Bereansearching Bible Studies

Introduction

This post is the last of ten posts in total providing verse-by-verse expositions of each of the ten chapters of the Book of Esther. The reader should fully understand that these studies are solely intended to show the many spiritually hidden aspects of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, which God has intricately interwoven within the historical account of the Book of Esther. The key to understanding the true meaning of the Book of Esther is to see that the whole book is an Historical Parable, which prophetically points us to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who Is The Only Lord, God, and Savior. Moreover the book is one of concealment (“Esther” in Hebrew means “concealment”) that spans from Old Testament National Israel, to the future fulfillment of the feasts of Passover and Pentecost in the New Testament era, and a “preview” of the yet to be Judgment Day and beyond into eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth. We can also see key personages of the Bible throughout this book by those who serve as “Types” to each represent 1) God the Father, 2) National Israel, 3) the Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Eternal Israel, 5) The Holy Spirit, and 6) the Devil. A summary overview Christian commentary of the Book of Esther is Here (which also includes a link to a much more comprehensive study).

The Spiritual Theme of Chapter 10 is Eternity in Heaven (Esther 10:3) Please see Galatians 3:16 & 29.

Esther 10:1, “¶And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and [upon] the isles of the sea.“

This is a more difficult verse to dissect spiritually. But is would seem that this is saying, given that “laid a tribute” is referring a form of subjection and subordination. The original Hebrew word translated as “tribute” is מַס (mas)^H4522, which can also mean “discomfitted“. Note what we read in Isaiah 31:8, “Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited (מַס (mas)^H4522).” 

On the one hand we could say that Esther 10:1 is suggesting that all things within this entire creation have finally been subdued, and have fully become subject under the rule of Almighty God, and that all conflict is over forever. However, we should also remember that on Judgment Day, the wicked do not just die, they are cast into Hell forever. That is the price that wicked have to pay. That is the tribute that will be exacted by God at that time upon the unsaved of the world, being typified by “the land and the isles of the sea“. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The wages of sin is death. That is the tribute that will be exacted. And it is not just physical death, but eternal death in Hell, as we read in Revelation 14:11, “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” The unsaved will most certainly be discomfitted at that time.

Esther 10:2, “And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?“

We know that the entire Bible is a book of chronicles that has been recorded to declare God’s greatness, power, and might. Remember king David’s declaration in 2 Samuel 7:22-24, “Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for [there is] none like thee, neither [is there any] God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation in the earth [is] like thy people, [even] like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, [from] the nations and their gods? For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel [to be] a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.” God has established His throne and redeemed His people, the Eternal Israel (the Church, the Body of Believers) forever, through the Person and Work of His Dear Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, through His shed Blood.

Esther 10:3, “For Mordecai the Jew [was] next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude (רֹב (rōḇ))^H7230 of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.“

Mordecai the Jew was next (reigning at the right hand) of king Ahasuerus, which could not possibly be any more of a clear reflection of the fact that Jesus, “The Jew”, reigns on the throne at the Right Hand of God The Father in Heaven! And Jesus will be praised forever in Heaven by the multitude (the word is (רֹב (rōḇ))^H7230, which also means “abundance” or “plenty” ) of His brethren, the Saints, the children of God.

NOTE TO THE READER: It is no coincidence that the account we read of in Daniel, Chapter 6, follows a similar patter to what we see with regard to Mordecai in Esther Chapter 10. Just as Mordecai is a “Type” to represent the Lord Jesus Christ and king Ahasuerus is a “Type” to represent God the Father, so to do is Daniel a “Type” to represent the Lord Jesus Christ, and king Darius is a “Type” to represent God the Father. Just as Daniel was trapped by false accusations and sentenced to death, so too was Jesus falsely accused and sentence to death by crucifixion. Just as king Darius subsequently lifted up Daniel out of the lions’ den in the morning, so too did God the Father resurrect Jesus on Easter Morning from the tomb, after Jesus had endured Hell (for the equivalent of eternity). Both the actions involving Daniel and Jesus were quickly followed by “Royal” decrees to the whole world of “peace”, with the admonition and warning to worship, fear, and revere God Almighty. Note the similarities with Dan 6:25-27, “¶Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he [is] the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion [shall be even] unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.“

“speaking peace to all his seed.”

The last short chapter of Esther prophetically speaks of the believers rejoicing in Heaven for all eternity.  Just as the Jews in Esther’s day had rest from their enemies, we are reminded in Psalm 37:38-40, of the following: “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous [is] of the LORD: [he is their] strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.“

In the Psalm verse just previous to the one above, in Psalm 37:37, we read, “Mark the perfect [man], and behold the upright: for the end of [that] man [is] peace.”  Who is He that is Perfect Who brings us peace?  The “Prince of Peace”, our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.  See Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.“

Numbers 6:26, “The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.“

Psalm 125:5, “As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: [but] peace [shall be] upon Israel.“

Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.“

Mark 4:39, “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Only Jesus can speak this kind of Peace!

God, Through Christ Jesus, Speaks Peace to All of His People, His Saints, The Believers, His “Seed”!

“Peace” (Jesus Is the Personification of “Peace”)

Is it not a fact that Jesus Christ is “The Prince of Peace” (see Isaiah 9:6)? and that in John 20:21 we read, “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace [be] unto you: as [my] Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”? And also in John 14:27, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”?

Ephesians 2:14-18 makes clear how Jesus Personifies Peace, “¶For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us]; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.“

In Luke 7:50, Jesus said to the sinner woman who anointed his feet with ointment and washed them with her tears with her hair, “¶And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”

It is almost impossible for anyone to not see how perfectly God crafted Mordecai to be a “type” of Jesus (as One with God Himself) as we can also read in Psalm 85:8, the following… “I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.”  and in Psalm 122:7&8 we read where God is referring allegorically to the body of believers (Jerusalem, the city of God), “Peace be within thy walls, [and] prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace [be] within thee.” 

Psalm 29:11, “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.“

Psalm 37:11, “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.“

In Acts 10:36, “The word which [God] sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)” Finally, what we find in Psalm 29:11, “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.”

Romans 15:13, “¶Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.“

Psalm 132:16, “I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy (רַנֵּן (rannēn)^H7444.”

And let us not forget what God tells us in both Isaiah 48:22, “[There is] no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.” and Isaiah 57:21, “[There is] no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.“

“To All His Seed“

Note also what is said in Galatians 3:16, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” All believers are considered the seed (plural…the true eternal Jews) ) of Jesus Christ (singular), for we read in Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.“, and in Galatians 3:29, “And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  And the promise is the Covenant of God which He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as we Acts 3:23 “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.” The believers are the progeny (many) of the Lord Jesus Christ (One) to whom He speaks Peace…Philippians 4:7“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Again, in Psalm 37:26 we read, “[He is] (The LORD Is) ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed.“

Please note the beautiful and clear parallels between Esther 10:3 and the following verses:

2 Samuel 22:50&51, “Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name. [He is] the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.”

Psalm 18:50, “Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.“

Psalm 22:30&31, “A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done [this].”

Psalm  25:13,  “His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.”

Psalm 37:25&26, “I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. [He is] ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed.“

Psalm 69:35 &36,  “For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession. The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.”

Psalm 89:4, “Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.“

Psalm 89:29, “His seed also will I make [to endure] for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.“

Psalm 89:36&37, “His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.“

Psalm 112:2, “His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.“

Proverbs 11:21, “[Though] hand [join] in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

Isaiah 43:4-7 speaks of God speaking to Jesus about the gathering of the believers, Jesus’ “seed“, to whom God gives to Jesus from throughout the world to glorify Him, “Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I [am] with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; [Even]every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”

Isaiah 45:25, “In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.“

In Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.“

Isaiah 54:3, “For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.“

Isaiah 54:13, “And all thy children [shall be] taught of the LORD; and great [shall be] the peace of thy children.“

Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

1 Peter 1:22&23, “¶Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.“

1 John 3:9&10, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. ¶In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.“

The Bible makes it clear that, in God’s Eyes, a “Jew” does not necessarily refer to a literal physical descendent of Abraham through Isaac, as we read in Romans 2:28&29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:  But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.“

Romans 9:1-8 reiterates how God views the eternal spiritual Israel (the believers in the Messiah, Jesus Christ), for Paul was moved by the Holy Spirit to write the following: “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,  That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.  For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:  Who are Israelites; to whom [pertaineth] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service [of God], and the promises;  Whose [are] the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ [came], who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.  Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel:  Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”  

This is also consistent with what we read again in Psalm 22:23, “Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.” and Psalm 22:30, “A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.”  The Israel that is being spoken here in Psalm 22 is the Eternal Israel, those are the children of promise and counted for the seed.

In the first instance “The Seed” being discussed is really only Jesus as we read in Galatians 3:16, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” But, in the second instance, the Elect of God, being the children of promise and thus the true seed of Jacob/Israel, they are also the seed of Christ, Who is exemplified in the Book of Esther by Mordecai.

To underscore this idea, God tells us in Ephesians 2:11-22, “Wherefore remember, that ye [being] in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us];  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace;  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone]; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.“

We also know that the devil seeks to destroy those who are believers, those who form the true Church and are the Bride of Christ as we read in Revelation 12:17, “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments ofGod, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.“

In 1 Peter 1:23, in referring to the believer, it says that we are born again of the incorruptible seed by the word of God and therefore have eternal life through Jesus Christ… “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 

Finally, let us not forget what was noted earlier in the parable of Balaam regarding “Israel” (where Balak, the king of Moab, sought to hire Balaam to curse Israel), God made Balaam prophesy that Israel (and hence its ultimate King, Jesus Christ, Who Is Israel) would be exalted above king Agag, as we read Numbers 24:7, “He (Jesus) shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his (Jesus’) seed [shall be] in many waters, and his king (Jesus) shall be higher than Agag, and his (Jesus’) kingdom shall be exalted.”  (And let us not forget that king Agag points us to Haman, who is the Devil in Disguise, and whose kingdom will be destroyed forever.)

CONCLUSION

God, through His Word, the Bible, tells us the following:

1. God is completely Sovereign, and oversees everything that is going on in all of this creation. God has created all things for Himself, and continues to ordain and maintain them for His Glory, both good and evil (Isaiah 45:7; Proverbs 16:4; Romans 9:21-23). 
2. The Believers are not to fret or worry about all the evil around them in the world, or about the wicked evil doers, because the judgment and punishment of the wicked is certain and sure. God makes clear that Judgment Day is definitely coming, and that Jesus will Judge everyone in the world according their works. Revelation 1:13-18, describes Jesus in allegorical language to describe some of Jesus’ attributes as The Judge, “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one] like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Sadly, the vast majority of mankind will be sent to Hell forever. Jesus makes this clear in Matthew 7:13&14, “¶Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [Is] the gate, and broad [Is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [Is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.“
3. When Jesus comes back on Judgment Day, the universe as we know it will be destroyed, but Jesus will create new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. 2 Peter 3:10-13, ¶But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.[Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
4. Luke 10:27, “And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and  with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and  thy neighbour as thyself.“
5. Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.“

Introduction

This post is the ninth of what will hopefully be ten posts in total to provide verse-by-verse expositions of each of the ten chapters of the Book of Esther. The reader should fully understand that these studies are solely intended to show the many spiritually hidden aspects of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, which God has intricately interwoven within the historical account of the Book of Esther. The key to understanding the true meaning of the Book of Esther is to see that the whole book is an Historical Parable, which prophetically points us to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who Is The Only Lord, God, and Savior. Moreover the book is one of concealment (“Esther” in Hebrew means “concealment”) that spans from Old Testament National Israel, to the future fulfillment of the feasts of Passover and Pentecost in the New Testament era, and a “preview” of the yet to be Judgment Day and beyond into eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth. We can also see key personages of the Bible throughout this book by those who serve as “Types” to each represent 1) God the Father, 2) National Israel, 3) the Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Eternal Israel, 5) The Holy Spirit, and 6) the Devil. A summary overview Christian commentary of the Book of Esther is Here (which also includes a link to a much more comprehensive study).

The Theme of Esther Chapter 9 is Judgment Day and the Transition to Eternity (Esther 9:1-5) Please see Revelation 19:11-19

Psalm 37:38-40, “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous [is] of the LORD: [he is] their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.”

With this concept in mind let’s look at Esther, Chapter 9.  There we read of a slaughter of Haman’s ten sons (a probable spiritual reference to the ten horns/ten kings that “completely” rule in the apostate corporate churches with the beast/antichrist during the final tribulation according to Revelation 17:12) on the thirteenth day of the last month of the year, which spiritually typifies the end that lineage that will occur on Judgment Day.  

A Great Turnabout

Esther 9:1, “¶Now in the twelfth month, that [is], the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)“

Biblical Irony

The Bible is replete with ironies (please see Biblical Ironies and Psalm 9:16 for a few key examples). Just as we saw earlier where Haman was hung on the very gallows that he had constructed for Mordecai, this is another irony, in that the enemies of the Jews who sought the Jews annihilation were themselves set up to be annihilated.

This verse also points us once again to the fact that it is the twelfth month, on the thirteenth day, which is a reminder that:

1) The first decree went forth into all the great kingdom of Ahasuerus to be carried out in the end of the year on the 13th day of the twelfth month, Adar.  Isn’t it interesting that just as it is obvious that the twelfth month in the Book of Esther can be equated to the end of the year, God Himself defines the “end of the year” to a time of harvest.  In Exodus 23:16 we read, “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.”  Remember that Jesus said in Matthew 13:39 that, “the harvest is in the end of the world.”  The harvest that is equated to “the end of the world” refers to the completion of the final harvest wherein the believers’ souls, the “wheat,” are gathered into God’s barn, while the unsaved, the “tares,” are gathered together and taken out to be burned as we read in Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”   At the end of time, the last Trump should herald the end of this creation and the transition to eternity wherein the true “Jews” (Christians from all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues) will celebrate the eternal Jubilee brought about by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the new Heavens and the new Earth in the presence of Almighty God.

Why the “Thirteenth” Day? 

1) The reader should, by now, be aware that numbers in the Bible can convey spiritual concepts. The number 13 is a particularly interesting number in the Bible from several vantage points.  The number thirteen (“13“) is a prime number that represents “Completion” or “Super Fullness” (quite possibly with implications for the end of time, thus the “completion and super fullness of time”). This is particularly important when we consider that the Biblical calendar of history, as provided by God using patriarchal genealogies, strongly suggests that it had been 11000 years from creation to the coming of Jesus. And given that it is now two thousand years since Jesus was on earth, creation must be very close to being 13000 years old in our day (see the “Numbers” post how the calendar can be Biblically determined). Please keep in mind the spiritual (and literal) implications of what we read in 2 Peter 3:8, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”  Why are we being told by God to not be ignorant of “this one thing“?

2) Have you ever realized that the walls of Jericho fell only after National Israel circumnavigated (compassed) the city thirteen times?  Moreover, that event was a prefigurement of Judgment Day!  Joshua 6:2-5, “And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, [and] the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all [ye] men of war, [and] go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long [blast] with the ram’s horn, [and] when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.“

3) Given that we are very close to Judgment Day, and that this creation is very close to being slightly more than 13,000 years old (please see the two charts in the Postscript to the study of Numbers), could it be that we have been given another time clue in Esther that is telling us that the end of the year (Judgment Day) is linked (both literally and spiritually) with the number 13, as we find in both the Fall of Jericho and in the Book of Esther? Time will tell. 

