BRIDEGROOM’S LOVE FOR BRIDE
And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac lovedH157 her and was comforted after his mother’s death.
Genesis 24:67 (BSB)
The first use of the word “love” in the Bible is the intense love of a father (Abraham) for his son (Isaac) which Abraham set aside because of his reverence and obedient, sacrificial love for his God. This foreshadowed God setting aside His love for His son in order for Jesus to become the sacrifice for our sins. The second use of love is the love of a bridegroom (Isaac) for his bride (Rebekah). This, too, is a foreshadowing. The New Testament teaches that Jesus is the Bridegroom and we (the church who are eventually citizens of the New Jerusalem) are His bride. Jesus is the pattern for a husband’s love for his wife as we see in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” When asked why His disciples did not fast, Jesus referred to Himself as a bridegroom:
And Jesus said to them, “While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. “But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. (Mark 2:19-20)
The Apostle Paul also expressed this idea of the Messianic Community, the body of believers, being the bride of Christ, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). The Bible describes many types of love—the love of a parent for children, the love between spouses, the love of dear friends—but Jesus embodies them all to overflowing. Love is given first place, the position of priority, in the list of the Fruit of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23).
The believer’s love for their spouse should be a picture of Christ’s love for the church. Contemplate what others see when they look at your marriage. Do they see an illustration of the love of Jesus for the church? Love is an action that can be observed. In what observable ways can love be demonstrated? Is it obvious that you treasure your spouse because he/she is a gift from God? Jesus loved us sacrificially. Do you put your spouse’s needs before your own?
Lord, help us to pursue demonstrating love today. Love is a noun, but it is also a verb. Help us to use it as a verb: Love your spouse, Love your child, Love your family, Love your neighbor, Love your enemy (Matthew 5:43-48).