Total Time: ~2.5–3 hours
Focus: Seeing God’s plan of salvation, grace, and eternal union through the lens of ancient Jewish wedding customs.
💍 Session 1 — The Betrothal: Covenant Initiated (45–60 mins)
Theme: The relationship between God and His people is initiated not as a casual agreement, but as a binding, legal covenant of love, sealed by a promise.
📖 Reading
Hosea 1–3 — God’s covenant love shown through the prophet’s marriage to an unfaithful woman.
📖 Key Passages
- Hosea 2:19–20 — “I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.”
- Hosea 3:1 — “Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel…”
📖 Additional Passages
- Jeremiah 31:31–34 — “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…”
- Matthew 1:18–25 — "…Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."
🔍 Word Study Suggestions
| KJV Word | Original Language | Original Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betroth | Hebrew (OT) | אָרַשׂ (aras) | To engage, to make a binding agreement for marriage, often involving a price paid by the groom. |
| Covenant | Hebrew (OT) | בְּרִית (beriyth) | A formal, solemn, and binding agreement between two parties, often sealed by a sacrifice. |
| Espoused | Greek (NT) | μνηστεύω (mnēsteuō) | Betrothed. In Jewish culture, this was the first stage of marriage and was as legally binding as the final union. |
🧠 Study & Reflection
The Jewish betrothal was not a casual engagement—it was a binding legal covenant. Through Hosea, God portrays His unwavering love for His people, even amid betrayal. The betrothal is God’s declaration: “You are mine forever.” This image of sacred commitment reveals God’s grace in pursuing a people who often wander. It sets the tone for understanding salvation not just as a rescue but as a covenantal relationship of love.
🕯️ Session 2 — Preparation & Waiting: The Bridegroom’s Departure (45–60 mins)
Theme: After the covenant is sealed, a period of separation and preparation begins, in which the Bride waits in trust for the unknown hour of the Bridegroom’s return.
📖 Reading
John 13–14 — Jesus comforts His disciples and promises to prepare a place for them before His departure.
📖 Key Passages
- John 14:2–3 — “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
📖 Additional Passages
- Song of Solomon 2:8–13 — “The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains…”
- 2 Corinthians 11:2 — “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
🔍 Word Study Suggestions
| KJV Word | Original Language | Original Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare | Greek (NT) | ἑτοιμάζω (hetoimazō) | To make ready, to prepare. Jesus has taken on the role of the Bridegroom, preparing our eternal home. |
| Receive | Greek (NT) | παραλαμβάνω (paralambanō) | To take to oneself, to receive. It’s an active word of the Groom coming to claim His Bride and bring her to the home He prepared. |
📚 Theological Framework
- The Bride vs. The Wedding Attendants: It’s crucial to distinguish between the Bride (the Church) and the wedding attendants (represented by the ten virgins in Matthew 25). The Bride’s position is secure; she is waiting for the Bridegroom to take her to the bridal chamber. The attendants are waiting for the Bridegroom’s procession to the feast. The warnings about being ready are for the guests, not for the Bride, whose place is already guaranteed by the covenant.
🧠 Study & Reflection
In Jewish custom, after betrothal the bridegroom would leave to prepare a home for his bride—usually an addition to his father’s house. The bride waited, not knowing the hour of his return, but trusting he would come. In John 13–14, Jesus takes the role of that bridegroom. He assures His disciples that though He departs, His love and promise remain. We, the Church, are called to wait expectantly and faithfully, keeping our hearts ready for His return.
🎉 Session 3 — The Wedding & Union: Eternal Joy (45–60 mins)
Theme: The period of waiting ends with the joyful, triumphant return of the Bridegroom, culminating in the marriage supper and an eternal union.
📖 Reading
Revelation 19–21 — A vision of the marriage supper of the Lamb and the New Jerusalem, the eternal home of God and His people.
📖 Key Passages
- Revelation 19:7–9 — “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready… Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
- Revelation 21:2 — “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
📖 Additional Passages
- Isaiah 62:4–5 — “As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.”
- Ephesians 5:25–32 — “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
🔍 Word Study Suggestions
| KJV Word | Original Language | Original Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriage Supper | Greek (NT) | γάμος (gamos) | A wedding feast, a marriage celebration. The public, joyful celebration of the union. |
| Rejoice | Greek (NT) | χαίρω (chairō) | To be glad, to rejoice. This is a deep, active joy, not a passive happiness. |
| Adorned | Greek (NT) | κοσμέω (kosmeō) | To put in order, arrange, make ready, adorn. The Bride is made beautiful and ready for her Husband. |
🧠 Study & Reflection
The wedding is not the end of the story—it is the eternal beginning. The union between Christ and His Bride, the Church, will be celebrated in joy and glory. Revelation gives us a glimpse of the final celebration: white garments, rejoicing multitudes, and the dwelling of God with man. We are no longer waiting—we are united, made one forever. This hope gives purpose to our waiting and longing.
✝️ Memory Verse
Isaiah 54:5 — “For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”