The Broken Heart of God

In the Bible there are relational titles such as husband and bridegroom in reference to the LORD and Yeshua/Jesus.  The LORD refers to Himself in terms of a husband in reference to His relationship to Israel.  Yeshua alludes to Himself as the bridegroom as He preached about the coming Kingdom of God and in regards to His presence among His disciples.  We see this concept explained and elaborated on also by others writers such as Paul and John in the New Testament in reference to the Church, the bride of Messiah.

 The relationship of husband and wife is the most intimate relationship there is. We see this from the very beginning of time.

 And Adam said, “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  Genesis 2:22-23

This relationship between husband and wife produces new life and a new generation.

 Now Adam knew his wife and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.”  Genesis 4:1

The Hebrew word for knowledge is yadah and it has a wide variety of usage.  It is translated as “to know” but it can mean, “to discover, to discern, to be aware, to be a kinsman.”  It can relate to the knowledge of good and evil, God’s knowledge of man, man’s knowledge and it also can refer to the intimate relationship between a husband and wife as seen in Genesis 4:1.

God’s intent from the beginning was to have an unbroken relationship with man.  As we explore this metaphor of marriage in God’s relationship with mankind may we catch a glimpse of the depth of God’s love.  May we begin to understand the extreme measures God has taken and continues to take to restore His relationship with us.

Ba al (Strong’s H-1166)is the Hebrew word that means, “to marry, to be master.”  The noun that comes from this verb root means, “husband or master.”

“For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.”  Isaiah 54:5

When God delivered Israel out of the hands of the Egyptians, Israel witnessed the miraculous power of Yahveh.   They experienced before their very eyes the protection and deliverance of their God.  God then led Israel into the wilderness to prepare them to be His people.  After 400 years of captivity the ways of Egypt were in them.  God led His bride into the wilderness to learn the ways of Yahveh again and learn to trust in Him completely for every need.  God led them to Mont Sinai and spoke to Moses.

 “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.  Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.  And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.  So Moses came and called for the elders and the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him.  Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.”  So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD.  Exodus 19:4-8

The people were consecrated to the LORD and Moses returned to Mont Sinai and received the Ten Commandments from the LORD.

What is happening between God and Israel?  God asked Israel to be His people and they in turn responded, “Yes.”  God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and the Law, His covenant, His marriage contract with them.  God took His bride Israel as His wife at Mont Sinai.  He became her master, He became her husband.  It was not soon after this event that Moses returned to the Mont and many of the Israelites formed a gold idol of a calf and started worshipping it.  This was the beginning of a long history of separation, discipline and reconciliation between God and His people.  Through this stormy history we see the longsuffering heart of God and His eternal love that overcomes every circumstance.  God never broke His covenant though the Israelites broke it over and over again.  God cried out through the prophets to warn them and when they did not listen He sent His prophets after them to call them back. 

 “Return, O backsliding children,” says the LORD, for I am married to you.”Jeremiah 3:14a

God remained faithful to all His promises to Israel and all of mankind.  He all along had a master plan in place to redeem all of mankind.   A new covenant was in His plan which included a sacrificial bridegroom and a bride who would spend her lifetime on this earth preparing herself for their marriage.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah- not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt.  My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.     Jeremiah 31:31-32

 Chatan (Strong’s H-2860) means,“bridegroom, relative by marriage, husband.  The root verb means, “to give away in marriage, to join in affinity.”  The ancient meaning denotes, “a relationship through marriage and a wedding.”  Yeshua/Jesus is our Bridegroom and He cares for us and protects us as a husband is a wife’s covering and protection.  Through our relationship with our Bridegroom we receive new life and we grow.  Through this relationship we bring this life to others and a new generation is born through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The word bride in Hebrew is kallah and comes from the root word that means, “to complete or to be made perfect.”

For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.   Isaiah 62:5

“The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: ‘Praise the LORD of hosts, for LORD is good, for His mercy endures forever’ – and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD.  For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,” says the LORD.    Jeremiah 33:11

Yeshua never said that He was the bridegroom but he alluded to it in His teaching and parables.  John the Baptist inferred to Yeshua as the bridegroom also.  It is not until the book of Revelation that we are given a glimpse of this culminating marriage between the Messiah and His bride.

And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them and then they will fast.”    Matthew 9:15 

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  Revelation 21:2

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked to me saying,  Come I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”     Revelation 21:9

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”  And let him who hears say, “Come!”  And let him who thirsts come.  Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.   Revelation 22: 17

So, what does all this mean?  God marries Israel and she breaks her vows multiple times.  Israel could not keep the commandments and the law. Through God’s marriage relationship with Israel it demonstrated how Israel could not fulfill her vows to God and if Israel could not after her miraculous deliverance from the Egyptians how could another nation be successful.  God knew this all along but this relationship was only a shadow of what God intended to do.  Perhaps we needed to see how desperately we needed God to do it all.  So, God establishes a new covenant and sends His Son as the fulfillment.  This new covenant not only includes the Jews but all nations.  The bride of Messiah is from all the nations.  God gave all mankind a sacrificial Bridegroom who did it all.  Yeshua gave His life for mankind and in turn the Holy Spirit came to dwell in all believers to prepare her as a bride for Him when He returns again to rule and reign.  This plan encompasses all people who accept Yeshua as their Savior and choose to live a life with Him as their center.  Kallah the word for bride in Hebrew means, “to be completed, to be made perfect.”   When Yeshua returns we will be made perfect, our relationship with God will be restored as God had intended from the beginning.  This will be the perfect union, the ultimate communion that has been the desire of God’s heart from the very beginning.

 The Holy Spirit is preparing the bride through worship, a worship that is deeply rooted in our hearts.  The Spirit is blowing on the smoldering coals within us and producing flames of desire to be with our Eternal Bridegroom.  It is not just knowledge of Him as Savior and what He has done for us, but a deep desire to be with Him.  This worship of the heart speaks His name as we open our eyes from sleep and is our last thought as we drift off to sleep at night.  It is a desire that causes us to search for Him in our everyday experiences.  It prompts us to look for Him in every circumstance.  It is worship that sings throughout our days, in the best and the worst of times.  This depth of worship will bring about the return of the Bridegroom.  Only God the Father knows the hour of His Son’s return and He is waiting for a bride who will be ready for His Son.  A bride who loves Him, desires Him and desires for Him to be her husband.

Are you ready for the Holy Spirit to awaken your heart?  Has the Spirit blown the wind of passion for Yeshua on your smoldering coals and washed you with the Word.   Are you ready to be ruined for the things of this world and be passionately in love with all that God is? 

Will you answer the broken heart of God?

Excerpt from:  Words of Love: The Language of Worship  June Schuldt