4) In Joseph’s second dream, thirteen celestial objects (the sun, moon, and eleven stars) bow down to him in Genesis 37:9&10. His brothers and father quickly interpreted the dreams to mean they would one day be under Joseph’s authority. This dream (together with the first dream in Genesis 37:6-8) effectively became reality in Genesis 42:6and Genesis 42:9 . And we should also remember that at the end of time, according to Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“ Seth, in the original Hebrew (שֵׁת (šēṯ))^H8352 meaning “compensation” or “substitute”), the third son of Adam, was born to Adam when Adam was 130 (13 X10) years old. Genesis 5:3, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name (קָרָא (qārā’)^H7121שֵׁם (šēm)^H8034) Seth:“

THE NUMBER 13: Did you ever wonder about the superstition regarding the number 13? Why are people so afraid of that number? Well, right away we should be aware that the definition of “superstition” is “fear of the supernatural“. Is not that interesting? It is a fear of something forboding and ominous that is beyond this world. You see, the unsaved of the world have good reason to “fear the supernatural” that is associated with the number 13, because from Creation to Judgment Day is almost exactly 13,000 years (the very era in which we know live). For the unsaved, the number 13 points to Judgment Day! That is the time when all of the unsaved will be supernaturally judged, and found guilty of their sins, and cast into Hell. However, for the believer, the number 13 holds positive supernatural connotations…the 13 tribes (with two tribes of Joseph) and the 13 Apostles (with the Apostle Paul), which both represent the Eternal Church of God. Moreover, the end of 13,000 years, while heralding Judgment Day for the unsaved means that for the believers, the second coming of The Lord Jesus Christ will usher in the new heavens, and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness and they will be forever in the presence of Jesus, their Saviour. Again dear reader, please bear in mind the spiritual (and literal) implications of what we read in 2 Peter 3:8, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” The 13th day can therefore be correlated to 13,000 years.

Esther 9:2, “The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people.“

Here we see the Jews being able to ‘gather together’ from throughout the entire kingdom of the king. This teacher is led to believe that this is actually a prefigurement of the gathering together of all the saints who have ever lived at the resurrection of the dead whereby they join with Jesus Christ to assist Him in bringing Judgment on the unbelievers who hate God and who are in fact in league with the devil. Please see this post for more detail: “The Believers (The “Saints”) Will Be With Jesus in Bringing Judgment on Judgment Day!” 

Esther 9:3, “And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.“

From a temporal historical perspective this makes perfect sense. The nobles saw the writing on the wall so to speak and allied with the people of Mordecai because he had been given the authority of the king. The Spiritual implications of this verse are less clear, but it would seem at least possible that it is reflective of a great conversion, which occurred after the king’s second decree went forth, which could spiritually represent all those who became Christians during the the New Testament era. Just as the “rulers” received the fear of Mordecai, so too do all those who become believers upon receiving the fear of God Who is Jesus. And remember that all believers are “rulers” in the kingdom of God.

Believers are also considered to be “Princes”, as they are made “heirs” with The King, Jesus Christ

Psalm 113:7&8, “He (God in Jesus) raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set [him] with princes, [even] with the princes of his people.“

Isaiah 32:1, “¶Behold, a king (Jesus Christ) shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.“

Exodus 35:5, “Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever [is] of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,” Note that the word “willing” in the original Hebrew is נָדִיב (nāḏîḇ)^H5081, which means “princely” or “noble”.

Revelation 22:5, “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.“

Esther 9:4, “For Mordecai [was] great in the king’s house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.“

Jesus now sits at the Right Hand of God the Father in Heaven. Jesus is now known throughout the world through the spreading of Jesus’ Gospel message of Salvation as set forth in the Bible to every nation, people, and tongue. The body of believers has grown tremendously over the past 2000 years.

Esther 9:5, “Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.“

Judgment Day Previewed

This verse provides a prefigurement of “Judgment Day” being wrought upon all the world who are the enemies of Christ, and therefore the enemies of His people, who spiritually are the eternal Jews. Moreover we see it clearly stated that the Jews, who represent the believers, are involved in bringing Judgment consistent with the fact that the believers, the Saints, will be with Jesus bringing Judgment on Judgment Day as is explained in this post: “The Believers (The “Saints”) Will Be With Jesus in Bringing Judgment on Judgment Day!” For more on the meaning of Judgment Day, please see these posts “Judgment Day Is Coming Soon“, “The Battle of Armageddon Prefigured“, “Lightning, Swords, and Arrows“, and “The Great Sacrifice of judgment Day“. Remember what we find in Hosea 9:5, “What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD?“

Esther 9:6-10, “¶And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men. And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha, The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.“

This verse comes to mind: 2 Samuel 22:28, “And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes [are] upon the haughty, [that] thou mayest bring [them] down.“

Haman’s Ten Sons

Before we proceed with this exposition of Chapter 9, we should consider the fact that God specifically named all of Haman’s ten sons. Why did God do that? Let us take at each name in order of appearance.

The verses include Esther 9:6-10, with the last verse reading, “The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.“

It has been said by at least one other commentator that each of the following names of the sons of Haman point to some form of self-righteousness (hence pride and folly):

1. Parshandatha, פַּרְשַׁנְדָּתָא (paršandāṯā’^H6577 said to be Chaldean origin, “Breaker of the decree“?
2. Dalphon, דַּלְפוֹן (dalp̄ôn)^H1813 “Dripping” (as in Proverbs 19:13, “A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife [are] a continual dropping (דֶּלֶף (delep̄))^H1812.” and  Proverbs 27:15, “A continual dropping (דֶּלֶף (delep̄))^H1812 in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.“
3. Aspatha, אַסְפָּתָא (‘aspāṯā’)^H630 “the Enticed Gathered“
4. Poratha, פּוֹרָתָא (pôrāṯā’)^H6334 “Frustration“?
5. Adalia, אֲדַלְיָא (‘ăḏalyā’)^H118 “I shall be drawn up of Jah“
6. Aridatha, אֲרִידָתָא (‘ărîḏāṯā’)^H743 “the Lion of the Decree“
7. Parmashta, פַּרְמַשְׁתָּא (parmaštā’)^H6534 “Superior” (or “Spoiled is the banquet”)
8. Arisai, אֲרִיסַי (‘ărîsay)^H747 “Lion of my banners (?)”
9. Aridai, אֲרִידַי (‘ărîḏay)^H742 “the Lion is enough“
10. Vajezatha, וַיְזָתָא (vayzāṯā’)^H2055 “Strong as the wind” (or “Sprinkled there”?)

This above played out of exactly as God had told us in Psalm 21:8-13, “Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, [which] they are not able [to perform]. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, [when] thou shalt make ready [thine arrows] upon thy strings against the face of them. Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.“ Again please refer to the post: “Lightning, Swords, and Arrows“

“on the spoil laid they not their hand.“

It is important to note that when the tens sons of Haman, who represent all those in league with the devil are killed, that the Jews did not take any “spoil“. The most likely reason is that when Judgment Day comes, the true believers take nothing with them, and moreover desire nothing of the treasures from this world when going into the next. This world, and all of creation, will dissolve and “the elements will melt with fervent heat“. This world is sin cursed, and will, and must, be completely removed. The believers only look for a “new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:12&13, “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.“

And this is also consistent with the fact that God, Alone, Is the focus of the believer’s desire: Psalm 76:4, “Thou [art] more glorious [and] excellent than the mountains of prey.“

Esther 9:11, “¶On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king.“

Clearly, God knows exactly how many people, all the unsaved sons and daughters of Adam, will have been destroyed on Judgment Day.

Esther 9:12, “And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? now what [is] thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what [is] thy request further? and it shall be done.“

It must simply be stated that the believers’ desire (typified by Esther’s petition) is only to have God’s Will be done. Clearly God has told us that it is His Will to destroy this world by fire on Judgment day and cast His enemies into Hell.

Esther 9:13, “¶Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which [are] in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.“

The hanging of the ten sons of Haman represents a two-fold damnation:

• First, in the temporal/historical sense, it marks the absolute end of the blood line of King Agag who God hated and whom King Saul (a Benjamite) failed to bring to an end hundreds of years earlier but now is being brought to and end by distantly related Benjamites, Mordecai and Esther.
• Second, it is a fitting prefigurement of the final Judgment of the enemies of God who are cursed (typified by being hung on a gallows/tree as we read in Galatians 3:13, “…Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:“

Esther 9:14, “¶And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.“

This is the final act as will be when the enemies of God are cast into the Lake of Fire that we read about in Revelation 20:14&15, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.“

Esther 9:15, “¶For the Jews that [were] in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand.”

This verse is making clear that the final slaughter, the second death, takes place on the fourteenth day.

Esther 9:16, “¶But the other Jews that [were] in the king’s provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey,“

This is the third time we read “They laid not their hands on the prey“, but, more importantly, they “had rest from their enemies.” No more sin, no more dying, and the threat of death and hell is over. Hallelujah!

The “Last Days” Previewed

Esther 9:17, “On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.”

Here we are given a transitional period that begins on the thirteenth day, progresses to the fourteenth day and (as stated in the next verse) on into the Fifteenth day (or three days total). From a spiritual perspective we might say that:

1. The Thirteenth day is the first Day of Judgment (at the end of 13000 years since creation), which would typify the Final Tribulation period when God first pours out his wrath against the corporate church to punish the corporate church for its apostasy during the “Final Tribulation”… which occurs immediately prior to “Judgment Day”. Please note that the only people killed, numbering “500“, were only those enemies of the Jews found within “Shushan the palace“. Given that the palace represents God’s habitation/house, it would not be wrong to say that it can also represent the “corporate church” (much like National Israel of the Old Testament).  1 Peter 4:17, “For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?“
2. The Fourteenth day is reminiscent of the Passover Day (full moon) when Jesus died and descended into Hell for the sins of His Elect Church. Therefore it might represent when The Lord Jesus Christ returns on the clouds of Glory with all of His Saints, and the casting of all of God’s enemies throughout the whole world (including the devil and his seed) into Hell for all eternity. The Fourteenth day could therefore also signal the transition to the beginning of the “new Millennium”, which is the beginning of eternity. Just as Jesus atoned for the sins of His elect on Passover Day, so too will all the unsaved have to atone for their own sins in Hell for eternity on Judgment Day.
3. The Fifteenth day is reminiscent and emblematic of the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles which is representative of the believers having “come up” and entered into Heaven for eternity.

Esther 9:18, “¶But the Jews that [were] at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth [day] thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth [day] of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.”

Note the reiteration of the two specific days (13th and 14th), but now with the addition of a third day (the 15th) where the Jews rested, and joyfully feasted. We read here in Esther 9:18, “But the Jews that [were] at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth [day] thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth [day] of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.“

In this verse, God mentions a three day period ending on the 15th day with the same words, “they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.”

The Wedding Feast/Marriage Feast

Remember the Parable of the Wedding Feast? Without any doubt this parable of Jesus in referring to the “marriage/wedding feast/dinner” points us directly back to Revelation 19:7-9, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. ¶And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.“ For more on this please see: “Jesus’ Parables of the Two Feasts“.

It is also noteworthy that the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” (which presaged the partaking of Jesus Christ) also began on the fourteenth day coincident with the Passover (that was Judgment Day for Jesus and hence the believers, but then we read in Leviticus 23:5&6, “In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at even [is] the LORD’S passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.” And then in Numbers 28:16&17, “And in the fourteenth day of the first month [is] the passover of the LORD. And in the fifteenth day of this month [is] the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.”

Please note how it was also on the fifteenth day that God declares the children of Israel departed from their bondage in Egypt, because of what we read in Numbers 33:3&4 “And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.” And is not this quite interesting, in the Book of Revelation 11:12, we find almost the exact same kind of wording, “And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” So God was clearly presaging “the end of the world” in both Esther Chapter 9 and Numbers 33, in that the children of Israel represented the body of Believers going up to Heaven and the Egyptians, represented all the unsaved of the world, watching them depart and being prepared for Judgment!

The Fifteenth Day?

The fifteenth day has other profound Biblical significance.  The fifteenth day is the day of the seventh month (Ethanim/Tishri) that begins the last of the three holy feasts (the only one not yet fulfilled), the Feast of Tabernacles!

The Feast of Tabernacles (also called Feast of Booths or Sukkot in Hebrew when those celebrating the feast would do so while living in booths made from tree branches) was the seventh and final feast commanded in the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament). Most significantly, it was the third of and final of the three yearly occasions when all Jewish men were to appear in Jerusalem before the Lord to worship as we read in Deuteronomy 16:16, “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread (starting with Passover), and in the feast of weeks (Pentecost), and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:”.  It was also when the temple in Jerusalem was being dedicated during this time as we read in 1 Kings 8:2, “And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim (איתנים (‘yṯnym))^H388, which [is] the seventh month.” and later, that at the end of that observance (which was the 23rd day of the seventh month that marked the 8th day), we read in 1Kings 8:66, “On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful (שָׂמֵחַ (śāmēaḥ))^H8056 and glad (טוֹב (ṭôḇ))^H2896 of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.” This would seem to be a beautiful picture of the transition into eternity in Heaven with the blessings of God Almighty.

And similarly, The Feast of Tabernacles was when the Jews returned from captivity to rebuild the temple during the time of Ezra as we read in Ezra 3:1-6, “And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel [were] in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as [it is]written in the law of Moses the man of God. And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear [was] upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, [even] burnt offerings morning and evening. They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as [it is]written, and [offered] the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; And afterward [offered] the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD. From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not [yet] laid.“

Zechariah Chapter 14 also makes clear that only the elect of God go to Heaven, and hence are the only ones who will “come up” “to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” for eternity as we read in Zechariah 14:16, “And it shall come to pass, [that] every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” and Zechariah 14:18&19, “And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that [have no rain]; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.“

In the New Testament, Jesus preached during the Feast of Tabernacles (see John 7:2) in John 7:37-39, “In the last day, that great [day] of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet [given]; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (Note: Interestingly enough, the seventh month was then called “Ethanim” (איתנים (‘yṯnym))^H388 (but now “Tishri”), which means “enduring” “strong” “valiant” or “constantly flowing” as pertaining to “living water”.)

In Leviticus 23:33-43, the Feast of Tabernacles was established to take place on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, lasting for seven days. The Feast of Tabernacles begins just five days after Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and 15 days after the Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets), and all three convocations in the seventh month are pointers to heralding the end of the world, Judgment Day, and subsequent abiding in Heaven for the believers). The Feast of Tabernacles begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, shortly after the completion of the fall harvest period, and continues for seven more days and ends on the 23rd day of the month. The time marked a celebration of the harvest as well as a remembrance of God’s provision during Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness living in tents (or tabernacles). It was also the time that the participants would bring in a tenth of their harvest (tithe) to Jerusalem.  It was also a holy day or Sabbath wherein no work could occur. Each day included offerings to the Lord, with the eighth day (the 23rd day) marking another holy day when no work is done.

What does all this mean?…The Feast of Tabernacles points to the completion of the Eternal Temple of God, The New Jerusalem, all of the work is done, the departing of the believers from the bondage to sin and death, and it consists of all of the believers in Heaven praising God forever!

NOTE also that Esther 9:27, is speaking again of these converts that were first mentioned back in Esther 8:17 (who spiritually represent the believers from the Gentile world), “The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined (לָוָה (lāvâ))^H3867themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their [appointed] time every year;” Compare with Isaiah 56:6-8, “Also the sons of the stranger, that join (לָוָה (lāvâ))^H3867 themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather [others] to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.” And also Zechariah 2:11, “And many nations shall be joined (לָוָה (lāvâ))^H3867to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.”

