Much controversy has been made over the topic of marriage and who has the right to be married. I
see so many people posting on social media about their own situations, mostly being alone and
wanting desperately to share their life with another. Having been married now for more than 30
years to the same gal I feel like I know a little about it. She may say differently…wink wink. However,
I do know that YHVH knows all about marriage. My marriage, your marriage, all marriages! He told
the woman at the well in John 4:18 “For you’ve had five husbands”! He knows!
The “theme” of the Bible can be directly related to marriage, from the joining of Adam & Eve, to the
covenant at Mt. Saini and finally at the Revelation when Jesus returns for His bride. Jesus manifests
his first miracle at the wedding in Cana and His two most significant parables are about weddings.
We know that Yeshua represents the perfect husband. Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it”. So what does the role of the bride look
like? The ancient wedding ceremony YHVH gave to the Israelite people was designed to teach them, and us, about the wedding of the Messiah and the 12 steps of the wedding process. Watch how it mirrors our
existence with God.
First is the selection of the bride. 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. Abraham wishes to secure a
bride for Isaac and sends his servant Eliezer to do this task.
Parallels in this Chapter: Abraham ~ YHWH, Servant/Eliezar ~ Holy Spirit, Isaac ~ Yeshua, Rebecca
~ the bride of Christ, 10 camels ~ 10 tribes of Israel, Laban & Rebecca family ~ much of
Christendom. This will help to example the difference in being the bride of Christ to that of the
wedding guest.
Genesis 24:10 ”And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the
goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of
Nahor.” This is a 500-mile trip by camel through the desert. On average a camel can travel 20-25
miles per day, making this trip from 3 to 4 weeks long!
We can see the power and importance of prayer as Eliezer asks of YHWH for the helpmeet to Jacob.
“And he said O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and
shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the
daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to
whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I
will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac;
and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.” Gen. 24:12-14.
It is the role of the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin and lead them to YHWH (John 16:8 “And
when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”). Just as
the bride was usually chosen by the father of the bridegroom, so the believers in the Messiah are
chosen by YHVH (John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you,
that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain”). The father chose the
bride, the bride accepts the groom and he lavished his love upon her and she returned his love.
This can be seen in Ephesians 5:25, as it is written, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also
loved the church, and gave Himself of it.”
In Genesis 24, Rebekah consented to marry Isaac even before she ever met him. Today, the
believers in the Messiah Yeshua consent to become the bride of Messiah even though we have never
seen Him. First Peter 1:8 speaks of this, as it is written, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom,
though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
Her reply is an action marked only, and fully, by faith: Verse 58 “And they called Rebekah, and said
unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.” She must be willing to leave behind all
that she knows and go into a land (way of living) that she will be shown (Torah). She must be led by
the Holy Spirit to follow the instructions and what will be revealed to her. This is what many people
deem to be “blind faith”.
Jesus examples this for us in Matthew chapter 22 in the parable of the marriage of the king’s son.
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent
forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.” This is
our role as followers of the King of Kings, to invite people to the wedding. To which Jesus tells them
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
One of the “perks” of being the chosen includes a supernatural protection in the tribulation. Mark
13:20 “And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the
elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.” With all of this “According as he
hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world” as it states in Ephesians.
Next a bride price was established. A price would have to be paid for the bride. The agreed upon price
was called a mohar in Hebrew. Genesis 24:51-53 “Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go,
and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken. And it came to pass, that, when
Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. And the
servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah:
he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.”
Jesus, being our bridegroom, paid a very high price for His bride, the body of believers. The price He
paid was His life. 1 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.” This is the requirement for the redemptive blood of the sacrifice according to Torah.
- Leviticus 9:3 “And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering;”
- Leviticus 14:10 “And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish“
In 1 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.” Our example and forever reminder is the Feast of Passover where we are transitioned by the blood of the sacrifice to become ‘without blemish’.
Exodus 12:27 “That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, who passed over the
houses of the children of Israel (the chosen) in Egypt (bondage to the worldly prince – Satan), when
he smote the Egyptians (evil strongholds), and delivered our houses (set the people free). And the
people bowed the head and worshipped.”
This is what is explained to us in the words of Jesus in Luke 22:19 “And he took bread, and gave
thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in
remembrance of me.” Jesus was the visual and physical example of all the law/instructions, to them
in that day and to us today, of the Passover and fulfilling the role of the bridal price.
