My Delight is in her – Sermon by Mrs. Reena Thomas
The speaker quoted from Isaiah 62:4 and spoke about how God delights in us and calls us Hepzibah (My delight is in her) and Beulah (Married). She spoke in detail about the Jewish wedding and explained how our Christian life has many similarities to the wedding. There are three main parts in a Jewish wedding Shidduchim (Match making), Eyrusin (Betrothal) and Nissuin (Marriage).
In Shidduchim (Match making), the father of the groom is the one who initiates the match. In the same way, God the Father is the one who draws us to Christ (John 6:44). Ketubah (the marriage contract) cannot be broken easily. The man gives valuable gifts to the girl and her parents (just like how Abraham’s servant gave gifts to Rebekah, her mother and brother before bringing her to marry Isaac). It is called Mohar (Bride prize) which is given because the bride is so valuable. In the same way, Jesus has paid the full prize for our Redemption through his death on the cross.
During Eyrusin (Betrothal), gifts are exchanged and cups of wine are exchanged. Jesus too gave us the Holy Spirit as the parting gift to constantly remind us of him (John 14:26). After the Betrothal, there will be a waiting period of at least one year before the wedding. We too are betrothed to Christ and are waiting for our Lord to come back.
In earlier days, during the waiting period, the groom sneaks out to see the bride and leaves notes to show his love. The bride keeps a lamp burning in her room to show that she is remembering him. They don’t see each other physically but continue to love each other. God too keeps reminding us that he remembers us and cares for us.
To show that she is engaged, the bride covers her head with a veil. She herself stitches her wedding garments. She also learns skills to manage home. Similarly, as we are waiting for the Lord to return, we too should learn what our groom likes. Our groom is Holy and so we too need to prepare ourselves by keeping his commands.
During the waiting period, the groom builds a home for them to stay after marriage. Same way, Christ has also gone ahead to prepare a place for us (John 14: 1-3). After the house is ready, the groom’s father comes and inspects the houses and gives permission to the son to get his bride. Just like how God the Father alone knows when the Son would return to get his bride the Church. (Mathew 24:36)
In Mathew 25: 1-13, we read about the foolish and wise virgins. The bride doesn’t know the exact time of her groom’s arrival. The groom comes in secret. If the bride is not ready, then it would be an embarrassment. That’s why she has to be always ready. She has to be ready in her wedding clothes to show her love for him and her eagerness to meet him.
When the groom comes the trumpet (shophar) is sounded just like in 1 Thess 4:16-17. Marriage (Nissuin) as such is a short process. The groom come and takes the bride. After that there is a grand wedding feast in the bridegroom’s home. The bride’s veil is lifted either by the father of the bride or the groom himself. Similarly, the Lord lifts the veil that is there on our hearts to transform us into his image. (2 Corinth 3:14-18).
Nowadays, the meaning of marriage has been watered down. The devil is doing all to distort marriages. But in the Bible, we see how husband and wife become one unit in marriage, just like in Trinity, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit work together. As years go by, husband and wife start to look alike. We too are being transformed into God’s image.
Marriages are very special to the Lord. God rejoices over us with singing (Zeph 3:17). He chose us and he will come back to take us with him. He is overwhelmed with love for us. He dances around us. We have to be ready for him, learn what he loves and always be waiting for him. We should heed his voice and be always ready with open heart and be obedient to him. We should be ready and watchful.
Bride and Groom stand under the canope when they get married. Same way we too are under God’s protection always. And once the Lord comes back to take us, we will be always with the Lord. (1 Thess 4:17) How joyful it would be when our Lord returns to take us with Him! May we always be true to our Lord as we eagerly wait for Him and also prepare ourselves and others for His coming.
Sermon Reflections by Sis. Kavitha