Esther 9:19, “Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar [a day of] gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.“

The End of the Year is When Eternity Begins 

In the Book of Esther, the first decree went forth into all the great kingdom of Ahasuerus to be carried out in the end of the year on the 13th day of the twelfth month, Adar. 

Reiterating what has been posted in the exposition of Esther Chapter 8, is it not interesting that just as it is obvious that the twelfth month in the Book of Esther can be equated to the end of the year, God Himself defines the “end of the year” to a time of harvest.  In Exodus 23:16 we read, “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.”  Remember that Jesus said in Matthew 13:39 that, “the harvest is in the end of the world.”  The harvest that is equated to “the end of the world” refers to the completion of the final harvest wherein the believers’ souls, the “wheat,” are gathered into God’s barn, while the unsaved, the “tares,” are gathered together and taken out to be burned as we read in Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”   At the end of time, the last Trump should herald the end of this creation and the transition to eternity wherein the true “Jews” (Christians from all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues) will celebrate the eternal Jubilee brought about by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the new Heavens and the new Earth in the presence of Almighty God.

The Feast of Purim Instituted

Esther 9:20, “¶And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, [both] nigh and far,“

Jesus, shortly after His Resurrection and just before His Ascension, spoke as follows to His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, “¶And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even]  unto the end of the world. Amen.” and in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.“

Esther 9:21, “To stablish [this] among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,“

These letters of Mordecai established what the Jews call the Feast of Purim to be celebrated on the 14th and 15th days of that same month every year in perpetuity.

Esther 9:22, “As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.“

This verse explains some of the joyful attributes to be associated with the Feast of Purim, because the day of destruction (sorrow) was turned to a day of peace and security (joy). The Good Day for the true Jews is when Jesus comes back the second time to establish His Kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth, because this creation and all the wicked of the world will be eternally destroyed on the Judgment Day that would have also destroyed the eternal Jews, had not Jesus Atoning Sacrifice intervened on their behalf.

Esther 9:23, “And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;“

The Jews set forth to defeat and destroy their enemies in accordance with decree issued by Mordecai. It is a Devine Irony because of this unimagined reversal of fate. But should we not consider that the decree, if it really representative of the New Testament, also made it possible through the spreading of Good News of the Gospel to defeat their enemies (the devil and his minions)? And it should also be noted that the saints, the elect of God, the true eternal Jews will be with The Lord Jesus Christ on Judgment Day to participate in that Divine Judgment. Please see: “Bringing Judgment on Judgment Day.”

Again we are reminded of the similarity of this language with what Jesus commanded in Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” and Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”  In Revelation 14:6&7, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

Esther 9:24, “Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that [is], the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;“

We should again remember that the devil sought to not only destroy Jesus, but also every believer who would, as a result, be without hope and destroyed too, if Jesus had not fulfilled His role as the Lamb of God and Kinsman Redeemer.

Esther 9:25, “But when [Esther] came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.“

The above verses from verse 20-25 make the point that the very book we are reading from, the Book of Esther, is the temporal fulfillment of this historical account. It is part and parcel of God’s Word to mankind throughout the entire world to bring these temporal/historical events into remembrance and to learn from it. The Book of Esther has profound spiritual implications that require careful study by the child of God. God is not mocked.

In the last of these verses, regarding Haman and “his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head,…”, we are reminded of Psalm 9:16, “The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.“ The devil devised to usurp the authority of God through the subordination and destruction of Adam and all humankind, but will be destroyed himself as a result. More on the implications of Psalm 9:16 in this post: “Biblical Irony: Understanding Temporal vs Eternal Judgment and Justice“.

The Feast of Purim

Esther 9:26, “¶Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and [of that] which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,“

The Great Conversion/Ingathering of the Gentiles Foretold

Esther 9:27, “The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their [appointed] time every year;“

It should also be noted here that the word translated as “joined” is לָוָה (lāvâ)^H3867, which means to “cleave” or “to become one with”, but that it is also translated as “lendeth” in Psalm 37:26, “[He is] (The LORD Is) ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed.” This joining is talking about those who were converted and became Jews. And we know that this is also the case for believers because as we read in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.“

Esther 9:28, “And [that] these days [should be] remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.”

Although the Feast of Purim is not a Levitical ordinance, it has been fully adopted and celebrated in Jewish tradition, which continues to this very day. The reading of the Book of Esther, also know today as the Megillah, is part of that Celebration.

Esther 9:29, “¶Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.“

The New Decree as authorized by Mordecai in the king’s name is referred to here as the “second letter of Purim” because the First Decree (the first letter of Purim), which had been authorized by Haman, was initially established by the casting of Pur (the lot) to determine the date of the destruction of the Jews at the end of the year on the 13th day of Adar.

Esther 9:30, “And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, [with] words of peace and truth,“

The above three verses must be viewed spiritually as a prefigurement of the Gospel going forth to the entire world as proclaimed in God’s Word, the Bible. Jesus Is The Word of God (John 1:1-5 and John 1:14); Jesus Is The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), and He is the Truth (John 14:6).

Esther 9:31, “To confirm these days of Purim in their times [appointed], according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.”

From a spiritual standpoint we can see how this relates to God’s perfect timing (the days appointed) to establish an everlasting memorial that commemorates God’s Divine Grace in saving a people for Himself. So we can say that the Feast of Purim will be spiritually fulfilled on Judgment Day when it ushers in an eternal day of gladness for those trust in Jesus as their Lord, God, and Savior.

Esther 9:32, “And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.”

The decree (notably referred to here as the “decree of Esther“), its confirmation, and its being written “in a book”, all point to the recording of he Book of Esther into God’s Word, the Bible, which has been carried to every corner of the world.

Introduction

This post is the eighth of what will hopefully be ten posts in total to provide verse-by-verse expositions of each of the ten chapters of the Book of Esther. The reader should fully understand that these studies are solely intended to show the many spiritually hidden aspects of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, which God has intricately interwoven within the historical account of the Book of Esther. The key to understanding the true meaning of the Book of Esther is to see that the whole book is an Historical Parable, which prophetically points us to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who Is The Only Lord, God, and Savior. Moreover the book is one of concealment (“Esther” in Hebrew means “concealment”) that spans from Old Testament National Israel, to the future fulfillment of the feasts of Passover and Pentecost in the New Testament era, and a “preview” of the yet to be Judgment Day and beyond into eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth. We can also see key personages of the Bible throughout this book by those who serve as “Types” to each represent 1) God the Father, 2) National Israel, 3) the Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Eternal Israel, 5) The Holy Spirit, and 6) the Devil. A summary overview Christian commentary of the Book of Esther is Here (which also includes a link to a much more comprehensive study).

The Spiritual Theme of Chapter VIII is The Great Commission, the New Testament Era Beginning with Christ’s Ascension and Heralded by Pentecost 

Mordecai Promoted

Esther 8:1, “¶On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he [was] unto her.“

Jesus vanquished Satan at the cross, and Jesus’ Resurrection proved that He was successful in conquering death and Hell for the sins of His Elect. Jesus is the near Kinsman (Redeemer) for God’s Elect as Mordecai was to Esther. We should also remember that, because of Jesus’ exaltation to the Right Hand of God the Father, the believers too, like Esther, are similarly resurrected and exalted as we read in Ephesians 2:4-6, “¶But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Additional confirmation is found in Revelation 20:5&6, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection. Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

Remember also what we read in Colossians 3:1-4, “¶If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.“ and 2 Peter 3:11, “[Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all ]holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

NOTE: The “thousand years” (the “Millennium”) is the New Testament Era, which began with Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, and then Pentecost, and which will end on Judgment Day. Jesus Reigns now in Heaven, and every believer, who is viewed by God as “spiritually” resurrected, is therefore a partaker of the “first resurrection”, and is “spiritually” seated together with Jesus in Heaven now.

Esther 8:2, “And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

As was noted earlier in Esther 3:10, the king’s ring is a sign of authority and dominion, which in this case previews the authority that Haman had by right of conquest over Adam, but now Jesus has by right of conquest over the devil. The believers, typified by Esther, worship Jesus as God and Savior, and are no longer under the power and dominion of the devil. The believers worship Jesus and give their all to Him.

Note also that the “house of Haman” (all of his stuff), was given to Esther, but Esther then set Mordecai in authority over it. Jesus reigns over this world by right of conquest over the devil at the cross. The saints are given power and authority as well in this world. Remember the following concerning Jesus with His disciples? Luke 9:1, “Then he called his twelve disciples together,  and gave them power and authority over all devils,  and to cure diseases.”  Mark 16:14-18, “¶Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.“

Esther 8:3, “¶And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.”

Here we see Esther (a picture of all believers) interceding through prayerful supplication and contrition begging for mercy from Heavenly Father “deliver us from evil” as Jesus taught us to pray in Luke 11:4, “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” Knowing also what we are told in Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” and in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

Esther 8:4, “Then the king held out the golden sceptre (שַׁרְבִּיט (šarbîṭ))^H8275 toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,“

By extending the golden sceptre, the king was acknowledging and granting Esther her petition. Remembering also Psalm 45:6, “Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: the sceptre (שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ))^H7626 of thy kingdom [is] a right sceptre (שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ))^H7626.” And the Apostle Paul explained that this was talking about Jesus and His Rulership, as we read in translated Greek in Hebrews 1:8, “But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre (ῥάβδος (rabdos))^G4464 of righteousness [is] the sceptre (ῥάβδος (rabdos))^G4464 of thy kingdom.” For more on this please review this post on Hebrews Chapter 1. The Believers are in Christ Jesus, and have been granted mercy, and thus are clothed in Robes of Christ’s Righteousness to be able to stand before God Almighty.

Note: The word “sceptre” found in Esther 4:11, Esther 5:2 and Esther 8:4 is שַׁרְבִּיט (šarbîṭ)^H8275 and is different from the word found everywhere else translated as “sceptre” in the Old Testament Hebrew, which is שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ)^H7626. Interestingly, the KJV translates שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ)^H7626 in the following manner: tribe (140x), rod (34x), sceptre (10x), staff (2x). We should also think about the implications of this in Genesis 49:10, “The sceptre ^H7626 shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him [shall] the gathering of the people [be].” Then later in Balaam’s prophesy in Numbers 24:17, we read, “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre ^H7626 shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab,and destroy all the children of Sheth.” Interestingly enough, this word is also found in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod  (שֵׁבֶט (šēḇeṭ))^H7626 and thy staff (מַשְׁעֵנָה (mašʿēnâ))^H4938 they comfort me.” [The word translated here as “staff” means support of any kind, and a “staff’ is used to support a person.] (Please see also “the 23rd Psalm“) The KJV translates the Greek word for “sceptre” as ῥάβδος (rabdos)^G4464 in the following manner: rod (6x), staff (4x), sceptre (2x).

Esther 8:5, “And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing [seem] right before the king, and I [be] pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which [are] in all the king’s provinces:“

Esther was petitioning the king on behalf of her people (the Jews), which is spiritually like the prayers of the saints coming before God, which we read about in Revelation 5:8, “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.” Revelation 8:3&4, “And another angel came and stood at the  altar, having a golden censer;  and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden  altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.“

Remember that the first decree advanced by Haman was an effort to destroy Mordecai and all his people the Jews. The devil sought to manipulate God’s Word to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as the means to both advance himself above humankind (as we read about in Isaiah 14:13, “...I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…“) and to ultimately confound God’s Salvation Plan to save God’s people from Judgment Day (The Day of Evil), which nonetheless would become reality through the Person and Atoning Work of Jesus Christ.

Esther 8:6, “For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?”

True believers want the Gospel of Salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ to go forward to all the world such that all who are to be saved will be saved, and God uses believers to spread that Gospel as the means to bring about that salvation. They don’t want any of God’s chosen/elect to go to be destroyed in Hell.

It has also been pointed out that Nehemiah made a similar petition to King Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem in Nehemiah 2:3, “And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, [lieth] waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?“

Esther 8:7, “¶Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.”

The king is making clear that his kingdom had now been placed in the hands of Mordecai and Esther together. The fact that the wealth of Haman was also placed into Esther’s hands is reminiscent of Proverbs 13:22, “A good [man] leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner [is] laid up for the just.“

The King’s New Decree (While Not Annulling the First Decree) Avenges the Jews

Esther 8:8, “Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal [it] with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.“

After Haman was killed, Esther, worried about the existing decree for the Jews’ extermination on the 13th of Adar, pleads with king Ahasuerus to countermand his royal decree. Because the laws of the Medes and the Persians can never be annulled or reversed, the king responded that he could not countermand the decree, but he does allow Mordecai and Esther to write a “new” decree. This new decree, in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s ring, could contain whatever they desired with the effect of allowing them to defend themselves on what otherwise would have been a day of total destruction having no means of defense.

We are also again reminded about the laws of the Medes and the Persians in Daniel 6:8&9, “Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.“

And remember what we read in Psalm 89:34&35, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.“

We also read in Isaiah 14:24, “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so] shall it stand:“ and then just three verses later in Isaiah 14:27, “For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul [it]? and his hand [is] stretched out, and who shall turn it back?“

Mordecai “Commanded”, just as Jesus “Commanded”: The Great Commission!

Esther 8:9, “¶Then were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth [day] thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.”

Is not this amazingly similar to the last words of Jesus after the resurrection and just prior to His Ascension to Heaven? Absolutely!

1. Acts 1:4-8, “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”  
2. This is entirely consistent with what we read in Matthew 28:18-20 (the last verses of Matthew), “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.”
3. Please note the similarity of this language with what Jesus commanded in Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
4.  Luke 24:44-49, “¶And he said unto them, These [are] the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, ¶And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer (referring in part to Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53), and to rise from the dead the third day (see Jonah): And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations,  beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.“
5. Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” 

And in Revelation 14:6&7, we also read, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

Esther 8:9 describes how on the 23rd day of the third month a new decree (“all that Mordecai commanded …“) went forth by messengers on beasts under the commandment of Mordecai to every people and tongue in every province in the kingdom of King Ahasuerus.  While not annulling the first decree, which originally allowed for the destruction of the “Jews” (the people of Mordecai), this new decree offered a way of escape for the people of Mordecai from the judgment day that was set forth in the first decree. 

