SHIDDUKHIN - SEARCHING A BRIDE

There are many customs appointed by YHVH as teaching tools. In a unique way, the
Hebrew Wedding Ceremony (as opposed to any other cultural expression) is a
detailed illustration of the Messiah's relationship to His Bride.
The Shiddukhin refers to the first step in the marriage process - the arraignments
preliminary to the legal betrothal. It was common in ancient Israel of the father of the
groom search for or select a bride for his son (Gen 24:1-4).
Notice in this passage, Abraham makes arrangements for his son Isaac's wedding.
The father usually had the responsibility, but in Abraham's life, it was not possible. It
was acceptable for the father to delegate this responsibility by designating a
representative, in this case, it was his servant, Eliezer, that means God helps. This
is a picture of how YHVH sends out His Holy Spirit to go and search for the Bride for
His Son, Yshua.

The Ketubah or Written Contract

Ketubah hbtk means "written", and the Ketubah was and still is today the "marriage
contract." The ketubah includes the provisions and conditions of the proposed
marriage:
The groom promises to support his wife to be.
The bride agrees to the conditions of the Marriage (vows).
We see this described in - Gen. 24:52-53 and in Exodus 6:6-7 Therefore say to the
children of Israel: I am YHVH; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the
Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an
outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will
be your Elohim. Then you shall know that I am YHVH your Elohim Who brings you
out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

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The Mohar - or Bridal Payment
This is sometimes called - the Brides price. It is a gift paid by the groom
to the bride's family but ultimately belongs to the bride. It changed her
status and set her free from her parent's household (old culture sinful
nature). We see this in Gen. 24:53 where the servant brought out jewellery
of silver and gold, as well as clothing, and gave them to Rebekah, the
Bride of Isaac. These gifts have prophetic meaning for the Bride of
Messiah. The silver represents her purification and preparation. The gold represents
her new status (nature) in an elevated state (renewed body) so that she can be
presented to Her new Husband, King Yshua. The clothing represents Her covering till
the day of Her Wedding, and that is associated with the Sacrifice that not only covers,
but also paid the price (mohar), which is the Bridal Payment.

The Mikveh - or Ritual Immersion

Although not mentioned in the narrative with Isaac and
Rebecca, the Mikvah is part of the preparation for
betrothal, and it was common for the bride and groom to
separately take a ritual immersion. This immersion
(mikveh) hvqm was done before actually entering into
the formal betrothal period, and was symbolic of spiritual
cleansing. The cleansing process regarding the Bride of
Messiah Yshua, is through the washing with the water of
the Word, and that is the commitment that is made when you are immersed into the
Name of Yshua, Who is the Word Who became flesh.

THE EYRUSIN BETROTHAL OR ENGAGEMENT

The word eyrusin means Betrothal. This forms part of the
preparation process and is also called - kiddushim - meaning
"sanctification" or "to be set apart." This word really defines the
purpose of the betrothal period; it is a time in which the couple are
to set side to prepare themselves to enter into the Covenant of
Marriage. The Hebrew understanding of betrothal has always been
much stronger than our modern understanding of an engagement.
The betrothal was so binding that the couple would need a religious
divorce or (get) to annul the contract.
Deut 24:1 When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then
she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some
indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce
and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she
departs out of his house.
This option was only available to the husband, as the wife had no say in any divorce
proceeding. This shows us the grace of the Father and is in line with the Covenant He
made with Abraham, when the fire moved in between the pieces and Abraham was
asleep, showing that He made a Covenant with Himself on behalf of Abraham and his
descendants (Israel - Bride).

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Aspects of the Betrothal
After the couple had undergone the Mikveh hvqm (immersion), they would appear
together under the chuppah or canopy. From ancient times the wedding canopy has
been a symbol of a new household being planned.
Ps. 19:5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
In public, they would express their intention of becoming betrothed. During this
ceremony, various items of value were exchanged - such as rings, and a cup of wine
was shared to seal the betrothal vows.
Vows of the Groom Exo 6:6-7 (Representing the Four Cups of the Passover
Seder)
Vows of the Bride Exo 20:1-17 (The Ten Words of Ten Commandments which
forms the Index to the rest of the Commandments necessary to prepare and
cleanse the Bride Also symbolised by the preparation of Esther to come
before the King)
After the ceremony, the couple was considered to have entered into the betrothal
agreement. This period was to last for two years. During this time the couple was
considered married - yet did not have sexual relations and continued to live separately
until the end of the betrothal. We see this time of the engagement illustrated in the
gospels as reflected in the lives of Yoseph and Miriam (see Mat. 1:18-25).

The Matan - or Bridal Gift

Following this betrothal ceremony, the groom would return to his
home to fulfil his obligations during the betrothal. But just before
leaving he would give his wife to be a Matan ntm - or bridal gift, a
pledge of his love for her. Its purpose was to be a reminder to his bride
during their days of separation of his love for her, that he was thinking
of her and that he would return to receive her as his wife.

The Couple's Responsibilities During the Betrothal

During betrothal, the groom's responsibility was to focus on preparing a new dwelling
place for his bride and family:
In Biblical times this was most often done not by building a new home, but by
simply adding additional rooms to the family's existing home.
The place the bride was to be taken must be better than the place she had lived
before.
It was not the groom's duty to determine when the place he was preparing for
the bride was ready; his father would make that determination and give the go
ahead to receive his bride.
The bride also was to keep herself busy in preparation for the wedding day, specifically
wedding garments were to be sewn and prepared.

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Illustrated in Messiah's Betrothal to His Bride
As the betrothal includes the blessings of the wine under the
chuppah, one of the last of Yshua's actions was partaking in the
Four Cups and blessed the third cup, as the cup of the New
Covenant, also referred to as the cup of the ketubah, that seals
this contract of marriage. This makes the Passover Meal, with the
taking of the Four Cups a Covenant Meal that seals the Ketubah
Contract part of the Betrothal, that is entering into Covenant with
YHVH through Yshua. Yshua stated that He would only take the
Fourth Cup at a later time, the Cup of taking Her for His people
Exo 6:7, (the gathering of the Bride), during His Second Coming,
that will be celebrated at the Wedding Feast. This will be the
Passover Meal celebrated in the Kingdom with Yshua present at
the Table alongside His Bride.
The Scripture points to the fact that we are betrothed to the Messiah, we are in that
engagement period before the wedding:
As in any betrothal, the promise is so sure of our wedding that it would take a
religious (get) divorce to nullify the contract.
This divorce (get) is only available to the husband.
This too is promised by YHVH in Hosea 2:19-20 - He promises that He will
betrothal His people to Himself - forever. Would YHVH ever divorce His people
- (Malachi 2:16) - certainly it is not in His character to divorce.
The lesson or implications are quite clear - we are secure in our Messiah's
contract with us - we cannot break it, and He promises that He will not break it
- (Jn. 10:28).
To prepare a household for his bride to be. Is this not what He (Yshua) said He would
be doing ?(Jn. 14:1-3). He is fulfilling His part of the betrothal.

Q - Where is the Matan ]tm or bridal gift of love from Messiah?

Remember the word Matan means gift or pledge, in Greek the word is Charismata. In
Eph 1:13-14 Paul tells us that this pledge or gift, is the Holy Spirit, a promise of love
and that He will return for us. Interestingly this pledge was given at Shavuot
(Pentecost). Acts2:1-4.
Q - What of His bride, what is she to be doing?
During this two-year period, the bride would consecrate herself, and prepare holy
garments for the upcoming marriage. Paul puts this preparation in very clear terms:
Eph 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Messiah also loved the
Assembly (Bride) and gave Himself for Her, 26 that He might sanctify and
cleanse Her with the washing of water by the Word, 27 that He might present
Her to Himself a glorious Assembly, not having spot or wrinkle or any such
thing, but that She (the Bride) should be holy and without blemish.
The Bride is to act on the vows she took, symbolised by the Ten Commandments, that
is the Word of YHVH, and cleanse Herself with His water, as symbolised by her
Mikvah, so that she can be ready for His Coming.

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THE NISSUIN - MARRIAGE ITSELF
The Culminating Step in the Process of the Wedding
The final step in the wedding process is called Nissuin. The word
comes from the Hebrew verb hsn ( nasa), which means, "to carry."
This is a beautiful picture, as the bride would be waiting for her
groom to come, for Him to carry her off to her new home. This part
of the betrothal is a time of great anticipation where the bride has
to be ready and waiting for the arrival of her betrothed. She had to
have a lamp in her window, full of oil, ready to light whenever she
hears the sound of the groom and his entourage. One of the unique
features of the Hebrew wedding was the time of the groom's arrival;
it was to be a surprise:
The bride took the betrothal seriously, expecting him at the
end of the two-year long period of the betrothal.
She knew the approximate timing, but the exact hour or day was uncertain.
It was the father of the groom who would give the final approval for the marriage
to begin, and for the Groom to come and collect His Bride.

The Coming of the Bridegroom - The Wedding Begins

Since the time of the Grooms arrival was a surprise,
the Bride and her bridal party were always to be ready
This is the background of the parable of the Wise and
Foolish Virgins, Yshua taught in Mat. 25:1-13. It was
customary for one of the grooms party to go ahead of
the bridegroom, leading the way to the bride's house,
and shout; "Behold, the bridegroom comes." This
would be followed by the sounding of the shofar. At the
sounding of the shofar, the entire wedding processional
would go through the streets of the city to the bride's
house. These events are prophetically described by the Prophet Joel, giving the
context of the Marriage Festival that is ready to begin.
Joel 2:11-16 YHVH gives voice before His army, For His camp is very
great; For strong is the One who executes His Word. For the day of
YHVH is great and very terrible; Who can endure it? 12 Now, therefore,
says YHVH, Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping,
and with mourning. 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to YHVH your Elohim, For He is gracious and merciful, slow to
anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. 14 Who
knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him a
grain offering and a drink offering for YHVH your Elohim ? 15 Blow the
trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; 16 Gather the
people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the
children and nursing babes; let the Bridegroom go out from His chamber
and the Bride from her dressing room.

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The context and timeframe for the Bride meeting Her Groom are at the time called the
Day of the Lord or the Day of YHVH, where He will come with His Armies to battle
against His enemies and destroy them. The groomsmen would again set up the
chuppah:
Again the couple would say a blessing over a cup of wine.
The ceremony finalised the promises and vows.
The Chuppah represents the covering that will be over His Bride, and they will enter
into celebrating the Marriage Feast after the battle has been won and His enemies
have been destroyed. He is not only the Groom, but the Warrior King, Who will come
on His white horse, with the sounding of the Shophar, He is Messiah ben David, Yshua
the Messiah!
The pinnacle of this joyful celebration was the Marriage Supper:
It was much more than just a sit-down dinner for all the guests.
It included seven full days of food, music, dance and celebration (Jn. 14:10-12).
After the festivities, the husband was free to bring his bride to their new home
to live together as husband and wife in the full covenant of marriage.

Messiah's Wedding
Yshua - told His disciples, that He did not know the
day or hour of His return (Mat. 24:32-36) - this is not so
much to say He does not have all knowledge, but as
with any Hebrew bridegroom, He must wait for His
Father to give the word that the set time has come.
As we noted before, in a traditional Hebrew wedding,
one of the Groom's men would go before the arrival of
the groom and shout; Behold the Groom comes!
Should we expect anything less with the coming of our heavenly bridegroom? But
where do we see such an event? If we look to I Thess 4:16-18, we see that just before
our Messiah's return, there will indeed be a shout, from one of the ruling angels. What
might this angel shout, could it be - "Behold the groom comes?"
The pinnacle of the Hebrew wedding was the joyful celebration of the Marriage
Supper, that is a Passover Meal, where Yshua will drink the last cup in the Kingdom,
as promised in Matt 26:29. This Celebration is after the Second Coming, that is
concluding the final part of the Marriage.
Rev 19:7-9 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the Marriage of
the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. 8 And to her, it was
granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the
righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, Write: Blessed are those
who are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb! And he said to me,
These are the true sayings of Elohim.
Q - Who is the bride of Yshua?
From the passage in Hosea (2:19-20) it is clear that Israel is the Bride of YHVH.
The Berit Chadashah (New Testament) tell us that the "church" is the bride of Messiah.
Q - Does YHVH have two brides?

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No! Or, is it possible as some have suggested, YHVH divorced one bride - Israel, to
marry another - the church? That cannot be, for YHVH has told us He hates divorce
(Mal 2:16) and Jeremiah affirms YHVH's everlasting covenant with the physical people
Israel (Jer 31:35-37). This too is affirmed by Paul in (Rom 9-11). The best solution
then is to affirm the fact that YHVH has always had one Bride, His chosen people
called Israel. The Bride is in the process of being restored and relates to the prophecy
in Eze 37 where the two sticks, Judah and Ephraim will be one in the hand of Messiah
Yshua, signifying their unity in Marriage.

The Passover Meal (Seder)

Over the centuries the Passover Seder has grown with
new and meaningful traditions, but the core of the
celebration is very ancient and goes back to the time
when Israel left Egypt. During this Passover, we are
only going to look at the symbolism of the First
Passover found in Exodus, as well as the last Passover
Yshua celebrated with His Disciples and based our
Passover according to these Scriptural guidelines. This
Seder only includes symbolism found and Scripture
and is not a traditional Jewish Seder.
Exo 12:5-17 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first
year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall
keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole
assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 And they
shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the
lintel of the houses where they eat it. 8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that
night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they
shall eat it. 9 Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in
fireits head with its legs and its entrails.
10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it
until morning you shall burn with fire. 11 And thus you shall eat it: with a
belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your
hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is YHVHs Passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike
all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all
the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am YHVH. 13 Now the blood
shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the
blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to
destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.14 So this day shall be to you
a memorial; and you shall keep it as a Feast to YHVH throughout your
generations. You shall keep it as a Feast by an everlasting ordinance.

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 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall
remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from
the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from
Israel. 16 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the
seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work
shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eatthat only may
be prepared by you.17 So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the
land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your
generations as an everlasting ordinance.
The Passover has the following Scriptural Symbolism:
1. Blood on the Doorpost.
2. The Four Cups (Exo 6:6-7) Vows of YHVH to His Bride. The Four Cups will
be used as a framework and will link each of the food symbols to a particular
cup and will be taken together:
2.1 Bitter Herbs
2.2 Unleavened Bread
2.3 Roasted Lamb
The vows of the Bride are found within the symbolism of the next Feast, Shavuot,
counting 50 days from First Fruits. Shavuot is where the Bride committed to the
Ten Words (Her Vows). (Exo 19:8).

1. Blood of the Lamb on the Doorpost

Exo 12:22-23 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop,
dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the
lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the
basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his
house until morning. 23 For YHVH will pass through to
strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the
lintel and on the two doorposts, YHVH will pass over
the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your
houses to strike you.
We have already covered the symbolism of the Blood of the Covenant that
represents the Marriage Covenant (where there is blood on the wedding night) as
well as the Threshold and the Mezuzah, symbolising the entrance into the House of
YHVH, becoming part of His Family.
The blood was also for YHVH to see, that the people inside the House took part in
His Covenant and that Death could Pass-them-over (Passover), being under the
protection of the Shield (Yshua).

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2. The Four Cups
We find the vows or promises of the Groom to
the Bride in Exodus 6:6-7:
Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, I am
YHVH, and I will bring you out from under
the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will
deliver you from their bondage. I will also
redeem you with an outstretched arm and
with great judgments. Then I will take you
for My people, and I will be your God; and you
shall know that I am YHVH your Elohim, who
brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
If you take the four verbs which describe YHVHs promises to Israel before the
Exodus event, are symbolised by Four Cups in the Meal of Remembrance to
commemorate YHVHs work. At the Passover Yshua referred to two of the four
cups, excluding the Fourth Cup, indicating that He partook of at least three Cups that
symbolises the Work He would do during His First Coming. The Fourth Cup will be
taken in the Kingdom as part of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Passover with
Messiah Yshua).
We will use the Four Cups as the framework for our Seder and will be taken with
each of the relevant food symbols that relates to that particular Cup.

2.1 "I will take you out" Remove you from being a slave form under the
authority of Satan (Pharaoh) and away from the temptations of Mitzrayim (Egypt - sin
and bondage). This Cup is taken while eating the Bitter Herbs.
Bitter herbs Maror - The Bitter herbs relates to the symbolism of the First
Cup, taking you out of slavery. Bitter herbs bring tears to the
eyes and recall the bitterness of slavery. The bitterness
reminds us of the slavery in Egypt, but we are called to look at
their own lives to identify our own bitter enslavements, whether
addiction or bad, sinful habit.

2.2 "I will save you" Take away your fallen leprous state and fallen nature
through the Sacrifice of the Lamb of YHVH that was slain on Passover. Allow
you to be called His Bride, partaking in the Marriage Covenant Meal and
entering into YHVHs House, crossing over the Threshold. This Cup
is taken while eating the Unleavened Bread.
Unleavened Bread or Matzah The Unleavened Bread is
taken with the Second Cup representing the Saviours Body
and our Salvation from our old fallen nature. This is the
fulfilment of the first part of the Promise made to Abraham;
I will be your Shield Gen 15:1.

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 2.3 "I will redeem you" Prepare you for the Bride taking you through a
cleansing process to be presentable before the King. This Cup is taken after
eating the Roasted Lamb and the Meal.
Roasted Lamb: The Lamb represents partaking in the Word of
YHVH. The Lamb was for the people inside the House so that
they could eat and gain strength for the journey ahead. They
had to eat the meal in haste, packed and ready to go. It is
about filling yourself with the Word of YHVH (eat His flesh,
partake of His Body John 6:54. They that partake in His
flesh, learning and knowing and doing His Word to leave
the old culture and embrace YHVHs new Culture.
John 6:54 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
The Third Cup is normally taken after the Meal and this is the Cup that Yshua
said in Luke 22:20 Likewise the cup also, after supper, saying, This cup is the
renewed Covenant in My Blood which is shed for you. [Supper in Greek is also
translated as Feast and in this context, Feast is more appropriate]

2.4. "I will take you " Allow you to enter into the Kingdom of YHVH and
live with Him forever after His Restoration Process is complete. This is
fulfilling the second part of the Promise to Abraham where YHVH said; I
will be your Exceedingly Great Reward Gen 15:1
The Fourth Cup is taken after reciting of the Hallel Psalms (Psalms 115-118) and
then the Great Hallel (Psalm 136) followed by the blessing; "Haba'ah bi-
Yerushalayim," that means, Next year in Jerusalem! This is a blessing that we
say in anticipation for our Groom, Yshua to come and take us to the Home He
prepared for us.
In a Marriage, we have the symbolism of the Groom carrying the Bride over the
Threshold of the house symbolising that he will protect and provide for her. This is
similar to what Yshua will do when we meet Him in the Clouds where He will gather
us in His arms and land with His feet on the Mount of Olives, carrying us over the
Threshold into His Fathers House.
The Kidron Valley is the valley on the eastern side of The Old City of Jerusalem,
separating the Temple Mount from the Mount of
Olives. The blood of the sacrifices conducted in the
Temple ran onto this valley and taken away by its
water running towards the Dead Sea. This Valley
forms the Threshold between the Mount of Olives and
the House of YHVH that Yshua will carry us over as a
Groom carrying His Bride into His Fathers House.
People know this event as the Rapture, but it is
actually physically fulfilling the Threshold Covenant
YHVH made with His Bride at Mount Sinai.

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This final cup reminds us that our redemption is not fully realised yet, and though we
enjoy the realities of it in the present, the future still holds our full and final
redemption and restoration. The Last Cup will be celebrated at the Passover
Marriage Feast in the Kingdom with Messiah that is referred to in Rev 19:7-9.

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