The First Bride*
By GEORGE D WATSON
[* ‘GOD’S FIRST WORDS’ Studies in Genesis
Historic, Prophetic
and Experimental.
(pp. 37-41 & pp. 132-139)]
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[PART ONE]
[Page
37]
8
God’s First Bride
Just as God’s plan for the kingdom was
as perfect at the beginning of the Bible as at the end of it, so God had a plan
for the Bride of Christ, and that plan was instituted at the creation of Adam
and Eve and has remained unchanged throughout all generations, and will be
consummated in the winding up of human probation. “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep
to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the
flesh instead thereof, and the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made
he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam
said, “this is
now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because
she was taken out of Man”
(Gen.
2:
21-23).
The way God formed a wife for Adam is exactly the way He is now forming a bride
for His only begotten Son. This plan of forming the forst
bride was eternal in the mind of God, and that plan has never
been changed and never will be changed, and forms a perfect revelation
of the things concerning Christ and the church of the firstborn.
1. In the deep
sleep that God put upon Adam we see a prophecy of the death of Christ and how
His body was put to sleep, and out from the death of
Christ there is formed the Bride of the Lamb as definitely as Eve was formed
from the rib of Adam. Our salvation is procured only by
the death of Jesus. How little this Scripture truth is
understood by many who think they are Christians. We are not saved by
the example of Christ, nor by His birth, nor by His miracles, but most emphatically and only by His death; and if
you will take all the Scriptures say about the death of Christ, you will find
they affirm most positively that we are saved only by His death. If Jesus had
suffered for us ten times more than He did suffer and yet had not died, we could never have been saved. It was not only His sufferings,
but His suffering unto death that constituted the
redemption for human [Page 38] beings. And so in the deep sleep that God gave Adam we
have the foreshadowing of that deep sleep in death that Jesus entered into, out
of which comes our salvation and the formation of His church and His bride.
2. In forming a
bride for Adam out of his own bones and flesh we see a prophecy of the perfect
oneness between Christ and His true church. It is not a metaphorical oneness or
a legal oneness, but most emphatically a oneness of
nature, of life, for the apostle says we are members of His bones and of His
flesh and of His body. The union of a true believer with Jesus is not a
mechanical union, but a living oneness, as the branch with the vine, as the
finger with the hand, a oneness of life and nature and
character.
3. In forming a bride out of Adam’s
rib, we get another revelation concerning her rank as his companion. God did
not take a bone out of Adam’s foot to be under him, nor
a bone out of his head to have authority over him, but a rib from his side, to
be his equal, his companion, his joint partner in life and authority. This same
truth holds good in the formation of a company of chosen saints in
all ages to be the Bride of Jesus Christ. God did not take the entire body of
Adam, but only a chosen part of that body, a special selection from a certain
part of the body, which was full of prophetic instruction.*
[* Bold type and highlighting are mine. -
Ed.]
The teaching that the Jews are to form the Bride of Christ is utterly unscriptural, because
It is also unscriptural to teach that all who are saved will form the Bride of Christ, for every single Scripture bearing
on this subject goes to show that the Bride is a selected number
from the countless millions who are saved.
If we search into every Scripture bearing [Page 39] on the subject of the Bride of
Christ, we will find that in all cases it is a rib taken from the heart or the
centre of the body. The twelve tribes of
Now look at it: of the twelve tribes of Jacob, Levi was not
the first son or the last one, but the third son; that
is, the rib, near the centre of the twelve tribes. When God selected our earth
as the planet on which His Son should be incarnated,
He did not select Mercury at the head of the solar system, or
When God selected Palestine as the
home for the twelve tribes, and the place where His Son should be born, you see
He did not choose the birth place of His Son in Lapland, at the top of the
world, nor South Africa, at the foot of the world, but He chose the land of
Canaan, the rib, the heart of all the various portions of the earth.
King David describes the royal bride in Psalm 45, but in that Psalm he mentions four classes of those who are saved in the kingdom, the honourable women, who are one
company, and the daughter of
Also in the sixth chapter of the Song of Solomon there is a description of the various companies that are in the kingdom,
consisting of four great ranks, for he says there are “three score queens” which form one company and “four score concubines” which form another company, and “virgins without number” which form another company. But above all these he says “my dove, my undefiled is the choice one,
or the elect one of her mother, and this choice one is the bride.”
