Thank you all for coming out tonight. This week, I'd like for us to take a close look at the book of Esther. It's not really a book that I've heard a lot of quotes from. And some people even consider it a "second class book" since it doesn't explicitly make mention of God, which I think is a shame, because the more I read it, the more I'm convinced that some of the deepest truths of the Scriptures are hidden in that little story.

For those who don't yet know, Esther is a historical book. The story of Israel goes from the time of Abraham in Genesis down to Isaac, Jacob and the 12 tribes. From there we have the time of judges, then the time of kings. At the end of the time of kings, things were pretty bad. The nation was in open apostasy; and so Yahweh gave them a huge lesson in humility.

He allowed the Babylonians to come in and destroy Jerusalem; their last fortified city, the city where the Temple was - and where the open presence and favor of God had once shown itself. He gave them lots of warnings:

"'And now, because ye have done all these works,' saith the LORD, 'and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh." (Jer 7:13-14)

After the Judeans were taken away captive to Babylon, we have the setting for the book of Daniel, how the Jews fared under their new masters. A while after this, the Persians took over, and we saw that the dream which Nebuchadnezzar had about the silver arms and torso succeeded the golden head was staring to be fulfilled: "And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth." (Dan 2:39)

"In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old." (Dan 5:30-31)

It was during the time of the Persian reign that the incidents in the book of Esther occurred; just before Alexander the Great and the Greek empire, and then the Romans leading up to the days of the Gospels. That intermediate period isn't included in our Canon, and so Esther is the _last_ of the historical books, just before Job and the other "writings."

Now here's where we can start to see parallels with God's kingdom immediately. Ahasuerus the king had a tremendous kingdom, as the world was viewed then: "Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)" (Est 1:1)

Up until verse 8, it describes the tremendous feasts that the king threw for not only the immediate residents of his location, but also for the princes and important people from all of those hundred and twenty seven provinces. And he delighted in showing them his glorious things; and it says: "And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure." (Est 1:8)

The pleasure wasn't forced on anyone, but all were invited to partake of the feast. To me, this is already sounding like heaven... but the parallels continue: "And the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king's face, and which sat the first in the kingdom;)" (Est 1:14)

The king had seven "chief princes" that ministered unto him. So does the Father. Gabriel said to Daniel: "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia." (biblebot Dan 10:13) We find this verse from Revelation: "And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets." (Rev 8:2)

Notice it doesn't just say "seven angels," it says, "the seven angels," and that they have the office of standing before God; just as Ahasuerus had these seven princes. And by the way, these seven princes' names mean, "illustrious," "a star," "a testimony to them," "yellow jasper," "lofty," "worthy," and "dignified." Yellow jasper, it is recorded, is the first foundation stone for the Heavenly City, and its walls are made of it also... see Revelation 21:18 and 19 for that one. The very names of these men were a testimony to the bright angels, they who stand by the foundations of that great City.

We could go on for a while showing parallels with the king here, but I'm sure we get the idea :)

Now this king had a bride. Her name was Vashti, which means "beautiful." And beautiful she was; so much so that the king desired to show his beautiful bride to all the assembly. So, he ordered her to show herself before him, and his assembled guests.

We should all be familiar by now with the relationship that Yah had with Israel; He considered her a bride: "For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." (Isa 62:5)

And Israel was chosen to be His beautiful bride, not only for His pleasure, but for a much deeper reason also: "I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles." (Isa 42:6)

That passage above is most often applied to the Messiah, however, He came to show the people what spirit they should have had - this passage was supposed to have been fulfilled in the nation itself. The reason Israel was a chosen people was not so that they could feel they were more exalted than any, but to be a light to the gentiles - to display the glory of God to the onlooking nations, so that they also would desire a covenant relationship with Him. But in order to do that, the Bride must stand before the King; must be accountable to Him, and must obey His commands.

"But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him." (Est 1:12)

I've heard a couple different reasons for the queen's refusal to comply with Ahasuerus' order; but the most likely one I've heard is that according to the law of the Persians, it was improper for a wife, even a queen, to be seen by other men; which is why she had her own feast for the women. "Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus." (Est 1:9)

For whatever reasons, she did not comply, though she was repeatedly sent for. The king therefore consulted with his seven "wise men," to decide what to do about this threat to the king's honor. And they did see it that way: "And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, 'Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not. Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king's princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath." (Est 1:16-18)

Understand, though this may have had a lot to do with human pride in the earthly history itself, when we look at the spiritual application, the reason why it was such an issue becomes clear: And the Lord said unto Moses, 'Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.'" (Deu 31:16)

When the people start disobeying the Lord, forsaking Him, they will have broken the covenant - and this covenant was to be a lesson to the other nations. Just as the advisors told the king here; if you let disobedience in your own wife go unpunished, will not other women feel justified in their rebellion? If the Father did not discipline Israel, could it ever have been an example for the world's lost sheep?

