Halal

 The Hebrew word halal is a glorious word. It  means "to shine, to be clear, to be brilliant, to flash forth light, to be praised, to be praiseworthy, glory, celebrate, rejoice, to sing". It sounds like a word that would be used regarding the Lord's glory and presence. It may surprise you to know that halal is a Hebrew word for "marriage"! In the language of God, this is what marriage is meant to be: halal. We can understand why Paul said that marriage is a type of Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:25-28). Marriage was always meant to be this, even before the beginning, since Christ was the Lamb sacrificed before the foundation of the world. Neither Adam and Eve nor other men, created the concept of marriage, and they did not define it. Halal takes natural man and transforms him, which is why the LORD said that men leave (azab- forsake, leave behind, abandon while at the same time repair, restore, set free) father and mother, and instead become joined into a halal oneness, or echad, with his wife (Gen. 2:22-25). Echad is an interconnected plurality in the same way of the trinity plurality of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Halal marriage leaves behind the natural condition of man, and restores and repairs the original divine echad. This halal marriage, like the union of Christ and Church, shines with glory, and sends forth that light. Yes, marriage encompasses love, but it is the sacrificial type of love, like the sacrificial love of Christ (see also 1 Cor. 13). This is what makes it shine with glory. It is the glory of Christ, which is the same glory as given Him by the Father, born out of His sacrificial love.
Man tries to define marriage in many ways, some being more profane than others, but seldom do we hear the true purpose and quality of it as God intended it. Shouldn't the Church have the true understanding of marriage, especially as we, the Church, have been spiritually defined by it in scripture? It is very evident in many cases that most of the Church does not understand halal. Can we be shocked that the world desires to define marriage in an equally ignorant manner?  If we want to pull down those carnal strongholds (root meaning: used of those joined to any one by the bonds of natural blood or marriage, to hold one's self to a thing, to adhere or cling to, to be closely joined to a person or thing) of falsehood regarding marriage that we empowered, we need to cast down our own reasonings that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Other disobedience is punished when our obedience is fulfilled first (2 Cor. 10:4-6). We are not to look at marriage based on outward appearance or considerations (v. 7). That is not halal marriage. This is where our warfare begins-inside our own minds, souls, and flesh.
I would like to look briefly at two marriages in scripture that I think illustrate halal. In Gen. 24, Abraham sends his servant back to his own people to find a bride for his son, Isaac. Abraham makes his servant swear to find the correct bride from Abraham's own people by putting his hand under Abraham's thigh (includes the meaning *shaft of the Holy Candlestick of the tabernacle which divides into three branches). The servant travels back to Abraham's homeland, but seeks God's help in identifying which woman is the right woman for Isaac. He bases his request to God on a spirit of generosity and sacrifice to be found in the unknown woman. Rebekah ("ensnarer of men by beauty") comes to the well, and not only gives the servant a drink, but waters all of his camels also. In fact, she runs repeatedly to water them. She runs to keep emptying buckets of water from the well into the trough as needed for thirsty camels (root-ripen fruit, recompense, to deal bountifully with). Though she is outwardly beautiful, it is her inner qualities that identify her as the halal bride. Even before the servant finds out that she is indeed one of Abraham's kin, he puts a golden (shimmer, golden splendor of the heavens, of the sun, of the purest oil, brilliant like gold) nose ring or earring on her, and golden bracelets on her wrists. To shorten the story, although Rebekah has the beauty to capture any man of her choosing, she chooses of her free will to leave her father's house and country, and accompany Abraham's servant to far away Canaan to become a bride for the master's son, a man whom she has never met. As she nears Isaac's tent, she does so covering her natural beauty, and Isaac receives her as his wife (Gen. 24:65-67). As the years go by, it is because of this halal bride Rebekah, and the revelation that she receives from God, that the patriarchal blessing and covenant inheritance is to be given to Jacob, rather than Esau. Jacob, renamed Israel by God, produced the sons and grandsons that became the tribes of Israel, from which Jesus came into the earth. Rebekah's halal marriage established the way for the coming of the Messiah.
In another example of halal, Ruth ("friendship, female companion, mate, neighbor woman") leaves her natural family and homeland, and freely chooses to accompany her mother-in-law back to Bethlehem in Judah. Ruth attaches herself to her mother-in-law in every way. Her mother-in-law was named Naomi ("my delight, favor, grace, beauty, brightness, splendor"). Ruth said to her mother-in-law, Naomi:
"Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God;
Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried;
The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me." 
                                                                                                             Ruth 1:16-17
This kind of commitment to Naomi, and to Naomi's spiritual identity, laid the groundwork for the halal marriage that would soon enter Ruth's life.
After traveling back to Naomi's homeland, Ruth sacrificially gleans in the fields to feed not only herself, but Naomi. This causes Boaz to first notice her, and ask others about her identity. On her mother-in-law's advice, Ruth places herself at the feet of Boaz, who becomes her kinsman-redeemer. Looking at the situation based on natural considerations, this would seem an unlikely marriage. However, this was a halal marriage and from this marriage came the family line that produced not only King David, but again, as in Rebekah's case, established the way for the coming Messiah, Jesus, the Son of David. 
Marriages created in man's image produce various things, some of which man considers good. However, halal marriage produces Christ.
Halal marriage was created to personify kingdom glory, and the image and reign of Christ here on earth. As we are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb in eternity (Rev. 19:6-9) as a halal bride who has made herself ready, part of making ourselves ready should include gaining the revelation of what marriage in God's heart truly means. Also, because of the direct connection between halal marriage and the Lord Jesus Christ, I am sure that it must be the halal bride who joins with the Spirit to say, "Come!...whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."  Rev. 22:17 (see also Jn. 4:13-14, Jn. 7:37-39)

Our Father has ordained and purposed halal.