8 Cow Woman - No Greater Love A number of years ago i was meeting with a group of sisters after work at my office for Bible study and prayer. We had joined together because we were feeling unseen and unheard at that juncture in our lives. Our children were mostly grown, our future was secure and we needed the encouragement of others. Through our years together we forged a bond of love and caring that exists to this day. We had been trying to name our gathering of women when one sister shared a story she had heard or read. in this story, a betrothal was secured by the bridegrrom paying a bride-price for the hand of a maiden. The bride price could be a chicken, a goat or a cow. The bigger the animal and the number of animals, the greater the bride was valued. There was a young woman who had no great outward attributes and was overlooked by the men in her community. She was overlooked until one man looked past the outward appearance and offered her father the untold bridal price of eight cows. The villagers were shocked because never had such a grand amount been given for any bride, much less one deemed so unlovely. The story went on to tell how this young woman began to change and grow lovlier over time to become the most beautiful woman of the village. She was changed from the inside out because of the great price and love that was given for her. We loved the story and thought about calling ourselves The 8 Cow Women, but decided to call ourselves Women of Worth or the WOW's! This story fits in perfectly with a study i did in the past on the anciet Jewish wedding traditions. In the Jewish weddings of Israel around the time of Christ, a bride price was offered for the bride that reflected the wealth of the bridegroom as well as the inferred worth of the bride. Once the bride price was agreed upon by the father of the groom and the father of the bride as they broke bread and shared three cups of wine, the couple was betrothed to one another. Once that betrothal was entered into, it was secure and binding. It was not easily broken. That's why the Bible tells us in Matthew 1:19 that Joseph, betrothed to Mary, considered divorcing her when he found out that she was pregnant. The berothal was a binding covenant and held both the bride and bridegroom to purity and honor. Once the betrothal took place, the bridegrrom would work to prepare a home for them within his father's house. The bride had to be ready whenever the bridegroom decided to come for her after he finished prepaing their home. The bride's wedding garments and wedding jewels were given to her by the bridegroom's father. He was responsible for the wedding feast and for providing a place for the bride and bridegroom to dwell. What a beautiful illustration of our union with our Bridegroom, Yeshua. John 3:16 states, "For this is how much God loved the world - he gave his one and only unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but exerience everlasting life." (TPT) This was and is the ultimate bride price! Never has there been a greater price paid for a bride! We are currently in the binding betrothal period with our bridegroom Jesus! We've been bought with a sacrifical price and we're to keep ourselves pure and ready for when Our Beloved comes to make us His Bride. He is eternally bound to us and will not desert us for something better. In the ancient Jewish betrothal, the bride could break the betrothal, but the groom could only divorce the betrothed bride if she betrayed him. It is often stated that Christ would have willingly died for just one of us and I agree while believing His purpose was mightier than one. He became the bride price to claim His Bride. We, in all our unlovliness, become the beautiful and pure Bride in the security of His love and sacrifice. No greater love! No more lovely a Bridegroom! I believe the joy set before Christ that caused Him to endure the cross in Hebrews 12:2, was the joy of claiming His betrothed as His Bride! Think on these things as you remember Christ's willingness to be our sacrificial lamb, to take upon Himself all our sin and all our diseases, to confront satan and hell to be one with His Bride. Remembering the great bride price paid for us will cause us to see ourselves as He sees us, holy, pure and clothed in His righteousness. Holy, holy is He. Hosanna to the King of Kings!