There is a beautiful theme that
delicately weaves throughout Scripture about a bride and her bridegroom,
beginning in Genesis 2:22-23, when God forms a bride for man from the body of her bridegroom:
And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man,
made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she
shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Later Abraham (the father) sent his servant to find a bride for his son, Isaac, just as our Father has sent the Holy Spirit to find a bride for His son, Jesus Christ.
I have written about Jewish
marriage customs and their significance in Scripture, but have been learning about other biblical marriage customs from a wonderful book by
Henry John Van-Lennep, Bible Lands: Their Modern
Customs and Manners Illustrative of Scripture, which can be
downloaded for free from Google Books.
Van-Lennep writes
that once the family of the bridegroom meets the prospective bride, the women
of the bridegroom’s family would meet her at a public bath. This was to ensure that she
had no physical defect. Only then would
a formal marriage proposal be made.
This led me to Ephesians 5:25-32, which speaks about the bride who will be taken from the body of the Church
(the antitype to the type of Adam’s bride being taken out of his body) and how
she must present herself:
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as
Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That
he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So
ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife
loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but
nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For
we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For
this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto
his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great
mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Once a couple became engaged, a marriage contract was signed. The
wedding, however, did not occur until much later. During this time, the bride and bridegroom
were not permitted to see each other.
Jesus alludes to this in 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.
During this period of
separation, the bride would usually send gifts to the bridegroom that she
created with her hands, such as needlework. Just as we should be focused on
creating works for our bridegroom through faith in Him until that joyful day
when He returns for us.
The bride’s wedding garment
was also highly important, and often ornate or adorned with jewels, as described
in several Scripture passages:
Isaiah 49:18:
Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these
gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou
shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on
thee, as a bride doeth.
Isaiah 61:10:
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be
joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he
hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself
with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Jeremiah 2:32:
Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her
attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
Marriage festivities often
occurred a week before the wedding ceremony, both at the homes of the bride and
bridegroom. While waiting for
the bridegroom, the maids and matrons might become drowsy and fall asleep on their divans, save for those few who kept a watchful eye for the approaching torches of
the bridegroom’s procession. When the
cry was made “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6), the girls and younger
women would hastily light their lamps, candles, or lanterns and run out to meet
the coming procession.
Jesus describes this in His
parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew
25:1-13). Van-Lennep writes that
when the foolish virgins went out to buy their oil, the procession had already
formed and had moved to the home of the bridegroom. The reason the door was shut was to prevent
the entrance of dangerous men or thieves who might rob jewelry, costly
garments, or even the bride herself.
Wealthy hosts often
distributed garments to the wedding guests.
Usually this was just the outer garment (called the jibbeh) or a piece of cloth that was used to make one. Jesus also speaks to this in His parable about
the King and the wedding guest who is not properly clothed in Matthew 22:1-14.
11 And when the king came in to see the
guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:12 And
he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding
garment? And he was speechless.13 Then said the king to the
servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer
darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many
are called, but few are chosen.
The wedding finally culminates in the Book of
the Revelation:
Revelation 19:7-9:
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him:
for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And
to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white:
for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write,
Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he
saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Revelation 22:16-17:
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you
these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the
bright and morning star. And the Spirit
and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that
is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (emphasis mine).
Today the bride of Christ is busy preparing
her garments, looking to the clouds, and waiting for the bridegroom's imminent return. She often groans from the crushing weight of
the sin in this world — and sometimes even her own.
He promised her that He would come quickly, but some
days, it does not feel quickly enough.
