A Picture of The Bride

     Last Sunday we discussed a woman named Milcah in our ladies Sunday school class.  She is one of those women mentioned in the Bible that we really don't recognize right off if at all. But, I thought there was a lesson to be gleaned from this obscure life.
   If you follow down through the ancestry of Shem (One of Noah's sons) you will eventually come to a guy named Serug. If you are at all like me, you may be thinking "who in their right mind would name a child Serug?" I don't think they had the same baby name books we have today.  That was a time when you were not apt to find an Aidan, or Liam or Olivia or Sophie. 
   Serug was the chosen name for that particular child. It meant something like "branch or twining". It did not mean "see rug, clean rug".  Moving along to the connection to Milcah, and there really is a connection.  Genesis 11:22-29:  
22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 
23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 
25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. 

27 This is the account of Terah’s family line.

Terah became the father of Abram,(later called Abraham) Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 
28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 
29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iskah. 
   Why, you may ask, do I go back as far as Serug in this little trip down ancestry lane?  My answer: partly because I find it interesting and partly because I wanted to go from the unrecognized to the more familiar.  I apologize if It seems like a couple of generations too many.

   Milcah, our lady of discussion, was the daughter of Haran who was a brother to Abraham and Nahor (her husband). In our culture it is not customary for a man to marry his niece, (in fact it is quite creepy) but in those days it was within customs and was a way of keeping the family away from the worship of other gods.  It is also believed that genetic imperfections were not an issue like they would be today.

    Milcah came from a very influential family and had, within the religious world, some very famous relatives, but she herself was just a regular girl.  She did not have the acclaim that came to others in the family, like Abraham and Sarah.  She and her husband Nahor were not among those who traveled with Abraham to the promised land that God led him to.  They weren't there when God made promises to Abraham to bless him.  God told Abraham, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you:  I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  Wow!  That is huge. All the people on earth will be blessed through you. Something good is going to come thru that linage just you wait and see.  God said so.  And meanwhile, back in the homeland, Milcah goes about her "out of the limelight" life.
   Let me interrupt this story for a commercial break.  For the last six months or so, I have been giving piano lessons to my little granddaughter Ella. Tonight she is going to come to my house (along with all her relatives) to have a year end recital.  It will also mark the end of Granny as her teacher.  I learned pretty quick that she has a natural gift and leans towards playing by ear and she will need someone better equipped to guide her with this gift. I think I am more excited about tonight than she is.  I am so proud of her.  There is nothing quite like watching your child or grandchild accomplish something good. Some day I anticipate I will be in an audience, or congregation somewhere and I'll be grinning thinking...that's my Ella playing that piano.
  Okay, back to my story.  Abraham goes on with his life and eventually has the promised miracle son Isaac with Sarah in their old age.  Isaac grows up and it is now time for a wife for him.
  Abraham wants the best for his son.  He sends his servant back to the homeland to get him a wife.  The servant went and came to a well and prayed that God would help him know which was the right girl. Genesis 24:15 ;  And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.  Well, well, well, Milcah had a lovely granddaughter.  A granddaughter who would have a very important place in the scheme of things.
   Rebekah was to become the bride of Isaac, but also this bride was to be a picture of another bride.  A picture meant to teach something that God was telling mankind.  You see God speaks to us with similitudes.  Hosea 12:10 tells us that.  He uses circumstances to make a picture to help us understand His love and His plan.
  In this picture, Abraham symbolizes God the Father.  Issac symbolizes Jesus Christ, and Rebekah (Milcah's granddaughter) symbolizes the bride of Christ which is the church.  The whole world really has been blessed (just as God said) thru the offspring of Abraham then Isaac, then Jacob, then on and on until a Savior was born who provided redemption for mankind. 
   And now God will provide Jesus, His Son with a bride. We, the church are the bride of Christ.  One day, maybe soon, like Rebekah was brought to Isaac the bride of Christ will be brought to Him.  And I have a feeling when we get to Heaven and are enjoying the wedding feast of the Lamb, there will be a little lady named Milcah going around to welcome everyone and telling the story of how her granddaughter was the picture of the Lamb's bride.  Blessings to you.