Most who read this will be familiar with the Biblical imagery of God and His people pictured as the Groom and His bride. In the Old Testament, there are multiple references to Israel as God’s bride (Isaiah 62: 3-5, Jeremiah 2: 32; 3: 6-10, Ez. 16, 23; Hosea 1-3), but many of these picture the bride as chronically immoral, adulterous, and debaucherous, repeatedly abandoning her Husband to chase after any and every other lover that passes her way. Some of these depictions are intentionally and extremely graphic, and perhaps even embarrassing to read. Of course God is exceedingly heroic in His willingness to extend inconceivable grace and mercy, and in Hosea He is pictured as One Who graciously purchases (redeems, ransoms) His bride out of harlotry (which she willingly and aggressively pursued) and the resulting sexual slavery. His incomparable compassion and love stand at the opposite end of the spectrum from His bride’s eager and incessant degeneracy—and all who grasp even a fraction of the magnitude of God’s grace and mercy are driven to their knees in humble admiration and adoration.
In the New Testament, the imagery is of Christ and His bride the Church (Eph. 5: 22-33, 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19: 7-9; 21: 2, 9). While the imagery of immorality is not as graphic, there is still the emphasis on the need to guard fidelity (2 Cor. 11: 1-4), and there are numerous reminders that His people were purchased out of such things (Eph. 2: 1-5, 4: 17-24; 5: 1-8, et. al.) and warnings of the danger of falling back into such things (Gal. 5: 19-21; Eph. 4: 22, 23; 5: 7, 8, et. al.). Paul points out that every man is a liar (Rom. 3: 4), and that no one is righteous in and of himself—indeed that we are all dreadfully sinful—and that righteousness is found ONLY in Christ through faith (Rom. 3: 10-22). He also reminds us that even the redeemed are engaged in a violent and incessant struggle for victory over sin—that we are of flesh and must constantly fight to overcome bondage to sin (Rom 7: 14-24). And once again, those who recognize the extremes—who catch even a brief glimpse of the vastness of His compassion and kindness—cannot help but fall on their faces in gratitude and reverence. Indeed, those who recognize—who focus intently upon—such extremes and such grace never fully recover, and the reality dominates their thinking and conversation.
Imagine, then, a woman who is helplessly and hopelessly caught in a life of debauchery, who has chased after every man who would lay with her, who in so doing unwittingly volunteered for sexual slavery, subjecting herself to the most vile and disgusting activities ever conceived in the perverse and abominable minds of the demonic throngs. Then imagine the King coming along and seeing the poor wretch lying in and covered with filth (because that is how her most recent “lover” left her). He is fully aware that she is living the life she has chosen and that she is fully deserving of all of the tragedy she has experienced and all that would await her. Then, imagine the unimaginable—the King being moved with compassion, having mercy upon her and purchasing her out of slavery, paying a most extraordinary and extravagant price—a price that no one around could ever conceive of as being justified—all because He has compassion on her and has chosen to deliver her. Then, even more incredibly, imagine the King revealing that He was making her His own precious bride, instructing her to prepare for the wedding feast, and indicating that He would be returning soon for that event.
Such a scene is almost inconceivable. So how outrageous would it be if, in the following days and weeks, the bride began to muse that perhaps she possessed some virtue that made her attractive to Him? What if she began to act as if she had earned some status apart from that which the King ascribed to her by His decision to ransom her at an enormous price? How ridiculous would it be if, as she prepared for the wedding feast, she started to strut a bit when she walked about the village, head and shoulders thrust back, wearing clothes that clearly drew one’s eyes to her own physical features? When the people of the village spoke with her, what if most of her comments were about herself—who she was, what she was doing, her daily activities, her plans, and her projects—clearly indicating that she was enamored with herself? Or, what if the people saw her constantly arguing with herself over what her priorities ought to be, and then over how she should pursue those priorities? Then, what if they saw her giddily consumed in self congratulations whenever she accomplished one of those priorities? Even more bizarre, what if the people saw her in violent dispute with herself over the details surrounding her redemption, to emerge announcing arrogantly that she had a superior understanding of the process surrounding the King’s ransom?
Even worse, what if she started offering advice on how to be attractive, or how to prepare for weddings, or the best options for wedding gowns, or the best hairstyles for weddings, or how to host the perfect bridal shower, or how to discover one’s “inner” bride? What if she started leading seminars on wedding planning, or bridal preparation, or the incredible benefits of being the bride of the King? What if these led to her writing books with such titles as “Intentional Wedding Invitations,” or “The Top 10 Most Effective Wedding Preparation Strategies,” or “Becoming the Bride You Were Always Meant to Be”? Of course there would be major book promotions, which would lead to more meetings, conferences, and seminars. In those meetings there might be a mention of the King and what He had done; but when all the people of the village looked at and listened to her, what if their logical conclusion was that the wedding—and indeed, everything surrounding the bride—was essentially all about her?
If she were in her right mind, instead she would be so overwhelmed by the King’s grace and mercy that all she would want to talk about, think about, and be about—was HIM. She would be so overcome with amazement at, and gratitude for, the King and His extraordinary willingness to ransom and deliver her from bondage, that with total abandon she would devote all of her time and energy before the wedding to excitedly and enthusiastically telling everyone she could all about Him, focusing on the magnitude of who He was and the incredible nature and reality of what He had done. She would hardly speak of or reflect upon herself—neither positively nor negatively, neither her past nor her present—she would only want to reflect on and speak of Him. She certainly wouldn’t glory in her depravity, but rather in the One Who had rescued her from it. And whenever the people of the village encountered her, they would see a humble, gentle, joyful, devoted, caring, soft-hearted bride who was absolutely obsessed with her husband/King—not merely in a surface/emotional/romantic way, but through a life that was entirely and absolutely devoted, committed, and surrendered to Him—the One Who had chosen to love and rescue Her and was returning soon for her.
When she was not speaking to the people of the village, most of the time they would see her head bowed, but whenever she lifted her face heavenward they couldn’t help but notice a radiant countenance. They would observe simultaneously a slight tear in her eye, a soft smile on her face, and a sweet song from her lips—that unearthly blending of humility, joy, and adoration that comes from knowing you’ve been fully redeemed, delivered, and forgiven.
Of course they would see her preparing for the wedding and covering all of the necessary details, but whenever the people encountered her, both in her behavior and in her conversation, they could not help but be impressed first by the astounding reality of Who this King was and the astonishing nature of what He had done.
At that point it is more likely that they would be open to the shocking truth that they, too, were slaves; then they would be in a better position to hear the amazing message that this same King had paid the same price for their redemption.
The difference is between a bride who is unjustifiably preoccupied with herself—who she is, what she has done, what she is doing, and all that she proposes to do—and one who is justifiably and humbly preoccupied with the Groom—the inexplicable grandeur of Who He is and the inestimable magnitude of what He has done.
And, as we see throughout the Book of Acts, the people of the village respond accordingly to such a church.
P.S, for a glimpse of such a bride, read my blog thread “Divine Obsession.” Also, I will not be posting comments on this blog.