Step three the bride and groom are betrothed to each other, unlike our modern-day tradition of engagement, breaking a betrothal was shameful and costly. Betrothal legally binds the bride and the groom together in a marriage contract, except they do not physically live together. The betrothal was so
binding that the couple would need a religious divorce or (get) in order to annul the contract (Deut.
24:1-4).
Jeremiah 2:2 says “Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember
thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the
wilderness, in a land that was not sown.” Jeremiah was reminding them of their betrothal at the base
of the Mountain.
Also in Hosea 2:19-20” And I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, I will betroth
thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even
betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord.”
When did Isreal do this? At Mt. Saini … When did you do this? When you accepted the sacrifice of
Messiah, you became betrothed to Him while living on the earth. The period is also called –
kiddushim – meaning the time of “sanctification” or being “set apart.” This word really defines the
purpose of the betrothal period; it is a time in which the couple are to be set aside to prepare
themselves to enter into the covenant of marriage.
Fourth a written document is drawn up, this betrothal contract is called, in Hebrew, “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.
The ketubah was the unalienable right of the bride. The ketubah must be executed and signed prior
to the wedding ceremony. The Bible is the believer’s ketubah. All the promises that YHWH provided
for the believers in the Messiah are legally ours, as it is written in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the
promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen….”
YHVH established in his law, {the Torah or instructions} all of the components of a covenant
relationship and as we are bound by these, so too, He is bound by these. YHVH has already made
the commitment to work for, to honor, to support, and to maintain his bride in truth, to provide food,
clothing, and necessities, and to prepare a place to live together forever!
John 14:2-3 “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
The fifth step the bride must give her consent; the personal application is called “halacha”. For those who desire the marriage covenant, one has to accept His invitation, to do so, is by faith through grace. We see
in Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God.”
This is the believers “I do”: As it is written in Romans 10:8-10: “But what does it say? “The word is
near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we preach), because if you
confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the
mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.” You are saying “I do.”
This is your opportunity, right here, right now, while you are reading this, you are being chosen by
God to hear the truth, and if you have not accepted the free gift of the atoning blood of the Messiah
Jesus then do so now. Take the words you just heard from Romans 10:9-10 and confess your need
before YHVH. In 1st John 1:9 the apostle tells us “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” You too can become a bride to Christ.
The dating scene in America circa 1991 versus the culture today, or of the days of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob are to say at the very least…..different! I had always been the one to pursue relationships,
and being a typical American male, I chose a certain “look” and “style” of woman. This “look and
style” woman was based more from the images the world had portrayed as ‘beautiful’ than that of
what YHVH sees as beautiful.
Having had several dating relationships (a point of contention to my future in-laws) in which few
lasted more than a couple of months until I finally had one last 3 years, only to end very bitterly. I
was broken mentally, spiritually, as well as, financially and I even professed to my friends that I was now the president of the ‘woman haters society’. Realizing, in my life, what I desperately wanted was to
have a lifelong companion and having seen the broken relationships of my parents, I had missed the
reality of building a committed relationship.
Finding out who each other is at the core of their being, that is the goal of the process of dating to
find a mate, yet so many are dating with the companion mentality over the commitment mentality.
The masses will spend many hours and fists full of money on going to the club, the movies, out to
eat and to events. While entertainment is needed within a relationship, it is hardly the place to really
find out about the beliefs and dreams of your future lifelong partner.
This is where I did what I should have done from the very beginning and that was to trust YHVH.
Thinking (which can get me into trouble) that YHVH had brought about the other relationships in my
life there must be something wrong with me, or women, or both. Then He spoke to me, telling me
He had a plan and if I would just get out of the way things would be different.
So I prayed “Lord you are the creator of the universe and I am an idiot. Your word says you know my
innermost being and that you knit me in the womb. I have not been trusting of you and I ask for
forgiveness. I see in your word also that you recognized Adam was without a helpmeet and you
created Eve to fit him perfectly. I am asking you to do the same for me. Amen.” Despite my weak
relationship at that time with YHVH, He was faithful and true to the mustard seed of my faith.
Next, gifts were given to the bride from the groom’s family and a cup called G4221 ποτήριον poterion or
“the cup of the covenant” was shared between the bride and the groom. The definition of poterion is
“the contents thereof, a lot or fate”. In a modern wedding ceremony, the toast between the bride
and groom is similar in nature. This is an outward display of an internal desire to be linked together,
arm in arm, in life, and for life. The rite of betrothal (erusin) is completed when the groom gives
something of value to the bride and she accepts it.