When Jesus explained how His disciples were so happy in His
companionship in contrast with Johns disciples, who
were sad, He said, “My disciples are the children of the bridechamber.” And while
John’s disciples were religious men and most certainly on the way to Heaven,
and among those that were saved, yet they did not take rank with
those other disciples which He declares were children of the bridechamber.
Thus if we study every Scripture in
the Bible on the subject of the Bride, as well as God’s plan for our earth in
the solar system and God’s plan for the land of Canaan in the geography of the
earth, we find everything in the world points one way - that the Bride of
Christ is the rib taken from the great body, is a chosen
company of devoted souls in all generations who are more closely united to
Christ than others are. It
is this [select] company that constitutes the elect wife of the King of the
world, and the
company that will be His helpmeet and His co-regents in the administration
of His kingdom in the ages that are to come.
Another fact we must not forget is that after the fall there
was a prophecy in the second name that was given to
Adam’s wife concerning things to come. Her first name was Woman, the Hebrew
word being “Ishsha,” which simply means the female man. But after the fall when God gave the promise of redemption
and a new creation and that the seed of the woman should bruise Satan’s head,
then she obtained the name of Eve. The word “Eve” signifies the mother of life, or more literally, the mother
of the living one, that is the mother of the incarnate Son of God.
[Page 41]
The name Eve occurs only four times in the Bible and the
number four is always that number indicative of the world, the earth, or
mankind. So that while Ishsha was her natural name, Eve is her
redemption name. As there was to be a second man to be the
Saviour of the world, so there was to be a second wife of redeemed and
glorified saints to form the helpmeet for the second Man, and as the first Eve
was taken as a rib from Adam’s body, so the second Eve, the glorified woman of
the elect saints, should be taken from the heart of the Lord Jesus.
Thus we see that the first words God ever
spoke regarding a bride for Adam have never been changed, but only enlarged and
extended into the new creation.
* *
*
[PART TWO]
[Page
132]
29
Seeking a Wife for Isaac
We have
in the 24th
chapter
of Genesis
one of the most perfect prophetic types in the entire Old Testament of the way
in which God the Father sends forth the Holy Spirit to search out from
the saved ones a special company to compose the Bride of the Lamb.
It is a long chapter, and the details that are recorded therein would never
have been put in the Bible merely as a piece of history or as a biography of
Rebekah as the wife of Isaac. Such a lengthy, detailed account would be out of
all proportion to other subjects which are mentioned in Scripture. But when we study the chapter as a revelation of
the Lord Jesus Christ and of His Bride, and the things
connected with His coming and His Kingdom, then there is sufficient
warrant for the lengthy account and all the little particulars that are given.
Everything is great in proportion as it relates to Christ and constitutes a
revelation of Him and His Kingdom. That is God’s first word in relation to
searching out a chosen company to form the Bride of the Lamb.
It is true in our lesson about Eve being the first bride we
had occasion to bring out some points in which Eve was a prophetic picture of
Christ’s wife, but that lesson occurred before the Fall
and does not fit in the same way that this lesson does in the 24th chapter. This is a lesson in grace and not in
primitive holiness in
[Page 133]
1. It was after Isaac had been offered
up as a sacrifice on
2. In the person
of Eliezer, the steward that had charge of Abraham’s goods, we see a most
beautiful type of the Holy Spirit as the Steward of the household of God,
having charge of all the possessions that belong to Jesus, the heavenly Isaac.
The word “Eliezer” means “God’s
helper,” and so the name and the service that he performed agree
exactly. We read that Eliezer had charge of all of Abraham’s property and managed all his estate,
and this is what the Scriptures teach concerning the Holy Spirit. He has been sent to administer on the estate of Christ, to be
the Sanctifier and Comforter of believers, to apply the atoning blood of Christ
to the heart, to reveal the Scriptures to the understanding, to teach and guide
the believer into all spiritual truth, and to have charge of God’s providence
in the life of the believer.
3. Abraham gave
orders to his steward not to take a wife for Isaac from the
It is after penitents are converted
that the Holy Spirit makes overtures to them concerning a perfect consecration,
and the entering into a covenant of entire devotion to God, and receiving
Christ as a perfect Saviour that they may enter into the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit. Thereby they become candidates for the bridehood
company, or, as Paul puts it, become
espoused to the Lord Jesus to be His wife at His second coming.
