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♫ On the road again! ♫

Back on the next leg of our journey. Today, 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 young man, she would participate in kiddushin with her husband-to-be. 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 putting her away, or divorcing her, 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?

According to the vows used in years past, each partner promised to love, honor, and cherish, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, cleaving only to each other, to have and to hold from this day forward, until death parted them. That is covenant language.

Today, it has become all too easy just to toss the marriage certificate of covenant in the garbage, especially for Christians. The divorce rate within the church is a disgraceful 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.

As Paul said, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” (Eph 5:32 NKJV) The mystery, the secret? “And this is the secret: Christ lives in you.” (Col. 1:27b NLT)

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 Amp) Anything! If anything is dearer to our hearts than the Lord, then, it is an idol and threatens our relationship with our heavenly Bridegroom.

As has been said, “If He is not the Lord of all, then He is not the Lord at all!” So then, “looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus,” (Heb. 12:2 Amp) 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 perpetualcovenant that shall not be forgotten.” (Jer. 50:5b Amp)

So ends today’s journey. Thanks for walking with me. Happy trails!



~If you did not read the reason for this monthly journey, you can read it here and the first step of the journey here. The second leg of the journey is here.

Linking up with...

~ If this is the first time you’re reading about the journey, welcome aboard! Grab your basket! We’re taking a stroll through the great field of God’s Word, gathering grains of inspiration and seeing the remarkable parallel between the Christian life and the ancient, Hebrew twelve steps of betrothal.

~ (If you did not read the reason for this monthly journey, you can read it here and the first step of the journey here.)

The dowry or the price of the bride is the second step in the betrothal tradition. The dowry, which in Hebrew is mohar, had to be paid in order for betrothal to take place. The bridegroom paid the bride’s father the mohar, an agreed upon amount of money.

***Here are this month’s kernels of truth:

* Did you know you were bought? “You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own],” (1 Cor. 6:20 Amp) because “[you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:19a Amp)

Jesus paid the Father’s price for His Bride, having “given Himself a ransom on behalf of all.” (1 Tim. 2:6 RGT) The Greek word for “ransom” is used only this once and means the redemption price of a slave or captive or that which is offered in exchange for another.

* Did you know you have a Kinsman-Redeemer? You were redeemed by the Lord, for “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Eph. 1:7 NKJV)

What is the purpose of a kinsman-redeemer? According to the law of kinship, or Levirate marriage, the next nearest, living, blood relative, was obligated to preserve the life, property, and integrity of the family name by marrying his relative’s widow and producing offspring that the family’s name not be blotted out, to represent a family member’s interests at the gate at the seat of authority, to stand in one’s stead, to redeem from bondage or slavery, and all duties and fulfillment of needs fell to him.

If we miss the meaning of kinsman-redeemer in the Bible, we miss a fundamental principle: God’s redeeming grace.

The tender and affectionate story of Ruth and Boaz depicts this redemption as an earthly representation of the heavenly relationship between God and His people.

Filled with great allegoric meaning, the whole book of Ruth supplies an abundant field of spiritual grains just waiting to be gleaned. Planted thousands of years ago and lying dormant in the soil of time, this book’s historical illustrations awaited the proper harvest time to reveal Christ’s redemption of His Bride, as His mohar.

At a time of famine, Elimelech took his family, his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion to live in Moab. While there, Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpah. Within ten years, Elimelech and both sons died.

Hearing that the LORD had visited His people in her homeland again by giving them bread, Naomi decided to return home. Joining her were Ruth and Orpah, up to a point. While Orpah departed for her homeland, Ruth stayed with Naomi.

Through a series of divine events, Ruth met her kinsman-redeemer. His name was Boaz, and, as a near kin, he was obligated to redeem.

Ruth’s heritage, her alien birth as a Gentile, afforded her no earthly rights and barred her from claims to any portion, but God provided for her, grafting her into the family. Her redemption came through her betrothal to her kinsman-redeemer.

Before our spiritual rebirth, we were of alien birth, having no heavenly rights, but through God’s provision of a Kinsman-Redeemer, we were grafted into His family.

How beautifully this exemplifies Christ’s sacrifice and great love for an unworthy people, grafting us in through the Jews and betrothing us to Himself. Christ became our Kinsman-Redeemer, for He “redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.” (Gal. 3:13 NKJV)

The Greek meaning of the word used here for “redeem,” describes beautifully what Christ did for us. It means to ransom, to rescue one from loss to improve opportunity, to purchase one for his freedom from another’s power by paying a price to recover him, or to buy up for one’s self or own use. Isn’t that beautiful?

