Bereansearching Bible Studies

Introduction

This short post is for the purpose of highlighting a little known hidden spiritual truth that God has interwoven in the historical account pertaining to a murderous insurrectionist man named Barabbas. This teacher has labeled this post as another one of God’s spiritual Hid Treasures, but this particular example is a bit unusual, as it is ‘hidden in plain sight’. This is because although the historical account involving the man named Barabbas is well known, and many Bible students are aware that Barabbas’ name in Hebrew means “Son of the Father”, the spiritual implications of the account are nonetheless understood by only very few.

The account also serves as another of many Historical Parables in the Bible. Such Historical parables are accounts of literal, and accurately recorded, historical events, which were also precisely crafted and recorded/inscribed by God in the Bible (via God The Holy Spirit, in allegorical manners) to convey important Spiritual Truth. And that Spiritual Truth is that Eternal Salvation is only a gift of grace by God, paid for in full for the sins of God’s Elect by Jesus’ eternal Atoning Sacrifice, and is obtainable through the hearing of, and responding repentant faith in, the Gospel of Jesus Christ; which is the true purpose and lasting substance of the Bible.

Barabbas

Barabbas (the man whose life intersected with that of Jesus’s trial before Pontius Pilate on Passover Day in 33AD) is mentioned in all four of the gospels of the New Testament as found in Matthew 27:11–26; Mark 15:6–15; Luke 23:17–25;; and John 18:33-40. Those full four accounts concerning Barabbas are all appended at the end of this post. The following is a synopsis of those accounts of Jesus’ trial before the Governor Pontius Pilate and how the accounts pertain to Barabbas.

Pontius Pilate Sought Jesus’ Release

Jesus stood silent before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, not answering the false accusations being levied against him by the Chief Priests and elders/rulers of the Jews. Note that this was entirely consistent with Isaiah’s prophesy in Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

Note: All of Isaiah Chapter 53 is entirely Messianic, and all of those verses prophetically point us unequivocally to the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitutionary Atonement for His Elect…everyone who is spiritually blessed and set free from their just punishment like Barabbas was. Another verse that stands out: Isaiah 53:5, “But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.“

Pilate made clear that both he and King Herod had already examined Jesus and determined that Jesus had done nothing worthy of death (Luke 23:14&15).

Pilate knew that Jesus was being falsely set up by the chief priests who had handed Jesus over to him because of what we read in Mark 15:10, “For he (Pilate) knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.” Pilate preferred to just chastise/scourge/whip Jesus and then send Him on His way, so he sought for a way to release Jesus and still maintain the peace and not have an innocent man’s blood on his hands.

Pilate hoped that he could circumvent the desires of the Jews by taking occasion that it was the time of the Passover Feast. The release of a Jewish prisoner was evidently customary during the time of the Feast of Passover as we read in Mark 15:6, “¶Now at [that] feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.” According to that custom, the Roman governor would evidently grant mercy to one criminal as an act of goodwill toward the Jews over whom he governed. Pilate offered the mob that occasion as a means to release Jesus, but the mob chose instead the release of Barabbas, a notorious and clearly guilty criminal who had been previously imprisoned according to Luke 23:19, “(… for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)” Pilate’s plan was foiled, because of what we read in both in Matthew 27:20, “¶But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.” and in Mark 15:11, “¶But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.”

We next read in Matthew 27:22, that, as a result of that unexpected turn of events, “¶Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? [They] all say unto him,Let him be crucified. ¶And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. ¶When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to [it]. ¶Then answered all the people, and said, His blood [be] on us, and on our children. ¶Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered [him] to be crucified.“

Pilate was evidently quite surprised at the mob’s demand for Barabbas to be set free instead of Jesus. After Pilate’s first failed attempt to free Jesus, we read in Luke 23:20-25, “¶Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify [him], crucify him. ¶And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let [him] go. ¶And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.“

Note to the reader: There is additional elaboration on this sequence of events in Matthew 27:24&25, “¶When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye [to it]. ¶Then answered all the people, and said, His blood [be] on us, and on our children.” On the surface (from a literal perspective) this declaration would seem to be a case where the people, in their arrogance, were condemning themselves (as well as their progeny) for the undeserved death of Jesus, and were in essence saying “bring it on.“ However, when we consider this declaration from a spiritual perspective, we can see a duality is present in the which that God moved the crowd to say what is a key Gospel truth, namely, that the only hope for mankind, including their posterity, is to be covered by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for sin. This duality is similar to what we find between the earthly/literal meaning and the heavenly/spiritual meaning recorded in John 11:49-52, “¶And one of them, [named] Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.” And please not how closely this parallels the account of Joseph with his brothers who had wanted him killed (just like the Jews wanted Jesus killed)…and what did Joseph say to his brothers in Genesis 50:20?…”But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive.” Just one more Historical Parable.

The Spiritual Implications of Barabbas’ Release from Prison and Death, and Jesus Taking Barabbas’ Place

The story of the murderous Barabbas and his release from condemnation is far more than a historical artifact and surprising happenstance. The events associated with him and his name in particular were supernaturally crafted, predestined/foreordained, and were recorded precisely by God to provide some additional spiritual insights into the Atoning Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus was completely innocent of sin as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he (God) hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” and yet He went willingly to His execution because of what we read in John 10:14-18, “I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, [and] one shepherd. ¶Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.This commandment have I received of my Father.“

While the Bible does not tell us any more of Barabbas, we cannot rule out that Barabbas could have become converted following his miraculous release from prison because of Jesus’ intercession. However, whether Barabbas was ever converted and saved or not remains inconsequential to the validity of the spiritual analogy that can be drawn from this historical account.

Son of the Father?

It is no accident or happenstance that Barabbas’ name literally means in Hebrew, “Son of the Father“! We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is “The Son of God“, and that Jesus died on the cross in the stead of Barabbas. So what is the spiritual message that can be drawn from this?

In mankind’s natural state, all of humanity are captives to the devil in the devil’s prison house awaiting execution on Judgment Day because of the fall of Adam. By God’s Grace, through Jesus’s Atoning Sacrifice, sinners can be made “sons of God”. How do we know this?

Sonship in Christ

We should all remember that all the believers are considered by God to be the “sons of God”, as we read in John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:” And in Galatians 4:1-7, we read “¶Now I say, [That] the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. ¶And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.“

There are many, many other verses that make clear that all Believers are considered by God to be His children. One standout verse is Galatians 3:26, “¶For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”  For a much more in-depth explanation on how this is the case, please see this post: “True Believing Christians Are the Children of God“.

CONCLUSION

Barabbas was a condemned thief, murderer, and insurrectionist during the time of Roman rule over Israel in Jesus’ day, who had his death sentence (by crucifixion) amazingly commuted because Jesus took his place on the cross on Calvary/Golgotha Hill (located just outside the gates of Jerusalem).

The account of Barabbas’ release coincides precisely with the reality of the Salvation of every believer throughout time. Everyone stands fully guilty before God and deserving of death because everyone is a sinner and by God’s standards we are all equal before God as thieves, murderers, and insurrectionists (as hard as this is to believe for those who may think of themselves as “good”). For we are told in Romans 3:23-25, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;” and Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“

As the prophet Jonah said in Jonah 2:9, “…Salvation [is] of the LORD.” Through no effort or ability on any person’s part, a person is saved solely on the basis of Jesus’ taking that otherwise condemned sinner’s place through His Atoning Sacrifice on the Cross. Salvation is by Jesus Alone! The Lord Jesus Christ, although completely innocent, served as the sinner’s Kinsman Redeemer and sin-bearer to take the sinner’s just punishment for his or her sins (which was the equivalent of an eternity in Hell). Jesus voluntarily stepped in to take the sinner’s place. The resulting eternal Salvation for the sinner is solely a Gift from God to His Elect. Those saved sinners form the Body of Believers, the Eternal Israel, the Eternal Church, the Bride of Christ.

Barabbas, is a picture of every one who God has chosen unto salvation, representing every one who is allowed to go free with no condemnation, just as we are told in Romans 8:1, “¶[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Moreover, 1 Peter 3:18, “¶For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:“…“

APPENDIX: The Four Biblical Accounts Concerning Barabbas

Matthew 27:11-26, “¶And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.¶Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. ¶Now at [that] feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. ¶When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. ¶But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. ¶Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? [They] all say unto him,Let him be crucified. ¶And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. ¶When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed [his] hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see [ye to it].“

Mark 15:6, “¶Now at [that] feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was [one] named Barabbas, [which lay] bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire [him to do] as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. ¶But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do [unto him] whom ye call the King of the Jews? ¶And they cried out again, Crucify him. ¶Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. ¶And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged [him], to be crucified.“

Luke 23:13-24, “¶And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined [him] before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release [him]. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) ¶And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this [man], and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) ¶Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify [him], crucify him. ¶And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let [him] go. ¶And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.“

John 18:33-40, “¶Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of theJews? ¶Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? ¶Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? ¶Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world:  if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. ¶Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. ¶Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault [at all]. ¶But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? ¶ Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.“

Introduction

The Book of Job is a long and complex book of the Bible that was written in narrative style, but nonetheless provides poignant, but unmistakable, “spiritual” insights into Who God Is, and how He Sovereignly works in the lives and affairs of men in this temporal “earthly” world.

Job, whose name, in the original Hebrew is אִיּוֹב (‘îyôḇ)^H347, means “hated” (e.g., persecuted) who in different ways, “typologically” represents both the first Adam (man), as well as the Second Adam (the Lord Jesus Christ). Job was a real historical figure who lived in the land of Uz, associated with Edom (Lamenations 4:21), which we know today as part of the Arab lands east of the river Jordan.

The real existence of Job is further evidenced by his being mentioned twice by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 14:14, “Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, ^H347 were in it, they should deliver [but] their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.” and in Ezekiel 14:20, “Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, ^H347 [were] in it, [as] I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall [but] deliver their own souls by their righteousness.” In the New Testament, we are provided another reference to Job in James 5:11, “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job , and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” Interestingly, in the original Greek, Job is (Ἰώβ (iōb))^G2492, which means “Cry of woe“.