Jesus teaches this when He shows the difference between the disciples of John,
who were just beginning the life of faith, and His own disciples, whom He
designates as “children of the bridechamber.” We must first be born again and be members of God’s kindred
in order that we may be candidates to receive the baptism of the [Holy] Spirit.
4. We notice that when Eliezer reached
the well of water (verses 17-20) and requested of Rebekah a drink of
water, that she at once obeyed his request, and not only gave him to drink, but
also drew water for the camels. In performing that service
she had no apprehension of the magnitude of her little ministry, but was simply
acting out the courtesy and kindness of her nature and of her training. None
the less that act of service formed the basis of
Eliezer’s choice and faith that she would be the one for the wife of Isaac.
This same principle is carried out in the early service of a young convert.
When we submit to the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him, we have no conception
of the magnitude of that act. Little do we dream that our early service to the
Lord will form the basis for great and wonderful things if we continue to follow Him.
It is very significant how many people in the Bible met their
wives at a well of water. Eliezer met the wife of Isaac at the well of water,
and then Jacob met Rachel at a well of water, and when Moses left
5. In response to Rebekah’s service in
drawing the water, Eliezer gave her a ring and a bracelet out of Abraham’s
treasures as a token of approval for her service. This corresponds with the
fact that the believer receives at his justification a token from
the Father by the Holy Ghost in the assurance of forgiveness and peace with God.
The prodigal son on returning to the father received a ring, the token of
reconciliation, and so this ring and bracelet given to Rebekah agrees exactly
with the witness of the [Holy] Spirit which we receive when
we trust Jesus as a personal Saviour.
6. Eliezar on reaching Rebekah’s home
refused to enter the house until after he had told his mission and received a
favourable response, as we see in verses 33-38. It was just outside the door that he made the great
proposition that Rebekah should be the wife of Isaac, and he waited for the
answer before entering the home. This corresponds exactly with Christian
experience. After we are justified, the Holy Ghost in some way draws us on to
entire consecration, and in a certain sense makes a proposition that we be
willing to abandon ourselves without any limit to the Lord Jesus to be His and
His alone forever. Upon that decision depends the
future whether the Holy Spirit as the Comforter will enter into our hearts or
not. In a certain sense the Holy Spirit stands just outside the door and waits
for us to give our complete and final answer of leaving and going with Christ
all the way, to be His alone and His forever, and the Spirit waits for our
answer before He comes in with His Pentecostal endowments.
7. As soon as Rebekah agreed to leave home
and friends and everything in the world and follow Eliezer to be the
wife of Isaac, then the old steward entered the home and partook of the feast
and rested for the night. See verses 50, 51. In the same way when the believer surveys
all the points in his heart and life and deliberately dedicates himself to the
blessed Jesus without any limit as to what may or may not come in his life,
without any limit as to what Christ’s demands may be, without any limit to his
faith and devotion, it is [Page 36] then that the Holy
Spirit puts His seal upon such a perfect heart yielding. He enters the
believer with a marvellous fulness and richness of heavenly gifts, and finds a
resting place in the soul that has fully accepted Jesus as a Saviour from sin
and self. It is the office of the Holy Spirit to communicate to the believer
the will of God and the work of Christ. Whenever the believer reaches certain
conditions of faith and obedience there will be responsive touches from the
Holy Spirit which form the true sealing of the
believer’s faith.
8. We notice in the next step of this
wonderful history that when Rebekah gave her complete decision to be the wife
of Isaac, then Eliezer opened up a great store of precious things, which he had
brought out of the wealth of Abraham for the chosen bride. We read in verse 53 that he brought forth many gifts, rich garments, and precious things to
give to the elect bride. Will you please notice the difference between these
two gifts. Thc
first at the well consisted of a ring and a bracelet; but later on in the
house, after she had made public her entire devotion to Isaac, to be separated
and leave all to be his wife, then the steward gave her a large dower of many
rich and precious things. This corresponds exactly with the full believer in
Jesus. When the child of God has entered into a boundless covenant to belong
wholly to the Lord, then the Holy Spirit pours into that believer a marvellous enlightenment and a sweetness of
rest and an overflow of love and a rich variety of spiritual gifts
which correspond exactly with these great treasures given to Rebekah.
