Then
the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who
remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?” And they said, “There
must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be
destroyed from Israel. “However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters,
for the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the one who
gives a wife to Benjamin.’ ”Then they said, “In fact, there is a yearly feast
of the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the
highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” Therefore
they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the
vineyards, “and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out to
perform their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a
wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the land of Benjamin.
“Then it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain,
that we will say to them, ‘Be kind to them for our sakes, because we did not
take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though you have given
the women to them at this time, making yourselves guilty of your oath.’ ”And
the children of Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their number from
those who danced, whom they caught. Then they went and returned to their
inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them. Judges 21:16-23 NKJV
I
think most believers would agree that our hope, the event for which we are all
watching and waiting is the rapture of the Church. I'm sure most of us too, are
familiar with the Church being referred to as the “bride” of Christ. Many of
you are also probably aware of how the events surrounding the rapture follow
precisely the pattern of a Jewish wedding. Since Jesus is Jewish, it is
expected that His wedding to His bride, the Church, will follow the pattern and
traditions associated with Jewish weddings. But there is one question I
personally have always had with this idea and it is this; does it matter at all
to this picture that we the Church are not, strictly speaking, Jewish?
I
don’t recall exactly when I first began studying the Jewish feast days, but I
do know it was quite some time ago. Yet
it wasn’t until 2010 that I first became aware of the holiday in Israel called
Tu B’ Av, and wrote my first article about it. Quite often it is referred to as
an unknown holiday because most have never even heard of it; much less
understand the traditional beliefs associated with it. It isn't even listed on my Jewish calendar
along with all of their other holidays, which makes me wonder why it is so
"forgotten"? If you look it up on the internet, you will find that
most sites call it a "minor" holiday in Jewish culture, but for reasons
I want to share with you, I think it's entirely possible this might be the most
important holiday for the Church that you've never heard of.
First
of all, Tu B'Av was declared a celebration by the first generation after the
forty year wilderness wandering from Egypt during the Exodus. If you recall,
God commanded that an entire generation must die because of their sin before a
new generation could enter the Promised Land. After forty years, seeing the
full moon told the new generation that the appointed time had passed, and they
were able to enter the land that God had led them to. Remember the Jewish
calendar is lunar, so the months are calculated by observing the phases of the
moon, and the full moon always occurs on the night of the 14th (don't forget
the new day starts at sunset). So this new generation declared this day a new
day of celebration.
Secondly,
the Jewish Talmud, which is a collection of ancient Rabbinic writings, teaches
that on this day, Tu B' Av, the tribes of Israel were allowed to intermarry.
The rest of the year, it was required that you marry only within your tribe,
but on this one day every year, women were free to marry whomever they wished
from any tribe. For this reason, and because it also marks the end of the wheat
harvest in Israel, many believe this is the day that Ruth married Boaz. If you
recall the story, Ruth was not a Jew, but a Gentile. Yet as a distant relation,
she and Boaz, who was Jewish, were allowed to marry. Their marriage occurred at
the end of the harvest, and since on this day, marriages to others were
allowed, it follows that this must have been the day of their wedding.
Third,
as a result of a civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of
Israel, only 600 males survived the conflict. The leaders of Israel decided they
would allow these men to take wives from "the daughters from Shiloh".
It seems there was a celebration at the beginning of the grape harvest at
Shiloh where the daughters would go into the vineyards and dance. The surviving
men were told they were to hide in the vineyards and catch themselves a wife
from the girls who came out to dance. In later years this day became known as a
traditional day of love and courtship, where girls would exchange white
clothing so that prospective husbands would not know who was rich or who was
poor.
Fourthly,
Tu B' Av is the last holiday of the year in Israel. Since the New Year begins
on Rosh Ha Shanah, which is just a month and a half away, this is the last
holiday, as well as the last harvest of their calendar year. Being the last of
the holidays, it is a time of celebration both in looking back, and looking
forward to the new year that is approaching. This day is also considered to be
the time where planting of crops or trees was to end for the year. During the
time of the Second Temple, Tu B' Av was proclaimed as the beginning of the
grape harvest which continues until Yom Kippur.
Fifth,
prophetically speaking, Tu B' Av pictures the future marriage of Christ with
His church.
"In
My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you "And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be
also. John 14:2-3 NKJV
In
the Jewish culture, after the engagement the groom goes to prepare the home in
which he and his wife will reside, and it is up to his father to decide when
the home is ready and the son is allowed to return for his bride.
So
in review, we find there is a holiday in Israel that many are unfamiliar with
which is a traditional day celebrating love. It is a day many choose as their
wedding day, and historically is the only day that Jews were allowed to marry
outside their own tribes. It comes at the conclusion of the wheat harvest at
the end of summer, and along with being the last celebration of the year,
because of the allowance to intermarry it also perfectly pictures the future
marriage of Christ with His Church.
Many
look at this day as a perfect time for the rapture of the Church to occur, and
in all honesty, I would have to agree. But as we all know, God has His own
timetable and as far as we know, He hasn't made it crystal clear. Yet with all
the clues we do have, and all that has been happening lately in the world, many
are convinced that this truly could be the day. Who knows, but since Tu B' Av
starts the evening of the fourteenth of Av at sunset, which this year occurs on
Sunday, August 6, I would be lying if I said I wasn't going to be watching the
skies more than usual. The day is approaching when we will be taken to be with
our Lord forever. I'm praying it will be soon.
If
you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus
Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do it right now. Simply admit to
God that you need His forgiveness because you are a sinner, be willing to turn away from your sins,
believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and invite Him to come in
and control your life through the Holy
Spirit by praying a simple prayer like this;
Father, I know I am a sinner in need of
salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin,
and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of
salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my
Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave
the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: John 1:12 NKJV
If
you have prayed this prayer you are part of the body of Christ, a member of His
Church, and like the rest of us are now waiting for the call to join Him in
Heaven for the wedding soon to come.
Keep
watching.
