Falling In Love

I am doing a Bible Study called Falling In Love With Jesus. Today’s lesson was on Jewish Weddings and what we can learn from them. I found it very interesting and encouraging.

In a Jewish wedding there is a betrothal. This is a ceremony that is like a formal engagement. The couple is basically married and after this time they would have to get divorced to call off the wedding. After the ceremony, the groom goes back home to start preparing a place for his wife, like a room off of his parents’ house. The bride goes home to start preparing her wedding dress. When the groom’s father decides the room is ready, he will send the groom to go collect his bride. The word used for this means “carry” or “take”. The bride doesn’t know when this will happen, so she needs to be ready at all times.

Then there is the official marriage ceremony, which is more of a celebration of the coming together of husband and wife. This is a very joyous time with a feast. After this, the bride and groom can live together.

After looking at the Jewish wedding ceremony, it made several verses in the Bible mean so much more. For instance, “In my father’s house are many mansions.... I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive (take) you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

Also in Rev. 19 it says, “ Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” This is a picture of how we need to be preparing our wedding attire as we wait for Jesus to come for us. We are to be doing righteous acts.

I also think that this is a great picture of salvation and works. The bride is already married, but she now prepares herself by doing good works. We are saved when we confess Jesus as Lord. Once we are saved we can prepare ourselves for his return by doing good works. The good works don’t effect our salvation but it does effect our readiness. I want to be ready for my bridegroom.