The Book of Job is all about “Redemption”…addressing those repentant sinners who are Redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the believers’ Kinsman Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are also provided some key words of wisdom in the Book of Job that convey to the believer signal themes such as we find in Job 1:21&22, “And (Noah)said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. ¶In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” and Job 19:25&26, “For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth: And [though] after my skin [worms] destroy this [body], yet in my flesh shall I see God:”

And the parallel should also be noted that just as at the beginning of the Bible in Genesis we see the devil attacking the first man, Adam, who was made perfect, also at the beginning of the Book of Job we also see the devil attacking the man Job, of who was also said by God in Job 1:1 to be a “man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.“

The Book of Job is also complex in that there are multiple levels of understanding, such that it is yet one more “Historical Parable“. Of course there is the literal and historical aspect, where we read of the real man, Job, who underwent numerous personal losses to the point of his utter and total despair, yet we see that despite all of his pain and suffering, followed by the duress of the onslaught of false accusations coming from his “friends”, that Job never lost his faith in God.

On an earthly level, Job was a man in the flesh, who felt that he had committed no sin worthy to deserve any punishment (evidencing the inherent pride of all mankind descended from the first Adam), while his three “friends” could only point their fingers at Job to accuse him of his sin (typifying those who have a “form of godliness” as we read in 2 Timothy 3:5.) Those “friends” are well-meaning religious folk, who preach salvation by the works of the law rather than only by Grace, and thus representing what can be called the “corporate church”. They knew “the Law of God”, but not the fact that no one (other than Jesus) is capable of meeting the demands of the Law. Those three friends clearly did not personally know or understand God’s love and mercy, which only the repentant believer can (someone who is in the true “eternal” church).

However, on a spiritual level, we can also see how Job’s sufferings can be related to that of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus voluntarily left His Heavenly habitation, where He had been in the direct presence of God The Father, to come to this sin-cursed earth to take upon Himself a body of flesh and bones, and become the Suffering Servant, the Kinsman Redeemer, the substitutionary Atoning Sacrifice for the sins of His elect. Jesus was stripped both literally and spiritually of all that He previously had in going to the cross of Calvary. 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.” [Note in particular that the word translated as “bruise” is in the original Hebrew דָּכָא (dāḵā’)^H1792, which also means to “crush“, “oppress“, and “break in pieces“.]

Interwoven within the text there are some other, more subtle, insights that can be gleaned, which this teacher has referred to in other posts as “Hidden Spiritual Gems“. Those posts illustrate how perfectly God has crafted His Word the Bible to conceal important spiritual truths. Those hidden gems are for the believers to “search” out, and to celebrate, with other believers, and to edify and to strengthen the faith of the saints. This tenth such post takes a closer look at the four friends of Job to uncover one such hidden gem.

Job Put to the Test

We first hear of Job in Job 1:1, “¶There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” He had ten children and was a man of great wealth. The Bible tells us that one day Satan presented himself before God and God asked Satan what he thought of Job. Satan accused Job of honoring God only because God had blessed him. So, God allowed Satan to take away Job’s wealth and his children. Later, God allowed Satan to afflict Job physically. Job grieved deeply, but according to Job 1:21&22, we read, “And (Job) said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. ¶In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”

Job’s Three Friends Become His Accusers

Following the unimaginable personal catastrophes that God allowed the devil to bring upon Job, we read in Job 2:11–13, of the first three of Job’s four friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who came to commiserate with him. Coming upon him and not recognizing him, they initially empathized with him and “…they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.” Then the three “friends” sat in silence with him for seven days before they offered their advice (and accusations).

Subsequently, these three men each gave a series of speeches to Job, recorded in Chapters 4—25 in which they accused Job of committing sins so grievous that God was punishing him with misery. Job knew God well enough to know that He did not work that way; in fact, he had such an intimate, personal relationship with Him that he was able to say in Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” And note how Job responded when, in Job 2:9, Job’s wife suggested he simply curse God and die, “¶Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.” but Job only replied in Job 2:10, “¶…Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”

The Three Friends Preached a False Gospel

The speeches of Job’s three friends included many Biblical truths, but they were nonetheless wrong in their presumptions and applications of those truths with regard to Job and his situation. Job’s friends were certain that Job must have sinned in order to deserve punishment and argued with him about it. But Job maintained his innocence, though he confessed that he wanted to die and did ask questions of God. Their overarching belief was that Job was suffering because he had done something wrong. As a result, they repeatedly encouraged Job to admit his wrong doing, repent, and do good so that God would bless him again.

This is where his three friends, who represent the False Church, failed as they were, in effect, preaching a works gospel, in the which they believed and were teaching that “bad things happen to bad people” and “good things happen to good people”, and thus they believed that God’s blessings are reserved for those who “deserve” or “earn” it. This is the kind of theology that will only lead a person to Hell on Judgment Day. Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.“

Although the Bible does teach that we reap what we sow… Galatians 6:8, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” James 3:18 states, “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” We also know that God blesses the righteous Psalm 5:12, “For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as [with] a shield.” and Psalm 32:10, “Many sorrows [shall be] to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.”

But Jesus also made clear that in this life the believer would have tribulation. Hence blessings will not necessarily always take temporal material form. If they always did, we would have no way to explain the anguish and deprivation suffered by the Apostles, martyrs, or faithful Christians around the world (for example Hebrews 11:35–40). God’s blessing to the believer may often be unseen, and hence spiritual, as we read in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” And let us not forget that regarding having tribulation in this world, Jesus more fully stated the following in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.“

At one point Job, weary of their unhelpful words, told them, “ Job 16:2, “I have heard many such things: miserable comforters [are] ye all.” Adversity and calamity in this world are not always a sign of God’s displeasure. Jesus specifically made this point regarding those who died in the falling tower of Siloam in Luke 13:4&5, where Jesus said, “Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” To equate disaster with God’s curse is to believe and behave like Job’s “miserable comforters.”

Elihu, the Fourth Friend, Was Different

Job later goes on in chapter 31 to assert his integrity before God. And that is when the fourth, younger, friend, Elihu (which in the original Hebrew, אֱלִיהוּ (‘ĕlîhû)^H453, means “He is my God“…see more on this below), is introduced in chapter 32, who, after initially holding his peace, speaks for the first time in anger, rebuking both Job and his three friends. There is a lot of hidden wisdom in this chapter. Notice that when Elihu begins to speak, Jobs three “friends” are “amazed” (astonished) and “they answered no more: they left off speaking,…(for they spake not, but stood still, [and] answered no more;).

Job 32:7-10, “I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But [there is] a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not [always] wise: neither do the aged understand judgment. Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will shew mine opinion.“

This man, Elihu, would speak with different words. It brings to mind what we read in 1 Corinthians 3:19, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” And think about this…God is referred to as the “Ancient of Days” as we read in Daniel 7:9&13&22. Job 12:12, “With the ancient [is] wisdom; and in length of days understanding.” God is eternal, and His Wisdom supersedes man’s wisdom, but God can grant His Wisdom and Understanding to the believers by His Holy Spirit. This is exactly what we read in 1 Corinthians 2:10-12, “But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ¶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. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.“

Then the last six verses make clear that Elihu would not speak to either them, or Job, in the manner that his friends had come with arguments and accusations. As was noted above, these verses similarly use language that involves veiled references to the Lord Jesus Christ. The wine in the bottle points to Jesus’ shed blood and His imputed life-giving Spirit, as we read in Matthew 9:17 (also Mark 2:22 and Luke 5:37), “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break,  and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.” A person has to be changed, made new (born again), prior to receiving God’s Holy Spirit.

Elihu goes on to speak beginning in chapter 33 by the “Spirit of God” to effectively declare both God’s Sovereignty and His Mercy and Grace to undeserving sinners among whom is Job, despite Job being the epitome of humankind uprightness. Elihu’s soliloquy goes for five chapters to effectively make clear that no one is righteous before God, as we read in Romans 3:10, “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.” and, moreover, that God’s Holiness, and His thoughts and ways are so far above man’s thoughts and ways as to be unsearchable, and that God Alone Is both Sovereign and Righteous. Isaiah 55:8&9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.“

We could say that those five chapters could be summarized by what the Apostle Paul was inspired to write in Romans 11:33-36, “¶O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? ¶For of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.“

NOTE TO THE READER: Job Chapter 33 is significant in another way because Job Chapter 33 is all about Jesus and His Gospel of Salvation! Although Elihu is a real historical person (perhaps even a “Theophany“), Elihu is being used by God as “Type” to be representative of the Lord Jesus Christ in a manner consistent to what Jesus told His disciples on the Road to Emmaus. Note in particular the language that God uses, and the way each of the following verses unfold. In Verse 3, Elihu states, “My words [shall be of] the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly.” Only Jesus is upright in heart, only Jesus utters knowledge clearly. Verse 4, “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” Jesus was conceived in Mary by The Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit, as we read in Luke 1:35. Jesus is therefore wholly God, but also wholly man, exactly as is expressed in Verse 6, “Behold, I [am] according to thy wish in God’s stead: I also am formed out of the clay.” Then after some chastisement of Job for claiming to be righteous before God, Elihu states in 1 Verses 13&14, “Why dost thou strive against him (God)? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.” God does not have to give an answer to anyone as He is totally Sovereign. “For God speaketh once, yea twice, [yet man] perceiveth it not.” God has provided mankind with both the Old and New Testaments, and yet mankind (apart from God’s intervention) still does not understand what the words mean. But God does reveal Himself in miraculous ways such that in Verse 16, “Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,” Remember what we are told in Proverbs 20:12, “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.” God has to intervene to given someone the ability to “perceive His Words” (please see “The Hearing Ear…“). In Verse 17, we read, “That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. God intervenes to prevent someone from destroying his self or her self who because, if his or her pride were not covered they would continue headlong to Hell. Proverbs 16:18, “Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” This is borne out in the immediately following verse…Verse 18, “He (God) keepeth back his (man’s) soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.” God keeps the saved soul from going to Hell and from being Judged on Judgment Day by the Word. This is more evident in these other verses: Verse 23&24, “If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness: Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.” The messenger is the one who brings the Gospel of Salvation to that person and explains what the Bible is teaching, to show that we are all sinners in need a Savior, Who Is Jesus. Then that person will be saved from going to Hell (the “pit” is synonymous with “Hell”), only because Jesus paid the full ransom price at the Atonement on the cross for that person’s sins. The result is as we read in the next verse, the person will be born again and commune with God! Verses 25&26, “His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth: He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.” Note that Jesus imputes His righteousness to the believers as we read in Revelation 19:8, “And to her (the church) was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” The next four verses wrap things up concerning the repentant soul. In Verses 27-30, “He (God) looketh upon men, and [if any] say, I have sinned, and perverted [that which] was right, and it profited me not; He (God) will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Lo, all these [things] worketh God oftentimes  with man, To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.” Remember that Jesus is the Light of the world and the Light of the Living, as we read in John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” The Gospel message in interwoven, albeit in a veiled manner, throughout all of Job, Chapter 33!

