THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #131 | THE LIFE OF MOSES #112
Lesson 3816
THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #131
THE LIFE OF MOSES #112
MOSES AT MT. SINAI #11
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AS A WEDDING CONTRACT
Some commentators view the Ten Commandments as a Wedding Contract between God and Israel and as a prophetic type of the Church as the future Bride of Christ.
In Exodus 20, we are given the 10 commandments.
Some scholars have compared this gift of the 10 commandments to a Ketubah - a Jewish marriage contract,
As such, at Sinai in Exodus 19, God prepares Israel for the Wedding Covenant (Ten Commandments) in chapter 20.
At every Jewish wedding there are several items that are part of that ceremony: a mikvah (or mikveh), a chuppah, a ketubah, and a sign.
We find these four items at Mount Sinai:
1. A Mikvah מקווה, a place of ceremonial cleansing – Yahweh commands the people to cleanse themselves and make themselves ready for the marriage (Exodus 19:10-14).
2. A Chuppah חוּפָּה, a place of covering, a canopy – not only does Yahweh cover the entire mountain with a cloud, but Hebrew scripture can literally be translated “they stood under the mountain” (Exodus 19:17).
3. A Ketubah כְּתוּבָּה, a written contract or marriage agreement – the two copies of the Ten Commandments; one copy for the husband, one for the wife. Yahweh trusted his bride so fully both copies were given for her to hold and to keep (Exodus 20:1-17).
4. A Sign אוֹת, a visible, tangible expression of the love – Yahweh institutes the Sabbath as a weekly sign that he and his bride belong to each other and enjoy each other’s presence (Exodus 20:1-17, Exodus 31:16-17).
Whether we can agree that the giving of the Ten Commandments is a sort of wedding between God and Israel, we clearly see in the New Testament that the church is the bride of Christ.
Jesus defeated our enemy, death, through His own death on the cross.
He paid the bridal price of His own body and blood to redeem us from slavery to sin.
He bore our sins in His body on the cross, and now to all who believe and receive Him in obedient faith, Jesus imparts to us His own righteousness.