There are a couple of very interesting ‘cups’ for us in scripture. This cup is the valuable promise of
the blood of salvation for all who believe. Remember in part one when I said the breaking of this
marriage covenant was harsh.
The prophet Isaiah warns in 51:17 “Wake up! Wake up! Get up, O Jerusalem! You drank from the
cup the Lord passed to you, which was full of his anger!” We know that YHWH is an all-consuming
fire, as the Messiah consumed the cup of wrath, that wrath consumed our sin without the price of
our soul and sealed for us the covenant of Salvation.
Matthew 26:39 “Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed,
“My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
So many people watched “The Passion” in theatres and on DVD, the devastating torture that Jesus
went through in bringing about salvation. In my own mind I thought that it was more than likely so-much-more brutal than what was shown. When the Bible tells us ‘by His stripes we are healed’ we must
allow our minds to reach back to the visuals of the movie and render the truth of how valuable a
sacrifice it truly was. If you haven’t seen it, do so, it can be found free of charge on many cable and
internet sources. I am not committing to it being 100% scripturally correct, just that it will give you
some point of reference to the gift and the cup.
Sixth step: The bride has a “mikvah” or (water immersion), which is the ritual of cleansing. Mikvah is a
ceremonial act of purification by immersion in water. It indicates a separation from a former way
to a new way. In the case of marriage, it indicates leaving an old life for a new life with your spouse.
We are called to do the exact same behavior, to leave the worldly actions we have been taught, and
move on to the instructions of the groom Jesus Christ. We take the contract, which is the Bible, and
we can learn from it and separate ourselves from the world and its sinful nature.
This is Paul’s instruction in Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will
of God.” The ONLY way we will ever know the will of God is through the daily ‘washing’ in the Word
according to Ephesians 5:26. That is why immersing in the mikvah is considered an outward display
of our spiritual rebirth.
Here too, we get a better picture of the interaction of Jesus and Nicodemus. John 3:3 “Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit.” Nicodemus was polluted by the traditions of the Pharisees and syncretism (the mixing of
pagan and the true faith) that had taken over the teachers and the people. Jesus was asking him to walk
away from the paganism and man-made beliefs and to focus on the wishes of the Father.
Seven: The bridegroom departs: At this point, the bridegroom leaves for his father’s house (family land) to prepare the bridal chamber for his bride. It was understood to be the man’s duty to go away to be with his father, build a house, and prepare for the eventual wedding. The bridal chamber will be an extension
to the grooms housing project. This will be their forever home and yet it is a special portion of the
house designed and intended for the bride. This must pass the inspection of the father (and most
likely mom will have a thing or two to comment on as well) because this is a reflection of the groom’s
family and their hospitality of the new family member.
Before he goes on his journey he will make a statement to the bride. “I go to prepare a place for you; if I
go, I will return again unto you.” This is the very same statement Jesus made in John 14:1-3. It was
not accidental nor was it random, it is required for the fulfillment of the marriage covenant.
Step Eight: Consecration of the Bride and the acceptance of the bridal chamber. The bride was to wait eagerly for the return of the bridegroom and in that time she would make the needed adjustments in her life for the future, that being, the future of living with her husband and his family.
The bride may have been from an agricultural family and the groom could be a herdsman. There
were tent makers and fishermen as we know from the gospel accounts, so she may have had to
learn to sew, make nets or care for livestock. The point is, we too, have to prepare ourselves for
living with the Father’s family. What are the customs and requirements to live in harmony with
YHVH? Consecration is the action of making or declaring something sacred. This is the Torah.
In the mind of the bride, the bridegroom could come at any time, even in the middle of the night or
at midnight. Therefore, she had to be always ready. Jesus tells us the parable of the Ten Virgins in
Matthew 25:1-13 to example this very issue.
“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went
forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were
foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry
made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and
trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone
out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye
rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came;
and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.Afterward came
also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto
you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of
man cometh.”
These 10 virgins are all believers – because atheists aren’t waiting for this Bridegroom! Believers are
the only ones eligible to enter the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. But notice some went in and some did
not. Oil in scripture is connected to anointing and truth. The Word of God is the Oil of truth. John
17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
When the 5 wise tell the 5 foolish to go and buy oil they are telling them to go to the teachers of the Torah and learn of the truth. Torah has often been labeled as “Law”, while this seems to be the most widely accepted definition, we can see it better defined in the Hebrew as “instructions”.