God Openly Speaks Directly to Job

Next we read where God Personally steps in directly at the beginning of Chapter 38, and throughout to the end of Chapter 41, speaking out of a whirlwind to Job with innumerable, unanswerable, rhetorical questions concerning Creation. The only interlude being Job’s response in Job 40:3&4, “¶Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.” Finally, at the beginning of Chapter 42, Job acknowledges to God that God is totally Sovereign, abhors his own vileness, and humbled himself before God as we read in Job 42:2-6, “I know that thou canst do every [thing], and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor [myself], and repent in dust and ashes.”

Note to the reader: Although none of these rhetorical questions posed to Job by God can be answered affirmatively by any man, including Job, they nonetheless can all be answered affirmatively by the Creator, Lord Jesus Christ, for whom Job serves as a spiritual “Type”.

We next read where God turned from Job in anger to Job’s three friends in Job 42:7, “¶And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me [the thing that is] right, as my servant Job [hath]. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you [after your] folly, in that ye have not spoken of me [the thing which is] right, like my servant Job. ¶So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite [and] Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job.”

God told the three men to offer sacrifices, and that Job would pray to Him (God) on their behalf and that He would accept Job’s prayer. Job did so, thus forgiving his friends for their harshness to him. God restored Job’s fortunes two-fold: Job 42:10, “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” And Job 42:12, “¶So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:” Then in Job 42:16, “¶After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, [even] four generations.“

A Key Message of Job

The Book of Job is all about “Repentance, Redemption and Restoration“…addressing those repentant sinners who are Redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the believers’ Kinsman Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who Restores the sinner into the Presence of God, which is better than the lost estate was in the Garden of Eden.

What Job did not understand was, even though he trusted and believed in God‘s sovereignty and mercy, his personal faithfulness was not an insulation from affliction. He perceived that he had done nothing to deserve his unimaginable suffering. However, no matter how “good” he appeared to be, Job (the man) was still a sinner in need of a Savior…A Kinsman Redeemer…Who can only be the Lord, God, Jesus Christ. God emphasized this point in Chapters 40 and 41, using the Behemoth and Leviathan to represent the devil, to show that only God is powerful enough to overcome the devil and save Job. Job clearly got the message, and he repented as we read in the following and last chapter in Job 42:5&6, ” I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor [myself], and repent in dust and ashes.” And then God blessed Job double-fold, just as God did for Jesus after His Atonement on behalf of His redeemed.

The trials that Job endured were not related to his behavior or lack of faith. Instead, God used the sufferings as a test and as part of His sovereign plan in Job’s life to provide yet another spiritual reference to point to the undeserved sufferings of Jesus to save a people for Himself. Following this period of Job’s suffering and torment, and Job’s intercession on behalf of his three friends, God blessed Job with full restoration as we read in Job 42:10, “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:12, “¶So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:” and finally, Job 42:16 “¶After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations.“

The Spiritual Aspect of Job Points Us to Jesus and His Sufferings

But that is not the whole story, just as Job endured unimaginable torment that was undeserved, so too did the Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily endure unimaginable torment, which He did not deserve to save His people from the just punishment for their sins. As their Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus had to be the intercessionary Stand-In. Job made clear that he understood that this would be the case when he said in Job 19:25, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth:” And just as Job’s estate restored (his captivity turned) and increased double, so too was Jesus restored to The Father in Heaven after the Atonement and following His Resurrection. Moreover, Jesus’ Kingdom was also magnificently increased by the addition of all the souls for whom Jesus came to die for, and to suffer the pangs of Hell for their sins. Remember what we read concerning Jesus in Hebrews 10:7-10, (referencing Psalm 40:7&8) beginning with, “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” For a more in-depth study on how and why God has supernaturally interwoven Jesus throughout the entire Bible please see: Exalting the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ: The Key of Knowledge* for Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible

Jeremiah 5:30, “A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love [to have it] so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

2 Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.“

Psalm 58:4, “Their poison [is] like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder [that] stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.“

Introduction

Jeremiah Chapter 25 is an unusual chapter of the Bible. Not only does it foretell God’s Judgments against both Judah and Jerusalem (which were fulfilled in the literal temporal sense when Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were taken captive to Babylon and put under the reign of the evil King Nebuchadnezzar), but it is also a warning to the entire world of the short period of time known as the Final (Great) Tribulation, when God will have loosed the devil again to deceive the nations (as king Nebuchadnezzar is a “Type” of the devil). Jesus made clear that this period known of Great Tribulation will be the last event in history, which will occur immediately leading up to Judgment Day when the world as we now know it will be utterly destroyed. God makes this evident in the following verses of Jeremiah. God says that immediately following the 70 year captivity in Babylon, that Babylon would be judged (Jeremiah 25:12-14). And then God tells Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 25:15-38, that He would make all the many nations and great kings of the world to drink the wine cup of His fury, which forms yet another picture of Judgment Day that immediately follows the Great Tribulation. 

When we open up most reference Bibles, we will frequently see the chapter heading for Jeremiah Chapter 25 to read either “Prophecy of the Captivity” and “Ruin of All Nations Foretold“.

During the Final Tribulation, God Will Remove His Word!

This is exactly why we read in Jeremiah 25:10, “Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.” When we take a careful look at the seven key words presented here, we can, in each case, show that God is declaring that He will remove His Word from the entire world as a prejudgment for having turned from Him, and for the refusal of the world to hear when that Word was faithfully being proclaimed.

NOTE to the reader: We see very similar language in Jeremiah 7:34, where God says, “Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth^H8342, and the voice of gladness^H8057, the voice of the bridegroom^H2860, and the voice of the bride^H3618: for the land shall be desolate.” and again in Jeremiah 16:9, “For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth^H8342, and the voice of gladness^H8057, the voice of the bridegroom^H2860, and the voice of the bride^H8057.” We see the same exact words again in Jeremiah 33:11, where God is speaking of the future Restoration, first temporally to National Israel coming back to the physical land and spiritually to the Eternal Israel/Jerusalem coming into Heaven: “The voice of joy^H8342, and the voice of gladness^H8057, the voice of the bridegroom^H2860, and the voice of the bride^H8057, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD [is] good; for his mercy [endureth] for ever: [and] of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.” So we therefore have all the more reason to look closely at the spiritual implications of these key words.

1) God Will Take Away “The Voice of Mirth“

Clearly this is referring to that which comes from the mouth. Voices speak “words”. So the words that are being taken away are of “mirth“. The original Hebrew word that is translated as “mirth” is שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn)^H8342 which is translated variously by the King James translators in the following manner: joy (15x), gladness (3x), mirth (3x), rejoicing (1x).

Among the instances where this word is translated as either “joy” or “gladness” are these in Esther Chapter 8, verses 16 & 17, at the time when Mordecai (representing the Lord Jesus Christ) was promoted to the right hand of the king (representing God the Father) and the new decree (representing the Gospel of Salvation) went forth throughout the kingdom: “The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy,^H8342 and honour. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness,^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.”

2) God Will Take Away “The Voice of Gladness“

The word in the original Hebrew that is translated as “gladness” is שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ)^H8057, which 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 as we just saw for שָׂשׂוֹן (śāśôn)^H8342 that was translated first as “mirth”.

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))^H8057upon 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))^H1523 shall 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.”

3) God Will Take Away “The Voice of the Bridegroom“

The original Hebrew word that is translated as “bridegroom” is חָתָן (ḥāṯān)^H2860, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as law (10x), bridegroom (8x), husband (2x).

Some examples include: Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom ^H2860 decketh [himself] with ornaments,and as a bride adorneth [herself] with her jewels.”

Isaiah 62:5, “For [as] a young man marrieth a virgin, [so] shall thy sons marry thee: and [as] the bridegroom ^H2860 rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.”

Psalm 19:5, “Which [is] as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, [and] rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.“

Without doubt these are spiritual references to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Note that we see this reference again in Joel 2:16, “Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom ^H2860 go forth of his chamber, and the bride^H3618 out of her closet.” For more on the Book of Joel, please see this study.

4) God Will Take Away “The Voice of the Bride“

The original Hebrew word that is translated as “bride” is כַּלָּה (kallâ)^H3618 , which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as daughter in law (17x), bride (9x), spouse (8x).

The “Bride” when found in the Bible is always a portrait of the Bride of Christ, the Body of Believers.

Isaiah 49:18, “Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, [and] come to thee. [As] I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them [on thee], as a bride ^H3618 [doeth].”

Revelation 21:2, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.“

These verses are making it all the more clear that the Bridegroom spiritually represents the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the eternal Church is His Bride.

5) God Will Take Away “The Sound of the Millstones“

The original Hebrew word that is translated as “Millstones” is רֵחַיִם (rēḥayim)^H7347, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as mill (2x), millstone (2x), nether (1x).

Millstones are used to grind wheat into flour for the making of bread. They are therefore intimately associated with making bread available to feed the people. If the millstones are not making any sound, then there is no bread being made. God makes clear that the “Bread of Life” is intimately linked with Jesus Christ and the hearing of His Word as we read in John 6:35, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Remembering also that Jesus is The Word: 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.“

Only Jesus, as contained in the Bible in its entirely, Is The Word of God and the Bread of Life, Who can sustain the believers through this Great Tribulation and help us to endure until the end, Judgment Day, when Jesus returns on the clouds of Glory to judge the world and to retrieve His Church for eternity with Him in Heaven.

But the key takeaway is that God will take away the “sound” of the millstones. That sound will not be heard and as a result no bread will be available. The Word of God will, therefore, no longer be available!

6&7) God Will Take Away “The Light of the Candle.”

The original Hebrew words that are translated as “light” and “candle” are respecitively, אוֹר (‘ôr)^H216, and נִיר (nîr)^H5216, which have been interpreted by the King James translators variously as follows…

1. אוֹר (‘ôr)^H216: light(s) (114x), day (2x), bright (1x), clear (1x), flood (1x), herbs (1x), lightning (1x), morning (1x), sun (1x) and
2. נִיר (nîr)^H5216: lamp (35x), candle (9x), light (4x).

