brought as a wave offering to the Lord. These two loaves are specifically commanded to contain leaven (Lev 23:17).
Leavened loaves presented at Shavuot emphasized the freedom of the people to regulate their time according to God’s calendar, not Pharaoh’s or his slave masters.
According to the tradition, on this day we received the Torah from Mount Sinai, therefore most of its customs are related to the giving and learning of the Torah, including studying the Bible throughout the night, eating dairy products, and reading the Book of Ruth.
It also celebrates the harvest and is marked by giving thanks to God for sustaining our lives through the bounty of food the earth brings forth. Thus, it marks the point at which the first fruits of harvest were to be presented to the priests during the period of the Temples.
People would bring first fruits beginning at Shavuot and throughout the harvest period until Sukkot.
It is also a Messianic holiday, when we celebrate not only the giving of the Torah but the giving of the Holy Spirit, as described in Acts chapter 2. We’ll tlak more about this.
The Divine Wedding In The Festivals
The Divine Wedding In The Festivals
We have a few weddings coming up. I love weddings.
Alexis and I had a great wedding - we held it at a national trust in the gardens. Jack Farber officiated our wedding in the Bahamas and we had a messianic wedding. It was new for the locals and they found a lot of meaning in it.
And then of course we had the party afterward.
Weddings are beautfiul becaus they are meant to speak to life, committment, happiness, loyalty, joy and most of all, love.
The five Torah festivals may be pictured in a number of ways, but it seems very possible that they were given to illustrate the love of God for His people, following the pattern of a wedding.
We know that one of the images God uses to describe His relaitonship with Israel is that of a husband. The prophets use this imagery often.
What’s more, the Festivals are arranged so as to tell the story of God’s unfailing love for Israel and all who attach themselves to her by faith.
Pesach: Redeeming the Bride
Pesach: Redeeming the Bride
The first issue of marriage in the Ancient world was the redemption of the bride—paying the bride price to the bride’s father as the first step in the betrothal process. This also meant that a selection—a choosing—had taken place. The groom-to-be, along with his father, had cast their eyes upon a maiden as the fairest prospect for a bride.
37 Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them. Then He brought you out from Egypt with His presence, by His great power—
The betrothal took place in the home of the bride’s father, where she would remain until the actual wedding ceremony. As a formal act of property transfer, the groom would give the bride money or an object of monetary value, declaring that through the gift she was betrothed to him.
Engagement we have today invovles some of these elements. For example we give a ring as a sign of a future marriage. But betrothal in the ancient world much more of a binding agreement. It was a legal agreement bewteen the man and the woman, and the two were considered contractually married.
So the bride would not come without a price.
Paying such a bride price speaks to the issue of redemption, the heart and soul of the Pesach festival. There, at Passover, the payment required to redeem Israel from Egypt’s servitude is dramatically displayed every year.
The slaying of the Lamb, the blood on the doorposts, and the slaughter of Egypt’s firstborn sons all vividly remind us that the freedom we enjoy was purchased at great cost. But such a price was paid, and Israel was redeemed to become the bride of Adonai.
Shavuot: The Ketubbah
What’s the next festival after Pesasch?
Shavuot is directly connected to Pesach by the counting of the omer. This means that the bride-price symbolized by Pesach is directly tied to the events of Shavuot.
While the festival itself has a great many other symbolisms, the fact that, by traditional reckonings, the first Shavuot occurred while Israel was standing at Sinai, is significant.
What did Israel receive when stood at mount sinai?
The Two Tablets containing the Ten Commandments.
The Torah, given on Sinai, comes to Israel as a contract, and in our picture, as the ketubbah or the marriage contract. Written to assure the maintenance of the Bride, the ketubbah outlines what is expected of each party, and the commitment the bride and groom make to each other.
A Ketubbah is an important part of Jewish weddings today and represents the marriage contract, the vows.
The giving of the Torah, then, may be viewed within the context of the love relationship between God and Israel. Redeemed as His future bride, the Torah comes to her as the treasured token of her Groom’s fidelity and promise to maintain her. It also requires her faithfulness but promises enduring blessings and security within the marriage bond.
