Musing – Part 2 – How does God Define Marriage in His Bible?

Hebraic Musing – Part 2 – How does God Define Marriage in His Bible?

This is part 2 of a three-part study –  How do we view Marriage & Divorce Today?  
Part 1 – Why is Marriage Important to God?            
Part 2 – How does God Define Marriage in His Bible?     (Today’s message)
Part 3 – What’s the Real Problem with Divorce?

Marriage is frequently referenced throughout the Bible and especially in the Torah, so let’s see how God defined Marriage in His Word:

·      Genesis 24 tells of the pursuit of an appropriate bride, Rebekah, for Isaac.  The final verse describes the wedding.  “Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her;” Gen 24:67 NIV    Marriage was consummated in the tent.  No ceremony!

·      Priests were told by the Lord in Lev.21:7 "'They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God.”   And in 1 Peter 2:9 Peter calls us Christians “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God,”; thus an expectation that we are to remain holy, undefiled, consecrated to God’s service.

·      The LORD was especially concerned about the marital purity of the High Priest’s offerings in Lev 21:13-15 "'The woman he marries must be a virgin. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, so he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.'"

·      And marriage was required if a man took her virginity.  “He must marry the girl, for he has violated her.  He can never divorce her as long as he lives.”  Deut. 22:29   So Biblically a man can have many wives, but a woman can only have one husband.  We in the Church are many and we become the “Bride of Christ” as we wed our one “Husband” Jesus Christ at the “Wedding Supper of the Lamb”.

·      If a divorced woman remarries and is again divorced, or husband dies, she cannot return to the first husband.  “… then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord.” Deut. 24:4

·      Many other verses re Marriage in the Torah deal with the prohibition to marry outside of the tribe, e.g. “don’t become unequally yoked.”

The New Testament further defines more issues involving marriage:

·      A widow is allowed to remarry – “For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.” Rom 7:2-3     This is restated in 1 Cor.7:39 with the “Equally Yoked” caveat.  “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.”

·      But there is a problem if a woman remarries while her husband is still alive – “So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress.” Rom. 7:3

·      The sanctity of marriage is emphasized in Heb.13:4 – “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

Important – Satan wants us to look back; Jesus came to forgive the past so we can look forward.

Marriage is God’s gift to us, starting with Adam & Eve’s marriage.  And through marriage God has given us the creative power to create life by obeying His first commandment – “Go forth and be fruitful”.

 Point to ponder

What about you?  How can you support Biblical Marriages?

Thank you Lord for the gift of marriage!    

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                  January 23, 2018

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
and “Biblical Marriage”   Amazon search – “Biblical Marriage Yosef”

Musing – Part 1 - Why is Marriage Important to God?

Hebraic Musing – Part 1 - Why is Marriage Important to God?

This is part 1 of a three-part study –  How do we view Marriage & Divorce Today?  
Part 1 – Why is Marriage Important to God?                    (Today’s message)
Part 2 – How does God Define Marriage in His Bible?
Part 3 – What’s the Real Problem with Divorce?

Marriage must be important to Our Lord; Marriage is mentioned specifically over 100 times in the NIV.
“Marry”  49x;  “Marriage” 43x;   “Marries” 20x;  and marriage is inferred even more often with terms like “Bride”(25x), “Bridegroom”(24x), “Wedding”(19x), “Joined”, “Union”, etc.

Marriage is introduced, defined and honored in the first four books of Torah especially.  Then the problems of divorce had to be dealt with in the last book of the Torah, Deuteronomy, as Moses prepared the Israelites to enter the Promised Land (more on divorce in Part 3).

I was asked to teach a Sunday School class 25 years ago on the book of Revelation with a Bible college dean & his teachers in the class.  Fortunately the key verse was Rev. 19:6-9 – “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, …(shouting)…  ‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.’  … Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’”  As a class, we identified a dozen or so wedding customs that are clearly biblical like –

1. Bride & Groom don’t see each other before the Wedding  – Have you seen Jesus yet?
3. Giving of the bride             – Still the Father’s job.    He gave us to Jesus!
5. The Vows;                           – Love & Cherish;  “Until death do us part”; more?
6. The Ring;                            – Signet ring with the authority of the husband, Jesus!
7. Unity Candles                     – They shall become one flesh.
8. First Communion together & Reception     – Proposing a toast like Jesus did at the Last Supper
       “ I will not drink of this…fruit of the vine …until that day … in my Father's kingdom." Matt. 26
10. The Bride' takes on the Groom's name     – We already call ourselves Christians! 
13. Groom carries bride over the threshold   
                                                – Jesus goes to prepare a house w/many rooms; and will come back for us.
14. The Honeymoon,              – Wedding and ultimate intimacy; when we are finally “In Christ”

That lesson triggered my interest in Biblical Marriage.  My wife of 52 years left me in March 2012 for the perfect HUSBAND, Jesus Christ.  Two months later I published my second book, “Biblical Marriage.”  A key Life’s Purpose for me is to “Promote Biblical Marriage”. 

As Jesus authored our “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”, He started with Adam and Eve; and ended by welcoming His Bride, us, to the “Wedding Supper of the Lamb” (and Jesus is the Lamb of God).  The whole Bible is built around Marriage – living together in covenant relationship.

Are we preparing for the Wedding Supper of the Lamb with our marital experience here on earth?

 Points to ponder

What about you?  Did you say “Yes” when Jesus proposed to you?

What does the Groom-to-be expect from HIS bride-to-be?

Marriage is God’s greatest gift to us!    
            Next week – How does God define Marriage?

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                  January 16, 2018

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
and “Biblical Marriage”   Amazon search – “Biblical Marriage Yosef”

Musing – Should We Meet God and our Neighbors Halfway?

Hebraic Musing – Should We Meet God and our Neighbors Halfway?

How do I, or how do we, reconcile with God the Father and/or His Son Jesus?  The problem of sin and uncleanliness existed way back in Biblical times and the book of Leviticus describes the prescribed reconciliation process.  “These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest:  The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him….”  Leviticus 14:2–3 NIV    What are the symbolic messages?

In the first few verses of Leviticus, Chapter 14, we read about the healing process of a diseased individual who had been forced to live in isolation until he or she was completely cured.  Could a “diseased person” symbolize someone living in sin, or with a sin?  God’s prescribed reconciliation process begins with a procedure for cleansing when the diseased person was to be “brought to the priest”.  However, verse three begins, “The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him . . .”   Did you catch the contradiction?  Which is it?  Does the diseased person go to the priest?  Or does the priest go to the afflicted person?  The answer is both.   And who brings the diseased person to the priest?

And in the NT, the role of “priest” clearly belongs to Jesus Christ as declared in Heb.7:17 "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

A similar contradiction is found in the book of Lamentations: “Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return…” Lam. 5:21.  Are we asking for God to return us to Him by changing us from the inside out so that repentance is easy and natural for us?  Or are we saying that we will return to God on our own, no matter how difficult that may be?  Again the answer is both.  We ask that God both help us return to Him, AND we also promise to make an effort to repent on our own.  In the case of the diseased person, the afflicted went toward the priest AND the priest also went out to the diseased.  They met halfway.

The message in both situations is the same: In the quest for healing our souls, we don’t have to do it alone. Yes, we must put in the effort and do our very best, but we will also receive plenty of spiritual help along the way.  He is always calling out to us – “I am beckoning to the nations, raising my banner for the peoples.” Isa. 49:22  CJB    

Sometimes we feel so overwhelmed by our shortcomings and past mistakes that we feel stuck, unable to move closer to God.  How can we begin a journey that seems so long and so difficult?  To quote Martin Luther King Jr. – “Take the first step in faith.  You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”  These words hold true for many situations, and they are especially helpful when we take the first step in repentance.  We don’t have to know how we will succeed or when, and we don’t need to worry about how far up we have to climb.

We need to take the first steps toward God; and God is already coming out to greet us and meet us halfway.

 Points to ponder

Does this message apply to those initially putting their faith in Jesus?
Or to “mature” Christians when they have erred in some way?
(In agriculture, “mature” means over-ripe, almost rotten.)

Are we called to be the priest, intercessor, when we approach
our neighbor who is caught up in a sinful life-style?
And how should we meet them half-way?

Be a blessing in the New Year!

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                  January 9, 2018

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

Note – Inspired by and excerpted from Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein’s “Meeting Halfway”  April 27, 2017

Musing – How Could You Miss Christmas?

Hebraic Musing – How Could You Miss Christmas?

It is hard to imagine how anyone could miss Christmas with all the fuss during the season – advertisements, publicity and commercial promotions.  But more important, many miss the “Reason for the Season”.  That is not surprising because 2,000 years ago there were a lot of people who missed Christmas and they also should have known better.  What are six ways they missed Christmas 2,000 years ago? 

1. Preoccupation – There was an innkeeper who couldn’t even make the effort to find accommodations for an obviously pregnant young woman, due any minute!  Not even caring to find a midwife to help her.  The business of inn-keeping took priority over welcoming the birth of his Messiah.  He wasn’t unsympathetic, just busy.  How many people today don’t know who Jesus Christ really is because they are ignorantly preoccupied with mundane and meaningless day-to-day activities?

2. Jealous Fear – “When the Magi came from the East seeking the new-born Messiah, they sought direction from King Herod.   … and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’   When King Herod heard this he was disturbed,…”  And Herod learned from the priests that according to Micah 5:2 the “king of the Jews” was to be born in Bethlehem.  Matt 2:1-8  NIV    King Herod feigned desire to worship the “King of the Jews” because he was jealously fearful of a new king.  Today we have people jealously fearful of having to give up their own plans, positions, priorities, values, morals and life styles.   How many people want to be their own king?

3. Prideful Indifference – The priests of the time felt that they were perfect “keepers of the Law”.  They refused to recognize that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Rom 3:23.  And “the wages of sin is death, ….” Rom 6:23.  They had no felt need for a Savior!  Are there people today who refuse to acknowledge their sin nature?

4. Religious Ritual – The first to recognize the baby as Jesus Christ, the Messiah, were shepherds tending their flocks in the fields around Bethlehem.  Their tending of sheep meant they couldn’t be involved in the ceremonial activities of a feast being celebrated in Jerusalem.  The “religious” activity was only a few miles away in Jerusalem and all the people there were missing the reality and miracle of His birth.  Do religious activities sometimes cause people to miss the miracle of His birth?

5. Idolatry – The Romans missed the importance of His birth because they had their own gods.  Today, people have their own gods – money, sex, cars, boats, houses, family, power, prestige, etc.   Are we drawn to many gods who distract us from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

6. Over-Familiarity – The saddest group to miss the miracle of Christmas would be the peoples of Nazareth.  They knew Jesus as the carpenter’s son and failed to see who he really was.  “Jesus said to them, ‘Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.’   He could not do any miracles there, … And he was amazed at their lack of faith.”  Mark 6:4-6   Can over-familiarity with the Christmas story lead to indifference, missing the “Miracle of Christmas”?

 Points to ponder

Can recognizing the “Miracle of Christmas” awaken the significance of our celebration?

I confess I missed a bit of the Christmas spirit because of each of those six points.
How about you?

In this New Year, may we all appreciate the significance of Jesus’ miraculous birth; as well as His death, burial, resurrection and His second coming.

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                  January 2, 2018

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

Note – Excerpted from a Christmas letter from a friend; original source – John MacArthur.