“The Light”

For the “light” we have these examples of God’s usage:

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))^G5457shineth 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))^G5457of 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))^G5461through 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.“

“of the Candle”

We should remember how back in the study of Proverbs 31:10-31, the Virtuous Woman (representing the true eternal Israel, the true believers in Jesus Christ), that her “candle” did not go out by night. This is because the true believers will continuously to have the Light (the Holy Spirit) through to the end when Jesus comes back again on Judgment Day.

For “candle” נִיר(nîr)^H5216 we have these examples of God’s usage:

We also know this from Psalm 119:105, “NUN. Thy word [is] a lamp (נִיר (nîr))^H5216 unto my feet, and a light unto my path.“

Psalm 18:28, “For thou wilt light my candle: ^H5216 the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.“

Psalm 132:17, “There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp ^H5216 for mine anointed.“

And note the contrast with the unsaved that we read about in Job 21:17, “How oft is the candle^H5216 of the wicked put out! and [how oft] cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.” and Proverbs 24:20, “For there shall be no reward to the evil [man]; the candle^H5216 of the wicked shall be put out.“ and Proverbs 13:9, “The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp^H5216 of the wicked shall be put out.“

In Exodus 27:20, we find, “And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp (נִיר (nîr))^H5216to burn always.”  

Please also see “The Parable of the Ten Virgins”, where only the five wise virgins had oil, the source of the light (representing God’s Holy Spirit) in their lamps, and they were the ones who were ready when the bridegroom (again, who represents Jesus) came at midnight (representing Judgment Day) in Matthew 25:6. The “five wise virgins”, like the “virtuous woman”, represent the eternal Church of God.

A Famine in the Land!

Note the consistency with what God says in Amos 8:11-13, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find [it]. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.” God is again telling us that there will indeed be a time when the Word of God will not be heard as if it were a famine, where there will be neither bread (the Bread of Life, Jesus) or water (the Gospel of Salvation by Jesus Christ) because God will have removed His Word.

Conclusion: The Great Tribulation is the Greatest Famine of All Time

Jesus warned of the Great (and Final) Tribulation as a prelude to Judgment Day in the following verses, which suggests that from a “spiritual” standpoint this period will indeed be horrific because 1) the devil will have been loosed again on earth, and 2) few, if any, people will become saved as a result. It should be noted that while these foretold events might seem to have had a literal physical fulfillment with the destruction of Jerusalem in 69/70 AD by the Romans, Jesus is really focusing on a global spiritual fulfillment during the Final Tribulation.

1. Matthew 24:19, “And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!”
2. Matthew 24:21&22, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.“
3. Matthew 24:29, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:” [For more on this please see: “The Heavens shall be Rolled Together as a Scroll“.]
4. Mark 13:24, “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.“
5. Luke 21:22-24, “For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in theland, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall betrodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.“

Relatedly, Jesus tells the believers not to worry in any case: John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.“

And as for this world, God refers to it as “the Great Babylon” at the end of time in the Book of Revelation. And please dear reader do not miss the close correlation of what we have just read about in Jeremiah 25:10 with what we now find in Revelation 18:23, “And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”

[The reader is encouraged to see this post as well “A Famine in the Land“] 

Finally, the Bridegroom is The LORD Jesus Christ, and the bride is the Eternal Church of God, and at the end of time, during the Great Tribulation (when the devil is loosed for “a little season” Revelation 20:3), the Word of God will essentially be silenced. The witnesses of God’s Truth will have been silenced and effectively killed, literally and/or figuratively. The Light of the World is Jesus Christ, and without Him, and without the hearing of Him, the world will go completely dark. The lack of “hearing” of “The Word” (which is the “True” Jesus) means that the world will be starved for the lack of hearing of God’s Word and suffer the consequences of a spiritual famine…an eternal spiritual death in Hell! It is this teacher’s prayer that although God has warned the world beforehand of this condemnation and pre-Judgment, that it may yet still be the day of Salvation because of what we read in Deuteronomy 4:30, “When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, [even] in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God [is] a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.“

[For more on the latter days, please see this post.]

Introduction

For the curious reader, it should be understood that this study is one of six “Character Profiles”, which in addition to this one include 1) King Ahasuerus, 2) Mordecai, 3) Esther, 4) Heggai/Hatach, and 5) Haman. These profiles are all excerpted from an in-depth, expositional commentary of The Book of Esther which shows, by many examples, how the Book of Esther was supernaturally crafted by God, through the orchestration of time and space along with God’s Holy Spirit inspired recording of it, to perfectly form an Historical Parable. More clearly stated, the Book of Esther has both an earthly/historical meaning and a heavenly/eternal spiritual meaning, which involves significant use of “allegories” and “types“. This study is one of many posted on this website to show that there are many such Hidden Treasures embedded within the various historical accounts that are recorded in the Bible. The Bible is a Spiritual Book, and the understanding of many of the key aspects of the Bible requires spiritual discernment. It should also be remembered that Jesus only spoke in parables to the multitude for the reasons explained here: “Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables?“.

Beautiful Queen Vashti Was the First Queen of King Ahasuerus

Queen Vashti: Whose name in Hebrew is וַשְׁתִּי (vaštî)^H2060 means “Beautiful” was, evidently, indeed a beautiful first queen. When she was bidden by the king (by his “commandment”) to a great feast, she refused to come while holding her own feast for the women; so the king decreed that she could never again come into his presence.  The king also decreed, at the advice of his wise men, that her royal estate be given “to another that is better than she.”  King Ahasuerus sent letters to all his provinces to be published “to every people after their language” to find a replacement for Queen Vashti.

King Ahasuerus replaced his first queen, Vashti, for her disobedience in not coming to the King’s feast at the middle of the year (180 days after the first feast) when bidden by his commandment, and then he gives her royal estate to Esther (the Jewish orphan raised up by her elder Benjamite kinsman, Mordecai) who has been properly anointed by the King’s Chamberlain, Hegai.

Vashti Was Disobedient to the King’s Commandment

Vashti was a beautiful first queen, but she rebelled against the King and refused to come to his feast, but rather held her own feast for the women in the royal palace that belonged to the King.  Deuteronomy 31:16-18 explains how this can be so, as does Jesus’ parable of the “Great Supper” in Luke 14:16-24, particularly the last verse Luke 14:24, “For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” And note that it was the “chief priests and Pharisees” who knew that Jesus was describing them through those parables as we read in Matthew 21:45, “¶And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.“

For the queen to be disobedient to the king’s commandment, is the same as a wife usurping the authority of her husband, rejecting subordination, which is rebellion and contrary to God’s word as we read in 1 Peter 3:1, “¶Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands;” and in 1 Peter 3:5, “For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:“. (Please see more below regarding Esther 1:20) Moreover, if punishment for rebellion is not meted out quickly then the rebellion will spread as we read in 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. Esther 1:19, “If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.“

God Rejected Old Testament National Israel but Remembers His Covenant

Remember also what we read in Amos 8:1-14 concerning National Israel, particularly Amos 8:2, “And he (God) said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.“

In Esther 2:1, we read, “After these things, when the wrath (חֵמָה (ḥēmâ))^H2534 of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.“ This verse CANNOT be interpreted as saying that king Ahasuerus changed his mind, and that later he intended to restore queen Vashti to her former estate, because Esther 2:4 and Esther 2:17 make it clear that Vashti is replaced by Esther. 

Queen Vashti Equates to National Israel of the Old Testament

How then are we to interpret this verse?  Well, we must realize that God had, in effect, been married to National Israel in the Old Testament as we read in Isaiah 50:1, “Thus saith the LORD, Where [is] the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors [is it] to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.”

We see this again in Jeremiah 31:31-34, “¶Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.“

Old Testament National Israel Became Estranged from God

Moreover, God did warn National Israel that He would put her away for her rebellion in Hosea 2:2, “Plead with your mother, plead: for she [is] not my wife, neither [am] I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;“. We also know that God would betroth Himself to whom He had not been previously married, as we read in Hosea 2:23, “And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to [them which were] not my people, Thou [art] my people; and they shall say, [Thou art] my God.”  We also know that this people who were “not my people” includes those chosen by Grace out of all the world (the Gentiles), but that it also includes “a remnant” from National Israel (Hosea 2:16-20).

Also in the Book of Hosea we read where God is referring to National Israel in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.“

God Remembers His Covenant

Note also the similarity with what we read in Ezekiel Chapter 16. There God talks about how He took pity on National Israel, and how He loved and cared for her, and He raised her up and made her beautiful from Ezekiel 16:1-15. However, Ezekiel 16:15-59, beginning with the words, “But thou didst trust in thine own beauty” (just like queen Vashti), shows us God’s disdain and judgment upon National Israel (as a corporate body) for her spiritual adultery, but nonetheless, in the last four verses in Ezekiel 16:60-63, God says that he will remember His covenant and promises to establish a new and everlasting covenant (with the spiritual eternal Israel, the true believing Christians, out of all the world saved by grace and not by the works of the law). This is exactly what was said earlier in Jeremiah 31:31-34.

And what else does the Bible say on this issue?  With respect to “remembering” Vashti, we know that God never forgets His covenant with Israel for we read in Leviticus 26:42, “Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.”  This is also repeated in the last four verses in Isaiah 16:1-63, beginning with “Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.”

Psalm 98:3, “He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.“

Psalm 105:7-10, “He [is] the LORD our God: his judgments [are] in all the earth. He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word [which] he commanded to a thousand generations. Which [covenant] he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, [and] to Israel [for] an everlasting covenant:“

Psalm 111:5, “He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.”

We also see this spelled out in Isaiah 65:8-10, “¶Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing [is] in it: so will I do for my servants’ sakes, that I may not destroy them all. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it,and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.”

Romans 11:15, “For if the casting away of them [be] the reconciling of the world, what [shall] the receiving [of them be], but life from the dead?”

The Bride of Christ (Eternal Israel) Is Better Than Old Testament National Israel

We also know that the believers are referred to throughout the Bible as the Bride of Jesus Christ (and Jesus Christ is also God).  That Bride is described in the Bible with all the attributes ascribed to Esther.  The true believers replaced National Israel (pictured by Vashti), God’s former chosen people, whom He effectively divorced at the cross (We see this in Jeremiah 3:8 regarding the initial divorce by God of the first ten tribes of Israel, “And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.” as well as Isaiah 50:1, “¶Thus saith the LORD, Where [is] the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors [is it] to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.“) because they would not come when bidden to the final Passover Feast (they rejected Jesus as Messiah, the Perfect Passover Lamb of God and His Wedding Feast and Great Supper…see Matthew 22:1–14  and  Luke 14:15-24).