Is not this amazingly similar to the last words of Jesus after the resurrection and just prior to His Ascension to Heaven (as recorded and listed four different times above)? And please also note that the Gospel of Jesus Christ did reach forth, effectively, to every corner of the earth as we are told in Revelation 7:9, “¶After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;“

Why the 23rd day? By now it should be clear to the reader that there is nothing trivial, incidental, or happenstance in God’s Word…as there is always some spiritual meaning linked with each jot and tittle somehow. It is just that when we do not see it, we readily blow by it, and we simply assume that the word, phrase, or verse is nothing but “matter-of-fact”, e.g., literal-historical-grammatical, and then we move on. While this teacher makes no claim to know all the spiritual meanings everywhere in the Bible (as that would take an eternity and no man can plumb the depths of God’s Holy Word), there are, sometimes, somethings that can be used by God that might trigger one’s curiosity, such that it should be pursued through further with scriptural research. The number 23 is something worth a closer look. In a previous post, the case was made that “Numbers in the Bible Can Convey Spiritual Concepts“. In that post, it was shown that the Bible provides scriptural evidence to indicate that the number “23” most often points to “Judgment”, particularly in the context of punishing the corporate church for its apostasy during the “Great Tribulation”, which occurs immediately prior to “Judgment Day”. 1 Peter 4:17, “For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” This new period in the Book of Esther, which begins with this second decree established in the 3rd month, represents the going forth of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the New Testament era until the End of Time. And we know that the last of the latter days will be heralded by the “Great Tribulation“, so it is therefore worthwhile to remember a few of the many references to that Great Tribulation with its implications as follow. But, before we do, there is something else that happens on the 23rd day in the Bible. It marks the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, which in fulfillment outside of time in eternity will never end, which starts on Judgment Day at the end of the Great Tribualtion. Note what we read in 2 Chronicles 7:10, “And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.”  [Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.“]

God’s Word Is Unchangeable

And we know that this is a “Type”, or shadow, representing God’s Law, which is eternal, unchangeable, and irrevocable…Just like the royal commandment of King Ahasuerus, which conformed to the “laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered” as we read earlier in Esther 1:19. The king’s first decree is just like the Law of God condemning sinners, the sons of Adam, which was never annulled by God the Father, but God the Father provided The Way of escape from the just penalty for sin according to the Law (expounded in the New Testament) through the Atoning Sacrifice of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Remember how God was describing the eternal Heaven and Earth in Psalm 148:6, “He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.” When God makes a decree, it will not pass!

Pentecost Occurs Only in the Third Month 

NOTE: It is NO coincidence that the Feast of Pentecost ALWAYS occurs during the THIRD MONTH of the Hebrew calendar (Sivan)*.   On Pentecost in 33 AD (in the third month), we read in Acts 2:4-6, that the apostles were “all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”  “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because every man heard them speak in his own language.”  And what they each heard the apostles speaking in his own language was “the wonderful works of God.”!  At that same time, Peter stood up and preached the Gospel of Salvation to that multitude, and of those who heard, about three thousand souls “gladly received his word were baptized.”

* Passover always occurs in the middle of the first month, Nisan, on a full moon. And then on the Sunday following the Sabbath of the Passover (Which in 33 AD was Easter Sunday), the Jews observed the Feast of the First Fruits (of the spring barley harvest) per Leviticus 23:10-12. Then according to Leviticus 23:15, there are seven weeks to be counted from that day (49 days), with the next day (the 50th since Passover) being Pentecost being the 8th day of the third month, Sivan. It is no accident that Jesus Resurrection was on the Feast of the First Fruits as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” We also read in  Romans 8:22&23, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body.” For the record, Passover in 33 AD occurred on Friday, April 3rd, Easter Sunday was on April 5th, and Pentecost would have occurred on Monday, May 25th in 33 AD.

The Role of Pentecost: The “Feast of Weeks” (AKA the “Feast of Harvest”)

We should also note the significance of Pentecost, as it is the second of the three major feast days in the Hebrew calendar between Passover in the first month (Nissan) and the Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month (Ethanim/Tishri). Pentecost is the second of the three mandatory Festivals of Pilgrimage for Jews, which required all the pious Jews living outside of the city of Jerusalem to travel to the temple in Jerusalem to observe the festival. We see it described by God in Leviticus 23:15&16, “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.” and Deuteronomy 16:9, “Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from [such time] as thou beginnest [to put] the sickle to the corn.” (the corn refers to barley corn, and then the seven weeks, or 49 days, plus one equals 50 days or “Pentecost”). In Exodus 23:16 we read how this second feast is also known as the feast of harvest (which includes first fruits of wheat), “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field:“

Thus the barley harvest lasted from Passover to Pentecost…and, is it just a coincidence that in Ruth 1:22 we read that Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, “...came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.“?   Moreover, in Ruth 2:23 we read that Ruth found favor in the eyes of Boaz such that she was able to “…glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest;” (e.g., from Spring until the Fall). For more on the Book of Ruth, please see this exposition: The Book of Ruth.

So this period between Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (which is at the time of the final harvest) spiritually represents the whole New Testament (New Covenant) era in which we see the “first fruits” of salvation, when the Holy Spirit was first poured out at the preaching of Jesus Christ in 33 AD on Pentecost until the end of time when the final harvest of souls are brought into God’s harvest house, Heaven, as typified by the Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of “Ingathering”).  Remembering also again that in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the first fruits of them that slept.” Therefore, just as the first grains of the barley harvest were prophetic and symbolic of Jesus Christ as the first of mankind to be harvested, the first grains of the wheat harvest gleaned at Pentecost are prophetic and symbolic of the fact that the elect of God are co-participants of this “first resurrection” from the dead (e.g., everyone called and chosen to become the children of God from the time of Adam until Christ’s return).

We also should consider what we find in Matthew 27:50-53, “¶Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. ¶And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” This literal physical historical account of bodies coming out of the grave the moment that Jesus died on the cross is a “spiritual” picture of the fact that the resurrection of the dead had to be first made possible by the death of Jesus as the only acceptable Sacrifice for Sin. 1 Corinthians 15:13-19, “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is] also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.“

Esther 8:10, “And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed [it] with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, [and] riders on mules, camels, [and] young dromedaries:“

God’s Word, the Gospel as decreed in the Bible, has gone forth into all corners of the earth, to every country in every language first by missionaries, represented by “posts” (from the original Hebrews word רוּץ (rûṣ)^H7323, meaning “swift runner“, who are both the “messengers” as well as the beasts of burden), and then by letter, and then by modern telecommunications (including such as is found here on this Bereansearching Website).

Esther 8:11, “¶Wherein the king granted the Jews which [were] in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, [both] little ones and women, and [to take] the spoil of them for a prey,“

The New Testament did not nullify, abrogate, or abolish the Old Testament Law, but the New Testament of Jesus Christ (exactly like the new decree instituted by Mordecai) offered the Good News of the Way of escape through Jesus Christ from the penalty of the Law of the first decree, which “the wages of sin is death“. Remember also that it is not just mankind’s physical death that is in view, but eternal spiritual death in Hell on Judgment Day at the end of the world, typified in Esther as being the “end of the year“.

And please note the correlation of Esther 8:11 with Zephaniah 2:1-3, “¶Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.”

Remembering again what we read in Colossians 3:1-4, “¶If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear,  then shall ye also appear with him in glory.“

Regarding the original Hebrew word that is translated as “stand“, עָמַד (ʿāmaḏ)^H5975, the KJV translators also translated into English variously as stood (171x), stand (137x), (raise, stand…) up (42x), set (32x), stay (17x), still (15x), appointed (10x), standing (10x), endure (8x), remain (8x), present (7x), continue (6x), withstand (6x), waited (5x), establish (5x), miscellaneous (42x). It reminds us of Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” and Ephesians 6:11-13, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.“

Esther 8:12, “Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, [namely], upon the thirteenth [day] of the twelfth month, which [is] the month Adar.”

Judgment Day Comes Clearly into View

We should all note that with particular interest that just as it is obvious that the twelfth month in the Book of Esther can be equated to the end of the year, God Himself defines the “end of the year” to a time of “the feast of ingathering” (final harvest), which is further equated by God to the end of the world, hence Judgment Day! 

In Exodus 23:16 we read, “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.”  Remember that Jesus said in Matthew 13:39 that, “the harvest is in the end of the world.”  The harvest that is equated to “the end of the world” refers to the completion of the final harvest wherein the believers’ souls, the “wheat,” are gathered into God’s barn, while the unsaved, the “tares,” are gathered together and taken out to be burned as we read in Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”   At the end of time, the last Trump should herald the end of this creation and the transition to eternity wherein the true “Jews” (Christians from all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues) will celebrate the eternal Jubilee brought about by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the new Heavens and the new Earth in the presence of Almighty God.

So then, that “one day” prefigures Judgment Day, which will indeed occur at the end of the year, at the end of the full 13,000 years since Creation. Moreover, all the believers, God’s saints will be with Jesus and directly involved in Judgment Day (sometimes also referred to as The Battle of Armageddon).

While the “one day” points to Judgment Day (aka Day of Vengeance), we also know that “a year” can be likened spiritually to the entire time span of creation as we read in Isaiah 61:2, “To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;” Jesus read from this very verse in Luke 4:18–21. This is a sermon in itself, which can be found here.

Esther 8:13, “The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.“

Jesus made it very clear the need to be ready against that day (Judgment Day, much like in Esther 3:14 and Esther 8:13) where we are told in Matthew 24:42, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” and in Matthew 24:44, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.“ This is developed much more in this post on “The Parable of the Ten Virgins.”

NOTE: The word that is translated into English here, and also earlier in Esther 3:14, as “published“, is in the original Hebrew, the word גָּלָה (gālâ)^H1540. This word is alternatively translated variously by the KJV in the following manner: uncover (34x), discover (29x), captive (28x), carry away (22x), reveal (16x), open (12x), captivity (11x), shew (9x), remove (6x), appear (3x), miscellaneous (18x). So for clarity, it could also be viewed as saying that “the copy of the writing” was “revealed” unto all people. This would also fit the analogy of the Gospel going into all the world. While the message is printed in many different languages, it is also revealed to those whom God determines to reveal it. Remember Proverbs 25:2 “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing (דָּבָר (dāḇār))^H1697: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter (דָּבָר (dāḇār))^H1697.“

We should also remember Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth (שָׁמַע (šāmaʿ))^H8085 peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth  (שָׁמַע (šāmaʿ))^H8085 salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” And note how the Apostle Paul expounds on this verse in Romans 10:15, “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Publishing is likened with preaching!

Esther 8:14, “[So] the posts that rode upon mules [and] camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.“

It is notable that the the posts were “being hastened and pressed” because in the historical context there was only a few months to notify everyone in the 127 provinces of the kingdom within the intervening nine months (between the third month and the twelfth month). From a spiritual perspective, Jesus commanded that the believers are to get the Gospel out to the uttermost part of the earth as we read in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both inJerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” At some point, perhaps very soon, time will be up, and all those who God has foreordained to be saved will be saved, and then Judgment Day will be upon us.

Esther 8:15, “¶And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue (violet) and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced (צָהַל (ṣāhal))^H6670 and was glad (שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ))^H8055.“

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ Foreshadowed

Notice that Mordecai was given a crown (עֲטָרָה (ʿăṭārâ))^H5850 of gold and was arrayed in royal robes of fine linen and purple. These elements should be pointing the reader clearly to the Lord Jesus Christ as manifest after His Resurrection and Ascension to sit and reign at the Right Hand of God the Father.

When we look at this “crown of gold”, it brings to mind this prophetic verse concerning king David in the first instance, and in the second instance (Messianically and spiritually), Jesus, in Psalm 21:3, “For thou preventest (went before )him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown (עֲטָרָה (ʿăṭārâ))^H5850 of pure gold on his head.” and in Exodus 39:30, “¶And they made the plate of the holy crown (עֲטָרָה (ʿăṭārâ))^H5850 [of] pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, [like to] the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.”

There is also a “priestly crown of Consecration”, נֵזֶר (nēzer) that is associated with the High Priest, hence also Jesus, as we read in  Psalm 132:17&18, “There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed. His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown (נֵזֶר (nēzer))^H5145 flourish.“

Esther 8:15 is also reminiscent of what we find in Revelation 19:11-16 with Jesus’ second coming on Judgment Day, “¶And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses,  clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” 

“Rejoiced” (צָהַל (ṣāhal))^H6670

The word translated in English as “rejoiced” is in the original Hebrew, (צָהַל (ṣāhal))^H6670, which the KJV translates variously as: cry aloud (2x), bellow (1x), neighed (1x), cry out (1x), rejoiced (1x), shine (1x), shout (1x), lift up (1x). It can most readily explained as bellow, cry aloud (out), lift up one’s voice to God. Some examples of where it is found elsewhere in the Bible are:

Isaiah 24:14, “They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud (צָהַל (ṣāhal))^H6670 from the sea.“

Jeremiah 31:7, “For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout (צָהַל (ṣāhal))^H6670 among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.“

“Glad“ שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ)^H8055

The word “glad” is very interesting, because of how it is used in the original Hebrew, and particularly here in the Book of Esther, because “glad” (or “gladness” derived from it) appears three times consecutively in this verse, and the next two verses. That root word in the original Hebrew is שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ)^H8055, which has also been interpreted by the King James translators in English in the following manner: rejoice (95x), glad (45x), joy (5x), joyful (2x), merry (2x).

Some examples can be found in Psalm 90:13-17, “Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice (רָנַן (rānan))^H7442 and be glad (שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ))^H8055 all our days. Make us glad (שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ))^H8055 according to the days [wherein] thou hast afflicted us, and the years [wherein] we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.”

Was not this also exactly what was the case for the Jews in Persia under Haman’s authority, as well as for us now in these evil days of our world under the dominion of the devil for sin? Gladness is what happens when God is in full authority over us, and when our Salvation has come to full fruition.

In Psalm 92:4, we read, “For thou, LORD, hast made me glad (שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ))^H8055 through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.“

Isaiah 51:11, “Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057 [shall be] upon their head: they shall obtain gladness (שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn)^H8342 and joy (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057; [and] sorrow and mourning shall flee away.”

Here are just a small sample of how God uses the words “glad/gladness” in the Old Testament:

1 Chronicles 16:31, “Let the heavens be glad (שָׂמֵחַ (śāmēaḥ))^H8056, and let the earth rejoice (גִּיל (gîl))^H1523: and let [men] say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.” The word that is translated here as “glad” is שָׂמֵחַ (śāmēaḥ)^H8056, which is derived from the root word for “glad” שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ)^H8055 mentioned above and has been translated by the King James translators variously as: rejoice (11x), glad (4x), joyful (3x), merry (3x), merrily (1x), merryhearted (1x).

We also see this word in Proverbs 17:22, “A merry (שָׂמֵחַ (śāmēaḥ))^H8056 heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.“

Psalm 126:3, “The LORD hath done great things for us; [whereof] we are glad (שָׂמֵחַ (śāmēaḥ))^H8056.

Note also that the other word translated here as “rejoice” is in the original Hebrew, גִּיל (gîl) ^H1523, which the King James translators have interpreted in the following manner: rejoice (27x), glad (10x), joyful (4x), joy (2x), delight (1x). (see next verses show the interchangeability and how they are often found together)

Psalm 96:11-13, “Let the heavens rejoice (שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ))^H8055, and let the earth be glad (גִּיל (gîl))^H1523; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful (עָלַז (ʿālaz))^H5937, and all that [is] therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice (רָנַן (rānan))^H7442. Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.“

And then note the interchangeableness between these two original Hebrew words גִּיל (gîl) ^H1523 and שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ)^H8055, which are each translated as either “glad” or “rejoice” as is found in the next four verses:

Psalm 16:9, “Therefore my heart is glad (שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ)^H8055, and my glory rejoiceth (גִּיל (gîl))^H1523: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”

Psalm 31:7&8, “I will be glad (גִּיל (gîl))^H1523 and rejoice (שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ)^H8055 in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities; And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.“

Psalm 32:11, “Be glad (שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ)^H8055 in the LORD, and rejoice (גִּיל (gîl))^H1523, ye righteous: and shout for joy (רָנַן (rānan))^H7442, all ye [that are] upright in heart.” We see this also in Job 29:13, “The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused (רָנַן (rānan))^H7442 the widow’s heart to sing for joy (רָנַן (rānan))^H7442

And note how the exact same language that is found in Esther 8:15 is also found in in Isaiah 25:9, which again points us directly to the Lord Jesus Christ , “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad (גִּיל (gîl))^H1523 and rejoice (שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ)^H8055 in his salvation.“

Proverbs 29:2, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice (שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ)^H8055: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”

And looking back again at 2 Chronicles 7:10, “And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad (שָׂמֵחַ (śāmēaḥ))^H8056 and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.“

In the New Testament there are many corollaries as we find in 1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice evermore.” and Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.“

Esther 8:16, “The Jews had light (אוֹרָה (‘ôrâ))^H219, and gladness (שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ))^H8055, and joy (שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn)^H8342, and honour (יְקָר (yᵊqār))^H3366.“

“Light” אוֹרָה (‘ôrâ)^H219

Psalm 139:12, “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth אוֹר (‘ôr)^H215 as the day: the darkness and the light (אוֹרָה (‘ôrâ))^H219 [are] both alike [to thee].”

