11.6.26 – A Babylonian Bride

Jeremiah commanded the Israelites to build houses, plant gardens, eat their fruit, marry, and have children and grandchildren while they were exiled in Babylon (Jer. 29:5–7). Obviously, no one is in the Land under the visible authority of Messiah Yeshua today, but regardless of where people live physically, they are in exile—or a form of exile—under the spiritual, political, and financial Babylonian system.

Finding the right spouse in a Babylonian environment is not impossible, and it is very likely, based on Jeremiah's exhortation.

The virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 is most frequently associated with the Moabite woman Ruth; there is more. She personifies wisdom, and she makes an incredible wife, even with her pagan background and cursed nation. Her life has both a physical and a spiritual reality.

Those who become the bride of Messiah display these characteristics. These characteristics summarize the great women and men scattered through Scripture, giving us a collective picture of the bride of Messiah (e.g., Abraham–Sarah, Isaac–Rebecca, Boaz–Ruth, Joseph–Asenath, Moses–Zipporah, David–Abigail, etc.). Together, a husband and wife displaying these on earth become as one in Messiah to establish themselves in their good deeds as His bride (Rev. 19:7–8), and her husband (2 Cor. 11:1–2) does safely trust her!

The complete functionality of this woman seems unreachable by one person alone; notwithstanding, a close look at the book of Ruth reveals that Ruth was all of them. However, in our modern society, there are not enough hours in the day for one person to do all these duties. Yet there are many women who accomplish more than any single man alone could accomplish (John 5:20; 14:12). In Israel, there is an expression that men speak frequently: "HaShem, I am glad that You did not make me a woman!" For every man knows that the role and responsibilities of the woman are far beyond what he is capable of accomplishing himself.

Each verse in Proverbs 31:10–31 begins with a different letter of the aleph-bet (the Hebrew alphabet). Similarly, Psalm 119, the longest psalm in our Bibles, does the same. There is a direct connection between each verse in Proverbs 31:10–31 and each eight-verse section in Psalm 119... seeing the relationship between the two is marital bliss, vertically and horizontally. The connections are interwoven to add patterns of color into the tapestry of the woman described, Hebraically, in the term ezer kenegdo (Gen. 2:18, 20). The wife is not just the complement to the man; ironically, she carries the same role as Yahweh does to His people Israel. He surrounds and protects so His spouse can thrive, so His spouse can reach their God-given destiny (Deut. 33:26, 29; Ps. 33:20; 70:5; 115:9–11; 121:1–2; etc.); and this is the role of the woman as the capstone of His creation. Hence, the man leaves his mother and father and clings to his wife, not the other way around. And when a man recognizes this empowerment that Yahweh has placed in every woman, he will nourish and cherish her and lay his life down for her. This is what Yeshua has done for us. In parallel fashion, we are to act as His wife... surround and protect His name so that His glory can resound and His destiny can be established throughout the nations.

Yeshua is the Alpha and Omega, the Aleph-Tav, the beginning and the end (Rev. 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13; Isa. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12). The Proverbs 31 woman and Psalm 119 contain all the letters of the Aleph-Tav, and within the pictographic meaning of every letter, along with the added descriptions, we gain a commentary on this marital bliss.

Man was made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26–28). Yeshua is the image of the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9), and man is to be conformed into His image (Rom. 8:29). Just as the first Adam had his bride made from his body, so too will the second Adam have His bride made from His body. God is love (1 John 4:8)! 1 Corinthians 13 gives us several characteristics of this love. This love is saturated throughout the virtuous woman and Psalm 119. Let me show you a brief overview...

  • Love is patient … Prov. 31:12

  • Love is kind … Prov. 31:26

  • Love does not envy … Prov. 31:29

  • Love does not boast … Prov. 31:31

  • Love is not proud … Prov. 31:30

  • Love is not rude … Prov. 31:26

  • Love is not self-seeking … Prov. 31:28

  • Love is not easily angered … Prov. 31:23

  • Love does not keep a record of wrongs … Prov. 31:10

  • Love does not delight in evil … Prov. 31:12

  • Love rejoices in truth … Prov. 31:30

  • Love always protects … Prov. 31:21

  • Love always trusts … Prov. 31:11

  • Love always hopes … Prov. 31:25

  • Love always perseveres … Prov. 31:18

  • Love never fails … Prov. 31:31

I hope these thoughts encourage you and remind you of what a special woman you are—whether you are an earthly bride, a heavenly one, or both.

Shalom!
Alan

www.lightintorah.org

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