Esther 1:20, “And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.”

Note the consistency with God’s Word on this topic. God ordained that the marriage relationship between a man and a woman is unequivocally a spiritual ‘Type’ for the marriage relationship between Christ and His Church as we read in Ephesians 5:22-25, “¶Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so [let] the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. ¶Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;“

And reading a bit further on we find this additional admonition from God in His Word as we read in Ephesians 5:33, “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence [her] husband.” 

Ephesians 6:2, “Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” While this has temporal implications and hearkens us back to the Ten Commandments in Exodus, we should be aware of the spiritual implications interwoven within the text. In essence, we are to honor God our Father in Heaven and our mother the Church from where we heard the Word preached, and, once saved, by being an active part within it.

Colossians 3:18&19, “¶Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. ¶ Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter against them.“

1 Timothy 2:12, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve.“

Clearly Vashti did not render due reverence to her husband, king Ahasuerus per God’s directive. She served as the exact personification of what we read in Jeremiah 3:20, “Surely [as] a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.” 

A Remnant of National Israel Will Nonetheless Still Be Saved

However, God tells us that there will still be a remnant of National Israel that will be saved when we look back a few verses to Jeremiah 3:14&15, “¶Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” God is promising that The remnant of National Israel would be brought into the body of believers, the church, but only in an extremely small number. They would be taught by God’s “pastors” who would teach them the Truth about Jesus, the source of all knowledge and understanding, such that they would be saved.

God makes clear via the Apostle Paul writings in Galatians 3 that “eternal Israel” consists only of those who are in Christ Jesus, regardless of nationality (whether a remnant of the Jews or from the Gentiles (e.g., “Greeks”)) who are all saved by Grace alone, by faith alone, and not in any way based on either works of the law or ancestral lineage traced back to Abraham.

Conclusion

The takeaway is that God remembered and performed His covenant unto what was Old Testatment Israel with a new and everlasting covenant in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who Is The Seed out of the remnant of Jacob. And God’s elect, His servants, are the “spiritual” “eternal” Israel. They are the true believing Christians, Jesus’ Church, out of all the world saved by grace, and not by the works of the law, through the fulfillment of God’s law by Jesus Christ His Beloved Son. That is why we also read in Luke 1:72, that Zacharias, under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, said that in Jesus Christ, God was about, “To perform the mercy [promised] to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;”

Note to the Reader: This post should be read in conjunction with the Book of Ruth. In that post, it is made clear that God does not completely abandon National Israel, as a remnant will still be saved. Naomi, Ruth’s widowed mother-in-law, is saved and blessed just like Ruth. Naomi represents the saved Jews of the world in Christ, and Ruth represents all the saved Gentiles of the world in Christ.

We should also remember that both Ruth and Esther are the only books in the Bible named for women as they also represents “widows” and “fatherless” respectively. For more on this please see this post: Widows and Orphans.

INTRODUCTION

This study explores  Proverbs 31:10-31, focusing on the spiritual significance of the opening rhetorical question, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” Unlike most interpretations that emphasize the virtuous woman’s attributes as a model for feminine wisdom and strength in serving family and community in this temporal world, this study takes a different approach. This study asserts that the passage’s meaning rests not upon the earthly roles for a woman, but rather, more significantly, a deeper spiritual eternal perspective. While many God-fearing women can embody admirable qualities—modesty, kindness, dedication, and nurturing their children in faith—no human can fully meet the perfection described in Proverbs 31. Yet, by God’s grace, “saved sinners” actually do fulfill the Divine standard of the “virtuous woman” as viewed by God because of the imputed perfection from the Lord Jesus Christ because of His Atoning Sacrifice for the sins of His elect.

This analysis examines the passage through to the end of the Book of Proverbs, highlighting key words and their spiritual implications within the context of the entire Bible by comparing scripture with scripture consistent with what we are told in 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.” It presents the “virtuous woman” as a metaphor for the Bride of Christ—the Church, the body of believers, by tracing key descriptive words throughout Biblical scripture to reveal this truth. Readers are encouraged to reflect on these connections and invited to share comments, questions, or critiques. 

To be clear, this study is explicitly “spiritual” in focus, and not a commentary on “earthly” roles of a woman from a human perspective. Most existing works already take that view. Perhaps the best such “non-spiritualized” commentary is that of Matthew Henry (circa 1710), found here, which does provide some interesting insights, such as noting that the passage’s structure of 22 verses, each begin with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is akin to Psalm 119. Could that fact be giving us another subtle indication that the “virtuous woman” represents the eternal Church being a reflection of her Husband, Jesus Christ?…because of what we read in Revelation 1:8, where Jesus said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (See also Revelation 1:11, 21:6, 22:13)

Note to the reader: Although the description of the Virtuous Woman begins in verse 10 of chapter 31, we should take note that it is presented in the context of the preceding nine verses…which are explained to be prophetic (taking the form of a parable) as words of instruction to King Lemuel from his mother. Therefore, in addition to a warning of not perverting judgment, and how to also deal with the sad state of affairs of the lost, it sets the stage for the following description of a virtuous woman whom, implicitly, a king should seek for a bride.

Let us now pursue this perspective more closely…

Jesus is the Bridegroom/Husband and the Church is the Bride/Wife

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom/Husband, and the Church (the body of believers) is the Bride/Wife.  This concept is derived from both Revelation 21:2, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.“

Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh [himself] with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth [herself] with her jewels.“

Isaiah 62:5, “For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.”

And remember what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 11:2, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.“

And Jesus clearly referred to Himself as the Bridegroom in Mark 2:19&20, “And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.”

Verse by Verse Exposition of Proverbs 31:10-31 Portraying the Bride of Christ

Proverbs 31:10, “Who can find a virtuous (חַיִל (ḥayil))^H2428 woman? for her price מֶכֶר (meḵer))^H4377 [is] far above rubies (פניים (p̄nyym)^H6443.”

Theme of this verse: The Church is “Priceless” and “Precious” (Because Jesus Christ and His Shed Blood are Priceless and Precious)

We should begin by asking ourselves, is there a meaning beyond just the literal earthly meaning of living happily if a man is married to a virtuous woman?  The answer is, yes, absolutely there is.  There is the spiritual meaning where the earthly shadow points us to the Heavenly substance. Moreover, although there indeed are, and always have been, many very virtuous/strong women/wives throughout time, the reality is that there have never been any “perfectly” virtuous women on earth.  This is because every one is under the curse of sin and death because of the fall of Adam. Romans 3:10, makes clear, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.”

And that is where Jesus must come in, as only Jesus can make someone become righteous, and hence perfectly “virtuous”.  We read in Romans 4:8, “Blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” Everyone needs the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to him or her, because no one is naturally righteous in God’s eyes.  We are all innately sinners, and, therefore, no one can be, or make themselves, righteous (perfectly virtuous).

“Who Can Find”?

Implicit in the opening rhetorical question is that a “Virtuous” Woman is a rarity in the world, and therefore exceedingly valued.  As we read at the end of the verse, she is so rare as to have an incomparable value. The word in the original Hebrew that is translated as “find” is מָצָא (māṣā’)^H4672, which is found 455 times in the Old Testament.  It means as it sounds, to “find”, but also to “secure”, “acquire”, “get” (thing sought), or to find (what is lost).   Interestingly enough, as lost sheep, all believers need to be found.  In Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus alluded to this in Matthew 18:12, “How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?” (Please see also “Luke Chapter 15 and The Parable of the Prodigal Son“.)  

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes our need for imputed righteousness plain. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” The Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus can make someone perfect and therefore virtuous becuase of Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice on that person’s behalf.  Jesus serves as that person’s Kinsman Redeemer because Jesus paid the price for that person’s sins.

“Virtuous Woman”

This word translated into English by the King James translators is in the original Hebrew, חַיִל (ḥayil))^H2428, and is only translated as “virtuous” or “virtuously” four times in the Old Testament.  The other three times are:

1. Proverbs 12:4, “A virtuous^H2428 woman [is] a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed [is] as rottenness in his bones.”
2. Ruth 3:11, where Boaz says to Ruth, “And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou [art] a virtuous^H2428woman.
3. Proverbs 31:29, “Many daughters have done virtuously,^H2428 but thou excellest them all.“

This word חַיִל (ḥayil)^H2428 is actually found in the Old Testament ~243 times, and has also been translated variously as follows army (56x), man of valour (37x), host (29x), forces (14x), valiant (13x), strength (12x), riches (11x), wealth (10x), power (9x), substance (8x), might (6x), strong (5x), virtuous(-ly) (4x), miscellaneous (29x), the latter including “worthily“.  It is safe to say that this word is a compliment of the highest order, particularly when we think of Jesus, and His imputation of His substance to the believer. Just as Boaz, “a mighty man of wealth^H2428“, who married Ruth and served as her Kinsman Redeemer, so too is Jesus Christ the Bridegroom and Kinsman Redeemer to His virtuous Bride, the eternal Church as the eternal Israel of God.

Note these two times that the word חַיִל (ḥayil))^H2428 appears in the Book of Ruth: 

1. Ruth 2:1, “And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, ^H2428 of the family of Elimelech; and his name [was] Boaz.” and
2. Ruth 4:11, where we read of the blessing upon Ruth for her baby boy born of Boaz who became the grandfather of King David and ultimately a direct ancestor on Mary’s side of the Lord Jesus Christ, “And all the people that [were] in the gate, and the elders, said, [We are] witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine houselike Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily^H2428 in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem.“

Ruth was identified as “virtuous”, and she certainly did “worthily”. Ruth married Boaz the mighty man of “wealth”.  We could also say that, in their marriage, they were both “valiant”, “strong”, “powerful”, and blessed with “substance”.  For a more in depth study on the spiritual implications of the roles of Ruth and Boaz please see “The Book of Ruth“.

