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What is Biblical Betrothal?
Father-directed, Biblical Betrothal is the method the Bible prescribes for choosing a mate. If your ambition is to find out what the scriptures have to say about this divine mystery, then take a look at some of the exciting resources available on this website. Our goal is to inspire you to challenge your own presuppositions and biases, and honestly assess whether or not what your culture has taught you about romance and marriage truly lines up with the precepts and statutes of God’s Word.
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Behold the Bridegroom is Coming!
And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Matthew 25:6 (NKJ)
The sweet aroma of freshly picked honeysuckle wafts through the upper room, where the bride is making herself ready. As her graceful hands grasp the windowsill, she scans the eastern fields for any sign of her beloved. The wedding day has finally arrived! The four months of waiting, which had seemed so long on the day of her betrothal, now are but a sweet memory of days spent preparing herself to become everything her bridegroom desired.

Her mother’s gentle voice arouses her from her reverie. “It’s time to go to your father,” she says, as she leads her to the door. A silken train flows behind the beautiful bride as she descends the staircase, amidst cries of admiration and delight from her devoted attendants. Taking her father’s outstretched hand, she follows him to the parlor, where they reminisce about her courtship and betrothal. No one knows the hour when the bridegroom will come, but everyone must be ready.

As they wait, the father regales his princess with stories of her beloved’s quest to earn the right to win her heart. He speaks of the day when the bridegroom’s father first approached him with a request that he consider a marriage between son and daughter. He recounts the sometimes humorous stories of the young man’s ordeal, as he not only had to earn the approval of father and mother, but of the father’s many counselors as well – and all this before his daughter even knew the negotiations were taking place. They speak of the days of courtship, and of the final decision to betroth. Her eyes dance with pleasure as she remembers the fifty shekels of silver her beloved had paid to her father at the betrothal ceremony, the exchange of vows and rings, and the public declaration that they both had made, before a host of witnesses, that neither of them had ever been kissed. This last thought elicits a thrilling realization; today she will receive her first kiss!

Suddenly, the morning’s prolonged anticipation is interrupted by the clarion call of a trumpet blast. A sudden burst of excitement ripples through the house. The bridegroom is coming! Beautiful young maidens, clothed in the finest silk, crowd the open windows, straining to catch a glimpse of his approach. Her heart racing, the bride clutches her father’s arm and steps out onto the portico. Arrayed in a dazzling sea of white silk and linen, tears of joy slip down her radiant face.

In the east, a cloud of dust arises from the horizon. Flashes of gold glint in the sun from the royal doublet of a distant rider. As the sound of beating hooves grows louder, a spontaneous thunder of applause erupts from the hundreds of onlooking guests. Reining his powerful steed to a halt, the bridegroom swiftly dismounts and strides purposefully to meet his bride. As they gaze into each others’ eyes, they know that nothing will ever separate them again. Let the wedding feast begin!
As you were reading the above narrative, did you vicariously share in the thrill and joy of the bride? Did you say to yourself, “I think I have heard this story before, in some fairy tale?” This element of familiarity comes from the fact that many fairy tale romances share certain common elements – elements which elicit primal emotions, originating from the very creation of man and woman. This should come as no surprise, since these nearly universal emotions cause virtually everyone to enjoy a well planned, well executed wedding. What may surprise you, however, is to learn that the story recounted above is not a fairy tale; it is the faithful narrative of an actual wedding that took place, right here in the USA, in April of 2006!

The story of Alan & Katie’s betrothal and marriage is just one of hundreds of stories that are taking place across the country. God is doing a sovereign work, as families with diverse backgrounds, from varied geographic locations, and from many denominational perspectives, are rejecting the failed modern American paradigm of dating, fornication, egalitarian “partnership” marriage, and divorce, in favor of the only paradigm the Bible prescribes as the method for a man and woman to become married: betrothal. If you have ever read the Bible, then you know that it has quite a lot to say about this process called betrothal. Have you ever wondered why your church elders have never taught their flock about this important practice? Have you noticed how vehemently Hollywood attacks the smallest notion of parents having any part in helping their children find a mate? Other than the decision to accept Christ’s offer of betrothal, the most important decision you will ever make is whom you will marry. This is why the enemy of God has gone to so much trouble to make it difficult for you to learn how to successfully follow the biblical pattern of betrothal, even to the point of convincing the overwhelming majority of church leaders that the world’s way of finding a mate is better than God’s way.

But if your ambition is to find out what the scriptures have to say about this divine mystery, then take a look at some of the exciting resources available on this website. Our goal is to inspire you to challenge your own presuppositions and biases, and honestly assess whether or not what your culture has taught you about romance and marriage truly lines up with the precepts and statutes of God’s Word. We want you to develop an earnest desire to join us as “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV)
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