HEBREW WORD STUDY – BRIDEGROOM – KATAN  חתנ  Cheth Taw Nun

Isaiah 62:5b: “And as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.”

The word bridegroom here is katan which is another word for marriage. This word for marriage has the idea of joining together in complete truth and honesty.  When God as the bridegroom is married to us He is joined to us in complete truth.  They that worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.”  John 4:24.

Ok, that is God’s side of the deal, he is the bridegroom, but what are we as the bride or kallah. In its Semitic root, the word kallah has a double lamed which means destruction and completion.  In marriage your life as a single person is destroyed, no longer is it “my things” It is now “our things.”  Yet, being joined with another person in a marriage is really a completion of the way God designed us.  I know this sort of flies in the face of our modern thinking as we live a world where you look out for number one. As God said, “the two shall become one flesh” Genesis 2:24. Looking out for number one involves two people,  but hey, I’m just the messenger.

I was recently reading in the Zohar and ran across a rather interesting thought.  The sages teach that there are three types of prayer.  There is the prayer of a child to a parent.  That seems to fit the majority of us.  “O God, please give me…”

Then there is a more mature prayer the wife to the husband. How can I help you serve you?  There is much more on this but you have heard the sermons and read the books on what it means to be the bride of Christ.  So will not rehash something you are familiar with.

Perhaps we have matured beyond a child always asking for things and advanced to that of a bride, seeking to serve God but maybe it is time to be the katan, the bridegroom, and seek to protect the tender heart of God.

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However, there is a third way to pray to God and that is we as a husband and God as the wife.  I know that sounds a bit creepy but consider.  A husband wishes to protect his wife’s feelings, her heart.  He does not want to offend her or wound her heart.  God not only made Himself vulnerable coming to earth in human flesh to experience our suffering in the flesh, but He has also made Himself vulnerable by giving us His heart when we give Him ours.

Just as we can give our hearts to someone and if that person betrays us, ignores us, does not consider our feelings, only uses our love to get what they want they can deeply wound us, hurt us, and break our hearts.  God has made Himself just as vulnerable to us, we can deeply wound Him, hurt Him, and break His heart if we just demand things from Him without considering His desires, His pleasure. We can break His heart if we seek other gods to meet our needs.

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