The Hebrew word used here for “light” is (אוֹרָה (‘ôrâ))^H219, which is quite similar to another Hebrew word for “light” (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216 that we find in the following sample of verses:

Genesis 1:3&4, “And God said, Let there be light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216: and there was light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216. And God saw the light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216, that [it was] good:and God divided the light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216 from the darkness.“

Job 37:15, God asks Job, “Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216 of his cloud to shine?“

Psalm 97:11, “Light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216 is sown for the righteous, and gladness (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057 for the upright in heart.“

Psalm 119:105, “NUN. Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216 unto my path.”

Isaiah 45:7, “I form the light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things].”

Isaiah 9:2, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

New Testament “Light” examples

If anyone has the true Light, they have Jesus, for Jesus Is The Light as we read in John 1:4&5, “In him (Jesus Christ) was life; and the life was the light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 of men. And the light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.“

John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 of life.

Luke 2:32, “A light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”

2 Corinthians 4:5&6, “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light (φωτισμός(phōtismos))^G5462 of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.“

 2 Timothy 1:10, “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light (φωτίζω (phōtizō))^G5461 through the gospel:“

And describing Heaven, we read in Revelation 22:5, “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light (φῶς (phōs))^G5457 of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light (φωτίζω (phōtizō))^G5461: and they shall reign for ever and ever.“

“Gladness” שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ)^H8057

Notice that the Jews also had both “gladness” and “Joy“, which are often used interchangeably. The “Gladness” שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ)^H8057 is similar to שָׂמֵחַ (śāmēaḥ)^H8056, as it is also derived from the Hebrew root word for “Glad” שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ)^H8055 mentioned above. It has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as joy (44x), gladness (31x), mirth (8x), rejoice (3x), rejoicing (2x); so note how easily both “gladness” and “joy” can be used interchangeably when this original Hebrew word is found.

The Believers, the true eternal Jews, will all have “joy and gladness” both now, and into eternity. We see this in the very next verse in Esther 8:17, “And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057 and gladness (שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn))^H8342, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.” and in Isaiah 35:10, “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057 upon their heads: they shall obtain joy (שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn))^H8342 and gladness (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.“

Some sample verses that contain שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ)^H8057 include:

Psalm 30:11, “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057; To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.“

Psalm 45:15, “With gladness (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057 and rejoicing (גִּיל (gîl))^H1523shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.“

Psalm 100:1&2, “¶[[A Psalm of praise.]] Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057: come before his presence with singing.”

In the New Testament, we also see the word “gladness” is used similarly in Acts 2:46, “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness (ἀγαλλίασις(agalliasis))^G20 and singleness of heart,” Moreover, in Acts 13:48 ¶And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad (χαίρω (chairō))^G5463, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”

“Joy” שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn)^H8342

The King James translators interpreted the original Hebrew word, שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn)^H8342, in the following manner: joy (15x), gladness (3x), mirth (3x), rejoicing (1x). It seems to be a form of joy and gladness that could also be viewed as “exultation”. The following verses are a sample of where this word is found:

Psalm 105:43, “And he brought forth his people with joy (שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn))^H8342, [and] his chosen with gladness (רִנָּה (rinnâ))^H7440:…” [Note: רִנָּה (rinnâ) ^H7440 means to “rejoice with singing loudly” as we also find in Psalm 126:5, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy (רִנָּה (rinnâ))^H7440.”]

It is also particularly noteworthy what we read in Isaiah 29:18-20, “And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase [their] joy (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))^H8057in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice (גִּיל (gîl))^H1523 in the Holy One of Israel (Jesus). For the terrible one (the devil) is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:” Can you see how closely the events recorded in Esther 8:15-18 parallel those that we read here in Isaiah 29:18-20?

In the New Testament, we are reminded of these words spoken by the angel to the shepherds when Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Luke 2:10, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy (χαρά (chara))^G5479, which shall be to all people.”

Luke 1:13-16, “¶But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy (χαρά (chara))^G5479 and gladness (ἀγαλλίασις(agalliasis))^G20; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.“

Luke 15:7, “I say unto you, that likewise joy (χαρά (chara))^G5479 shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

Jude 1:24, “Now unto him (Jesus) that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his (Jesus’) glory with exceeding joy (ἀγαλλίασις (agalliasis))^G20,”

“Honour” יְקָר (yᵊqār)^H3366

This word for “honour” (honor) is from the original Hebrew word, יְקָר (yᵊqār)^H3366, which has been interpreted variously by the King James Translators as: honour (12x), precious thing (3x), precious (1x), price (1x). [Note that it is found ten times in the Book of Esther beginning with Esther 1:4, “When he (king Ahasuerus) shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour ^H3366 of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.“

But it also relating to that which is “precious” or “highly valuable” as we read in Zechariah 11:13, “And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price ^H3366 that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.” (Note that this prophesy clearly points us to Jesus, as was searched out in this post: “Barak the Son of Abinoam“.)

John 12:26, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will [my] Father honour.“

Romans 2:10, “But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:“

In Revelation 21:24 we read of the believers, the Saints, and the honour that has been given them in Heaven because of Jesus: “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.“

We can see again that with Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His sitting at the Right Hand of God the Father in Heaven, the believers have the joy and gladness of salvation, and there is joy and gladness in Heaven with the salvation of sinners because of Jesus’ Sacrifice for sin and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit beginning at Pentacost. And remember that the “city of Shushan” (which is a picture of Heaven, wherein God Reigns surrounded by all of His Holy Angels) “rejoiced and was glad“. But it is also where the “Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour“, reminding us that Heaven is also where the believers are “spiritually” seated together with Jesus, having also partaken of the “first resurrection.”

The “Fear” פַּחַד (paḥaḏ)^H6343 “of the Jews” Foreshadowed the Great Conversion of the Gentiles in the New Testament Era!

Esther 8:17, “And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy^H8057and gladness^H8342, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear ^H6343 of the Jews fell upon them.“

Does not this sound exactly like the conversion that happened at the beginning of the New Testament era starting at Pentecost* in 33 A.D. when the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ was first proclaimed? 

“Many of the People of the Land Became Jews”

This great conversion is reminiscent of what we find in Zechariah 2:10-13, “¶Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.“

“The Fear of the Jews”

The word used here as “fear” is פַּחַד (paḥaḏ)^H6343, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as fear (40x), dread (3x), great (2x), terror (2x), dreadful (1x), greatly (1x). It is also used in two other verses in Esther.

Esther 9:2, “The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear (פַּחַד (paḥaḏ)) ^H6343 of them fell upon all people.“

Esther 9:3, “And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear (פַּחַד (paḥaḏ)) ^H6343 of Mordecai fell upon them.“

We find this word in many other places in the Old Testament of which these are just a sample:

Psalm 105:38, “Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear (פַּחַד (paḥaḏ) ^H6343 of them fell upon them.“

Exodus 15:16, “Fear (אֵימָה (‘êmâ))^H367 and dread (פַּחַד (paḥaḏ))^H6343 shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, [which] thou hast purchased.”

Deuteronomy 2:25, “This day will I begin to put the dread (פַּחַד (paḥaḏ))^H6343 of thee and the fear (יִרְאָה (yir’â))^H3374  of thee upon the nations [that are] under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.“

Deuteronomy 11:25, “There shall no man be able to stand before you: [for] the LORD your God shall lay the fear (פַּחַד (paḥaḏ))^H6343 of you and the dread (מוֹרָא (môrā’))^H4172 of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.“

The Fear of the Jews is Based on the Fear of God

The word פַּחַד (paḥaḏ)^H6343 is NOT the same as another Hebrew word, יָרֵא (yārē’)^H3372, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as: fear (188x), afraid (78x), terrible (23x), terrible thing (6x), dreadful (5x), reverence (3x), fearful (2x), terrible acts (1x). We find that word in these example verses which seem to be more mindful of “awestruck reverence“…and, notably, we do find at least two places where these two words for “fear” are found together: 

1. Psalm 91:5, “Thou shalt not be afraid (יָרֵא (yārē’)) ^H3372 for the terror (פַּחַד (paḥaḏ))^H6343 by night; [nor] for the arrow [that] flieth by day;” (For an interesting perspective on the role of arrows in judgment, please see “Lightning, Swords, and Arrows“.)
2. Psalm 119:120, “My flesh trembleth for fear (פַּחַד (paḥaḏ)) ^H6343 of thee; and I am afraid (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 of thy judgments.” This verse is effectively saying that, as a sinner, I fear you O Lord because thou can destroy both body and soul in Hell, but I fearfully revere Thy Word. This is also consistent with 2 Corinthians 5:11, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;…“

Genesis 3:10, “And he (Adam) said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372, because I [was] naked; and I hid myself.”

Genesis 15:1, “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 not,Abram: I [am] thy shield, [and] thy exceeding great reward.“

Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Psalm 33:8, “Let all the earth fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.“

Psalm 34:9, “O fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 the LORD, ye his saints: for there [is] no want to them that fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 him.”

Psalm 89:7, “God is greatly to be feared (עָרַץ (ʿāraṣ))^H6206 in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence(יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 of all [them that are] about him.

Psalm 96:4, “For the LORD [is] great, and greatly to be praised: he [is] to be feared (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 above all gods.“

Psalm 96:9, “O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear (חוּל (ḥûl))^H2342 before him, all the earth.” NOTE: The original Hebrew word, חוּל (ḥûl)^H2342, which is translated here as “fear“, would be better viewed as “tremble” or “shake“.

Psalm 99:3, “Let them praise thy great and terrible (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372  name; [for] it [is] holy.“

Psalm 102:15, “So (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 he heathen shall fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earththy glory.“

Psalm 103:11, “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372  him.”

Psalm 103:13, “Like as a father pitieth [his] children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 him.”

Psalm 130:4, “But [there is] forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372.“

Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 God, and keep his commandments:for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.”

King Solomon’s Blessing

We read of King Solomon blessing the completed Temple and Solomon’s praying to God for Divine intervention and mercy when the people repent of their sins, and moreover for the strangers (Gentiles from throughout all the earth) that would later be converted and come into the fold as we read in 1 Kings 8:41-43, “¶Moreover concerning a stranger, that [is] not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake; (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house; Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 thee, as [do] thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, whichI have builded, is called by thy name.”

“The Fear of the LORD” 

The word יָרֵא (yārē’)^H3372 is closely related to יִרְאָה (yir’â))^H3374, which the King James translators have interpreted variously as: fear (41x), exceedingly (with H1419) (2x), dreadful (1x), fearfulness (1x). It can be thus said to mean in essence having an awestruck, terrifying fear, and respect and reverence (of God).

And perhaps the most profound use of this word is found in the Book of Proverbs, where it is found 14 times always reading as”The Fear of the LORD“, beginning with Proverbs 1:7, “The fear ^H3374 of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.” For example:

Proverbs 9:10, “The fear ^H3374 of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.“

Proverbs 16:6, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged:and by the fear ^H3374 of the LORD [men] depart from evil.“

Proverbs 19:23, “The fear ^H3374 of the LORD [tendeth] to life: and [he that hath it] shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.“

Proverbs 22:4, “By humility [and] the fear ^H3374 of the LORD [are] riches, and honour, and life.”

“Fear” as is found in the New Testament

In the New Testament, we see that the word “fear” (from the Greek word φόβος (phobos)^G5401) is used in a similar fashion in Acts 2:43, “And fear (φόβος (phobos))^G5401 came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.“ The word (φόβος (phobos))^G5401 has been interpreted by the King James translators to mean variously: fear (41x), terror (3x)

Romans 3:18 tells us that, all of mankind, by nature does not “fear” God, “There is no fear (φόβος (phobos))^G5401 of God before their eyes.”

Is it not the case, just as we read here in Esther chapter 8, that everyone who becomes saved from destruction obtain the necessary “fear” of God to become Christians (the true “Jews”) and have peace with God as a result?  Again, is not this is exactly what was declared in Revelation 14:6&7, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear (φοβέω (phobeō))^G5399 God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”  

The word (φοβέω (phobeō))^G5399 has been interpreted by the King James translators to mean variously: fear (62x), be afraid (23x), be afraid of (5x), reverence (1x) as in Matthew 10:28, “And fear (φοβέω (phobeō))^G5399 not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear (φοβέω (phobeō))^G5399 him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.“

The “Wicked” Do Not Fear God!

We also read in Psalm 36:1, “The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, [that there is] no fear (פַּחַד (paḥaḏ))^H6343 of God before his eyes.” And also  And we know that Haman was indeed “wicked”. Remembering also Psalm 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God.“

And as the Apostle Paul wrote in  Romans 3:10-18, “¶As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat [is] an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [is] under their lips: Whose mouth [is] full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet [are] swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery [are] in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear (φόβος (phobos))^G5401of God before their eyes.“

To have the fear of the Jews can also be interpreted as having the same fear of God that the Jews had.  And as we are told in Psalm 34:9, “O fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 the LORD, ye his saints: for [there is] no want (no lack) to them that fear (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 him.” (and remember that Amalek, the ancestor of Haman, “feared (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 not God” Deuteronomy 25:18, and therefore God said that He would blot out the remembrance of Amalek forever.)

The Great Conversion: “Fear of the Jews” Is Spiritually the Fear of Their God!

With the Gospel of Salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ goes into the world to warn of God’s wrath to come, many have and will be converted. We see here that the word “fear” is similarly used in Acts 2:43, “And fear (φόβος (phobos))^G5401 came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.“

And let’s look further at Acts chapter 2 (and Acts chapter 13) to see how closely it correlates with Esther Chapter 8.

In Acts 13:46-49, we read of the great conversion of the Gentiles, “Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, [saying], I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. ¶And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad (χαίρω (chairō))^G5463, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. ¶And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.“

Also we are told in Psalm 18:43, “Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; [and] thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom] I have not known shall serve me.” The Gentiles were the heathen of whom Jesus has become the Head.

Is not this repeated in the account given in Acts 10:42-45?  There we read, “And he (Jesus) commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God [to be] the Judge of quick and dead.  To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.  While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.  And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.“

Please remember once again that this is also reiterated in the Book of Revelation, Revelation 14:6&7, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear (φοβέω (phobeō))^G5399 God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.“

Another Great Conversion!

Side Note: This is also what happened to the mariners in the Book of Jonah. First in Jonah 1:10, “¶Then were the men exceedingly afraid (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.” The Mariners heard Jonah speak of the LORD, then they cried unto the Lord, and afterward, when they threw Jonah into the sea, they became believers… as we read in Jonah 1:15&16, “So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared (יָרֵא (yārē’))^H3372 the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.”

