Accepting His Pursuit

So how do we respond to those steps that He took as the Bridegroom? How do we respond? Who are we? How do we accept this offer of marriage? Well, as you might guess, because He loved us first and because we would not have known how to love Him without that, our steps are a little bit different than His. The same, but a little varied.

The first one, of course, is that we must accept His pursuit. Remember, there was a pursuit set in motion. We must accept that pursuit. In other words, sooner or later, it’s got to grab our attention. We must accept the fact that He is pursuing us. John 6:44 says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”(NIV) The Father makes the arrangements, the Father calls the Bride to the Son.

We also see that in Isaiah 54:5&10; 55:1-8 scripture says, “For your Maker is your husband–the LORD Almighty is his name–the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit–a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God. “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer. “To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you….”Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.” Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.”(NIV)

Do you see the pursuit? The invitation and the pursuit. God pursued the nation of Israel, His people, after they had abandoned Him and made them a Light to the nations. His Son, the Son of David, is His ultimate Light. He is in pursuit of a people, a people to call His own. He is in pursuit. In pursuit of a Bride for His Son. We have to recognize His pursuit and follow. Come to me while I may be found.

And, of course, we know that when Jesus went to His disciples in pursuit He said, “Come follow me.” Come you who are thirsty, come drink from the waters of life, come follow me. There is a pursuit set in motion. Therefore, our first step is to accept His pursuit when He calls us to follow Him. For today is the day of salvation. (2 Cor. 6:2)

I Am Coming Again

As we know Yeshua went to be with His Father as the disciples looked on and were told He would return in the same manner that they saw Him leave. And yes, we also know that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us. As Hebrews 7:25 puts it, “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”(NIV)

Jesus paid the price in full, the full bridal price with His death on the cross. But did you know He lives for you. He lives for you. Think about that. Do you live for Him? I hope so. I try to. He lives for us and He is constantly thinking about us. He is thinking about us so much that He can’t stop talking to His Father about us. That’s what He’s doing. He’s talking to His Daddy about you and me.

But what exactly are they talking about? John 17 tells us what they talked about while He was here with us, it says in verse 24, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”(NIV) I want them to be with me.

In other words, “When can I go get them? Is it done yet? Am I done yet? When can I go get them? I want them to be with me.” He’s talking! He and His Daddy are talking, and apparently Daddy’s still saying, “Not yet, Son, not yet.”

Oh, what a day that will be. The great passion of Jesus is to have His bride, His wife, with Him where He is, in the place He prepared for Her, in His Father’s house.

Not just any house, His Father’s house. It was the responsibility of a Jewish Bridegroom to leave His beloved Bride after the Kiddushin to literally go and prepare a place for her in His Father’s house. We see this again with Isaac and Rebekah. Isaac brings Rebekah into his mother’s tent, a part of His father’s estate. That was their home together.

Yes, while Yeshua and His Father are talking, He’s working. Yes, He’s gone to prepare a place for you and me. I can not end this section any other way than with John 14:1-3 “”Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”(NIV)

I am going to come back and we are going to have a wedding. We’re going to have a wedding. And as the precious Ketubah ends, “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come.”

Awaiting our Bridegroom,

Vicky

The Seal

The final step in the Kiddushin is the giving of the seal. So let’s do a little background research on a seal.

The first time we read of a seal is in Genesis 38:18 and it’s not a good situation, none the less it’s there. It is when Judah says to Tamar, “What pledge should I give you?” She answered him, “Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand”. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.”(NIV) This is Judah going to Tamar thinking she is a prostitute. Not a good situation, but none the less, both of them ancestors of our Lord. The seal during this time period was probably a small cylinder seal of the type to sign clay documents by rolling them over the clay. The owner would wear it around his neck on a cord threading through a hole drilled lengthwise through the seal. So when she says I want the seal and the cord. She is saying, “I want that thing around your neck.” And it has his name on it.

We also see the seal in the form of a ring. In Esther 8:8 Xerxes says to Esther and Mordecai, “Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring–for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”(NIV) Nothing the king puts his name on and seals can be revoked. In this passage we once again see the name in the form of a signature tied to a seal.

So how did Jesus fulfill the giving of the seal? In John 14:15-18 Jesus is promising the Holy Spirit when He says to His disciples, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”(NIV) He’s talking as the Bridegroom all right in this passage. Think about that first statement for a minute, This is our beloved Bridegroom, our husband saying, “if you love me you will obey me.” “You will obey my commands.” What did He command? To obey His Ketubah, His marriage contract.

