The High Holy Days & The Marriage Supper

 

This week, we are entering the days of the Fall Feasts of the LORD. These feasts include:

• The Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah
• The Feast of Atonement, also called Yom Kippur
• The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot

This season of fall feasts is called "the high holy days". Throughout these high holy days, there are Torah readings in the synagogues, which are followed by Haftarah (leaving, departure) selections. "Haftarah" refers to the Books of the Prophets, or nevi'im. These selections from the Prophets are usually sung, or chanted, rather than read. A large selection from the Prophet Isaiah, including 61:10-63:9, plays an important roll during these high holy days of the fall feasts. They are glorious passages of salvation and restoration. The imagery given to Isaiah from the LORD in these prophetic verses includes that of a bride, a bridegroom, and a marriage:

"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. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as a garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the LORD God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations."   Isa. 61:10-11

This bridal description is an instant reminder of the verses from Revelation:

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor 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."   Rev. 19:7-9

Both the high holy day verses from Isaiah, and Revelation also tell us about a new name which is given us:

"And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name."   Isa. 62:2

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it....Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God...and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name." Rev. 2:17, 3:12

The new name given by the LORD is set as part of the marriage theme in Isaiah. Even the land receives a new name through marriage:

"Thou shalt no more be termed (called, named) Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah ("My delight is in her"), and thy land Beulah ("Marry"): for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as a bridegroom rejoiceth over a bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee."  Isa. 62:4-5

What brought about this joyful marriage, and its resulting transformation, and restoration? It is the coming of, and the work of, Salvation:

"Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, "Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation cometh; behold his reward is with him (Rev. 22:12), and his work before him. And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken."   Isa. 62:11-12

As we can see in the verses above, the Salvation spoken of is a person (also see Isa. 63:1). This person of salvation, our Messiah, is clothed in special garments. His robe will be marked by the effects of the great battle by which He redeems those who have been held captive:

"Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the

winef(v)at? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment...and the year of my redeemed is come."   Isa. 63:2-3, 4b

This same vision of the Redeemer from Isaiah is given to us in Revelation following the marriage supper of the Lamb:

"And he was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God, and the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he shall smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."   Rev. 19:13-16

We have no trouble recognizing the Person of Salvation, the Redeemer referred to in these Haftarah verses from Isaiah. He is our Jesus.

As these verses from Isaiah about a bride, a bridegroom, a wedding, and a great work of salvation and redemption are sung and chanted during the high holy days, the hopes and cries of many hearts will be ascending to heaven. The final verse sung from the Haftarah portion of Isaiah will be:

"For he said, surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Savior. In all their affliction, he was afflicted (see Isa. 53:3-5), and the angel (messenger) of his presence (face) saved them: in his love, and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare (lifted up) them, and carried (carried away) them all the days of old (perpetual, everlasting time)."  Isa. 63:8-9

 

 

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Weaving Your Wedding Garment

 

Previously, we discussed the Jewish marriage covenant, or contract, called a Ketubah. Most of the obligations of the contract, which involves financial security for the wife, falls upon the groom to guarantee and fulfill. In Christ's marriage covenant with us, His bride, the same applies. He has guaranteed with His own blood, our eternal security, and our spiritual position seated with Him.

Once the bride accepts the Ketubah marriage contract that the groom proposes, she begins her preparations for the upcoming wedding. These wedding preparations include ritual cleansings, called mikvahs, for the purpose of purity and holiness, and the weaving of her bridal garment. We see this same kind of preparation involved in the marriage of Christ and His Church:

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 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."    Eph. 5:26-27

The Hebrew word for bride is "kallah", which means "perfect, complete, the son's wife". The root word, "kalal" is a verb meaning "to complete, to perfect". Both words also include a meaning "to put a crown upon". In Jewish weddings, the bride is very much treated as a queen. There is a transformation that results from the bride's marriage preparations, through which the bride goes from being a betrothed woman, to a wife. According to scripture, this transformation through the joining of marriage, and prophetically speaking, the marriage of the Lamb and His wife, has a wide-ranging effect far beyond the two immediately involved:

"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with 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. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as a garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the LORD God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."    Isa. 61:10-11

We know this is the Messiah speaking, because Jesus identified Himself as fulfilling the scriptures in His reading of Isaiah 61:1-2a in the synagogue (Lk. 4:18). This is the same voice speaking throughout this section of scripture. All of the nations will be changed as the Bride and her Savior Groom are joined together in the wedding. The marriage is immediately connected with the return and reign of Messiah on earth. We can understand the great rejoicing connected with this event when we see the resulting transformation in the land:
"...the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory...and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah ("My delight is in her"), and thy land Beulah ("married, married wife, husband"): for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee."   Isa. 62:3-5
Restoration and renewal is connected to the marriage between the Bridegroom and the Bride, even as a bride receives a new name from marriage (see also Rev.2:17):
"Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast, the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, "Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for His mercy endureth forever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land as at the first, saith the LORD...In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David (referring to Messiah and His rule); and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, "The LORD Our Righteousness".  Jer. 33: 10-11, 15-16
Surprisingly, not everyone who is called to this great wedding that will lead to the return of Messiah, and to the transformation of the nations, will be willing to attend. Jesus tells a parable of a king who desires to give a marriage celebration for his son (Mt. 22:1-14). Many refused to come, some refusing with violence, because they preferred to attend to their daily activities instead. Because the guests refused, strangers had to be invited, even compelled, instead. Those who attended, were expected to wear the proper wedding garments. If they did not, they were thrown out of the wedding. The place outside the wedding is a place of outer darkness. Jesus concludes His parable of those who refused to attend the wedding of the king's son by saying, "For many are called, but few are chosen."
For those who are the Bride, the Church, we are expected to prepare for this great upcoming event, and not to be of the same mind as those who refuse (Eph. 4:17-18).
Part of the Jewish marriage tradition is the giving of a gift by the groom to the bride upon the bride's acceptance the Ketubah marriage contract. This gift is called a matan. Jesus, our Bridegroom, also has given gifts to His betrothed Bride, the Church. These gifts also help to prepare us for the marriage to the Lamb. These gifts include apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Eph. 4:11-16). These gifts to the Church speak the truth in love that we may all grow into Christ. Their care and teaching leads to the perfecting (see "bride" above) of the saints until we come into the unity of faith, the knowledge of the Son of God, our perfecting leading us to come into the measure of the stature of the fullness (to be complete- see "bride" above)) of Christ. If we refuse these precious gifts from Christ to the Church, we will not have prepared ourselves (Rev. 19:7), not having been properly cleansed, as the betrothed bride should be, and we will not have completed the weaving of our wedding garment, one without spot or wrinkle.

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