My Hearts Desire Part 2
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Longing for the Groom
Longing for the Groom
He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself.
They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy.
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly. Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.
There are so many things competing for our hearts desires these days. And the desires of the flesh can deceive and confuse the soul. But those who walk upright before the Lord set their hearts desires on Him. And like a bride eagerly awaiting the day she will be eternally united with the one her soul doth love, so those who sincerely love the Christ eagerly await the blessed hope of His return.
The Scriptures have much to say about His return. But to fully understand you must place it in context of a Jewish wedding chatunah, חֲתֻנָּה: (These are not necessarily in sequential order)
Marriage Betrothal - ('aras “betrothed”) אָרַשׂ / Kiddushin “sanctification”)
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
The Father arranges for the potential bride to prepare a covenant meal. The potential groom comes and while knocking on the door, he announces who he is. If the potential bride wishes to accept his engagement she opens the door and they have a covenant meal together. If not, she turn him away by not opening the door. If she accepted, the groom would go and prepare their home (John 14:3). When the Father deemed ready (Matthew 24:36), he would command the groom to go steal away his bride like a thief in the night (Revelation 16:15). Assuming her lamp remained lit through the night as a sign of her remaining betrothed (Matthew 25:3), he would steal her away.
Wedding Contract - (Ketubah “Marriage Covenant”)כְּתוּבָּה
And the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
The fathers of the bride and groom come together and the contract is written. It involves a history of how they met; the history of the bride; the history of the groom; and the boundaries and expectations of how the marriage is to function in the covenant relationship.
Betrothal Reception - (Kabbalat Panim “receiving of faces”) קבלת פנים
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Separate receptions are held to honor the bride and groom. In these receptions it is recognized that all their previous sins and failings are forgiven, and they are empowered to chart a new future for themselves and bestow blessing and grace to their loved ones and friends. It is to honor their special status that we hold a reception for them, as for visiting royalty. By tradition, the bride and groom refrain from seeing each other for a full seven days prior to their wedding, so as to increase their love and yearning for each other, and their subsequent joy in each other at their wedding. They will meet again only at the badeken (veiling ceremony) that follows the reception.
Veiling of the Bride - (badeken “covering”) באַדעקן
And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
The groom leads a procession to the bridal reception room. There the groom covers the bride's face with a veil. This custom originated with our matriarch Rebecca, who covered her face when meeting her groom, Isaac. “The veil emphasizes that the groom is not solely interested in the bride's external beauty, which fades with time, but rather in her inner beauty which she will never lose” (Jewish Wedding Ceremony - The Jewish Wedding and Marriage; chabad.org; 12 May 2022).
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Nuptial Finalization - (Nisu’in “Marriage”) נִישּׂוּאִין (Sheva Brachot שבע ברכות —the "Seven Benedictions”; Seven Feasts given to Israel; and Seven Trumpets)
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.
When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
At one point, the groom wraps an expensive glass goblet in a napkin after having drank the wine and reciting the seven blessings. He then places it on the ground and crushes it with his foot. God cut a covenant with Israel at Sinai, but because of their adultery, the tablets were broken. Marriage also is a covenant. Jewish covenants are made by breaking or cutting something. At the wedding, broken glass “cuts” the covenant that is to never be broken.
Covenant Consummation - (Yichud “Unification”) איצ'וד
And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
The bride and groom enter a room and become one (echad אֶחָד; Genesis 2:24). At this point the fast of the bride and groom ends (Matthew 9:15). Historically, it involved physical evidence of the brides monogamous consecration; that she has kept herself for her groom only. Today, this is simply a private time for the bride and groom to exchange gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) and solidify that they will always make private time for one another.
Marriage Feast - (sheva brachot) שֶׁבַע בְּרָכוֹת
Once the groom and bride emerge from the Yichud and the covenant is sealed, a great festival of rejoicing, dancing, and feasting is held. At the conclusion, the seven blessings are again recited over a glass of wine and grace is given after the meal calling for the eternal favor of Adonai on the couples marriage.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Saints of God, you who have consecrated yourself to follow Christ with your whole heart, you are the bride of Christ. You are betrothed to Him. Remain pure and monogamous free of the stains of this world. Keep the oil burning in your lamps eagerly awaiting the return of the Groom.
The covenant has been cut, signed, and sealed with the blood of the Lamb. The veil that stands between the bride and groom has been removed. Pursue intimacy with Him alone. Set your hearts desires on Him and the joy of seeing Him face to face. But if He remains standing at the door knocking, answer the door today.
The Groom is coming. And the church who has lost a desire to see His face again is like a bride who has forgotten to whom she has been betrothed. Church, let us be a bride that longs for her groom. There are so many things in this life competing for your heart’s desire. Bride of Christ, in this crazy world we live in, do not lose or misplace your longing.