The seal, of course, is connected to the name. Have you ever wondered why we sing songs about The Name? Not just Jesus, but The Name. Have you ever wondered about that? Jesus’ name is connected to this giving of the seal. Romans 10:9-10 & 13 states, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved… for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”(NIV)

Now you may say what’s that have to do with the seal? Look at Ephesians 1:13-14, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.”(NIV) In other words, when you heard the Ketubah, believed in your heart and confessed with your mouth, calling on the name of the Lord, you were saved and sealed. It’s all connected. It goes back to believing and calling on His name.

It is about possession! Why possession? He purchased us plain and simple, He paid the Mohar. Those who are “God’s possession to the praise of His glory”, Hallelujah! Yes, the giving of the seal was a sign of ownership and security. The Holy Spirit is our seal. He is a sign of ownership and security. For the Bridegroom it’s a sign of ownership. For the Bride, it’s a sign of security. We are secure in Him. He has placed His seal on us and therefore He has placed His name on us.

So the Kiddushin is the signing of the Ketubah by witnesses, the Kiddush or the cup, along with the blessing and the unveiling of the Bride along with the Mohar or the payment of the Bridal price and the giving of the seal. Jews today will give a ring as the seal. Our seal is the Holy Spirit.

Sealed by His Holy Name,

Vicky

The Mohar – The Bridal Price

There are two things that speak of the blood of Christ in the Kiddushin, the first was the cup (the Kiddush) and the second is the Mohar. We looked at the Kiddush as part of the last post. This time we are going to concentrate on the Mohar. The Mohar is the bridal price or literally the acquisition of the bride. Jesus paid this on the cross.

As to the history of the Mohar we can go all the way back to the Garden of Eden where God provided a bride for His son Adam. For Eve Adam had to pay a Mohar. He had to be put to sleep and have surgery, a shedding of blood, to remove a rib in order to have a wife. If that’s not a bridal price I don’t know what is. My husband has had surgery before, but it wasn’t to get me. We see Isaac paying a Mohar when money and gifts were sent along with a servant in order to acquire Rebekah. Jacob paid a Mohar, in fact, he paid it twice for Rachel. When he came to his father-in-law he did not say, “OK it is time for me to get married, give me my bride.” He said, “Give me my wife”.

Jesus did not pay with silver and gold, He paid the ultimate price. Isaiah 52:3 states, “For this is what the LORD says: “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.””(NIV)

We sold our selves at the Fall. We didn’t get anything out of it. We lost. “Without money you will be redeemed” the LORD said. That’s Isaiah 52, the next chapter is Isaiah 53, the chapter of our precious suffering servant.

Starting in Isaiah 53:5 if says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”(NIV)

That is holy ground. That is the sacrifice of our beloved Bridegroom, His bridal price. The price it took to acquire us.

Let’s look at Luke 22:19 which says, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.””(NIV) Here Jesus’ body is being broken for us, it is being given for us. That’s Jesus at the last supper. So His body was broken, while we know that His bones were not broken, His body was broken. Not a joint remained in place. Then, of course, we have the blood since with that broken body came blood.

In Leviticus 17:11 and Deuteronomy 12:23 we are told that life is in the blood. Do you believe that? Life is in the blood. So His blood needed to be shed. We see in I Peter 1:18-19 that scripture states, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”(NIV)

Did you catch it, “Without money you will be redeemed.”(NIV)

In Revelation 1:5b we read, “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.”(NIV) Then in chapter 5:9 we are given this about Jesus, “And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”(NIV)

Yes, it is His blood that redeems and it redeems completely. He didn’t just pay part of the price, He paid all of it.

At the crucifixion in John 19:30 it reads, “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”(NIV) It is finished! Tetelistai is the word in Greek. It means paid in full.

He paid His mohar completely. He purchased His Bride and He paid for her in full. He purchased her for His Father and she is His.

The Mohar was paid by Yeshua Himself as yet another part of the Kiddushin and His responsibility in it. In our next post we take a look at the final part of the Kiddushin, the giving of the seal. Is not our Lord and His gift of salvation marvelous.

Paid For In Full,

Vicky

The Kiddushin

The betrothal ceremony is known as the Kiddushin, which is both a ceremony and period of sanctification. It is a legal ceremony. It is the legal ceremony. The betrothal designates the bride and groom only for each other and forges the connection between them.

Many of us know that Joseph and Mary were betrothed and would have needed a certificate of divorce in order to break it off. Why? Because they were betrothed. Since this betrothal was a legal action and not just a promise of marriage, as we think of an engagement today, it was legally binding. Once they went through the kiddushin they are legally husband and wife.