So drastic measures were needed: "If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small." (Est 1:19:20)

Giving the "estate" to another, and this causing faithfulness in those who observed it happen... this should sound familiar to New Testament readers.

In Matthew, Christ tells the story of a man who had a certain vineyard, and he hired some men to work in it. Then when the time came for the harvest, he sent servants to get the fruits for him. But the hirelings wanted the fruit all to themselves, so they beat and stoned and killed the messengers. The owner sent more men, and the workers did the same thing to these. Last of all, he sent his son. "They will surely respect my son," he said. "But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.' And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him." (Mat 21:38-39)

When the Savior finished His story, He asked the Pharisees who were listening: "'When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?' They say unto him, 'He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.'" (Mat 21:40-41)

Their answer was perfectly right, and Christ let them know this in no uncertain terms: "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." (Mat 21:43)

Back to our story, the king agreed to this plan, to save his own reputation, and the standing of the men in his kingdom, so he wrote letters and sent them around the country proclaiming his purpose. But it seems that the king really did miss his wife after the fact... "After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her." (Est 2:1) So his servants reminded him of the second part of the proclamation, that another was to be chosen to take the former queen's place.

They said this: "And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them." (Est 2:3)

That phrase "beauty preparations" in the NKJV is actually the Hebrew "tamrowk." It litereally means, "that which purifies." And the implication is that it purifies by a "scrubbing." Remember David's Psalm 51, which he wrote after the incident with Bathsheba? "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." (Psa 51:7)

He said, "purge me with hyssop." Hyssop is a little brushy plant with really fibrous stems, and the Israelites used them for scrubbing brushes to clean their pots and pans. David, basically, was saying, "scrub me - and purify me from unrighteousness." The same idea's being presented here. These maidens were to be given "things for purification" as the Authorized Version puts it.

Remember that idea, we'll see it again before this chapter's done.

Now, the king remembered the plan, and was comforted, and sent out the men to carry out the proclamation. A lot of women were gathered in, but among them was one named Esther, her name meaning, "star," who was from the tribe of Benjamin. And she was chosen among the top seven of however many were gathered, and the king remembered her, even her name, above all the others. "In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, which kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name." (Est 2:14)

The keeper of the maidens also favored her, it seems: "And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king's house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women." (Est 2:9)

Notice again that "beauty preparations" phrase , those things for purification. We'll see that shortly... for it also says : "Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women)..." (Est 2:12)

Now Esther was getting ready to meet the groom. We find that being prepared for the marriage involved three things: oil of myrrh, perfumes and again, "things for purification." Now, what are these three things as they apply to the Church: the Bride currently awaiting the time to be called in to see the Groom?

Perfumes, or "sweet odors" are likened unto incense, and it says of what insence signifies: "And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. (Rev 5:8)

Ah, the odors represent prayers. As a Church, we should be always watching unto prayer, for we know how the timing of the marriage will come upon us in the latter days: "And at midnight there was a cry made, 'Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.' Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, 'Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.'" (Mat 25:6-8) "And what I say unto you, I say unto all, 'Watch.'" (Mark 13:37)

The myrrh... There's something we should be aware of about myrrh. It's a spicy perfume, but most of the time it doesn't smell like much. The only way to get it to release it's oils is to add something to it: pressure. Myrrh must be crushed and warmed, then you really start seeing the benefit of it. The second church age in Revelation, called "Smyrna," means Myrrh. And this is the age that was "crushed," after the Apostles died, by persecution. And that was one of the times of the most widespread church growth.