Yom Teruah (Rosh HaShannah)
Rosh HaShannah is the Feast of Trumpets, and literally Yom Teruah, Day for Blowing the Shofar. What is the significance of the shofar blasts? It is a call to return—a call for repentance.
Why do we need a call to repentance? Because the betrothal of Israel to Adonai was interrupted by the maiden’s unfaithfulness. This is the message of the Prophets.
Consider Jeremiah 31:31-34 which promises the New Covenant:
30 “Behold, days are coming” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 31 not like the covenant I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they broke My covenant, though I was a husband to them.” it is a declaration of Adonai.
Here the Lord presents Himself as Israel’s betrothed Husband and describes Israel’s unfaithfulness to Him.
When a betrothed maiden is unfaithful to her betrothed, he has every right to “put her away,” that is, to give her an annulment of the betrothal contract.
In such a case, the bride price returns to the would-be groom, and the bride is disgraced. The groom is not required to do this, mind you, but he may if he so desires. The example that immediately comes to mind, of course, is that of Mary and Joseph.
What Rosh HaShannah tells us is that, while Israel played the part of the unfaithful, betrothed maiden, God, her betrothed, calls her back—calls her to repentance. Her waywardness is grievous, but He is willing to forgive, and even to heal, but she must return—she must repent of her evil deeds. The rightful Husband, the one who has signed the ketubbah with His own finger, calls His betrothed wife back to Him—back to faithfulness to the betrothal agreement, the Torah.
5 For your Maker is your husband —Adonai-Tzva’ot is His Name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He will be called God of all the earth. 6 “For Adonai has called you back like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of one’s youth that is rejected,” says your God. 7 “For a brief moment I deserted you, but I will regather you with great compassion.
Thus, Rosh HaShannah also emphasizes God’s rightful ownership of His bride. The Day commemorates His sovereign kingship, and His right to possess His betrothed. In calling her back to Him, He re-establishes His rightful place beside her.
Yom Kippur: Cleansing the Wayward Bride
Yom Kippur (or Yom HaKippurim) is only 10 days after Rosh HaShannah. We call those days the days of awe. A period of anticipation and prepartion to be cleansed, and of hope that we will be cleansed.
So Yom Kippur is a day of solemn fasting, seeking to be cleansed of one’s sins. The bride, as she returns, is tattered and torn. Her garments are not white—they are soiled with the filth of unfaithfulness, and besmirched by the selfish indulgence of disloyalty.
Can these garments ever be made white? Can she come from the wedding chamber “without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27) when in her teshuvah (repentance) she came wearing such aweful clothes?
The message of Yom Kippur is “yes”—Yes, she can be cleansed. The blood of the Lamb washes her garments and makes them white again. She comes, made new, and thus made ready for the Wedding ceremony itself.
Indeed, in the solemn activities of Yom Kippur, there is a sense of coming back to where one belongs—back to the One to Whom one belongs.
This, of course, is another significant aspect of Yom Kippur, for it is the beginning of every Jubilee year.
Thus, Yom Kippur has a special attachment to the Yovel year, and this figures into the wedding picture as well. At the Jubilee, everything returns to its rightful owner, including the Land.
It is fitting, then, that the bride should return and be cleansed at Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur, for her rightful owner is none other than HaShem Himself.
Sukkot: Consumation and Dwelling Together
The Festival of Sukkot hastens immediately on the heels of Yom Kippur. The sorrow of the maiden’s unfaithfulness during her period of betrothal is swept away by the forgiveness and cleansing afforded by the Yom Kippur atonement, and the rejoicing of the wedding feast begins.
The Sukkah symbolizes dwelling together. Here, the groom takes His bride into His own dwelling, a dwelling He has made for her, and the marriage is consummated. Nothing but joy can prevail: the bride and groom have joy unspeakable, for finally—at last, that which is promised in betrothal is realized.