So let’s learn what all this Kiddushin entails, shall we? The first part of the Kiddushin, or betrothal ceremony, is the signing of the Ketubah. The Ketubah is the contract for the bride, the bride that was chosen by the father of the groom.

In the mind of the Jews, the Torah, the books of Moses, is a marriage contract between God and the people of Israel.

Now isn’t that interesting? They see the Old Testament as a marriage contract between God and His people, Israel.

In Matthew 5:17-18 Jesus says this, “”Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”(NIV)

He is saying “I did not come to abolish my Ketubah. I came to fulfill it. It’s mine. My contract for my bride. It’s mine! And I came to fulfill it. I am under contract to do so.” You see He came to fulfill His Ketubah.

Consider if Jesus had come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. He would require a certificate of divorce. He would be breaking His covenant, unwilling to fulfill His role as the Bridegroom. If that were the case, there would be no need for the Cross!

Let’s take a look at Jeremiah 31:31-34 where it says, “”The time is coming,” declares the LORD,”when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.””(NIV)

Not only did Jesus come to fulfill His Ketubah, He also came to write a new one. A new covenant that would be precious and holy. In John 17:17 Yeshua says this, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”(NIV) Now the word “sanctify” means “to make holy”. It also means “set apart”. Jesus is asking that we be set apart by our Ketubah, by His word. Set His Bride apart for Him.

This new covenant would allow the old covenant to be written on our hearts. Remember He did not come to abolish but to fulfill. Also remember that on the road to Emmaus He spoke of how the Old Covenant was really about Him. The New Covenant would take the Old and put it on the hearts of His people thereby sanctifying them, setting them truly apart for Himself.

The signing of the Ketubah is also very important because it has to be witnessed. It is not valid if He only signs it Himself. It has to be signed by witnesses, ie. He has to have co-signers.

Look at John 5:31-39 where Jesus says, “”If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid. You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.””(NIV) (The KJV uses the word witness instead of testify).

So in the signing of the Ketubah, the witnesses testify in essence saying, “This is who your bridegroom is, this is the one your Ketubah is about.” As we see in the text, the two witnesses are John the Baptist and the Father Himself.

John the Baptist was strictly for our benefit. He is the one, as far as earthly terms are concerned, that helped start the story of the bridegroom. So, that is the first part of the Kiddushin, the Ketubah or the marriage contract and it’s signing.

The second part is the Kiddush, you can see where they got the word Kiddushin, from the Kiddush or the cup. The cup is a prayer of sanctification.

Remember the Kiddushin is a ceremony and period of sanctification. The cup is actually a prayer of sanctification. What’s the cup all about? His blood. His blood.

So let’s take a look at the cup. Exodus 24:6-8 talks about the blood of the covenant, the Old Covenant. The blood of the Old Covenant was the blood of goats and calves.

But God said that the Old covenant was broken. So He was going to make a New Covenant. Oh the precious cup that it will take to bring sanctification.

Matthew 26:27-29 states, “Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.””(Matthew 26:27-29 NIV)

In this passage, Jesus is referring to the third cup of the Passover meal which is called the cup of redemption.

The 4th cup is the cup of Praise. Jesus had to fulfill the cup of redemption first. It was the blood of the Covenant. His blood is the foundation of the Covenant. Hebrews 10:29 tells us that the blood of the Covenant sanctifies, it sets apart.

However, within the Passover ceremony – which Yeshua was celebrating that particular night – there is also a cup of sanctification. Remember, the Kiddushin is a ceremony of sanctification or a setting apart, complete with the cup of sanctification, the Kiddush. This is the first cup.

The cup of Plagues – representing the judgement of sin – is the second cup. The cup of sanctification, the first cup, is the one in which Jesus says, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”(Luke 22:17-18 NIV)

At this time of the Kiddush, at the taking of the cup, they have the blessing of the cup and it reads like this within the Kiddushin ceremony:

Holy One of Blessing, Your presence fills creation forming the fruit of the vine.

And then directly following that is the Birakat Yirusim or Betrothal Blessing and it reads:

Praised are you Adonai, Ruler of the Universe, Who has made us holy through your commandments and has commanded us concerning sexual propriety (a warning to the husbands) forbidding women who are merely betrothed, but permitting women who are married to us through Huppah and Kiddushin. (This is the part I love) Blessed are you Adonai, Who makes Your people Israel holy (sets them apart, makes them holy) through Huppah and Kiddushin.

At this point, finally at this point, we have the actual drinking of the cup. There is the cup of sanctification with the blessings and after the blessings comes the drinking of the cup or the taking in of that prayer of sanctification, that is only accomplished by His blood.

And of course, I’m going to say a word at this point about the Bride because it is at this point that the veil comes back. She has to drink of the cup and so the veil must come back. Guess what… we have an unveiling and there is someone specific who does it.

II Corinthians 3:13-16 says, “We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”(NIV)

Jesus removes the veil. That is His privilege. And of course, as soon as He died on the cross and shouted, “It is finished. Father into your hand I commend my spirit.” The veil at the holy of holies was ripped in half, literally ripped in half.

He removed the veil. So that when we come to Scripture, when we read our Ketubah, it’s precious to us, it is now a part of us and on our hearts and minds. It’s our marriage contract that He must fulfill, that He will fulfill. Not only is it precious to us, but He has also given us the ability to understand it. The veil no longer covers our hearts.

So we see that the Kiddushin so far includes the signing of the Ketubah, the Kiddush (the cup of sanctification), and the removal of the veil. We have two more parts of the Kiddushin to look at. We will do so in two separate posts.

Set Apart for Him,

Vicky

Finding a Bride

The next step is the process of finding a bride. It is the Father’s responsibility to make the arrangement within Jewish culture to make the arrangement for the bride. We call God the Creator, the Father, and we call Jesus, the Son. There is a reason for that, they very much have a Father to Son relationship when it comes to the ritual of marriage. It is the relationship of a Father of the bridegroom and the Son who is the bridegroom. It is His Father’s responsibility to find Him a bride and make the arrangements for the Son’s bride.

It is God Himself providing a bride for His son, Adam. That’s what Luke calls Adam, God’s son. God not only formed Eve from Adam, but He Himself brought Eve to Adam. In otherwords, God made the introductions and performed the wedding. We also see Abraham making the arrangement, through his servant, for a bride for his son, Isaac. Her name, of course, was Rebekah. We see it again with Isaac and Jacob. Isaac blesses Jacob and sends him away for a bride. Again it was the father’s responsibility to make that arrangement or see that it happens. Therefore the arrangement for a bride is the duty of the father of the groom.

In John 6:44 it says, ““No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them…”(NIV) In other words, we do not even have the capacity to come to Jesus, our Bridegroom, unless the Father Himself makes the introductions. Yes, God makes all the arrangements to provide a bride for His Son. Then in John 10:27-30 we find, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.””(NIV) Here we continue to see this idea played out in the life of Jesus. Did you see it, “My Father who has given them to me”? This is just one example in scripture of Jesus saying something to that affect. His bride had been given to Him. God the Father had made all the arrangements and arranges the introduction.

In the life and ministry this is seen after His baptism and temptation. Yeshua begins to call His disciples. He is calling His Bride to Himself. His Father has laid the ground work and brought them together, now Jesus only needs to say, “Come follow me”. Whether or not they did was up to them. We definitely see an example in Mark 10 with the account of the young ruler when our beloved Yeshua gives the call to come follow Him and the young man rejects that call.

You might ask how God has laid the ground work and made the arrangements, drawing us to His Son. It is not a complicated answer. He made all of us with a need for Him. He made us in His image. However, our sin has corrupted that image in us and we all know there is a problem. We all seek a solution for the corruption within us. Truth is God made the path to Him very clear. He prepared a people to bring forth His Son and to write down His Word. He has told us that He is the solution to our problem of corruption. He calls us to come and reason with Him, He calls us to wisdom, He tells us of His desire to be our God and for us to be His people, He declares His love for us. He has prepared the way!

Answering Yeshua’s Call,

Vicky

The Marriage Mikvah

First off, Yeshua went through what is known as the mikvah.

Mikvah is water immersion of a perspective bridegroom and bride done separately before the Kiddushin (their engagement ceremony). Typically, this is practiced only by the bride, but the bridegroom can also go through the ritual.

For the perspective bride and bridegroom it was a physical representation of them passing from being unmarried to being married.

Now, let’s see Jesus go through the mikvah. In Matthew 3:13-17 it says, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.””

We call this Jesus’ baptism. He is going though the mikvah. I want to look at the two times in scripture Jesus is actually referred to as the bridegroom because you might be scratching your head saying, “Yah, that’s His baptism, how do you get the fact that that is a Jewish mikvah and that He is going through a mikvah ritual. They did celebrate the mikvah for other occasions as well:

1. A woman would go through the mikvah after her monthly.

2. The High Priest would go through the waters of the mikvah after being in the Holy of Holies once a year.

Yes, there were other reasons to go through the mikvah. These were primarily issues of clean verses unclean. Our purpose here is to take a look at Scripture to see that He is doing this specifically as the bridegroom.

Read John 3:27-29.

“To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, `I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.”

That of course is John the Baptist speaking of Jesus the bridegroom.

Read Matthew 9:14-15.

“Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

That is Jesus referring to Himself as the bridegroom, but did you notice who He was talking to. He’s talking to the disciples of John the Baptist. Both times in Scripture that we see Jesus referred to as the bridegroom it is either John talking about Jesus or it is Jesus talking to the disciples of John. There is a connection between John the Baptist and Jesus and it is part of His role as the bridegroom. For some reason, both Jesus and John seem to understand the baptism of Jesus as a part of His role as the bridegroom, Jesus’ mikvah. They both seem to understand that. That is the one connection they have. He was fulfilling a Jewish wedding ritual.

Thankful for My Bridegroom,

Vicky

All Biblical Quotes are NIV

Be sure to check out the Baptism page for more information

From Genesis to Revelation: Jesus our Bridegroom

We will start by taking a look at Jesus as our Bridegroom. We will do this by studying Jewish wedding rituals and then seeing from Scripture how Jesus life and ministry fulfilled His role as a Jewish Bridegroom. We will be discussing Scripture from cover to cover, from Genesis to Revelation, so keep your hats on, it’s going to be a wild adventure through the greatest love story ever told.

Jesus is revealed in Scripture from beginning to end and many of us have heard many times how the story of Scripture is from garden to garden, but as we will see that is only the place, awesome and wonderful as it is. What we will discover in our study is that it is the relationship in each garden that matters. What is that relationship? That is what we will find so fascinating and thrilling at the same time.

Like I said we are going to be looking at a lot of Scripture. I am aware that many of you know that Jesus is our bridegroom and that He spoke of some of His responsibilities as the Bridegroom such as when He said, “I go to prepare a place for you.” We know that’s there. But I want to show you how much Scripture is loaded with it. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be a lot of information to process, but also very fulfilling in the end, so I am asking you from the start to hang in there to the end because we are headed straight for the Wedding and the Wedding Feast. Are you ready?

We will dive right in tomorrow by taking a look at the first step Jesus took as our bridegroom, continuing, of course, with the rest of the steps Yesuah took as our Bridegroom in the days ahead.

We will then do an in depth study of The Bride, The Unity of the Bride, and The Wedding and The Wedding Feast.

Your Sister in Christ,

Vicky

The Celebration of Purim

We have come to the discussion of the annual celebration of Purim that is celebrated on the 14th and 15th of Adar. For those in the rural areas it is the 14th while for those in the city it is the 15th. This is due to the extra day of fighting in the city of Susa, the city of the king in the time of the events.

They are days of rejoicing and celebration. Life has been granted. Life can once again be lived and lived to the full so there was feasting. God is praised and worshiped. The people once again begin to love, help and look out for each other’s daily needs in life. That is why they share portions of food – a daily need – with each other.

Mordecai then steps in again and with the power and position God has given him writes down the events and also sends a letter to all the Jews in the kingdom of Xerxes, even those in Israel, to instruct them to hold this celebration annually. They were to be remembered as days when mourning and sorrow were turned to gladness. God had given them rest from their enemies, true rest – a Sabbath rest. Yes, God is the one who gives rest, rest from work, rest from sin, rest from our enemies and from death – rest, peace and safety. This rest allowed them (and us) to live life the way God had always intended, truly devoted to Him, loving Him, worshiping Him and loving others. This life put Him and His kingdom first and seeks after His treasures.

The Jews were now free to live that life once again. Mordecai wants to make sure they understand that these days need to be remembered. However, full and complete rest had not yet come, the poor were (and are) still among them so Mordecai also calls on them to celebrate this rests with gifts to the poor.

As for the Jews, they did adhere to the words of Mordecai. They were thankful for his position in the kingdom and they praised God for it. In other words, they were not jealous of the position God had given him. God had done it for a reason just as He had with Joseph.

Judgment came to Haman, the enemy of the Jews, and to his son’s on the authority of the king. Our enemy and all his sons will also be defeated and judged by our King. Just as Haman’s schemes were turned on him so will the schemes of Satan be turned on him. Haman had used the pur, the lot, to decide the time and so the time would be named Purim. Only what the enemy meant for death and distruction would now be used for life and celebration. (Romans 8:28)

So because of what Mordecai had written to them and because of what they had seen and experienced themselves the Jews established and received this celebration for themselves, their seed and for all who allied themselves to them (all those who became Jews – for us this would be all of those brought into the nation of Israel as adopted sons and daughters by the blood of Yeshua our Messiah, our King). They would hold this celebration annually. The days of Purim were not to pass away or the memory of these days and from among their seed.

Then Queen Esther and Mordechai wrote with full authority of the kingdom another letter to the Jews. In other words, this was an official letter of court, of the court of Persia. This official letter was one of peace and truth regarding the events. Notice this, it was a letter of peace and truth, not one of confusion and lies. Yes, there would come a day when some would attempt to rewrite history and tell lies, but Queen Esther and Mordechai did everything within their power to make sure the truth was told all throughout the kingdom of the king.

Also, take note that the days of Purim were also entered into the official court records and that the Queen and Mordechai were not asking the rest of the Jews to do anything they themselves or their seed were not doing. Queen Esther and Mordechai knew these days well and had experienced the full brunt of them. They knew that not only were they now days of celebration, but also that many days of fasting and lamentation had preceded these days of celebration. They had been on their knees before God Almighty and he had heard their cry for help and they also wanted to make sure everyone remembered that as well. That is why they also gave instructions for the Jews to have days of fasting and lamentation before celebrating the festival of Purim, which they still do today. All of these customs for the celebration of Purim were established at the command of Queen Esther and written in the book. I believe the book that is spoken of here is the book we know of as Esther. That’s right, I believe the book known as Esther was written at her command and therefore bears her name.

Epilogue: Chapter 10 seems to read more like an epilogue written after the deaths of Xerxes and Mordechai. It acknowledges both men, but primarily Mordecai and the position he was given by Xerxes, second only to Xerxes, and how he was held in high esteem by his people. Mordecai was always looking out for the interests of his people and they knew it. He loved his nation and they loved him. And let this fact at the very end truly sink in, all these things were written in the annuals of the Kings of Media and Persia.

God be Praised,

Vicky

The Events of Purim

We have finally reached the day that became known as Purim. It begins in chapter 9 with the giving of the date, Adar 13. As the text says the edict of the king, the first edict, had given the people of the kingdom the hope of overpowering the Jews. However, the tables had turned due to the edict written by Mordecai in the name of the King and now the Jews were the stronger.

All over the kingdom of King Xerxes the Jews gathered to defend themselves against those who hated them. The Jews that are mentioned here would not only include those natural born Jews, but also all those from other nationalities who had become Jews; their numbers had greatly increased.

There was also another factor involved in this battle, those who came to attack them were actually afraid of them. This reminds me of the account of Gideon when the Midianites actually attacked each other in their fear. There is also the account of when the Israelites were first entering the land of Israel and Rahab tells the two spies in Jericho that the hearts of the people were melting in fear because of them. They had heard what their God had done for them. Sound familiar? The people who attacked the Jews here in Esther might have come out to fight because of their hatred for the Jews, but they were also afraid of them because they knew what God had all ready done for them. So their hearts melted in fear and were defeated.

Scripture tells us in James 2:19 that even the demons tremble in fear. They know who God is and they know what he can do to them. Yet they still come out to fight. We also know from James 4:7 that when we submit to God and resist the devil he will flee from us. We see in Esther that the Jews had submitted to God and the enemy who is afraid of them is defeated.

Do you see the difference in the two types of fear that is mentioned? The first type of fear at the end of chapter 8 led to salvation while the second led to death. The first developed faith and love while the second flowed from hate. The first was out of a fear of the one true God and the other out of a fear of death and defeat. What a difference!

The nobles and officials of the kingdom even helped the Jews in their battle. Why? Because they feared Mordecai. I do not think this is the same fear as the one at the end of chapter 8 because there is no mention of them becoming Jews here. Rather their fear seems to have more to do with Mordecai’s power in the palace under Xerxes. Mordecai’s reputation went all throughout the land and his power increased greatly. You see, Mordecai had the king’s ear. They all knew of the influence Mordecai had. King Xerxes respected the views of Mordecai, if not sharing them himself, and took them to account. The fear here led to a respect of authority despite one’s own views.

The Jews were victorious over their enemies and even killed the sons of Haman and 500 men in the citadel of Susa itself. Please understand this. With all we have said above there were many in the citadel itself, where the King, Queen and Mordechai lived, that sought to kill the Jews. It would not surprise me if many of them were related to Xerxes, as well as, members of the Zoroastrian priesthood and if this was and unsuccessful coup. After all, if you are going to kill the Jews in the citadel would you not be going after the two most powerful Jews in the kingdom, the Queen and Mordechai, not to mention that Jew loving Xerxes who married not only outside the family but a Jewess and then aligned himself to her family instead of the other way around. If you are going to have any hope of survival in an attack in the citadel you are going for it all. You are going to kill the King.

