A Marriage Made Heaven? Series

The Bible: A Love Story

Pt 1: A Marriage made in Heaven?

We often refer to the Old Testament scriptures as falling into the category of the 'Old Covenant'. In their turn, the New Testament scriptures are, more properly, referred to as the 'New Covenant' (Jer.31:31; Matt.26:28).

In the O.T., the Hebrew word for 'covenant' is berith whereas in the N.T., the Greek word is (commonly) diatheke.

Now it's important to understand that while diatheke is used in its less common meaning of a 'will' or 'testament' in Hebrews 9, the usual meaning is that of a covenant (or contract).

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word berith (covenant) describes a solemn binding agreement or contract between two parties which, in O.T. times, was generally signed in blood! In fact, the Hebrew word berith literally means 'to cut' and the Hebrew expression for the making of a covenant was 'cutting a covenant'.

In ancient times (as today), a covenant, once entered into, formed a bond between two parties and was typically conditional upon each party first agreeing to its terms and subsequently upholding its respective end of the contract.

Now what is important for our discussion here, is that a berith was also the term used commonly for the covenant of marriage! The Old Covenant is literally a reference to the marriage of Yahweh (Jehovah) to Israel - as we'll see shortly!

You'll remember how, after God delivered Israel from Egypt, their immediate destination was Mt Sinai. It was there that Yahweh first proposed entering into a covenant with them when He instructed Moses to say to them: if you obey me fully and keep my covenant....(Exodus 19:5).

This was to be noting less than a spiritual marriage proposal and Moses was to be the mediator (the go-between or the celebrant) of the impending union! God was intending to pledge Himself as a spiritual husband, Israel was to be His wife and the wedding was to be right there - at Mt Sinai.

Were the people of Israel aware that this was to be a spiritual wedding between themselves and Yahweh? It seems highly unlikely at the time! They would certainly have been aware that they were pledging (contracting) themselves as a nation to follow the one true God who had redeemed them from Egypt but it would be in the subsequent words and writings of the O.T. prophets that the true nature of this proposed spiritual union would be made abundantly clear (see next message).

God had always intended that Israel be His (spiritual) wife. He had waited patiently for four hundred years while she had grown from sixty six individuals to a nation of over two million - ready to be released from Egypt (equivalent to the old family home) and united with Him as her husband.

Yahweh describes this moment in Ezek. 16:8

Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.

We are immediately reminded of that tender moment in the book of Ruth, when Ruth startles Boaz awake by lying at his feet.

Ruth 3:9

“Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.”

Having redeemed Ruth's family, Boaz went on to marry her. In a similar way, having redeemed Israel from Egypt, Yahweh goes on to marry her!

Now God is a romantic - and the Bible is a love story! Every step in the forming of His covenant of marriage with Israel followed closely the pattern of the ancient Hebrew wedding.

Let's follow this through!

1. The Shiddukhin (Day of betrothal)

The very first stage in the Hebrew marriage process was the day of betrothal known as the Shiddukhin. On this day, the bridegroom would enter into negotiations with (commonly) the father of the prospective bride. They would mutually hammer out the terms and conditions of the prospective marriage and the terms agreed to would be subsequently recorded in a contract known as a Ketubah.

In the view of many rabbis, the Shiddukhin is recorded in Genesis 15 where we find Abraham (the father of Israel - the bride-to-be), negotiating the terms of the future marriage with Yahweh , the prospective bridegroom.

There Jehovah promised Abraham what He would do for His intended bride: He would make of her a great nation (15:5), enrich her with great possessions (15:14) and give her (as a family home?) the land of Canaan (15:7,18-21)

2. The Ketubah (marriage contract)

As we said above, the Ketubah was the written marriage contract which contained the terms agreed upon by the parties concerned! A typical Ketubah, signed by both parties shortly before the actual wedding ceremony, would include (as it still does today) necessary stipulations such as: