9.29.24 ~ God Desires Marriage

 Good morning!



Did you know God desires marriage? Yes! Even though He's the perfect single, lacking nothing, He longs for companionship from someone distinct from Himself; yet longing to be like Him (Rom. 8:29). In this relationship, the bride would experience bliss with the Creator of all things!!!

For God and His wife, it's been a roller coaster of romance, affection, but also deep pain, quarrel, and estrangement. In every generation, many counselors advocated a divorce, while others proclaimed the Groom dead. Yet, the relationship has endured, because both the soul is real and God is real. When all layers are removed, each of us yearns for meaning, for union with God, and God craves a relationship with us.

The Fall feast season lays out for us five primary milestones of this season that parallel the five phases of a traditional courtship and union. 

Just as the conventional dating process allows the two people involved to become acquainted with each other, with joy and serenity, so too the entire journey from Egypt to Passover to Mount Sinai provides us with an opportunity to get to know God genuinely and profoundly. 

God, apparently, is not a fan of drawn-out dating, neither is He fearful of commitment. At Mt. Sinai He makes His proposal. 'I'm crazy over you. Will you marry me (Ex. 19-24)?' 

This is not an easy decision to make. To be married to God is a formidable task. It means to live with in two realms (earthly and heavenly),  discipline, and endless mystery. It means to challenge myself daily to go beyond my ego and insecurities and align my posture with Divine infinity. It is the constant readiness to challenge my moral failures and to stand by the highest levels of integrity and truth. And yet, a whispering voice within persists that if we will avoid this relationship we will deny ourselves the fulfillment and happiness we are capable of achieving in our lives (Matt. 16:24-27; Ex. 19:8; 24:3, 7).

All of existence was brought into being for the sake of this marriage. If we refuse Him, the entire creation is in vain. Every galaxy, every blade of grass, every grazing animal, every electron, genome, plant, and speck of dust awaits man's decision with trepidation (Rom 8:20-25).

On the day of Trumpets, the day of the great shout, the day of remembrance, there will be a piercing sound rises from the earth: The cry of the Shofar. It is a simple, unsophisticated cry, expressing a person’s quintessential yearning to touch heaven. And the manifestation of our decision will be made known to the world (1 These. 4:14-18). 

Yom HaKippurim will provide coverings for this relationship that will last throughout the Messianic era and beyond. On this day, all the sins of the groom and bride are forgiven; love covers a multitude of sins! A time when we attempt to free ourselves from compulsive behavior and toxic habits and let go of the traumas, pains, resentments, animosity, anger, fear, envy...that hold us hostage to dysfunction; while giving us hope for a better future.

Traditionally, the bride and groom will go into a room where the doors are shut with just them inside. When they exit their private room, the party begins. From Yom Kippur, we leap into the seven-day festival of Sukkot, described in the Torah as the time of our Joy. These days are filled with feasting and ecstatic happiness. Every family builds a hut/Sukkah, outdoors, where they celebrate for 
seven days the marriage between God and His people. We eat, drink, sing, dance, and just enjoy being one with Oneness.

And though all good things must come to an end, it's only the beginning. The honeymoon comes to an end and the excitement begins to fade. Now the marriage becomes about caring for each other and demonstrating trust and loyalty, as husband and wife work through the daily grind of life.

Out of the twelve months in God's calendar, the only one lacking a single festive day is the one that immediately follows the High Holiday season, the 8th month, traditionally called Cheshvan. Why? Because this is the time to build a genuine relationship with our marriage Partner in our everyday lives. No fanfare or drama, just learning to find meaning and love in the daily chores of life.

This is more than a wedding revelation, it's truly where the relationship becomes a marriage. It's the time to discover the joy born out of a continuous relationship with God, during the mundane days and nights that define the bulk of our life on planet earth. It is time to discover how ordinary moments and experiences can be extraordinary...as long as the love is flowing in your veins. 

Chag Sameach!

Shalom

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