When this is reported to Xerxes, I picture him in a war room getting updates on the battle, he turns to Esther his queen and makes a very interesting statement. Not only does he report the death of the five hundred and the 10 sons of Haman, but also wants to know how successful they had been in the rest of the kingdom. He and his wife are in this together. Then comes the ultimate statement and expression of love and trust. Xerxes says to Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.”(NIV) Did you catch it? We have seen Xerxes make similar statements before, yet this one stands apart. Do you see why? He places absolutely no limit on her petition or request. He simply says, before he hears it, it is yours. He stands unequivocally beside her with no reservations at all. The ultimate show of trust and love! She is the apple of his eye and he will withhold nothing from her. Let that picture wash over you and then remember our King lavished his love on us.

Esther wants complete victory, not just a partial one. She wants to make sure all those who hate her people are gone from Susa. She asks, “if it pleases the king”(NIV) for another day of fighting in Susa. She also asks for the sons of Haman to be displayed for all to see. She wants all to know what happens to those who would defy the living God. It is interesting to note that when Xerxes is killed in a coup led by Zoroastrian priests and family members about 10 years later that it does not take place in Susa.

And so it pleased the king to grant by his command and edict another day of fighting in Susa. While those in the provinces, which remember included Israel, rested and feasted with great joy on the 14th of Adar – after killing 75,000 on the 13th – the Jews in Susa assembled again to fight and killed another 300 men.

The Jews defeated their enemies but none of them laid their hands on the plunder. They were not after riches. They were after the right to live. They were after relief from their enemies. Yet God gave them a plunder they could have never imagined. Their tent had been enlarged with the coming in of new followers of Yahweh. He had truly blessed them with true fruit and a heart turned back to Him and His covenant.

May God rescue us from our enemy and enlarge our tent,

Vicky

In other words, “When can I go get them? Is it done yet? Am I done yet? When can I go get them? I want them to be with me.” He’s talking! He and His Daddy are talking, and apparently Daddy’s still saying, “Not yet, Son, not yet.”

Oh, what a day that will be. The great passion of Jesus is to have His bride, His wife, with Him where He is, in the place He prepared for Her, in His Father’s house.

I am going to come back and we are going to have a wedding. We’re going to have a wedding. And as the precious Ketubah ends, “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come.”

Awaiting our Bridegroom,

Vicky

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The Kiddushin (estherslegacy.com)

The Mohar – The Bridal Price (estherslegacy.com)

The final step in the Kiddushin is the giving of the seal. So let’s do a little background research on a seal.

So the Kiddushin is the signing of the Ketubah by witnesses, the Kiddush or the cup, along with the blessing and the unveiling of the Bride along with the Mohar or the payment of the Bridal price and the giving of the seal. Jews today will give a ring as the seal. Our seal is the Holy Spirit.

Sealed by His Holy Name,

Vicky

Jesus did not pay with silver and gold, He paid the ultimate price. Isaiah 52:3 states, “For this is what the LORD says: “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.””(NIV)

We sold our selves at the Fall. We didn’t get anything out of it. We lost. “Without money you will be redeemed” the LORD said. That’s Isaiah 52, the next chapter is Isaiah 53, the chapter of our precious suffering servant.

That is holy ground. That is the sacrifice of our beloved Bridegroom, His bridal price. The price it took to acquire us.

Did you catch it, “Without money you will be redeemed.”(NIV)

Yes, it is His blood that redeems and it redeems completely. He didn’t just pay part of the price, He paid all of it.

At the crucifixion in John 19:30 it reads, “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”(NIV) It is finished! Tetelistai is the word in Greek. It means paid in full.

He paid His mohar completely. He purchased His Bride and He paid for her in full. He purchased her for His Father and she is His.

The Mohar was paid by Yeshua Himself as yet another part of the Kiddushin and His responsibility in it. In our next post we take a look at the final part of the Kiddushin, the giving of the seal. Is not our Lord and His gift of salvation marvelous.

Paid For In Full,

Vicky

Related articles

The Kiddushin (estherslegacy.com)

The betrothal ceremony is known as the Kiddushin, which is both a ceremony and period of sanctification. It is a legal ceremony. It is the legal ceremony. The betrothal designates the bride and groom only for each other and forges the connection between them.

So let’s learn what all this Kiddushin entails, shall we? The first part of the Kiddushin, or betrothal ceremony, is the signing of the Ketubah. The Ketubah is the contract for the bride, the bride that was chosen by the father of the groom.

In the mind of the Jews, the Torah, the books of Moses, is a marriage contract between God and the people of Israel.

Now isn’t that interesting? They see the Old Testament as a marriage contract between God and His people, Israel.