The “Fear of the Jews” (from a literal perspective)

Genesis 35:5, “¶And they journeyed: and the terror (חִתָּה (ḥitâ))^H2847 of God was upon the cities that [were] round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.“

Ultimately this literal historical account will also play out spiritually with respect to the Eternal sons of Jacob (the believers) who are in Jesus Christ on Judgment Day. Please see this post.

Introduction

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where crowds waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna” as He rode a donkey. This event, recorded 2,000 years ago, occurred just before His Crucifixion on Good Friday and Resurrection on Easter Sunday. While many know the story, few understand its deeper spiritual significance. This post explores what Palm Sunday truly means.

Palm Sunday: Jesus as the “Lamb of God”

Palm Sunday is pivotal historical account and a central tenet of the Christian faith, appearing in all four Gospels:

• Matthew 21:1-11: “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem… Jesus sent two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village… ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her… All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass… And the multitudes… cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David…”
• Mark 11:1-11: “And when they came nigh to Jerusalem… he sendeth forth two of his disciples… ye shall find a colt tied… And they brought the colt to Jesus… and many spread their garments in the way… saying, Hosanna; Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord…”
• Luke 19:28: “And when he was come nigh to Bethphage… he sent two of his disciples… ye shall find a colt tied… And they brought him to Jesus… the whole multitude… began to rejoice… Saying, Blessed [be] the King that cometh in the name of the Lord…”
• John 12:12-19: “On the next day much people… Took branches of palm trees… and cried, Hosanna: Blessed [is] the King of Israel… And Jesus… sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt…”

By combining all four Gospel accounts, we can uncover deeper spiritual insights that a surface reading that the “physical” eye might miss. Let’s explore the hidden truths God has interwoven within these texts, supported by related scriptures.

Why Palm Sunday Matters

1. Timing: A Sunday Event

John 12:1 states, “Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany…” John 12:12 continues, “On the next day much people… heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.” Since Passover in 33 AD fell on a Friday (John 19:31), the “next day” after six days prior was a Sunday—five days before Passover. [Using the Hebrew and astronomical lunar calendars, it can be determined that Passover fell on Friday, April 3 in 33AD, and Palm Sunday fell on March 29.]

2. Fulfilling the Passover

In Exodus 12:1-6, God instructs: “In the tenth [day] of this month they shall take… a lamb… without blemish… And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day… and… kill it in the evening.” The Passover lamb was chosen on the tenth day of the first month, five days before its sacrifice. In 33 AD, this would have occurred on the Sunday that we now know as Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem—as evidence of His selection as the Lamb of God to fulfill the Passover.

John the Baptist confirms this in John 1:29: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” and in John 1:36: “Behold the Lamb of God!” Revelation 13:8 identifies Jesus as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Jesus did not go up to Jerusalem in 33AD to observe the Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem to BE THE PASSOVER!

Note also that the moment that Jesus died on the cross as the Lamb of God on Passover Day, we read in Matthew 27:51, And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;“. (see also Mark 15:38 and Luke 23:45) This means that the Holy of Holies had been fully exposed, thus signifying the end of the purpose for the Jerusalem Temple and its Old Testament sacrifices and offerings from that point on. Jesus’s death on the cross, as the Sacrificial Lamb of God, had completely and finally fulfilled all of the Law of Sacrifice and Offerings for sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). For more on this, please see: The Holy Temple of God, Will It Ever Be Rebuilt?

3. Fulfilling Prophecy

Matthew 21:4&5 and John 12:14&15 quote the prophesy of Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he [is] just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Jesus’ triumphal entry fulfilled this prophecy, showing Him as the humble King bringing salvation. John 12:16 notes that the disciples only later understood: “These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and [that] they had done these things unto him.”

Note that the words “daughter“, “Zion“, and “Jerusalem” are cloaked references of salvation coming to the eternal people of God, the Eternal Israel, not National Israel (although a remnant of National Israel will nonetheless be saved).

Spiritual Implications of Palm Sunday

1. “King of Israel”
   The crowds called Jesus the “King of Israel” (John 12:13), even though some may have erroneously thought of Jesus as an earthly “Messiah” to lead Israel to its former glory under King David and to vanquish the Romans. Nonetheless, that claim was correct, as we find Jesus identified in 1 Timothy 6:14-16,: “the King of kings, and Lord of lords,” and in Revelation 19:16: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Jesus Is the eternal King, above all creation, and not a mere national political ruler.
2. “Meek”
   Jesus’ humility, riding a donkey, aligns with Isaiah 53:2: “he hath no form nor comeliness…” Jesus came the first time as a Suffering Servant and Sacrifice for sin, but he will most certainly come the second time as Conquerer, King, and Judge.
3. “upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass”
   The donkey and colt symbolize God’s people—Old Testament (ass) and New Testament (colt). Exodus 13:13 compares unredeemed humans to an ass, needing a lamb’s sacrifice: “…And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.” Jesus, the Lamb of God, redeems all believers. His authority over the untamed donkeys shows His mastery and authority over them. We should also remember how Samson, as a great “Type” of Jesus, killed a thousand me with “the jawbone of an ass”, “And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith...” Similarly, God uses the mouths of the believers to spread the Gospel to defeat His enemies. It is also interesting that we read in Genesis 49:8-12 of Jacob’s prophetic blessing of his son Judah with these words, “Judah, thou [art he] whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand [shall be] in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah [is] a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.” Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (descended from Judah), and Jesus is that Sceptre that does not depart from Judah. Jesus also tread the winepress alone and stained his garments red, and we know that in this study, there is a connection with Jesus riding on an ass’s colt as well. And note the consistency with what we find in Job 11:12, “For vain man would be wise, though man be born [like] a wild ass’s colt.“
4. “Hosanna in the Highest”
   The word that is translated as Hosanna is from the original Greek word, ὡσαννά (hōsanna)^G5614 meaning “Oh Save“, which is derived from two Hebrew words, of Hebrew origin, יָשַׁע (yāšaʿ)^H3467 and נָא (nā’)^H4994 ; meaning: beseeching to “Save now!” And this is exactly what we read in Psalm 118:25, “Save  (יָשַׁע (yāšaʿ))^H3467 now (נָא (nā’))^H4994, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now (נָא (nā’))^H4994 prosperity. It appears in the Palm Sunday accounts of Matthew 21:9, 15, Mark 11:9-10, and John 12:13, that these words were reflecting cries for salvation, mirrored in Revelation 19:1: “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:” And let us not forget Psalm 20:9, “Save (יָשַׁע (yāšaʿ))^H3467 , LORD: let the king hear us when we call.”
5. “Branches of Palm Trees”
   Only John 12:13 specifies “palm trees” (φοῖνιξ (phoinix))^G5404, which is also only found in Revelation 7:9-12: “a great multitude… with palms (φοῖνιξ (phoinix))^G5404 in their hands… saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb…” Palms symbolize victory and salvation.
6. Disciples “cast their garments upon the colt…” and “a very great multitude spread their garments in the way“
   The garments/clothes of the two disciples and the multitude (Matthew 21:8, Mark 11:7&8, Luke 19:35&36) represent human works, described as “filthy rags” in Isaiah 64:6. Jesus identifies with them and treads over them, symbolizing His triumph over sin. And the two disciples also represent the church being sent forth to gather in the lost Elect of God before that Great and Terrible Day.
7. “Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth”
   Matthew 21:11 identifies Jesus as “the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.” Some doubted that the Messiah could arise from either Nazareth or Galilee (John 1:46, John 7:40 John 7:52), yet Jesus was indeed the promised Prophet and the Son of David. Interestingly enough, those who questioned Jesus’ credentials were unaware that The Prophet Jonah was also of Galilee, having also lived in the immediate vicinity of Nazareth. Nonetheless, even though Jesus’ birthplace in Bethlehem may not have been well known, the people were aware of Jesus’ lineage (back to David and hence the tribe of Judah) because they called Jesus “Son of David“.
8. “A Place Where Two Ways Met”
   Mark 11:4 mentions “a place where two ways met,” symbolizing Jesus as the confluence of both the Old and New Testaments. John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.“

After Palm Sunday

• Cleansing the Temple (Matthew 21:12&13, Mark 11:15–19; Luke 19:45–48; John 2:13–22 ): Jesus quotes Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11, for purifying God’s House, that is a House of prayer.
• Children’s Praise (Matthew 21:14-17): Children cry “Hosanna” to Jesus to the dismay of the chief priests and scribes and where Jesus referenced Psalm 8:2, “”Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.“, reflecting the purity of child-like faith. Remember Jesus with the children in Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:14, Luke 18:16.
• The Fig Tree (Matthew 21:18&19, Mark 11:12-14, 20): Jesus curses a fruitless fig tree, symbolizing judgment on unfruitful apostate National Israel (Joel 1:7) just prior to Judgment Day at the cross. That action also serves as an end time warning to the apostate Church in the Final Tribulation just before the Final Judgment Day, which is coming soon (Revelation 1-3).

Conclusion: Are You Ready?

Palm Sunday points to Jesus as both the Passover Lamb prepared for the first Judgment Day for Jesus’ Elect Church, as well as King of the eternal Israel, Who will come again the last time on the second Judgment Day to destroy His enemies and this creation. Today’s apostasy (as forewarned in Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14), together with the world turning more and more away from God and toward worldly lusts into greater and greater depravity (Matthew 24:12 and Romans 1:18-32), signals that Judgment Day is coming very soon (2 Peter 3:10-12). Nevertheless, the Believers can rejoice as they await the “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13) when the Lord Jesus Christ will return forever, coming on the clouds of glory surrounded by His saints (His Bride, the eternal Church).

Are you ready for Jesus’ Second Coming?

Introduction

In the first Century AD, the Bereans were a people in the town of Berea (now known as Véroia, in central Macedonia, in northeastern Greece). The Apostle Paul preached to the Jews in Berea in their synagogue as we read in Jesus’ Gospel of Salvation, just as he had done nearby in the town of Thessalonica as we read in Acts 17:2&3, “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.”

Although some Jews believed, other Jews in Thessalonica resisted the Truth, and took great offense, such that Paul and his companion Silas were forced to flee to Berea, as we read in Acts 17:10-12, “¶And the brethren (of Thessalonica) immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming [thither]  went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.“

God makes these promises in Jeremiah 29:12&13, “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”  Lamentations 3:25, “The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.” And God instructs us in Isaiah 55:6, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return untothe LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Zephaniah 2:3, “Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.”

Searching the Scriptures to See Jesus

In John 5:39, Jesus specifically told the Jews of His day to “Search the scriptures (only the Old Testament in that day); for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (Jesus Himself).“

In Proverbs 25:2 we are told, “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing (actually “word“): but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.” (again “word” from the same original Hebrew word, “dabar“) [For a more in-depth exposition of this verse, please see this post: “Hidden Spiritual Gem #1 from the Bible.”] Please consider then that John 1:1 tells us that “¶In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” and that Jesus Is The Word as we are also told in John 1:14, “¶And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.“

1 Peter 1:10, “¶Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace [that should come] unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.“

In Hebrews 11:6, we read, “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

In John 5:45&46, we read where Jesus said, “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is [one] that accuseth you, [even] Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.“

Also in Hebrews 10:7, where God explains Psalm 40:7&8 as saying that the book (the Bible) is talking about Jesus, “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me, [Jesus Christ]) to do thy will, O God.”

John 15:26, “¶But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:“

Revelation 19:10, “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.“

Jesus is the Spiritual Key to Bible Interpretation

The Road to Emmaus makes this clear

We should remember how in Luke 24:27 Jesus, on Easter Sunday shortly after His Resurrection, was walking on the road to Emmaus with two of His disciples who did not initially recognize Him, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Later on, in Luke 24:31, we read, “And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; …

This point is reiterated in Acts 3:18, “But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.” Again in Acts 10:43, “To him (Jesus Christ) give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” In John 1:45, “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” In Acts 28:23, we read where the Apostle Paul “…expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and [out of] the prophets, from morning till evening.” Finally, in Romans 1:1-3, we read, “¶Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord,…“

There Are Effectively Three Perspectives of Bible Interpretation

1. Historical/Grammatical/Literal: Reading the Bible from this perspective allows anyone to see and intellectually understand the true factual accounts of actual historical events exactly as they happened as God pre-ordained and then recorded precisely by His Holy Spirit. Simply being knowledgeable about Jesus and of all the other Biblical historical facts, contexts, and laws alone will not save anyone.
2. Moral/Legal: These are God’s perfect guidelines for happiness and peace with Him through obedience to His Will and not our own. Sadly though, mankind is sinful, and we cannot perfectly keep God’s laws. All men and women are therefore condemned to death in Hell, but Jesus is the only means of escape, as He was crucified, died, and went to Hell for the sins of all those who would believe on Him. Every human being, believers and non-believers, can and will benefit from heeding these precepts, but mankind, because of the Fall of Adam, by nature disobeys them. Our civil laws are premised on God’s Laws as found are given in the Bible along with just punishments, as explained in both Ecclesiastes 8:11, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” and Ezra 7:26, “And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether [it be] unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.” These words were true 3000 years ago and still true today! Think of what a world we would have if everyone honored God and His Laws, such that there was no envy, theft, and murder! However, seeking salvation apart from Jesus (by trying to keep the law by doing good works) is impossible, and cannot, and will not, save anyone, because only Jesus could keep God’s Laws perfectly.
3. Spiritual: This perspective (a Messianic Gospel one) provides new and amazing insights into God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan wrought through, and pointing us to, the Person and Atoning Work of God’s Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Only by being made alive (quickened) by God The Holy Spirit, simultaneoulsy being gifted by God with the spiritual ears to hear and eyes to see, can a person know and love Jesus as Savior. Only by truly knowing and loving Jesus as Lord God and Savior (as given in God’s Word the Bible) is there eternal salvation from sin.

Conclusion: The Bible is God’s Handbook for Eternal Salvation by The Lord Jesus Christ

The overriding purpose and goal of the Bereansearching.com website is to bring Glory to God by Glorifying His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, through the faithful teaching about Him from His Word the Bible. And this teaching is intended to be neither selective nor partial, but rather a teaching that draws from the entirety of the Bible, from beginning to end. This teacher sincerely desires to expound from the Bible solely by comparing scripture with scripture in accordance with 1 Corinthians 2:13, “¶Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.“

Moreover, the teaching found here is based on a different hermeneutic and understanding than most people are familiar with in our world today. Succinctly stated…The Old Testament is the New Testament CONCEALED, and the New Testament is the Old Testament REVEALED…and thus the whole Bible is really only all about Jesus Christ and God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan through Him!  (It has also been said, correctly, that the Old Testament is the New Testament CONTAINED and the New Testament is the Old Testament EXPLAINED.)

It is this teacher’s greatest desire that these words, written by the hand of the Apostle Paul, perfectly apply also to the labors found on this website: Colossians 1:25-29, “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; [Even] the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.“

So dear reader, may these Bible Studies be a blessing to you, and, if you have not done so already, PLEASE repent of your sins and cry out to God for His mercy through Jesus Christ, and He will show you mercy! Eternity is right around the corner for everyone.

For more on this topic, please see the BereanSearching Website Homepage.