It is common to eat in the Sukkah, and thus pictures of a future wedding feast with the Lord fits into this picture well.
What is more, the Festival of Sukkot is the only one prescribed in the Torah to be eight days long. Yet there is an issue: the Feast is described as seven days, yet requires assembly on the eighth day. The Sages have made much of the question whether or not the eighth day, called “Shemini Atzeret” is part of Sukkot or not. No one can actually decide. It is thus seen as connected to Sukkot, but a Festival unto itself, nonetheless.
What does this symbolize? The seven days represent the completion of the “week” prior, the time of betrothal in this world. The eighth day must therefore represent the world to come, a new beginning, connected to the millennial reign of Messiah, but distinct from it.
The picture is obvious: God and His bride will remain forever, moving from His millennial reign directly into eternity: “and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Symbolic Picture
All of this, then, is a picture (one of many) that helps us understand why the Festivals are so important for God’s people. Celebrating these moedim, these appointed times, are a reminder to us and to our husband that we are anticipating the time of our consumation and are keeping pure and fiathful to our betrothal vows.
They also remind in symbolic and real ways of God’s desire to “dwell among His people,” to engage in that intimate relationship pictured between the husband and his wife. This is the “big picture” of redemption—of God’s desire for His people.
The final word on this is simple: our marriages should reflect this cycle of redemption, a cycle so profound and infinite that God developed the whole scheme of the ages around it. Surely when Paul labels this a “great mystery” (Ephesians 5:32) he spoke well.
Shavuot and Sinai
Shavuot and Sinai
But if we drill down into the events at Sinai that took place during Shavuot, we can see why they have long been understood as symbolizing a wedding.
Ex 19 is referenced as containing all the elements of a traditional jewish wedding.
A Jewish wedding, then and now, has four required elements—betrothal, sanctification, huppah, and ketubah
The Betrothal
The betrothal of Israel to Adonai took place at the Exodus from Egypt. Before leaving Egypt, Adonai promised B’nei Israel, “I will take you to me for a people” (Exod 6:7). This verse introduces the biblical theme of marriage between Adonai and his people and initiates the betrothal. The Hebrew word translated “shall take” is the same word used for a man taking a bride for himself, and can, therefore, be applied to Adonai taking B’nei Israel as his bride—the betrothal.
Israel’s betrothal to Adonai began with the plagues and culminated in the Exodus. After the betrothal, a bride was legally bound to the groom, prohibiting her from pursuing another man, and other suitors were prohibited from pursuing the bride. The process of making Israel unreachable to other pursuers is seen in the Passover story. Adonai separated Israel so she could become his sanctified bride, his Am Segulah, his treasured possession, as she is called in Exodus 19:5.
5 Now then, if you listen closely to My voice, and keep My covenant, then you will be My own treasure from among all people, for all the earth is Mine.
The Mikveh
The other traditional element today is a mikveh.
A mikveh is a ritual bath and today these are found in jewish communities, sometimes in synagogue or at a jewish community centre. One needs to register to access these and one of the times they are used are by women before their wedding day as a ritual cleansing.
Israel’s mikveh is seen in Israel’s heeding of Adonai’s words to Moses:
10 Adonai said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow. Let them wash their clothing.
For three days the people were to sanctify themselves and be ready on the third day.
In Hebrew, the word translated “sanctify them” is קדשתם kidashtem, which is related to the word kiddushin, the Hebrew word for the betrothal today.
Though Exodus does not specifically mention a mikveh as we have it today, when the Torah speaks of Israel washing themselves or their clothes, we can see the connection to cleasning by washingin water.
Ezekiel portrays Israel’s sanctification in Exodus 19:10 as a water cleansing which is part of the marriage process:
8 “Again I passed by and saw you, and behold, you were truly at the time of love. I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I swore to you and entered into a covenant with you,” says Adonai. “So you became Mine. 9 Then I washed you with water, rinsed off your blood from on you and anointed you with oil.
The Huppah
No Jewish wedding today is complete without a Chuppah.
The chuppah symbolizes the new home to which the bridegroom will take his bride.