"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 'Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.'" (Rev 2:8,10)

Myrrh, like Christianity, seems to work best under pressure; and we as individuals may take a lesson here, to grow from our trials. My study last week was about "turning the other cheek." When we are struck down, we can do four main things: we can lay there, we can get up and run away, we can get angry and retaliate, or we can calmly stand our ground. This last one seems to be the way Christ did it, and does it still in every one of His children. When we are crushed, then we are smelling our sweetest. "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2Cor 12:10)

Of the "things for purification," (finally) we find that Esther was to take the place of Vashti. She needed to know what her job was, what things she needed to fulfil as queen; this is why she was appointed advisors, and handmaidens and so on. In the same way, we find that the Jews had "things" for their purification, such as the Levites, the Sabbath, hygeine and dietary rules, the New Moon, the system of sacrifices, the temple; these things were to teach them who Yah was... specifially who Christ was; as the "visible manifestation" of the Father. This is who they were to become like.

Now applying this to the church, we find that the Gentiles specifically were having some problems with others who were telling them they needed to be circumcised. Things about outward appearances, basically, that didn't necessarily reflect the change in their inner lives. Some people take this a bit far, and they'll say: "Oh, we're set free by grace: we can dye our hair teal, and wear skirts that don't go lower than our navels, and get a hundred piercings.."

Well, Paul does command people to dress appropriately; "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array..." (1 Tim 2:9)

So it's not really that appearance isn't important :) But certain things were not reflective of a relationship with Chirst; someone who is connected to the Son of Yah and does fulfill that law of love, for example, will want to not set a stumbling block before the hormone-filled masses in these evil days :) But of circumcision? That's not something everyone sees, for one thing...

So the apostles discussed it for a while, and came to a very nice conclusion: "Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day." (Acts 15:19-21)

So, James gives the basic things that were important for them to avoid at the time: idolatry (which was fairly prevalent in the Roman society) sexual impurity (also a huge problem from then to now), and from things killed in such a way as to render them unhealthy. "You are what you eat," has a very Christian connotation. But did you catch that last part? If there's anything else they want to know... James suggests that they go listen to the Old Testament being read in the Synagogues.

Those of you who know me fairly well know I keep Sabbaths; and I keep New Moons also - and I'd be happy to discuss that and my reasons anytime anyplace, but the point I'm making now is this - we shouldn't overlook the truths presented in the Old Testament. None of those things, not the least of them, was given arbitrarily; nothing was done away with. Some things were fulfilled, others altered - but everything that was given to the Isralites was given for their good - to purify them, to make them ready to be a collective queen.

In the same way: "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea.." (1 Cor 10:1) He's talking about the Israelites here, and: "Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." (1 Cor 10:6-7)

And he proceeds to show that we must not fall into the same errors they did, by forsaking those very things that were given to them so that they would be pure: "Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." (1 Cor 10:8-11)

We are the ones who get to see it happen before death; we are the ones that have had the most light, the most examples; and to whom much is given... well, you know the rest.

Finally, to conclude chapter 2 and our study, we find an interesting few verses that tell us the first thing Esther is recorded as doing after she became the bride of the king. Oh, and she became his bride on the 10th month of the 7th year of his reign. Seven and ten are interesting numbers when they appear in that sequence. For example the Day of Atonement, the day that sets things aright in Israel, was the 10th day of the 7th month. "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD." (Lev 23:27)

But anyway, to stick to one study at a time... keep in mind that a man named "Mordecai" was Esther's uncle. It says this of him: "In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai's name." (Est 2:21-22)

Mordecai found that there were some enemies of the king; and he told Esther, and Esther told the king. In the beginning, we find this prophecy about the Church, and yes, finally a Creation reference :) "And the Lord God said unto the serpent, 'Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.'" (Gen 3:14-15)

The children of the woman (that's us, the Church members - as well as Christ, the most visible fulfilment of this prophecy) will crush the head of the Serpent. He did it by His death on the cross, and we, by living the lives our Father has for us, are good examples to others, and lead people out of his kingdom. It's our job to "publish the report" as it where, of the enemies of Christ. Not that we should talk about Satan more than the Savior... no, but by teaching the Gospel, we reveal that enmity that exists between God and Satan, between Christ and the world.

The last verse concludes: "And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king." (Est 2:23)

That "inquisition" is coming; the day of judgment. That investigation into this whole mess between the Most High and the fallen angels. And we know how it ends, even this little book tells us. The ones responsible will be destroyed, and all who choose to follow them. But as for us, our names are written in the book of life, the whole matter is recorded forever :) And it'll never be forgoten, and never pass away, and neither will our reward for the works that Christ does in those who are willing. "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." (1 Peter 5:4)

Let us therefore take those things given to us for our purification: the prayers, the examples and knowledge from the previous bride; yes - even the trials and tribulations. Let us take them, and be made ready for the soon return of our Lord.

David.