A Kinsman-Redeemer! One who paid an inestimable price for His Bride.
There is a Kinsman-Redeemer……His Name is Jesus.And He paid the Father the price of His blood to redeem you......to betroth you to Himself.

“God has chosen you to be a special people to Himself...because the Lord loves you.” (Deut. 7:6b, 8a Amp)
Today starts my monthly journey post. If you did not read my One Word for the year, which turned out to be four, and why I’m doing this, you can read it here.

The Lord is taking me back to the beginning of this writing adventure He has called me to undertake. After I became ill with fibromyalgia, the Lord whispered to me His desire that I take up my pen and write for Him. Dumbfounded, I obeyed.

God led me to write on the Hebrew/Jewish betrothal tradition and used it to show me how it is a representation of our relationship with our Beloved Bridegroom and how we are to live the Bride life.

This month’s journey: to remember I am chosen by God to be a part of His Bride. The Father chose each one of us to be a part of His Son’s Bride. If you and I embrace this relationship, then we need to understand the background.

Walk back with me through the years to those ancient times. Back to the day when the Hebrews practiced the betrothal process which consisted of twelve steps (actually, many Jews still celebrate it today).

(I wrote about some of this in another post entitled Your Maker is Your Husband, somewhat of an overview of the betrothal process.)

The first step of the betrothal is the selection of the Bride, called shiddukhin, or the match, which is a pre-arranged agreement. The bride is chosen.

Thousands of years ago, the family existed as the father’s own little kingdom, in which he ruled absolutely, constituting a patriarchal society. More than just a social order, the head of the household held a religious significance.

As God’s representative, the father acted as the priest of his household in order to carry out God’s purpose. Those within the family accepted the father’s actions on their behalf as though done for them by God Himself.

Therefore, the Hebrew fathers thought it their duty to provide a bride for their sons in imitation of God, as Father, Who provided a wife for Adam. The majority of the time, the father chose the bride for his son.

Just as a Hebrew father chose the perfect bride for his son, so this represents the precious picture of God’s love for His Son’s Bride, the perfect companion suited for the heavenly Bridegroom.

As the ancient, betrothed bride and groom were considered as one unit, the same truth exists when believers accept Christ’s proposal, for they become a part “of His body, of His flesh and of His bones,” (Eph. 5:30 NKJV) as a divine oneness.

As Paul explained it to the Ephesians, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” (Eph. 5:32 NKJV) The mystery, the secret? “And this is the secret: Christ lives in you.” (Col. 1:27b NLT)

Paul said, “Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love,” (Eph. 1:4a Msg) and “[In His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ,” (Eph. 1:4a Amp) “to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Eph. 1:6 NKJV)

Accepted. That is, endued with special honor. Pursued with grace. Honored with blessings. Encompassed with favor. Beloved. Cherished.

To die for. “This is My body which is given for you,” (Luke 22:19 NKJV) Jesus said, relinquishing His life. And He says to us as He told the disciples, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” (John 15:16a NKJV)

This journey revisit reminds me not only to know that I am chosen but also to be cautious to live well as the Bride of my Beloved Bridegroom and to dwell much on this...

*I am chosen for my Beloved Bridegroom.
*I am accepted in my Beloved Bridegroom.
*I am endued with special honor.
*I am pursued with grace.
*I am honored with blessings.
*I am encompassed with favor.
*I am beloved, cherished, to die for.

And so are you! Hope today’s journey helped to remind you.

May you know how precious you are to the Lord and that you are chosen to be His!

I have never made New Year’s resolutions because I knew I would never keep them. This year, I kept encountering blog post after blog post by those who chose to do One Word for the year.

I googled it and found a site called My One Word. This is what they say...

“‘My One Word’ is an experiment designed to move you beyond the past and look ahead. The challenge is simple: lose the long list of changes you want to make this year and instead pick ONE WORD. This process provides clarity by taking all of your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single thing. One word focuses on your character and creates a vision for your future. So, we invite you to join us and pick one word in 2012 (click here to learn how)!”

They call it the un-resolution. They also have a blog, if you’d like to subscribe.

The more I saw others choosing a word, or having the Lord choose one for them, the more I liked the idea of clinging to one word for the New Year. So, I thought I would try it this year. But only if the Lord gave me the word. I didn’t want a word that I choose for myself.