It is also notable that the word translated as “virtuous” could also be translated as “strong“. In 1 Kings 8:2 we read, “And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which [is] the seventh month.” Interestingly enough, the seventh month (where we find the Feast of Tablernacles) was then called “Ethanim”, איתנים (‘yṯnym)^H388 (known post-Biblicly as “Tishri”), also means “strong” “enduring” “valiant” or “constantly flowing” as pertaining to a perennial stream aka, “living water”.) So we could then also say that a virtuous woman is like all those who come up to the Feast of Tabernacles, which is a parabolic reference to the believers going into Heaven for eternity.

In the New Testament, from the original Greek, the word translated as “virtue” is (ἀρετή (aretē))^G703: 1) 2 Peter 1:3-5, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue (ἀρετή(aretē))^G703: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. ¶And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue^G703; and to virtue ^G703 knowledge;“ 2) Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue,^G703 and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.“

“More Precious than Rubies“

In Proverbs 3:15, God describes “wisdom” חָכְמָה (ḥāḵmâ)^H2451 and “understanding” תָּבוּן (tāḇûn)^H8394 in the female gender, just like the Virtuous Woman, “She [is] more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.” Moreover we are told in Proverbs 8:10-11, “Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom [is] better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.” and in Job 28:18, “No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom [is] above rubies.” Also in Proverbs 20:15, we read that “There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.” Note also how the Apostle Paul was moved by the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 3:12, to point out that the believers (those in Christ), in being part of the building of the eternal Temple of God, are considered by God to be, in addition to gold and silver, “precious stones“.

In sum, we can say that the Virtuous Woman is endowed with, “Wisdom”, “Understanding”, and “Knowledge” which are consistent with the attributes of the Believer in Christ, and hence the believer is more valuable than “rubies”. We know this is the case because every believer (as part of the larger Bride of Christ) was bought with the precious blood of Jesus, whose value is beyond price. Jesus gave all of Himself as a ransom to purchase the believers. We can compare this value, and purchase, to what we read about the “Pearl of Great Price”, which we read about as spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 13:45, “¶Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Similarly, the “hid treasure” immediately preceding in Matthew 13:44, “¶Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.“

Also note how in 1 Peter 3:1-5 we read of the virtuous wife how she is of great price in the sight of God, “¶Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation [coupled] with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward [adorning] of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But [let it be] the hidden man (woman) of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, [even the ornament] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:“

And what really is the Price?

The “Price” for the Virtuous Woman (the Church) is the Shed Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, Which Price is certainly immeasurable! Remember what we read in 1 Corinthians 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body,  and in your spirit, which are God’s.” and 1 Corinthians 7:23, “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” 1 Peter 1:17-21, “¶And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning [here] in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope  might be in God.“

Proverbs 31:11, “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil (שָׁלָל (šālāl))^H7998.”

Theme of this verse: The Church “Evangelizes“

The word in the original Hebrew that is translated as “husband” is בַּעַל (baʿal)^H1167, which could also be translated as “lord” or “owner“.

The word in the original Hebrew that is translated as “trust” is בָּטַח (bāṭaḥ)^H982 as we read in Proverbs 3:5&6, “Trust ^H982 in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”  The word could also be translated as “to have confidence“.

As for having “no need of spoil“,  Psalm 119:162, tells us “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil (שָׁלָל (šālāl))^H7998.”  If the believers (typified by the virtuous woman) rejoice for having God’s Word, it as if they already have acquired great spoil, and hence have no need of additional spoil.  So wouldn’t it be true also of the husband of the virtuous woman?   Certainly, Jesus has no need of spoil.

The word in the original Hebrew that is translated as “trust” is בָּטַח (bāṭaḥ)^H982 as we read in Proverbs 3:5&6, “Trust ^H982 in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”  The word could also be translated as “to have confidence“.

As for having “no need of spoil“,  Psalm 119:162, tells us “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil (שָׁלָל (šālāl))^H7998.”  If the believers (typified by the virtuous woman) rejoice for having God’s Word, it as if they already have acquired great spoil, and hence have no need of additional spoil.  So wouldn’t it be true also of the husband of the virtuous woman?   We know that Jesus has no need of spoil.

We also know that Proverbs 18:22, “[Whoso] findeth a wife findeth a good [thing], and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” and Proverbs 19:14, “House and riches [are] the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife [is] from the LORD.“

Proverbs 31:12, “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.”

Theme of this vers: The Church “Testifies”

The believer, having the indwelling Spirit of Christ, The Holy Spirit, can only do “good” in the Spirit (only God is “Good” Matthew 19:17).  The Apostle Paul was moved to write in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. ¶I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”   Remember that the believer is still a sinner in the flesh, and can do no good thing, but in Christ, the believer is clothed in the robes of Christ’s righteousness and is viewed as “good”.  Moreover, Philippians 2:13, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.“

Proverbs 31:13, ” She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.” 

Theme of this verse: The Church “Prepares”

“She Prepares for a Covering”

Wool and flax (used to make linen) which are for the purpose of making clothing to cover one’s nakedness of trespasses and sins. This is exactly what we read in Hosea 2:9, where we are told that God had provided National Israel (the non-virtuous woman) with “my wool and my flax [given] to cover her nakedness“, but that God was going to recover /take away that covering because of her adultery.  So we can say that the Virtuous Woman (the eternal Church) seeks to provide a covering for the nakedness of sins (the covering being typified by the wool and flax/linen), which can only come from Jesus, as the believer’s sin Bearer, through the faithful sharing of the Gospel of Salvation. Jesus as the Lamb of God provides the “spiritual wool” for the sin covering as we read in John 1:29, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” As as for the flax/linen, we should remember what we read in Revelation 19:7&8, “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.“

As for working willingly with her hands, we are again reminded of Philippians 2:13, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.“

However, it is not so with the slothful as we read in Proverbs 21:25, “The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.“

Moreover, the virtuous woman is diligently working as we read below and completely unlike the slothful woman who remains at ease that we read about in Isaiah 32:9, “Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech. Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come. Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird [sackcloth] upon [your] loins.“

“She Provides Food”

Proverbs 31:14, “She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.” 

Theme of this verse: The Church “Provides”

The food represents the “Word of God” as we read in Amos 8:11&12, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find [it].“

That that “food from afar” is the “Bread of Life from Heaven”…Who is Jesus. Remember what we are told in John 6:32, “¶Then Jesus said unto them (the Jews), Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven;  but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. ¶Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. ¶And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” and again in John 6:48, Jesus repeated, “I am that bread of life.“

When a Christian shares the true Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, then that Christian is sharing the Bread of Life from Heaven to give eternal life to an otherwise starving and therefore dying world.

In Ezekiel chapter 27, we read a lot about the merchant ships that brought all manner of goods and food from afar via Tyre, (although Tyre was condemned by God because of its pride).

The Christian is instructed in Romans 12:11 to, “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;“

Proverbs 31:15, “She riseth (קוּם (qûm))^H6965 also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.“  

Theme of this verse: The Church “Nourishes” in the “Night”

The virtuous woman “rises“, typifying the fact that the believers take part in the first resurrection, while it is still “night“.

We should remember that the first time this word “night” appears in the Bible is in Genesis 1:5, “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night...” And in we read Psalm 90:4, “For a thousand years in thy sight [are but] as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.”

The “thousand years” is also a metaphor for the whole New Testament era, when the devil was bound at the cross, as is found where referenced as the “thousand year reign” that we find in Revelation 20:2-7, “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 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. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,” (The Final Tribulation is that little season when the devil is loosed at the end of the New Testament Era.)

This current temporal world (which includes the whole New Testament Era) is actually a time of spiritual darkness, which is typified in the Bible by the “night”. This brings to mind what we read in Romans 13:11&12, “¶And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”

The believer knows that the time is short, and that Jesus is coming back again soon, and that the believer cannot stay asleep but must rise in the night to bring nourishment, the Bread of Life to a dead and dying world. Noting also, in speaking to the Church, the Apostle Paul was inspired to write in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4, “¶But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” and then immediately following in 1 Thessalonians 5:5-7, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.” And speaking of the night and those who remain sleeping in the night, the unsaved will metaphorically be awakened suddenly at “Midnight” as is explained in this post: “Midnight in the Bible: A Metaphor for Judgment Day“.

We will not truly have “day” until Jesus returns, as it is written in Malachi 4:2, “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” Also in 2 Peter 1:19, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star  arise in your hearts:“

So the Christian shares the Gospel of Salvation through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in doing so, Christians become as Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”

Remember also what the Apostle Paul was inspired to say in 1 Thessalonians 2:9, “For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.“

The meat, like bread, represents the life giving Gospel of Salvation that dispersed by the eternal Church of Christ. Remember in John 6:55, where Jesus said, “For my flesh is meat indeed,  and my blood is drink indeed.”

Moreover, it has been pointed out to me by another believer that the virtuous woman serves her servants, much like Jesus was the Suffering Servant, Who served His disciples. “Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Clearly Jesus taught His disciples by His example, as we see in John 13:12, “¶So after he (Jesus) had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them,Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, [your] Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.“

The Lady of the House

We should take note of the fact that the Church is specifically referred to in 2 John 1:1 as the “elect lady” as we read here, “The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;” In Biblical times the lady of the house was also known as the mistress of the house and household as we read in Psalm 123:2, “Behold, as the eyes of servants [look] unto the hand of their masters, [and] as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes [wait] upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” The believers are dependent upon both God and His true church for guidance and nourishment. The word used here for “mistress” in the original Hebrew is גְּבֶרֶת (gᵊḇereṯ)^H1404, which can more correctly be interpreted as “lady of the house”.

Proverbs 31:16, “She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.” 

Theme of this verse: The Church “Propagates”

“She Propagates Fruit“

Psalm 128:3 tells us, “Thy wife [shall be] as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.“

Does being fruitful only refer to children in the earthly sense, or is there also a spiritual meaning? Let us look closer at the meaning of being fruitful in the spiritual sense, where the ultimate goal of the Church is to be fruitful for God as we see in Matthew 13:8, “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.“ In Ezekiel 17:8, God addresses National Israel should have brought forth fruit, but did not because, “It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.”

(The following is excerpted from another post on Jesus’ Parable of the Sower):

We can see the consistency between what Jesus expounded regarding the seed and the sower with what can be found in Isaiah 55:10&11 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.  