POSTSCRIPT

Please consider this question…How is it, Why is it, that a man (Charles Spurgeon), living 150 years ago in England, could see and understand the Bible so clearly, and yet in our day, with all the technology available with which to search the scriptures, there is so little understanding of what the Bible teaches?

One has to wonder why are there so few who are even the slightest bit curious? The following sermon is from an evening devotional. May it be a blessing to all who take the time to read it.

“Search the Scriptures.”
“The Greek word here rendered ‘search’ signifies a strict, close, diligent, curious search, such as men make when they are seeking gold, or hunters when they are in earnest after game. We must not rest content with having given a superficial reading to a chapter or two, but with the candle of the Spirit we must deliberately seek out the hidden meaning of the word. Holy Scripture requires searching–much of it can only be learned by careful study. There is milk for babes, but also meat for strong men. The rabbis wisely say that a mountain of matter hangs upon every word, yea, upon every title of Scripture. Tertullian exclaims, “I adore the fulness of the Scriptures.” No man who merely skims the book of God can profit thereby; we must dig and mine until we obtain the hid treasure. The door of the word only opens to the key of diligence. The Scriptures claim searching. They are the writings of God, bearing the divine stamp and imprimatur–who shall dare to treat them with levity? He who despises them despises the God who wrote them. God forbid that any of us should leave our Bibles to become swift witnesses against us in the great day of account. The word of God will repay searching. God does not bid us sift a mountain of chaff with here and there a grain of wheat in it, but the Bible is winnowed corn–we have but to open the granary door and find it. Scripture grows upon the student. It is full of surprises. Under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to the searching eye it glows with splendour of revelation, like a vast temple paved with wrought gold, and roofed with rubies, emeralds, and all manner of gems. No merchandise is like the merchandise of Scripture truth. Lastly, the Scriptures reveal Jesus: “They are they which testify of me.” No more powerful motive can be urged upon Bible readers than this: he who finds Jesus finds life, heaven, all things. Happy he who, searching his Bible, discovers his Saviour.”

Introduction

This post is the seventh of what will hopefully be ten posts in total to provide verse-by-verse expositions of each of the ten chapters of the Book of Esther. The reader should fully understand that these studies are solely intended to show the many spiritually hidden aspects of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, which God has intricately interwoven within the historical account of the Book of Esther. The key to understanding the true meaning of the Book of Esther is to see that the whole book is an Historical Parable, which prophetically points us to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who Is The Only Lord, God, and Savior. Moreover the book is one of concealment (“Esther” in Hebrew means “concealment”) that spans from Old Testament National Israel, to the future fulfillment of the feasts of Passover and Pentecost in the New Testament era, and a “preview” of the yet to be Judgment Day and beyond into eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth. We can also see key personages of the Bible throughout this book by those who serve as “Types” to each represent 1) God the Father, 2) Old Testament National Israel, 3) the Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Eternal Israel, 5) The Holy Spirit, and 6) the Devil. A summary overview Christian commentary of the Book of Esther is Here (which also includes a link to a much more comprehensive study).

The Spiritual Theme of Esther Chapter 7: The Last Passover Feast and Christ’s Victory over Satan at the Cross (Esther 7:10)

Esther Chapter 7 begins with a banquet, and ends with the death of a wicked banqueter.

The Last Supper Prefigured

Esther 7:1, “¶So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.”

This was the last feast where king Ahasuerus sat down with Haman in the presence of Esther.  

In looking at Esther from a spiritual perspective, we must ask the question…Did God ever sit down at a feast table with Satan in the presence of believers where wine was also present?  Indeed He did!  At the last Passover feast, the “last supper,” God (as Jesus Christ, John 1:1) sat next to Judas Iscariot (who we know was indwelt with Satan, Luke 22:3) in the presence of Jesus’s eleven other disciples (believers represented here by Esther) at the last Passover feast, where we know that Jesus instituted the sacrament service with wine (representing His shed blood).  As Jesus said in John 13:18, “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture (referring to Psalm 41:9) may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.“

For additional evidence that the devil was indwelling, and hence one-in-the-same with, Judas Iscariot, we only need to look at these four sets of verses:

1. John 6:70, “¶Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot [the son] of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.“
2. John 17:12, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition (ἀπώλεια (apōleia))^G684; that the scripture might be fulfilled. (the last part referring to Psalm 109:8, “Let his days be few; [and] let another take his office.” which was fulfilled in Acts 1:20, “¶For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.“
3. 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (ἀπώλεια (apōleia))^G684; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.“
4. Revelation 9:11, “And they had a king over them, [which is] the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue [is] Abaddon (from אֲבַדּוֹן (‘ăḇadôn)^H11 meaning “Destruction/Destroyer“), but in the Greek tongue hath [his] name Apollyon (Ἀπολλύων (apollyōn)^G623 meaning “Destroyer“).

The KJV translates ἀπώλεια (apōleia)^G684 in the following manner: perdition (8x), destruction (5x), waste (2x), damnable (1x), to die (with G1519) (1x), perish (with G1498) (with G1519) (1x),  pernicious (1x).

Esther 7:2, “And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What [is] thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what [is] thy request? and it shall be performed, [even] to the half of the kingdom.”

It is clear that the king is greatly entreating Esther to explain herself, perhaps frustratingly. This is a third reprise of the king’s twice earlier declarations that we read back in Esther 5:3, “Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what [is] thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.” and in  Esther 5:6, “And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What [is] thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what [is] thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.“

Esther 7:3, “¶Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:

Surprisingly to the king, Esther’s answer was not to request another banquet of wine, or for wealth, or for some other gift, but rather a petition for mercy for her life and the lives of her people!

Esther 7:4, “For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.”

Note that Esther is quoting almost word for word from the decree, approved by the king, that we read about back in Esther 3:13“to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews,…” Moreover, Esther was also saying that if it had been her and her people’s lot to be made slaves, then she would have remained silent and submissive to the king’s decree, as all lives would have been spared. However, given the impending death sentence, she had no recourse but to beg for mercy from the king, and initially risked her own life in making her first request.

Esther 7:5, “¶Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart (לֵב (lēḇ))^H3820 to do so?”

Note that the word “heart”, is in the original Hebrew, לֵב (lēḇ)^H3820, which is a form of לֵבָב (lēḇāḇ)^H3824, see below regarding Isaiah 14:13.

Esther 7:6, “¶And Esther said, The adversary and enemy [is] this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.”

Yes, the adversary and enemy was wicked Haman. Please see this detailed post on “The Devil in Disguise: Haman the Agagite and Amalekite“, which explains all that this teacher has been able to put together to corroborate Esther’s assertion.

The specific words “adversary“, “enemy“, and “wicked” (when taken together) are used pointedly in the Bible to unequivocally describe the devil, Satan (e.g., 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:“; Matthew 13:39, “The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.“; and, Matthew 13:38, “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one];”  

One more thing should be noted however…the word that the King James translators took to mean as “adversary” in the Book of Esther is actually the Hebrew word אִישׁ (‘îš) ^H376, which is actually a far more benign word, translated over 1000 times in the Bible, as simply meaning “man”, which is never translated anywhere else in the Bible as “adversary”.  However, when we do look up the proper Hebrew word for “adversary“… Lo and behold…the word is, most significantly, שָׂטָן (śāṭān) ^H7854!   Yes, the adversary is the devil himself, the arch-enemy of God and of all of God’s elect!  Is it possible that somehow the translators were moved by God to lead us to this interpretation, perhaps even unbeknownst to themselves?  Only God knows for sure. However, one thing we can note is this reference in Isaiah 14:16, where it is referring directly to “Lucifer“, the devil himself (see Isaiah 14:12-17), “They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man (אִישׁ (‘îš)) ^H376 that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; [That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners?“

Esther 7:7, “¶And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath [went] into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.“

Proverbs 14:35, “The king’s favour [is] toward a wise servant: but his wrath is [against] him that causeth shame.“

Proverbs 16:14, “The wrath of a king [is as] messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.” (Jesus is that wise man).

Proverbs 19:12, “The king’s wrath [is] as the roaring of a lion; but his favour [is] as dew upon the grass.“

And let us not forget that our God is indeed a “king”, just as we read in Jeremiah 10:10, “But the LORD [is] the true God, he [is] the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.“

Esther 7:8, “Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther [was]. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.“

Desiring to Usurp God’s Authority

We should remember what God tells us in Isaiah 14:12-15, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart (לֵבָב (lēḇāḇ))^H3824, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Please see again also Obadiah 1:4.) 

The devil, in his pride, sought to replace God, and to usurp God’s authority, and take the church/congregations (the Bride of Christ, represented by “the stars of God”) by conquest for himself. We see this being symbolized by Haman being observed on Esther’s bed whereupon Haman was immediately sentenced to the Gallows and the king’s wrath was “pacified”. And, for the record, regarding “stars” as a “Type” for the believer, we should remember that God said in Genesis 22:16&17, “And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son]: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;”. God points to “the stars of the heaven” as representative of the seed of Abraham…the eternal seed in Christ.

Haman Is Hanged

Esther 7:9, “And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.”

Immediately after the banquet of chapter 7, Haman was hung on the high gallows (e.g., ‘tree’, see inset below) that Haman had prepared for Mordecai.  In perfect concordance with this account, it was on the same Hebrew calendar day as the Passover Feast in which Judas Iscariot subsequently betrayed Jesus (under the prompting of Satan, see John 13:2). It was also the same day that Jesus was hung on the cross and shed His Blood (see Galatians 3:13).  Moreover, although Satan sought to destroy Jesus at the cross, it was Satan who was actually dealt a death blow on that same cross.  And perhaps just as significantly, on the same day, so was Judas Iscariot (who in effect was typifying Satan) hanged on a tree, see Matthew 27:5 .  On the last day, Judgment Day, Satan and all his dominion will be permanently cut-off and cast into the lake of fire, as typified by the death and subsequent hanging of Haman’s ten slain sons on trees as we read later in Esther Chapter 9.

NOTE: The original Hebrew word that is translated as ‘gallows‘ is עֵץ (ʿēṣ)^H6086, is most often translated (162x) as ‘tree‘ (versus only 8X as ‘gallows) as we read in Deuteronomy 21:22&23, “¶And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree (עֵץ (ʿēṣ))^H6086: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree (עֵץ (ʿēṣ))^H6086, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged [is] accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance.” And this point is expounded by the Apostle Paul for us in Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:”

Esther 7:10, “¶So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified (שָׁכַך (šāḵaḵ))^H7918.”

This verse brings to mind Psalm 37:12&13, “The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him; he sees that his day is coming.“

And what are we also told in Proverbs 25:5? “Take away the wicked [from] before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.“

We should also remember Biblical irony made clear in Psalm 9:16, “The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.“ (Please also see this post, Psalm 9:16: Understanding Temporal vs Eternal Judgment and Justice.)

The word “pacified” is the word in the original Hebrew (שָׁכַך (šāḵaḵ))^H7918;  which is only found 5 times in the Bible, but in one of those, Genesis 8:1, it is used to with regard to the Flood waters after the Noachin Flood, “¶And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that [was] with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged (שָׁכַך (šāḵaḵ))^H7918;”. It is also used another time in Esther 2:1, “After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased (שָׁכַך (šāḵaḵ))^H7918, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.“

All three uses of the word here seem to be associated with the dispelling of wrath after a judgment is carried out and justice was satisfied. And please note the intense “Irony” of this verse! God’s wrath will be pacified on Judgment day with the destruction of the wicked

Postscript: Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving and Praise

 1 Samuel 2:1, “¶And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.”

1 Samuel 2:2, “[There is] none holy as the LORD: for there [is] none beside thee: neither [is] there any rock like our God.”

1 Samuel 2:3, “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD [is] a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.“

1 Samuel 2:4, “The bows of the mighty men [are] broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.”

1 Samuel 2:5, “[They that were] full have hired out themselves for bread; and [they that were] hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.”

 1 Samuel 2:6, “The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.”

 1 Samuel 2:7, “The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.”

 1 Samuel 2:8, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set [them] among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth [are] the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.”

1 Samuel 2:9, “He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.”

1 Samuel 2:10, “The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

Introduction

This post is the sixth of what will hopefully be ten posts in total to provide verse-by-verse expositions of each of the ten chapters of the Book of Esther. The reader should fully understand that these studies are solely intended to show the many spiritually hidden aspects of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, which God has intricately interwoven within the historical account of the Book of Esther. The key to understanding the true meaning of the Book of Esther is to see that the whole book is an Historical Parable, which prophetically points us to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who Is The Only Lord, God, and Savior. Moreover the book is one of concealment (“Esther” in Hebrew means “concealment”) that spans from Old Testament National Israel, to the future fulfillment of the feasts of Passover and Pentecost in the New Testament era, and a “preview” of the yet to be Judgment Day and beyond into eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth. We can also see key personages of the Bible throughout this book by those who serve as “Types” to each represent 1) God the Father, 2) National Israel, 3) the Lord Jesus Christ, 4) Eternal Israel, 5) The Holy Spirit, and 6) the Devil. A summary overview Christian commentary of the Book of Esther is Here (which also includes a link to a much more comprehensive study).\

The Spiritual Theme of Esther Chapter 6: A Preview/Prefigurement of Palm Sunday (Esther 6:11)

Esther Chapter 6: Palm Sunday Prefigured

In Esther 6:1-9, we are provided with information concerning the king’s inability the night just prior to Haman’s coming to request permission to hang Mordecai on the high gallows that Haman had built. The king awoke to request that the chronicles be searched to determine who had intervened to save his life from an insurrection. Moments after the king learned that Mordecai was the hero and that nothing had been done to reward Mordecai, Haman arrived at the king’s palace.

Esther 6:1, “¶On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.“

As in other sleep related interventions recorded in the Bible, God’s providence shines through. The timing of the king’s inability to sleep was perfectly orchestrated for the subsequent events to unfold as they did.

We can find two similar events earlier in the Bible, whereby God supernaturally intervened in the night to cause two different supreme leaders to each take key actions that ultimately led to amazing blessings for God’s elect.

1. Pharaoh’s dream in Genesis 41:1-46 made it possible to bring Joseph out of prison and up to being second in command to Pharaoh. We read in the first verse Genesis 41:1, “¶And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.” After God made it possible for Joseph, the man, to interpret the dream, we read this: Genesis 41:42&43, “¶And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him [ruler] over all the land of Egypt.“
2. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream unfolded in a similar fashion: Daniel 2:1, “¶And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams,  wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.” Then we read because of God’s providence, Daniel was able to reveal the dream and its meaning to Nebuchadnezzar, when no one else could, and we see Daniel, the man, elevated like Joseph in Daniel 2:48, “Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise [men] of Babylon.
3. In this sixth chapter of the Book of Esther, we will see a third example of God’s Divine intercession (involving strange dreams and/or sleep deprivationoccurring in the night) to bring about blessings for the people of God, which, in this example, raised up the man Mordecai from obscurity.

In all three cases of Divine intercession and providence, 1) Joseph, 2) Daniel, and 3) Mordecai were each specifically placed in time and space to be prefigurements of the Lord Jesus Christ, who were each elevated from obscurity to the right hand of each man’s king with power and great glory (where each king also spiritually prefigured God Almighty in Heaven) .

Esther 6:2, “And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana (Bigthan) and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.”

It was only by the grace of God that this information had been correctly recorded and was able to be researched as a result.