The best interpretation of the word Torah is to break it down into the Paleo Hebrew, or pictographic
Hebrew language, and it is described Torah as “The Covenant of The Nail is the Head of Revelation”
In order to consecrate ourselves, or declare ourselves as ready for the grooms return, we must allow
YHVH to sanctify us with his truth – Torah, the Instructions, the “Old” Testament (a term created by
Tertullian in 220 AD not God).
Next is the time of the return of the bridegroom: When the bridegroom came, he came with a shout
(Matthew 25:6) and with the blowing of the trumpet and then the marriage party will have a sacred
procession. 1st Thess. 4:15-17 “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep (already died).
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout (trumpet blast), with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up (gathered NOT raptured) together with them in the clouds (this word
in Greek is “nephelee” or cloudiness which is derived from “nephos” a large, dense number of
people.), to meet the Lord in the air (Greek word “aer” which means ‘as naturally surrounding’): and
so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
This coincides with 1st Corinthians 15:52 “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
This LAST trumpet is the 7th and final trumpet of the tribulation. For further witness to this truth, and
to the dismay of many teaching falsely a pretribulation “rapture”, we see the words of Jesus in the
gospel of John.
John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him (chosen): and I
will raise him up at the last day.” As well we see Martha knew this as truth in John 11.24 “Martha
saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” The last day and
the last trumpet being synonymous.
Now step 10, the bridegroom will enter the chuppah (marriage canopy) first. When the bridegroom
approaches the chuppah, the cantor chants, “Blessed is he who comes.” Jesus tells the disciples
exactly this in Matthew 23:39 “For I say unto you, You shall not see me henceforth, until you say,
Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.”
The question for all of us “are you ready?” Have you washed yourself in the water of the word,
renewing your mind and sanctified in His truth? Just like driving off in the car covered in ribbons, tin
cans trailing from the bumper, and a line of cars sounding their horns at modern weddings. We who
are in Christ at the end will be shouting for joy and sounding the trumpet making a righteous noise
for our groom!
Step Eleven: Claiming the Bride – The bridegroom would return and it was generally in the middle of the night. He would claim the bride and they would go to the bridal chamber where the marriage would be consummated. They will stay in that wedding chamber for seven days and at the end of the seven days, the bride and groom will come out from the wedding chamber. When the bride and the groom initially went into the wedding chamber, the friend of the bridegroom stood outside the door. All the assembled guests of the wedding gathered outside waiting on the friend of the bridegroom, our current day ‘best man’ to announce the consummation of the marriage which was relayed to him by the groom.
John 3:29 “The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands
by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy,
and it is complete.”
The validity of the bride’s virginity and her purity was confirmed as well as her faithfulness was found
to be complete. This will be ours to insure as we wait upon the return of the bridegroom Jesus. There
are others that will be in attendance, the guests, they too are to have their preparedness for the
groom’s return. We see this with the 10 virgins, some had the oil and some did not.
Matthew 25:10-12 “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready
went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins,
saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”
The “church” today says that the requirements of Torah are done away, yet the scripture clearly
shows that there will be those that are turned away for their disobedience to the Word of God.
Revelation 14:12 bears witness to this fact, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that
keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” The word for ‘saints’ here is G40 ἅγιος
hagios and it means ‘clean’, ‘blameless’ and ‘Redeemed Kinsman’ this is the role of those who want to
be found in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Further confirmation can be seen in Revelation 12:17 “And the dragon was wroth with the woman,
and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and
have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Here we see that Satan is sooooo irate with the people that
adhere to the Torah that he declares war on them. This should be the goal of all believers…. To be
so focused on the things of God that Satan declares you an avowed enemy!
Now then, before you derail the train here over the “613 laws”, please note that we will discover
these in another teaching. Just know for now this; there are within those instructions, ones that are
just for men, ones just for women, ones just for the Levites, ones just for farmers and ones just for
keepers of livestock and so on.
We have to stop looking at these as “laws” as penalties and start looking at them as instructions
from a loving father to protect his children. Who would send their 10 year old out into the
neighborhood without instructing them to get their shoes on, or put on sunscreen, or use mosquito
repellant before heading out. How about looking both ways before crossing the street, or, wearing
your helmet while biking?