Moreover, looking ahead to the New Testament, we read in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.”  And in 2 Corinthians 9:10&11, the Apostle Paul provides a tie-in to Isaiah 55:10&11, “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.” We know that the work that God is talking about is the people who believe as the result of faithfully preaching and teaching the Truth (Jesus Is The Truth) of the Gospel of Salvation.  This is clear in1 Corinthians 9:1, “¶Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?“

Please also note the consistency with  Isaiah 44:3&4, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.” And note how this points us to Jesus Christ when we read of Him here in Isaiah 53:2, “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” The believers are considered by God to be Jesus’s seed. Jesus first sprang up out of dry ground and bears fruit with seed, and when the believers spring up with life (out of the “good ground” rooted in Christ), then they will bear fruit (other believers) through the spreading of the Word, the Good Seed, which is the Gospel of Jesus!

Jesus is the first/chief of those who will be raised/resurrected. 1 Corinthians 15:23, “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” Psalm 85:12, “Yea, the LORD shall give [that which is] good; and our land shall yield her increase.“

There is a very clear correlation between the above and what we read in the “Parable of the Seed” found in Mark 4:26-29, “¶And he (Jesus) said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” And the “harvest” is Judgment Day!

And we should also note how consistent this is with Hebrews 6:7&8, “¶For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers [is] rejected, and [is] nigh unto cursing; whose end [is] to be burned.” (Please note how this is also consistent with the “Parable of the Wheat and the Tares” as found in Matthew 13:24-30, which is the only other parable that was explained by Jesus in Matthew 13:36-43 making clear that the unsaved, the “tares”…”the children of the wicked [one]” who respond to the Word by “bearing thorns and briars“, would be “burned” in a “furnace of fire” (Hell) “in the end of this world“.

Dear reader, please note how perfectly these verses harmonize with what we find in Ecclesiastes 11:1-6. There we read, “¶ Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.If the clouds be full of rain, they empty [themselves] upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.  As thou knowest not what [is] the way of the spirit, [nor] how the bones [do grow] in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both [shall be] alike good.”  

We are also reminded of what we are told in James 5:7&8, “¶Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.“

And regarding the vineyard, we are reminded that vineyards produce grapes, which produce wine when they are pressed in the Winepress. The wine represents the shed blood of Jesus Christ, by which God saves a people for Himself.

Proverbs 31:17, “She girdeth her loins with strength (עֹז (ʿōz))^H5797, and strengtheneth her arms.”

Theme of this verse: The Church is “Battle Ready”

This is reminiscent of how the believers are told to put on the “Whole Armour of God“:

Ephesians 6:10-19, “¶Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 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. ¶Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,..” and 2 Corinthians 6:7, “By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,“

Proverbs 31:18, “She perceiveth that her merchandise (סַחַר (saḥar))^H5504 [is] good: her candle נִיר (nîr)^H5216 goeth not out by night.”

Theme of this verse: The Church is “Vigilant and Faithful”

Proverbs 3:13-15 equates “merchandise” with “wisdom” and then, moreover, we see that such wisdom is “more precious than rubies” exactly as the virtuous woman is described, “Happy [is] the man [that] findeth wisdom, and the man [that] getteth understanding. For the merchandise (סַחַר (saḥar))^H5504 of it [is] better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She [is] more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.” Remembering also what we are told in Proverbs 8:11, “For wisdom [is] better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.“

It has also been shown that true “Wisdom” equates to knowing and loving the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthian 1:30, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.“

The virtuous woman, the eternal church, has the Oil in her lamp, which represents The Holy Spirit, and that candle/lamp does not go out.  The original Hebrew word that is translated here as candle is נִיר(nîr)^H5216 is translated variously as lamp (35x), candle (9x), light (4x).  Hence the virtuous woman’s “lamp” not going out by night makes much more sense.

We also know this from Psalm 119:105, “NUN. Thy word [is] a lamp (נִיר (nîr))^H5216 unto my feet, and a light unto my path.“

Job 29:3, “When his candle (נִיר (nîr))^H5216 shined upon my head, [and when] by his light (אוֹר (‘ôr))^H216 I walked [through] darkness;

Psalm 18:28, “For thou wilt light my candle: ^H5216 the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.“

Psalm 132:17, “There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp (נִיר (nîr))^H5216 for mine anointed.“

And note the contrast with the unsaved that we read about in Job 21:17, “How oft is the candle (נִיר (nîr)^H5216 of the wicked put out! and [how oft] cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.” and Proverbs 24:20, “For there shall be no reward to the evil [man]; the candle (נִיר (nîr))^H5216 of the wicked shall be put out.“ and Proverbs 13:9, “The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp (נִיר (nîr))^H5216 of the wicked shall be put out.“

In Exodus 27:20, we find, “And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp (נִיר (nîr))^H5216 to burn always.”  

Please also see “The Parable of the Ten Virgins”, where only the five wise virgins had oil (representing God’s Holy Spirit) in their lamps, and they were the ones who were ready when the bridegroom (representing Jesus) came at midnight (representing Judgment Day) in Matthew 25:6. The “five wise virgins”, like the “virtuous woman”, represent the eternal Church of God.

Proverbs 31:19, “She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.”

Theme of this verse: The Church is “Self Sufficient”

It should be noted here that both the spindle and the distaff are tools used in creating thread for weaving linen from flax. The distaff is a stick or spindle on to which wool or flax is wound for spinning into thread.

The point being that this is a allegorical reference to the fact that the virtuous woman is diligent in spreading the Gospel per Jesus’ Great Commission as the means for providing the “spiritual” white linen robes of Christ’s righteousness that we read about 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;“. This is all the more clear when we realize that the virtuous woman, representing the eternal Church, the Bride of Christ, is herself similarly clothed in the fine white linen of Christ’s righteousness as we read in  Revelation 19:8, “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.“

. In Matthew 28:18-20 (the last verses of Matthew), we see this clearly when Jesus spoke to His disciples, “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 again in Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

In Zephaniah 3:16, we read concerning the “remnant of Israel” who represent the eternal Church at the end of the world “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: [and] to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.“

Proverbs 31:20, “She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.”

Theme of this verse: The Church is “Ministers”

Everyone by nature is poor and needy as everyone, because of sin, is on the road to Hell apart from the Sovereign Grace of God. And God works through the Gospel, shared by believers, to lead others to Salvation via the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember what we read in Romans 10:13-17, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. ¶How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 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! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.“

Proverbs 22:9, “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.“

Proverbs 29:7, “The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: [but] the wicked regardeth not to know [it].“

Proverbs 31:9, “Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”

In Amos 8:4–7, we read how God condemns National Israel for its apostasy and disobedience, “Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,…, The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.“

Isaiah 58:6&7, “[Is] not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? [Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?“

Romans 12:13, “Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.“

It is also worth looking again at the post “Widows, Orphans, Strangers, and the Poor“.

Proverbs 31:21, “She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household [are] clothed with scarlet (שָׁנִי (šānî))^H8144.”

Theme of this verse: The Church “Endures”

The Bride of Christ, the eternal Israel, covers her household with the Atoning Blood of Jesus, and she is NOT “afraid“. She is diligent and NOT slothful.

Proverbs 20:4, “The sluggard (עָצֵל (ʿāṣēl))^H6102 will not plow by reason of the cold; [therefore] shall he beg in harvest, and [have] nothing.“

Please see the post covering the Parable of the Talents for a discussion on what it means to be “afraid“.

Proverbs 31:22, “She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing [is] silk and purple.” 

Theme of this verse: The Church “Reflects Christ’s Royalty”

The original Hebrew word for “silk” is שֵׁשׁ (šēš)^H8336 which is also translated as “fine twinned linen“, for example:  Exodus 26:1, “¶Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle [with] ten curtains [of] fine twined linen (שֵׁשׁ (šēš))^H8336, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: [with] cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.“

NOTE to the reader: The three colors intertwined in the curtains of the Tabernacle are most interesting for the following reasons: 1) Blue, in the original Hebrew is תְּכֵלֶת (tᵊḵēleṯ)^H8504, like the sky, represents Heaven where God resides, so we can relate Blue to God; 2) Scarlet is a most interesting word, because in the original Hebrew the word is תּוֹלָע (tôlāʿ)^H8438, which can also be translated as “worm“. This is because a certain “worm” can be used to make a scarlet/crimson dye that is “blood red”. In Isaiah 41:14, we read, “Fear not, thou worm ^H8438 Jacob, [and] ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.“. The “worm” (תּוֹלָע (tôlāʿ))^H8438 is equated with mankind in Jacob/Israel, who has red blood that is tainted with sin. This is what we find in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet (שָׁנִי (šānî))^H8144, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red (אָדַם (‘āḏam))^H119  like crimson (תּוֹלָע (tôlāʿ))^H8438 , they shall be as wool.” and in Job 25:6, “How much less man, [that is] a worm (רִמָּה (rimmâ))^H7415? and the son of man, [which is] a worm (תּוֹלָע (tôlāʿ))^H8438?” The Scarlet is associated with man and man’s sin. And Jesus had to Atone for the sins of His Elect by becoming a worm and shedding His Blood as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” But what about 3) Purple? What happens when we mix blue with red (scarlet)…we obtain “purple”. Jesus is the only God-Man, and He is the Bridge between God and mankind!

We should also take note that the Priestly garments created for Aaron and his sons involved the use of “fine linen” as we read for example in Exodus 28:5“And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen ^H8336 .” And also in both Exodus 28:39, regarding the construction of the priestly garments, “And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen ^H8336 , and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle [of] needlework.“and Exodus 28:8, “And the curious girdle of the ephod, which [is] upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; [even of] gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and ^H8336 fine twined (שָׁזַר (šāzar))^H7806 linen.^H8336“.

But what was the point of the linen for the priestly coverings? We are told at the end of Exodus Chapter 28 the following: Exodus 28:42&43, “And thou shalt make them linen (בַּד (baḏ))^H906 breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy [place]; that they bear not iniquity, and die: [it shall be] a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him. The point being that every believer is anointed by God to be a priest in His Tabernacle/Temple in Heaven, and each must be clothed in the robes of Christ’s righteousness that is being typified by the fine white linen, and without such sin covering no one can enter into the presence of God and must die to spend all eternity in Hell.

Let us not forget what God says in Job 36:7, “He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings [are they] on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.“and Revelation 1:6, “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.“ Moreover, in Ephesians 2:4-6, the Apostle Paul was inspired to write: “¶ 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:“

For more background on what this means, please see this post: “The Children of God“.

