Day 17 The Honeymoon Suite
Jacob and his father sat in the middle of the room looking closely at every detail. Jacob’s dad gave him a hearty slap on the back, “You have done well my son, the time is close for you to get your bride.”
Jacob sighed with relief. It had been almost 7 years since he had signed the Ketubah, marriage covenant contract with Sarah. 7 years of back breaking work and joyful anticipation.
Jacob remembered looking at beautiful Sarah, then a child, now a woman and telling her. “Don’t worry; I must go away for a while. I’m going to my father’s house to prepare a place for you. When it is finished I will come for you.”
The Jewish marriage custom required Jacob to prepare a room for he and Sarah to spend their first week of marriage completely alone. In fact, they were not to leave the room. This gave the couple, who had not even courted, time to learn each other’s secrets and joyfully explore each other and their new life together.
Jacob didn’t just prepare a room for his marriage week; he prepared a suite. There were many things to consider; the time of the wedding was decided by Jacob’s father. Would it be winter, summer, fall? Jacob took all the seasons into account. He did not want Sarah to be stuck in a hot room with him in the heat of summer nor subjected to harsh winter winds seeping into the suite. This, his first personal encounter with his bride in 7 years must be perfect.
Jacob’s father’s land included a rock quarry and at the base of his fathers compound was a natural rock pool fed by mineral rich hot springs. Jacob knew this pool would be helpful and possibly healing to Sarah and her withered foot. He imagined the two of them sitting together in the hot springs, leaving the roof open so they could look at the brightly lit night sky.
Jacob couldn’t just build their honeymoon suite over the hot springs…the family would not appreciate this as it was a well-used amenity. His mother gave him the idea of a suite. A small studio apartment with a bed, pillows to lounge on, a table for food and a place to wash up and take care of their personal needs with an entry to the soaking pool.
Jacob’s mother helped him make beautiful curtains for the windows, tapestry-covered pillows for lounging and a nice fluffy mattress for his bride. Jacob’s grandmother gave him a real table made of wood, a rare item; they would use it for the food that would be brought to them every day by the friend of the groom. Sarah’s dowry would include the Sabbath cup Jacob had given her at their Ketubah signing, her wedding clothes and personal items. He must have adequate storage for Sarah’s things as well.
Outside the window of Jacob’s bridal suite was a beautiful silver-leafed olive tree and beyond that the hillside dotted with sheep and wildflowers in the summer and fall. This would be a beautiful place to sit and watch the sunset.
Jacob had worked hard. His father had high standards and would not let the least detail slip by. They would need provisions for their 7 days together food, water and wine. Jacob was also in charge of making sure there was enough wine for the guests who attended the wedding celebration. He saved the best wine for the marriage feast; the big party when he would introduce his bride, the pride of his life, to his friends and family.
The to-do list was becoming shorter. The time for Jacob would be able to claim his bride quickly approaching. Would it be during Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of the Trumpets? His imagination ran wild.
Jacobs father came to him. “Son, when the list is complete I will check one last time. Then you must prepare yourself. Cleanse your body in the Mikvah, consecrate your body to Sarah as your wife; your body will belong to her. Then prepare your wedding garments and gather your friends. Soon you will go and get your bride.”
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Our groom, The Lord Jesus, has gone to prepare a place for us.
In John 14:1-4 Jesus told his disciples
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus was using the same wedding picture we saw with Jacob. Preparing a place for his bride. Jesus tells us he will come back and take us there. The way to the place he is going is found in verses 5-6.
“Thomas said to him, Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 “Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Jesus used more wedding analogies when he spoke of his return in Matthew 24:36
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
Only The Father knows when Jesus will return for us. Jesus is preparing a place for us, his bride. We can feel it and see the signs; the time is coming soon. The bride must also make herself ready; not only in skill, knowledge and heart but she must physically be prepared as well.
Tomorrow…a bride always prepares her body for her groom. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
“Honor God with your body and your spirit, which are God’s.”
About the Author: Celeste Davis, is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ with a heart to walk fully in Covenant with Him. As Founder of The Wellness Workshop, Celeste’s heart is to teach women and impact their families to “Be Nourished” as opposed to dieting or trying different life strategies. We nourish our bodies with God-Made Food, our Souls with God-Made Relationships and our Spirits with the Word of God and Prayer. More Info about Celeste