Furthermore, it is said that when Rebekah received these precious things that Eliezer also gave gifts to her
mother and other members of the family, so that the whole family was enriched
by the overflow of blessing that was given to Rebekah. This is exactly what
takes place when believers receive the baptism of the Spirit. They not only get
marvellous riches from God, but other Christians in
the same family or the same church or the same religious association receive
also great blessing as an overflow or surplus bestowed upon the believer that
receives his Pentecost. What a marvellous plan God has, that there is always a
surplus and overflow in His blessing, corresponding with the words of David, “My cup runneth over.” You remember in the book of Leviticus that at the feast of Pentecost the [Page 137] people were
commanded not to reap their harvests in a penurious way, but to leave
some grain in the fence corners and leave the gleaning for the poor and the
stranger. This indicates clearly that the feast of Pentecost meant an overflow
of blessing. That fact is perfectly set forth in this lesson when Rebekah, the
elect bride, not only was flooded with manifold treasures, but that her family
also received many gifts as the overflow of her blessing.
9. When Eliezer wanted to leave the
next morning, Rebekah’s mother and brother tried to hinder the old man and
requested a delay of ten days. But Eliezer was under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and he knew that that suggestion came from the
flesh, and that such a delay would hinder God’s plan and might be followed by
serious consequences. Hence he said, “Hinder me not,” and insisted on going at once upon
the long journey. This agrees with religious experience in the fact that when a
full believer is filled with the [Holy] Spirit and wants to go forward at once
in obeying God, there will always be some fleshly minded friends or relatives
that want to put a check on the fervour of the full believer. They seek in
various ways to tone down the obedience and delay the steps of service, not
knowing that such delays would mar God’s plan and hinder the work of grace.
Nothing but the light of the Holy Spirit can show the true believer, as He showed
Eliezer, that our only safety is in
prompt obedience, and not heeding
the advice of cold and worldly friends in a matter where God’s will is
concerned.
10. After leaving
the home of Rebekah they had a long journey, riding on the camels, and we can be sure that the
burden of their conversation during that journey would be concerning Isaac.
Eliezer confidently told Rebekah the whole story of Isaac’s life, about the
time of his birth, and then the casting out of Ishmael, and then his being
offered upon Mt. Moriah, and of all the sweet and beautiful things in Isaac’s
life. This wonderful story of the old steward only made Rebekah love Isaac more and more and long to see him. As they
moved on day after day on the swaying backs of the camels Rebekah would
doubtless revolve in her mind many pictures that Eliezer gave her out of
Isaac’s life, until her heart glowed with a strange warmth and a wonderful
attraction toward that rich land [Page 138] in the west and the
great and good man that she was to meet. This agrees with the fact that
the true believer, after receiving the Pentecostal blessing and the gifts of
the [Holy] Spirit, is to go on a journey with the
Holy Spirit to meet the blessed Jesus in
His coming and Kingdom. As they journey together the Holy Spirit will do
what Christ said, and take the things of Christ and reveal them to the soul, and thus intensify the believer’s faith
and love and cause him to press forward more vigorously in the path of faith and obedience.
11. At last when the journey ended we
see in verse 63 that Isaac goes out to meditate in
the evening time and looks up and sees the camels coming with the chosen bride
in the company to meet him. When Rebekah finds out that the man she sees in the
distance is her future husband, she alights from the camel
and puts on her veil and prepares to meet him. What a beautiful parable
this is of the winding up of the church age. When the evening time comes of
this dispensation, and the sun is about to set, Jesus will come out on the blue
sky, as Isaac did in the open field. The Holy Spirit, Who has been leading the
chosen bride through this age, will make known to the bride the person of Jesus
when He appears. And then the bride, under the guidance
of the Holy Spirit, will humble herself and put on those finishing touches of
preparation to meet her Lord and Husband.
12. It is said
that after Isaac took Rebekah he loved her, and he was comforted over the death
of his mother. How truly this fits in with the history of the blessed Jesus,
for you remember how He grieved over poor old dead
[Page 139]
Thus we see a series of living
pictures in which Isaac is a most perfect type of the Lord Jesus, and Rebekah
is a beautiful picture of the chosen ones who are to form the
Bride of Christ and sit with Him in His throne and take part with Him in
reigning over the nations of the earth, as we find
promised in Revelation 3: 21.
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