This is the exact meaning of the “613 laws”, they are instructions on living well with each other and
for protecting them from disease or death. Following scripture, we can see that 2 or 3 witnesses
establish a matter, Deuteronomy 19:15 and Matthew 18:16. So, finally as our 3rd witness to the matter of keeping the instructions of God, we see Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” This city is the New Jerusalem or what we have labeled Heaven.
Now for step 12. The Wedding Supper.
This was an incredible feast started at the announcement of the consummated marriage. This too
would last for several days, after which the bride and groom would go to their forever home.
Isaiah 2:2 tells us where that home is, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain
of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the
hills and all nations shall flow unto it.” Also we find in Hebrews 12:22 “But you are come unto the
Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels.”
Revelation 21:9-10 “Then one of the seven angels … saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!” So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.”
The goal of every professed Christian I have ever met was to be like Jesus. To do that one must
follow the instructions as he did this very thing.
- 1 Peter 2:21-22 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth”
- 1 John 3:4 “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness (void of Torah); indeed, sin is lawlessness. (living without Torah)
Are we sincerely trying to get to Heaven and abide with YHWH? We just heard in Rev. 22:14
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may
enter in through the gates into the city.”
Recalling the moment my bride walked down the aisle, my heart beating out of my chest, her eyes
like deer in the headlights. About a third of the way up the aisle we make eye contact, and the smile
on her face and sparkle in both her eyes returns. My heart briefly stops and then proceeds to melt.
The collective “ahhh” emanates across the room from the guests as the most beautiful gal on the
planet floats towards me.
A few days later I would discover the entire time my wife and her father were in the back of the
church waiting, as well as the trip down the aisle, he was cracking jokes and it was all she could do
to keep a straight face. It probably wasn’t until my own daughter was born that I realized how much
that moment was bearing down on my soon-to-be father-in-law. The fear of my failing her, the
uncertainty of our futures all at risk with this unknown and untested young fellow.
1 Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of
Jesus Christ:” This is my hope for you, that you will be ready for the glorious Day of the Lord. That
these 12 steps of the wedding will move you to seek out the truth of YHVHs word.
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning.” Luke 12:35
Are you entering into your relationship to YHVH willing to separate yourself from the world? I am not
talking about working for your salvation, I am saying, are you willing to follow the marriage covenant
of YHVH? Saying yes to Yeshua for salvation is the engagement, walking out the commitment and
living the rest of your life in His house is the marriage.
In the Torah, or the Law concerning a divorced woman is primarily outlined in Deuteronomy 24:1-4.
This passage provides instructions on what should happen when a man divorces his wife and then
either he or she remarries or if she marries another man after the divorce. Let’s examine the key
points of this Law: The Torah acknowledges the reality of divorce but does not prescribe the grounds
for divorce explicitly. In Jewish tradition, however, divorce was permitted mainly on the grounds of
“something indecent” (Deuteronomy 24:1). This phrase has been a subject of interpretation and
debate among Jewish scholars.
When a man decides to divorce his wife, he is required to provide her with a written certificate of
divorce known as a “Get” in Jewish law. The Get serves as a formal legal document, indicating the
dissolution of the marriage and allowing the woman to remarry. According to Deuteronomy 24:2, if
the woman marries another man after her divorce, and the second marriage ends in divorce or death
of the second husband, the first husband is prohibited from remarrying her. This prohibition is to
prevent frivolous divorce and remarriage.
Deuteronomy 24:3-4 emphasizes ‘The First Husband’s Responsibility’, that if the first husband
divorces his wife and she marries another man and is subsequently divorced, the first husband is not
allowed to take her back as his wife. This rule is to protect the woman from being treated as an
object that can be discarded and taken back at will.
It is important to note that the Law of the Divorced woman from Torah represents a historical and
cultural context, and its interpretation and application have evolved over time within Jewish tradition.
Additionally, it is crucial to recognize that Jesus addressed the topic of divorce in the Gospels,
offering a higher standard and understanding of marriage (Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12).
Overall, the Law concerning a divorced woman in the Torah aims to provide guidelines for a just and
fair treatment of women in the context of divorce and remarriage, ensuring their protection and
dignity within the societal norms of that time.
After the marriage was sealed at Sinai the peop0le entered the Promised land and then promptly “fell off the wagon”. Jeremiah 3:8-9 “And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.”
This behavior and its resulting consequence requires a Kinsman Redeemer… this is our next installment in the series.
Berean Breadcrumbs 
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