I waited. And as I waited, I decided that, if the Lord gave me no word, I would have a backup. I would use this Scripture, “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans of welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” (Jer. 29:11 Amplified) A great Scripture for the year, right?

Then, without warning, came the first word: cautious. I decided to look it up. Cautious partially means: to be cautious is often to show wisdom. Webster’s Unabridged, New Edition, 1881, defines it as “attentive to examine probable effects and consequences of measures, with a view to avoid danger or misfortune.” Synonyms are prudent, guarded, wary, circumspect, watchful, and vigilant. Ooo...sounds good to me!

Unexpectedly, another word came: journey. Part of journey’s definition means passage or progress from one stage to another.

Even more unexpectedly came two more: dwell much.

Therefore, I will dwell much in the Lord and be cautious in my journey from one stage to another throughout the coming year.

The Lord, then, plopped an idea into my noggin. Throughout this year’s journey, I’ll be posting once a month on journey. More about this in an upcoming post.

You’re invited to come along with me. Will you join me on this journey and see what exciting things we encounter?

In a single moment, a little boy’s world turned upside down; his life’s journey interrupted, taking a drastic detour.

Many years ago, an accident on a slippery, wet road ended the lives of a young couple while their young son was only shaken and bruised. A frightened Max went to live with an aunt who had never married and knew little of taking care of children, let alone a seven year-old boy.

Aunt Sylvia lived on several acres surrounded by woods with a creek meandering through it. Max quickly learned to love it and thought it magical. Room to run, yell, chase animals, climb trees, and catch frogs from the stream. A great place to bring the friends he would soon make.

Aunt Sylvy, as Max called her, loved making up stories to pique Max’s imagination. Her best stories came from the Bible as she taught Max about God and His love.

Over the years, Max learned to love Aunt Sylvy as if she were his own mother. The two of them always made the best of each circumstance and prayed over each one.

Max’s tour through his teen years collided with the normal bumps in the road. But because of Max’s hard work and good study habits, and Aunt Sylvy’s encouragement, he received many honors throughout his high school years.

One day, a decision halted his journey: which college to attend. He could not imagine leaving Aunt Sylvy and the cabin in the woods, so he chose a college close to home.

After graduation came another dilemma: which job offer to take. Max chose the job on the other side of the country due to Aunt Sylvy’s insistence. So, when the day came for him to leave, she sent him off with her best wishes, a hug, a sack of sandwiches, a bag full of money, and a prayer.

As the years passed, Max tried to return to the cabin in the woods as often as he could.

One day, Max received a phone call from Aunt Sylvy’s neighbor telling him Aunt Sylvy was dying and called for him constantly. He told the neighbor he would be there as soon as possible.

As some business deals with deadlines needed his attention, Max decided to write a quick letter to Aunt Sylvy, just in case he didn’t make it home in time. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her and appreciated all she had done for him.

He reminisced how, on the day he arrived at the train station to live with Aunt Sylvy, she was detained from meeting him and sent her hired hand to pick him up. As darkness set in, the two of them made the journey to Max’s new home.

On the way through the forest, Max asked all kinds of questions of the hired hand, like are there any kids to play with; what is his aunt like; and will she be waiting up for him to arrive?

After all the questions were appeased, the two of them finally drove out of the forest. At a distance in the clearing sat a glowing log cabin as light streamed out of every window. And there, on the front porch under the light, was Aunt Sylvia waiting for him with open arms.

He wrote how she hugged him, gave him a warm dinner, put him to bed, prayed with him, and told him everything would be all right. He recalled how she sat up with him that night and every night thereafter until he was no longer afraid to fall asleep by himself and his tears had eased.

In an effort to comfort her as she had comforted him, he wrote that, though she may be in the dark for a while, a light will glow in the clearing. At her journey’s end, she will be welcomed with open arms by the Lord to her new home.

~The journey Home differs for each child of God. Accidents, interruptions, detours, bumps, halts, dilemmas, and questions may impede our way. The world may crowd around us as a forest and darken our outlook. But we can be assured of this: the Lord is always waiting to receive us with open arms and will bring us out into His Light.

Wherever our journey takes us, it is up to us to make the best of it. And, at the end of our journey, we will be welcomed to our new Home with the Lord.

~~From my heart to yours, “I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while,” (Rom. 15:24b NKJV) and help you as well on your journey Home!



This post is part of the ChristianWriters.com blog chain on the topic of journey. Please check out the other participants in the sidebar on the right.