Song of Hephzibah [and Beulah)

[On May 2 Friday, 5:30 pm, 2014, at the Wedding Hall [Yeo-jeondo-hoekwan] Chongno, Seoul, Korea, there was a wedding between Yvonne Timlin and Wonil Lee. Yvonne has five sons, Wonil two daughters. Yvonne remained divorced from Timlin, ex-husband, for a long period of time. Wonil lost his wife for illness. Since they found love each other, and married, at their new home, they came to have 7 children, that is, 5 sons, two daughters. The wedding came with many new features: son filling father's shoes, taking the bride into the wedding  hall, daughters coming out doing special song dedicated to the couple, their new parents, Mother Barry blessing the couple with benediction, Pastor Mark Yvonne's one to one Bible teacher seated up front to receive thanks from the newly wed, and much more.] Further pictures below


The dream for happy marriage, and then to make a home, sweet home, is not just for men (and women), but also the Lord, the Father of Heaven and Earth. In fact, it was and is cherished first by Him.

It has been said, "Moses dipped the water out of pond, David caught fish, and Solomon ate up all." So far so good. The party continued a little more. Then Manasseh came in, and the party was over. 2Ki 21:14 Divorce procedure was completed. No more home. Children were scattered.

What is the cause? Manasseh? Could be. After all his name "forgetful" fit what he did: he forgot the pledge of loyalty to the Lord. But who gave birth to him? Hephzibah! What? Doen't Hephzibah mean "I delight in her"? Still what happened was what happened.

Did the Lord give up on Zion (which is an idiom for the Lord's dream for happy marriage, making home, sweet home with his Bride and children, lots of them)? No. Why not?

Isaiah 62 answers the question. He is going to call Zion once again my "Hephzibah", AND "Beulah" (meaning "bride"). Is it going to be only dream and dream alone? No. Why not?

John speaks up to answer the question: "I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband." Rev 21:2

The word 'down' is "directional". If it is down, down to where? Jesus answers the question, that is, to 'earth' for he asked his disciples to pray, "Our Heavenly Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done here on earth, as it is in heaven..."

So the dream for marriage is seen cover to cover in the Bible, first in the Garden of Eden then in the Book of Revelation the last two chapters. The first two chapters of the Bible talk about the Perfect Paradise, and the last two chapters of the Bible describe the Perfect Paradise Restored! So never give up on the dream! Cherish it. Dream the dream, and come to Lord, and receive it!

Study Questions:

1. What do the expressions "a crown of glory" and "royal diadem" (Isaiah 62:3) have in common with "the Holy People" and "the Redeemed of the Lord" (12)?

2. What do the following have in common?

• I have posted watchmen...they will never be silent day or night
• You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the Lord
• never will again foreigners drink the new wine
• [only] those who harvest it will eat it, and praise the Lord, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary
• pass through the gates!
• prepare the way for the people
• build up the highway
• remove the stones
• raise a banner for the nations
• the Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth
• See your Savior comes