Hosea 2:19 “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy”
A betrothal is a formal engagement to be married. It becomes a declaration to others for a ceremony that is to come. A man or woman who is betrothed to the other has committed themselves to be bound by God as one flesh.
Marriage is a God ordained term that specifically denotes the union of a man and woman. Any false assumptions that marriage is anything other than that as ascribed by God is not marriage, it is an aberration that should be called by a different name.
There are biblically defined specifics of a betrothal, particularly as it has been applied to God and His people….specifically to Christ and His church.
*Righteousness, justice, lovingkindness, and mercy, are just a few of the attributes that God has ordained ceremoniously for His bride.
If we delve into the attributes of Christ and His church, we would see the same expectations God has for marriage today. When a godly man and woman decide to commit themselves to one another, they do so under the guidance and direction of Christ as the center of their union.
For the Lord, the betrothal is eternal. The union of God’s people to Christ is one that will resonate throughout time and eternity. The Lord has expressed an agape love relationship to His people and it is shown to have spiritual guidelines that define His love.
Only the Righteous
For an individual to enter into a holy union with God, they must be found righteous.
Proverbs 13:9 “The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
The model God instituted in Israel of a bridegroom preparing a home for his bride is one that paints a picture of Christ preparing a place in Heaven for His people. The bride prepares herself, she makes herself ready for the return of her betrothed. She lights a lamp and places it in the window as a sign of the preparation and anticipation for his return.
Gladness fills the house of the righteous. The promise of Christ’s return is one that is filled with joyful anticipation. The lamp is filled with oil that never runs dry. The oil of the Holy Spirit fills the hearts of the righteous and becomes the source of light that emanates from within the lives of the redeemed.
Matthew 25:1-6 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘ Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.”
But for the wicked, they will have no oil when the bridegroom returns. The oil they produce is self-righteousness and their own measure of goodness. They strive by their own strength to attain to what is impossible for weakened flesh. Jesus supplied everything His bride needs and He will find her on His return.
We must look to Jesus if we want to know eternal life. It will be an eternity that is marked by unity with Him, in a loving relationship that is only for those who love His return.
Hebrews 1:9 “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
Righteousness represents the perfection of God’s nature. When a sinner repents of their sin and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are made righteous by the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God. The defining approval of God’s acceptance is the anointing oil of the Spirit of God that fills the heart.
The Bride is composed of all the people around the world who have His anointing. Every tribe, nation, and tongue composes the people who are known as the Bride of Christ.
Only the Just
Justice is directly affiliated with God’s moral law. The Law of the Lord is perfect, it converts the soul, it leads in paths of righteousness, and demonstrates God’s holiness. The Moral law is a demonstration of God’s nature and for those who desire a loving fellowship with Him, they understand the necessity of walking according to the law.
John 14:15-17 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
The Bride of Christ demonstrates love for the Bridegroom by honoring His commandments in how they live. The Ten Commandments are not some random set of rules to be obeyed, it is the core doctrine for walking in righteousness daily.
Do you want to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?
Walk according to His moral law.
To be just is to be found faithful to these laws. To judge justly is to hold everything accountable to these laws. When broken, they are the very definition of sin and eternal judgement. The penalty for breaking them is eternal death and yet Jesus has fulfilled the requirement.
If you want to be found just, you must accept the sacrifice God gave of Himself that you might be redeemed from death to life.
The Lovingkindness of God
To love others is another fulfillment of the law. It is a love that comes directly from God to His people and then flows from them to others. The Bride is marked by the lovingkindness of God. It is a holy love, it is an agape form of love that Jesus demonstrated at the cross, in the tomb, and then raised to new life.
If the life of the Bridegroom is not found in a person, they are not counted among the Bride of Christ.
Psalm 63:1-4 “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.”
The lovingkindness of the Lord is essential in the heart of the believer, without it, they are only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Many people try to mimic the love of the Lord by doing acts the world deems as good. The shock and dismay that will be discovered by the imposters who have infiltrated the church will be exposed when the Bridegroom reveals His Bride.
True love is expressed by God to His people and through His people. It is a love that is holy, and had its birth in the Holy Spirit who dwells within God’s people.
The Merciful
Where can mercy be found but among those who have received mercy.
2 Samuel 22:26 “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless”
The Lord demonstrates mercy when He chooses to let sinners live who offend Him personally . Everyone falls into the category of an offender, everyone has sinned falls short of perfection.
Praise God, He is patient with us, not wanting any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
God’s patience is a demonstration of His mercy.
James 2:13 “For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
For those who choose to render judgment unjustly against their fellow man, the judgement of God will fall.
What is it that God looks for in people?
God wants them to follow His pattern. Justice, mercy, grace, love…to name a few. They are all attributes of God Himself.
The Bride of Christ was shown mercy first, a demonstration of God’s love to a people who had once offended His holiness.
Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
There is an expectation for God’s Bride, to walk as He walked. To demonstrate the attributes of God to a world that continues to walk in darkness. One day, all of the world will witness the Bride and the Bridegroom, united in love.
The Wedding Day
When the Lord returns, He will take His bride into His holy habitation and there His people will rejoice with Him. The wedding supper of the Lamb will be a time of celebration and joy, the culmination of a loving relationship born in the heart of God before time began.
Isaiah 61:10-11 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes 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.”
Do you hope in the Lord or does your life consist only of what remains here, and will be gone tomorrow?
There is a great hope and future for those who are betrothed to the King of kings.
Be found ready when He comes.
U.T. 