He is saying “I did not come to abolish my Ketubah. I came to fulfill it. It’s mine. My contract for my bride. It’s mine! And I came to fulfill it. I am under contract to do so.” You see He came to fulfill His Ketubah.

Consider if Jesus had come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. He would require a certificate of divorce. He would be breaking His covenant, unwilling to fulfill His role as the Bridegroom. If that were the case, there would be no need for the Cross!

The signing of the Ketubah is also very important because it has to be witnessed. It is not valid if He only signs it Himself. It has to be signed by witnesses, ie. He has to have co-signers.

So in the signing of the Ketubah, the witnesses testify in essence saying, “This is who your bridegroom is, this is the one your Ketubah is about.” As we see in the text, the two witnesses are John the Baptist and the Father Himself.

John the Baptist was strictly for our benefit. He is the one, as far as earthly terms are concerned, that helped start the story of the bridegroom. So, that is the first part of the Kiddushin, the Ketubah or the marriage contract and it’s signing.

The second part is the Kiddush, you can see where they got the word Kiddushin, from the Kiddush or the cup. The cup is a prayer of sanctification.

Remember the Kiddushin is a ceremony and period of sanctification. The cup is actually a prayer of sanctification. What’s the cup all about? His blood. His blood.

So let’s take a look at the cup. Exodus 24:6-8 talks about the blood of the covenant, the Old Covenant. The blood of the Old Covenant was the blood of goats and calves.

But God said that the Old covenant was broken. So He was going to make a New Covenant. Oh the precious cup that it will take to bring sanctification.

In this passage, Jesus is referring to the third cup of the Passover meal which is called the cup of redemption.

The 4th cup is the cup of Praise. Jesus had to fulfill the cup of redemption first. It was the blood of the Covenant. His blood is the foundation of the Covenant. Hebrews 10:29 tells us that the blood of the Covenant sanctifies, it sets apart.

However, within the Passover ceremony – which Yeshua was celebrating that particular night – there is also a cup of sanctification. Remember, the Kiddushin is a ceremony of sanctification or a setting apart, complete with the cup of sanctification, the Kiddush. This is the first cup.

At this time of the Kiddush, at the taking of the cup, they have the blessing of the cup and it reads like this within the Kiddushin ceremony:

Holy One of Blessing, Your presence fills creation forming the fruit of the vine.

And then directly following that is the Birakat Yirusim or Betrothal Blessing and it reads:

At this point, finally at this point, we have the actual drinking of the cup. There is the cup of sanctification with the blessings and after the blessings comes the drinking of the cup or the taking in of that prayer of sanctification, that is only accomplished by His blood.

And of course, I’m going to say a word at this point about the Bride because it is at this point that the veil comes back. She has to drink of the cup and so the veil must come back. Guess what… we have an unveiling and there is someone specific who does it.

Jesus removes the veil. That is His privilege. And of course, as soon as He died on the cross and shouted, “It is finished. Father into your hand I commend my spirit.” The veil at the holy of holies was ripped in half, literally ripped in half.

So we see that the Kiddushin so far includes the signing of the Ketubah, the Kiddush (the cup of sanctification), and the removal of the veil. We have two more parts of the Kiddushin to look at. We will do so in two separate posts.

Set Apart for Him,

Vicky

Answering Yeshua’s Call,

Vicky

First off, Yeshua went through what is known as the mikvah.

Mikvah is water immersion of a perspective bridegroom and bride done separately before the Kiddushin (their engagement ceremony). Typically, this is practiced only by the bride, but the bridegroom can also go through the ritual.

For the perspective bride and bridegroom it was a physical representation of them passing from being unmarried to being married.

1. A woman would go through the mikvah after her monthly.

2. The High Priest would go through the waters of the mikvah after being in the Holy of Holies once a year.

Yes, there were other reasons to go through the mikvah. These were primarily issues of clean verses unclean. Our purpose here is to take a look at Scripture to see that He is doing this specifically as the bridegroom.

Read John 3:27-29.

That of course is John the Baptist speaking of Jesus the bridegroom.

Read Matthew 9:14-15.

“Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

Thankful for My Bridegroom,

Vicky

We will dive right in tomorrow by taking a look at the first step Jesus took as our bridegroom, continuing, of course, with the rest of the steps Yesuah took as our Bridegroom in the days ahead.

We will then do an in depth study of The Bride, The Unity of the Bride, and The Wedding and The Wedding Feast.

Your Sister in Christ,

Vicky

As for the Jews, they did adhere to the words of Mordecai. They were thankful for his position in the kingdom and they praised God for it. In other words, they were not jealous of the position God had given him. God had done it for a reason just as He had with Joseph.

God be Praised,