As Israel drew near to the mountain, Adonai went out to meet his bride and bring her to the huppah and begin the wedding ceremony.
The word huppah is used twice in the Tanakh in relation to brides and grooms (Joel 2:16 and Psa 19:6 [5]), but it does not appear in any of the accounts of the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19, 24 or Deuteronomy 4).
So where is the huppah at Mt. Sinai? It is the “heavy cloud” that covered the mountain. Hence, the glory of Adonai is the huppah. The analogy fits well; Israel’s new home or place of dwelling is to be eternally in him in His chamber.
11 “You came near and stood at the bottom of the mountain while the mountain was blazing with fire up to the heart of the heavens—darkness, cloud, and fog.
The Ketubbah
We have already spoken about the connection between Shavuot and the ketubbah.
No wedding is complete without the ketubah, the wedding contract.
Symbolically, the ketubah at Mt. Sinai is the Torah itself. As with any ketubah, the Torah was and continues to be a legally binding agreement between Adonai and the people of Israel.
The glory of Adonai was revealed to Israel at her wedding on Mt. Sinai when the Torah (ketubah) was given.
After three days of preparation (sanctification) and anticipation, the groom (Adonai) went out to meet his bride. Accompanied by great fanfare—thunder, lightning, smoke, fire and a thick cloud—he revealed his glory to Israel.
The ketubah was ratified and an everlasting covenant was made between Adonai and B’nei Israel. Though the people of Israel did not remain a faithful bride, the Groom has remained faithful to the ketubah.
The Spirit As Arrabon
The Spirit As Arrabon
This image of a wedding between God to His people is the background for all the Apostolic descriptions of the Messiah and His bride: the congregation and the body of Messiah.
From a Messianic perspective, it is significant that the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) was poured out upon the early believers in Yeshua on Shavuot (Pentecost).
The Ruach was poured out at the Feast of Shavuot (Acts 2) in anticipation of the harvest of the nations to worship Israel’s God. Yet the Ruach is also viewed as a marriage contract or bride price when Paul uses the term arrabon, “pledge” in reference to the Ruach (2Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:14).
22 set His seal on us, and gave us the Ruach in our hearts as a pledge.
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
This same word (which is actually an Aramaic term, transliterated in the Greek) is used to describe the bride price. Thus, the giving of the Torah as a ketubbah and the giving of the Ruach as an arrabon continue the picture of the Divine betrothal of Israel.
Even today in greek the word means ἀρραβῶνα engagement.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The point is that through the festivals, and especially shavuot, we have a picture of God’s wedding story with His people.
But there is one more important emotion of a marriage that I want to leave you with. Jealousy.
35 “Therefore, harlot, hear the word of Adonai!” 36 Thus says Adonai Elohim: “Because your filth was poured out and your nakedness exposed through your harlotry with your lovers, because of all the idols of your abominations, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them, 37 therefore behold, I will gather all your lovers—those you have pleased and all those you have loved, with all them that you have hated. I will gather them against you from every side. I will expose your nakedness to them, so they may all see your nakedness. 38 So I will judge you, as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged. Then I will bring on you the blood of fury and jealousy. 39 I will give you into their hand. They will tear down your mound and break down your high places. They will strip you of your clothes and take your jewelry. They will leave you naked and bare. 40 They will also incite an assembly against you, stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords. 41 They will set your houses on fire and execute judgment on you in the sight of many women. So I will cause you to stop your harlotry. You will never again pay for a lover. 42 So I will calm My fury against you and My jealousy will turn away from you. Then I will be quiet and angry no longer.
There is a reason the Scriptures use the language and imagery of husband and wife. Because it brings the strongest emotions in life. We are called to think of ourselves in relationship to God with the strongest of emtions that can be experienced.
Our call is to remain as a faithful bride during our betrothal period. Although there may be separation during this period we know that we are committed to our husband and our husband is committed to us.
So let’s enjoy the our betrothal of our youth, let’s remain pure, and let’s live in complete and expectant anticipation of his return.