Esther 6:3, “And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.“

This irony was clearly foreordained by God, because had Mordecai been honored earlier, then the historical account that we find in this chapter, and all of the following chapters of the Book of Esther, never would have unfolded as they ultimately did.

Esther 6:4, “¶And the king said, Who [is] in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.”

Notice that only moments before Haman entered the palace with the intent of seeking the king’s permission to hang Mordecai, that the king had only just become aware of Mordecai’s brave effort to save the king’s life and his kingdom. This perfect timing is no accident, because God’s timing is always perfect!

Esther 6:5, “¶And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.”

When the king heard that his chief prince was at hand, who better for the king to ask counsel in the making of a new and important decision?

Esther 6:6, “¶So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?

The king asked Haman what should be done to reward the man to whom the king most wanted to honor. Prince Haman, in his unbridled pride, immediately presumed that the king was taking about him, so Haman provided a grandiose plan of what Haman desired for himself.  Because, in reality, Haman wanted to be elevated to the level of the king and, ultimately, usurp the king’s authority. Hence we read the following:

Esther 6:7, “And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,”

Haman could not possibly have thought up a more extravagant way to honor himself, and so he gave the king the following advice…

Esther 6:8, “Let the royal apparel be brought which the king [useth] to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:“

Esther 6:9, “And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man [withal] whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.“

Prince Haman believed that he had just been given the opportunity to be elevated equal to the king, and essentially usurp the king’s power by being bestowed with the remaining tokens of the king’s authority. And we should remember that Haman had already been given the King’s ring.

Haman Must Honor Mordecai

Esther 6:10, “¶Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, [and] take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.“

The king agreed and said, “…do even so to Mordecai the Jew…” Wow! Was that ever a shock to Haman! Haman had a moment earlier planned to petition the king for the death of Mordecai, and now all the king’s honor was to be given to Mordecai! The Tables of God’s Justice had surely turned!

Moreover, it is particularly noteworthy that the king knew that Mordecai was a “Jew” and hence Haman’s fate was sealed when Haman heard the king utter those words. There was never any earlier indication that Haman had informed the king that it was “the Jews” who were the people that Haman had convinced the king to have exterminated at the end of the year. So now not only was Haman not honored, but Mordecai “the Jew” was the most highly favored in the kingdom! Hearing those words would have been a double gut-punch to Haman.

Esther 6:11, “¶Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.”

Haman was forced to lead Mordecai on the king’s horse, arrayed with the king’s royal apparel, through town, with everyone knowing that this very person was the only one that wouldn’t bow down to Haman! Wow!

Palm Sunday?

At the beginning of this study of Esther Chapter 6, this teacher claimed that the spiritual theme of Chapter 6 was that it served as a preview/prefigurement of Palm Sunday. How could that be given the disparities between what we just read in this verse with what we know about Palm Sunday? What we know today as Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where crowds waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna” as He rode towards Jerusalem on a donkey with her colt. This event, recorded 2,000 years ago, occurred just before Jesus’ Crucifixion on Good Friday and Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter Sunday. While many know the story, few understand its deeper spiritual significance.

In another post, entitled “The True Meaning of Palm Sunday“, this teacher explains how that first Palm Sunday served as the means by which God not only fulfilled the prophesy of Zechariah 9:9, but also served to identify Jesus as being the Passover “Lamb of God”. The Passover lamb was chosen on the tenth day of the first month, five days before its sacrifice. In 33 AD, this would have occurred on the Sunday that we now know as Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem—as evidence of His selection by God as the “Lamb of God” to fulfill the Passover. John the Baptist confirms this in John 1:29: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” and in John 1:36: “Behold the Lamb of God!” Revelation 13:8identifies Jesus as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Jesus did not go up to Jerusalem in 33AD to observe the Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem to BE THE PASSOVER!

Moreover, we read of the cries of the people saying “Hosanna (ὡσαννά (hōsanna)^G5614 meaning “Oh Save“, which identified Jesus as the Savior. Just as significantly, the crowds also shouted that Jesus was the “King of Israel”! as we read in John 12:13. That claim was correct of course, as we find Jesus identified in 1 Timothy 6:14-16,: “the King of kings, and Lord of lords,” and in Revelation 19:16: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Jesus Is the eternal King, above all creation, and not a mere national political ruler. And is it not interesting that lowly Mordecai was wearing the king’s robe and wearing the king’s crown? Think about that! Can you see how this account of lowly Mordecai, “the Jew”, being identified by king Ahasuerus as “the man whom the king delighteth to honour” is a spiritual prefigurement of Palm Sunday where God was having lowly Jesus, “The Jew”, identified as The Man Whom God delighted to honor as 1) The Passover Lamb, 2) The Savior, and 3) King of (eternal) Israel!

One other point needs to be made. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, hence a “Jew”, while Mordecai was of the tribe of Benjamin, and hence a Benjamite, so how was it that Mordecai was also identified as being a Jew? The answer is that the twelve tribes of Israel were divided after the death of Solomon such that there were ten rebellious northern tribes, which were identified later in scripture as “Israel”, while the two southern tribes that remained loyal to the Davidic line of kings, Judah and Benjamin, where thereafter referred to in scripture collectively as “Judah”. Therefore, Benjamites, those from the tribe of Benjamin, like Mordecai and Esther, could also correctly be referred to as “Jews”.

Esther 6:12, “¶And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.“

Following this most amazing honor by the king, Mordecai remained humble and went back to his previous post as if nothing had changed.

But Haman, who was now entirely humiliated, ran home in anguish and shame. The covering of a man’s head is a sign of mourning and shame as we read in 2 Samuel 15:30, where king David fled Jerusalem in fear of Absalom, “And David went up by the ascent of [mount] Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that [was] with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.“

Esther 6:13, “And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every [thing] that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.“

When Haman arrived at home he told his household the news, his friends, as counselors, along with his wife knew that this would not work out well for Haman. Evidently even his closest friends and wife were unaware that Mordecai was a Jew, but they likely did know that the Jews were scheduled to all be killed at the end of the year. They could see how Haman had set a trap for himself.

 Psalm 9:16, “The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.“

Please also see Biblical Poetic Justice and Biblical Irony and God’s Justice.

Note also the correlation with what we read regarding Jesus, Who also Is “of the seed of the Jews”, in Romans 14:11, “For it is written, [As] I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.“, which is referring back to Isaiah 45:23, “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth [in] righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” 

Esther 6:14, “¶And while they [were] yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.“

Haman’s time was up! It is possible that Haman might have still thought that there was some hope for him in that the king and queen still wanted him to attend their private banquet. Particularly since Haman was not yet aware that Esther was a Jew, or that she was a close relation to Mordecai “the Jew.”PostBlock

A Spiritual Exposition of the Book of Esther, Chapter 6

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The Spiritual Theme of Esther Chapter 6: A Preview/Prefigurement of Palm Sunday (Esther 6:11)

Esther Chapter 6: Palm Sunday Prefigured

In Esther 6:1-9, we are provided with information concerning the king’s inability the night just prior to Haman’s coming to request permission to hang Mordecai on the high gallows that Haman had built. The king awoke to request that the chronicles be searched to determine who had intervened to save his life from an insurrection. Moments after the king learned that Mordecai was the hero and that nothing had been done to reward Mordecai, Haman arrived at the king’s palace.

Esther 6:1, “¶On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.“

As in other sleep related interventions recorded in the Bible, God’s providence shines through. The timing of the king’s inability to sleep was perfectly orchestrated for the subsequent events to unfold as they did.

We can find two similar events earlier in the Bible, whereby God supernaturally intervened in the night to cause two different supreme leaders to each take key actions that ultimately led to amazing blessings for God’s elect.

1. Pharaoh’s dream in Genesis 41:1-46 made it possible to bring Joseph out of prison and up to being second in command to Pharaoh. We read in the first verse Genesis 41:1, “¶And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.” After God made it possible for Joseph, the man, to interpret the dream, we read this: Genesis 41:42&43, “¶And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him [ruler] over all the land of Egypt.“
2. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream unfolded in a similar fashion: Daniel 2:1, “¶And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams,  wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.” Then we read because of God’s providence, Daniel was able to reveal the dream and its meaning to Nebuchadnezzar, when no one else could, and we see Daniel, the man, elevated like Joseph in Daniel 2:48, “Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise [men] of Babylon.
3. In this sixth chapter of the Book of Esther, we will see a third example of God’s Divine intercession (involving strange dreams and/or sleep deprivation occurring in the night) to bring about blessings for the people of God, which, in this example, raised up the man Mordecai from obscurity.

In all three cases of Divine intercession and providence, 1) Joseph, 2) Daniel, and 3) Mordecai were each specifically placed in time and space to be prefigurements of the Lord Jesus Christ, who were each elevated from obscurity to the right hand of each man’s king with power and great glory (where each king also spiritually prefigured God Almighty in Heaven) .

Esther 6:2, “And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana (Bigthan) and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.”

It was only by the grace of God that this information had been correctly recorded and was able to be researched as a result.

Esther 6:3, “And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.“

This irony was clearly foreordained by God, because had Mordecai been honored earlier, then the historical account that we find in this chapter, and all of the following chapters of the Book of Esther, never would have unfolded as they ultimately did.

Esther 6:4, “¶And the king said, Who [is] in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.”

Notice that only moments before Haman entered the palace with the intent of seeking the king’s permission to hang Mordecai, that the king had only just become aware of Mordecai’s brave effort to save the king’s life and his kingdom. This perfect timing is no accident, because God’s timing is always perfect!

Esther 6:5, “¶And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.”

When the king heard that his chief prince was at hand, who better for the king to ask counsel in the making of a new and important decision?

Esther 6:6, “¶So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?

The king asked Haman what should be done to reward the man to whom the king most wanted to honor. Prince Haman, in his unbridled pride, immediately presumed that the king was taking about him, so Haman provided a grandiose plan of what Haman desired for himself.  Because, in reality, Haman wanted to be elevated to the level of the king and, ultimately, usurp the king’s authority. Hence we read the following:

Esther 6:7, “And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,”

Haman could not possibly have thought up a more extravagant way to honor himself, and so he gave the king the following advice…

Esther 6:8, “Let the royal apparel be brought which the king [useth] to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:“

Esther 6:9, “And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man [withal] whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.“

Prince Haman believed that he had just been given the opportunity to be elevated equal to the king, and essentially usurp the king’s power by being bestowed with the remaining tokens of the king’s authority. And we should remember that Haman had already been given the King’s ring.

Haman Must Honor Mordecai

Esther 6:10, “¶Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, [and] take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.“

The king agreed and said, “…do even so to Mordecai the Jew…” Wow! Was that ever a shock to Haman! Haman had a moment earlier planned to petition the king for the death of Mordecai, and now all the king’s honor was to be given to Mordecai! The Tables of God’s Justice had surely turned!

Moreover, it is particularly noteworthy that the king knew that Mordecai was a “Jew” and hence Haman’s fate was sealed when Haman heard the king utter those words. There was never any earlier indication that Haman had informed the king that it was “the Jews” who were the people that Haman had convinced the king to have exterminated at the end of the year. So now not only was Haman not honored, but Mordecai “the Jew” was the most highly favored in the kingdom! Hearing those words would have been a double gut-punch to Haman.

Esther 6:11, “¶Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.”

Haman was forced to lead Mordecai on the king’s horse, arrayed with the king’s royal apparel, through town, with everyone knowing that this very person was the only one that wouldn’t bow down to Haman! Wow!

Palm Sunday?

At the beginning of this study of Esther Chapter 6, this teacher claimed that the spiritual theme of Chapter 6 was that it served as a preview/prefigurement of Palm Sunday. How could that be given the disparities between what we just read in this verse with what we know about Palm Sunday? What we know today as Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where crowds waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna” as He rode towards Jerusalem on a donkey with her colt. This event, recorded 2,000 years ago, occurred just before Jesus’ Crucifixion on Good Friday and Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter Sunday. While many know the story, few understand its deeper spiritual significance.

In another post, entitled “The True Meaning of Palm Sunday“, this teacher explains how that first Palm Sunday served as the means by which God not only fulfilled the prophesy of Zechariah 9:9, but also served to identify Jesus as being the Passover “Lamb of God”. The Passover lamb was chosen on the tenth day of the first month, five days before its sacrifice. In 33 AD, this would have occurred on the Sunday that we now know as Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem—as evidence of His selection by God as the “Lamb of God” to fulfill the Passover. John the Baptist confirms this in John 1:29: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” and in John 1:36: “Behold the Lamb of God!” Revelation 13:8identifies Jesus as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Jesus did not go up to Jerusalem in 33AD to observe the Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem to BE THE PASSOVER!

Moreover, we read of the cries of the people saying “Hosanna (ὡσαννά (hōsanna)^G5614 meaning “Oh Save“, which identified Jesus as the Savior. Just as significantly, the crowds also shouted that Jesus was the “King of Israel”! as we read in John 12:13. That claim was correct of course, as we find Jesus identified in 1 Timothy 6:14-16,: “the King of kings, and Lord of lords,” and in Revelation 19:16: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Jesus Is the eternal King, above all creation, and not a mere national political ruler. And is it not interesting that lowly Mordecai was wearing the king’s robe and wearing the king’s crown? Think about that! Can you see how this account of lowly Mordecai, “the Jew”, being identified by king Ahasuerus as “the man whom the king delighteth to honour” is a spiritual prefigurement of Palm Sunday where God was having lowly Jesus, “The Jew”, identified as The Man Whom God delighted to honor as 1) The Passover Lamb, 2) The Savior, and 3) King of (eternal) Israel!

One other point needs to be made. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, hence a “Jew”, while Mordecai was of the tribe of Benjamin, and hence a Benjamite, so how was it that Mordecai was also identified as being a Jew? The answer is that the twelve tribes of Israel were divided after the death of Solomon such that there were ten rebellious northern tribes, which were identified later in scripture as “Israel”, while the two southern tribes that remained loyal to the Davidic line of kings, Judah and Benjamin, where thereafter referred to in scripture collectively as “Judah”. Therefore, Benjamites, those from the tribe of Benjamin, like Mordecai and Esther, could also correctly be referred to as “Jews”.

Esther 6:12, “¶And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.“

Following this most amazing honor by the king, Mordecai remained humble and went back to his previous post as if nothing had changed.

But Haman, who was now entirely humiliated, ran home in anguish and shame. The covering of a man’s head is a sign of mourning and shame as we read in 2 Samuel 15:30, where king David fled Jerusalem in fear of Absalom, “And David went up by the ascent of [mount] Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that [was] with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.“

Esther 6:13, “And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every [thing] that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.“

When Haman arrived at home he told his household the news, his friends, as counselors, along with his wife knew that this would not work out well for Haman. Evidently even his closest friends and wife were unaware that Mordecai was a Jew, but they likely did know that the Jews were scheduled to all be killed at the end of the year. They could see how Haman had set a trap for himself.

 Psalm 9:16, “The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.“

Please also see Biblical Poetic Justice and Biblical Irony and God’s Justice.

Note also the correlation with what we read regarding Jesus, Who also Is “of the seed of the Jews”, in Romans 14:11, “For it is written, [As] I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.“, which is referring back to Isaiah 45:23, “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth [in] righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” 

Esther 6:14, “¶And while they [were] yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.“

Haman’s time was up! It is possible that Haman might have still thought that there was some hope for him in that the king and queen still wanted him to attend their private banquet. Particularly since Haman was not yet aware that Esther was a Jew, or that she was a close relation to Mordecai “the Jew.”