“In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my husband’;

you will no longer call me ‘my master.’

…I will betroth you to me forever;

I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,

in love and compassion.

I will betroth you in faithfulness,

                                           and you will acknowledge the LORD.”                                          

Hosea 2:16, 19-20

The depth of the love story in Hosea certainly caught me by surprise when my girlfriends and I studied it in the fall. Prophecy has a way of sneaking up on you like that. In the past I’ve been quick to point fingers at Gomer. But I too am guilty of looking for love in all the wrong places. I too have prostituted my love to my desires and the ways of the world.        

If marriage is the closest word picture to the intimacy God desires with us, it is interesting to consider Jim Denison’s 9.4.23 article*: “Many Christians are ‘dating’ Jesus when they should be married to him. …When we date someone, we see them as they fit into our schedules. …When we marry them, they (should) become the focus of our lives.”

The picture of betrothal is fascinating. Betrothal is a pledge to marry. “In that day” the bride of Christ will have made herself ready to call the LORD her husband forever. Righteousness and justice, love and compassion will all come together in not only a more complete understanding of just who God is, but a heart to know Him.

When you said your wedding vows did you end, as we did, with the phrase “Thereto I pledge thee my troth”? Troth is that final step of fidelity forever. The covenant promise in betrothal is a fait accompli.

It all began at the moment of Jesus’ death when the “veil of the temple” (Matthew 27:51, KJV) was torn, allowing entry into the presence of God. To the Israelites the veil of Moses remains to this day. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord the veil is taken away (2 Corinthians 3:16).

Perhaps one can equate the lifting of the bridal veil in the wedding ceremony to the beginning of that new relationship. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).     

Nancy P

All Scripture quotations are from the NIV 1973, 1978, 1984, unless otherwise noted.

*Denison Forum online