Note: The “linen” (בַּד (baḏ))^H906 is equated with “fine twined linen” in Exodus 39:28, “And a mitre [of] fine linen^H8336 , and goodly bonnets [of] fine linen^H8336, and linen ^H906 breeches [of] fine twined ^H7806 linen^H8336 ,”

So, as before, we can see that the virtuous woman is diligent in her work of sharing the Gospel by which she also is similarly saved, bearing in mind the admonition we read in Philippians 2:12&13, “¶Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.”

Proverbs 31:23, “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.”

Theme of this verse: The Church’s “Glory is Christ”

Is is interesting to note that two of the prominent “Types” of the Lord Jesus Christ were known as men, and elders, who sat in the gates of the city,1) Boaz in the Book of Ruth, and 2) Mordecai in the Book of Esther.

Proverbs 31:24, “She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.”

Theme of this verse: The Church’s Goal is to “Provide Covering for All”

Much has already been said concerning the fine linen and the production of coverings for sin through the sharing of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, because of the “flax” that mentioned in verse 13, the fine linen can then be produced.

Speaking of merchandising, Jesus’ Parable of the Talents comes to mind, which is explained in detail here. Isaiah 55:1-3 also comes to mind which is exegeted in this post entitled: “Are You Buying It?“

Proverbs 31:25, “Strength (עֹז (ʿōz))^H5797 and honour (הָדָר (hāḏār))^H1926 [are] her clothing; and she shall rejoice (שָׂחַק (śāḥaq))^H7832 in time to come.”

Theme of this verse: The Church is “Pure”

Every believer, as part of the eternal church, is clothed with the robes of Christ’s Righteousness.

1 Chronicles 16:27, “Glory and honour (הָדָר (hāḏār))^H1926 [are] in his presence; strength (עֹז (ʿōz))^H5797 and gladness [are] in his place.”

Psalm 96:6, “Honour and majesty (הָדָר (hāḏār))^H1926 [are] before him: strength (עֹז (ʿōz))^H5797 and beauty [are] in his sanctuary.“

Revelation 5:12, “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.“

It should be noted that the word for “rejoice” in the original Hebrew is שָׂחַק (śāḥaq)^H7832. While it can also be translated as “laugh”, “play”, “mock”, it is more appropriated understood in these cases to mean “to laugh at, usually in contempt, in derision“ and most notably as we read in these verses with respect to when both God (and the believers) will “laugh” at the those who reject the Word of God:

[Note: For more on “laughter” as is discussed in the Bible please see this post: “Laughter in the Bible?“]

Psalm 2:4, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: ^H7832 the Lord shall have them in derision.

Psalm 37:13, “The Lord shall laugh ^H7832 at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.”

Psalm 52:6, “The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh ^H7832 at him:“

Psalm 59:8, “But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh ^H7832 at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.”

 Proverbs 1:26, “I (God) also will laugh ^H7832 at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;”

The time to come is Judgment Day, the condemnation of the wicked, and the entrance of the believers into eternity in Heaven with God. And that will be a time of true “Rejoicing” will take place as is explained here in

Proverbs 31:26, “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue [is] the law of kindness.”

Theme of this verse: The Church “Speaks God’s Word Only”

The Believers, the Body of Christ, use their mouths and tongues to spread the Word of God and the Gospel of Salvation, and thereby Honor God in the process. For more on this please see: “Honoring God With One’s Mouth and Tongue“.

Proverbs 31:27, “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.”

Theme of this verse: The Church is “Faithfully in Communion with the Saints”

True Christians are concerned about the welfare of their families, friends, neighbors and yes, also widows, orphans, and strangers wherever they are found (remembering also that God is not just talking about literal widows orphans and strangers as we see revealed in the Books of Ruth and Esther). But, more importantly, Christians are concerned for the eternal souls of others and not just their temporal welfare.

Proverbs 31:28, “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband [also], and he praiseth her.”

Theme of this verse: The Church “Continues from Generation to Generation”

The children of the virtuous woman are those “begotten in the Lord” who become believers through having heard the Gospel preached by her. 1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.“

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Husband of His beautiful Bride, the eternal Church.

Proverbs 31:29, “Many daughters have done virtuously (חַיִל (ḥayil))^H2428, but thou excellest them all.”

Theme of this verse: The Church “Excels Above All Others”

The “virtuous woman”, because she is a typological representative for the Bride of Christ, then indeed does excellent above all others.

Proverbs 31:30, “Favour [is] deceitful, and beauty [is] vain: [but] a woman [that] feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.”

Theme of this verse: The Church is “Eternally Beautiful and Praiseworthy in Christ”

True beauty is that found in the heart, and is present whenever a person becomes saved. That person fears the Lord and this verse hearkens back to the beginning of Proverbs in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.” That person has Jesus’ virtue endowed upon that person. This is why we find this rather unusual account presented in Luke 8:43-48 (and Mark 5:25-34), where Jesus’ “Virtue” (actually the original Greek word is δύναμις (dynamis)^G1411 which is most often translated as “power”) went out of Him to heal a sick woman, “And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, Came behind [him], and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. ¶And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press [thee], and sayest thou, Who touched me? ¶And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. ¶And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” The believers who fear God, and have faith in Jesus’ ability to heal their sin-sick souls, will be endowed with Jesus’ virtue to make them whole and, hence, “virtuous” in God’s eyes.

Similarly we read in Luke 6:19, “And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue (δύναμις (dynamis))^G1411 out of him, and healed [them] all.” We should also consider what we read in 2 Peter 1:3, where this same word for “virtue” and “power” are used interchangeably, “According as his divine power (δύναμις (dynamis))^G1411 hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness,  through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue (δύναμις (dynamis))^G1411:“

The person, the she (or he), who becomes a believer will be eternally praised (honored) by God in Heaven and will reflect back the praise and honor to God for eternity.

Proverbs 31:31, “Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.”

Theme of this verse: The Church Will Rejoice for Having Heard the Word, Jesus’ Gospel of Salvation, Faithfully Preached

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!” where the Apostle Paul hearkens us back to Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!“

Looking at this verse from the spiritual perspective brings to mind a number of questions:

1. What is the “fruit”?
2. What are the “works”?
3. What does this mean “let her own works praise her in the gates”?

Let us think about the key words in this verse:

“Fruit”

The first thing that comes to mind is what Jesus said in Matthew 12:33, “¶Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by [his] fruit.” And we know that Jesus was not just talking about literal trees but more importantly about people because of what we read in Luke 6:43, “¶For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Please see also Mat 7:15–20 ). The virtuous woman represents the true eternal church, the body of believers, hence of God and therefore she is viewed by God as “good.” The Church bears “good fruit” which ultimately means that the Church brings in new believers through the faithful preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is also worthwhile to remember Jesus’ Parable of the Sower.

“Works”

The only truly “good work” is God’s Work, and God Works through the life of believers, through His Holy Spirit, to preach Jesus’ Gospel of Salvation to a dead and dying world as the means to harvest souls for God’s Heavenly Harvest House. The “work” is the saving of sinners through the faithful proclamation of that Gospel, and “the works” are those who have professed belief, and become a part of the corporate church. Ultimately, the lasting works who will form the eternal Church of Christ are likened to “gold, silver and precious stones” that we read about in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. Note the consistency with what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:1, “¶Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?”

Works Praising the Virtuous Woman

That “fruit”, and those “works”, who are spiritual representations of all those saved throughout time, and who will most certainly praise the Church in the gates of Heaven for having been used by Holy God to successfully bring in the harvest of wheat, for building of God’s Holy Temple with lively stones, for being used by God to bring in lost sheep into Jesus’ Flock.

Final Thoughts on the Virtuous Woman

Please bear in mind that there are only two other verses in the whole Bible that use the phrase “virtuous woman.“

Ruth 3:11, “And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.”

Proverbs 12:4, “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is asrottenness in his bones.”

Additional verses that underscore the same point can be found here specifically regarding a “prudent wife”:

Proverbs 19:14, “House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the Lord.”

Moreover, if we look at the “Bride of Christ” from God’s perspective, who is clothed in Jesus Christ’s imputed righteousness, then we can see more clearly what this verse means: Proverbs 18:22, “[Whoso] findeth a wife findeth a good [thing], and obtaineth favour of the LORD.”

God uses examples of virtuous women in the Bible to represent Jesus’ Bride, the Church.

In addition to Ruth, named above, there is also Esther, and Anna (the Prophetess).

Note also the description of the beautiful Queen in Psalm 45:9-17, and how closely the verses correlate with the depiction of the Virtuous Bride of God.

Psalm 45:9-17, reads, “Kings’ daughters [were] among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he [is] thy Lord; and worship thou him. And the daughter of Tyre [shall be there] with a gift; [even] the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. The king’s daughter [is] all glorious within: her clothing [is] of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.“

Psalm 113:9, “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, [and to be] a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.“

Proverbs 8:17, “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.“

Song of Solomon 1:8, “If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.”

1 Timothy 2:8-15, “¶ I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”

1 Timothy 5:1-3, “¶Rebuke not an elder, but intreat [him] as a father; [and] the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. ¶Honour widows that are widows indeed.“

1 Timothy 5:6, “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.“

Titus 2:3-5, “The aged women likewise, that [they be] in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, [To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.“

1 Peter 3:1-6, “¶Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation [coupled] with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward [adorning] of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, [even the ornament] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.“

Conclusion

This post on Proverbs 31:10-31 is intended help the reader to see how the “Virtuous Woman” spiritually represents the Bride of Jesus Christ (the eternal Church of God, the eternal Israel, the New Jerusalem). She was purchased by the precious shed Blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary, outside the walls of Jerusalem on Passover in 33 AD. Jesus’ Sacrifice is beyond priceless, and therefore so precious to God that she is of value “far above rubies“.

It is well worth repeating again what we are told in Proverbs 18:22, “[Whoso] findeth a wife findeth a good [thing], and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” and Proverbs 19:14, “House and riches [are] the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife [is] from the LORD.“ Every believer is spiritually embodied together as the Bride of Jesus Christ.

Postscript: A Christian Woman

It should be also noted that the Bible does indeed provide us with some additional information in New Testament references, which speak of the literal earthly attributes and lifestyle characteristics that should be found in chaste God-fearing Christian women (and wives) during this earthly sojourn. They provide instruction appropriate to consider within the context of this spiritual study of the virtuous woman. While there can always be discussion as to what extent the literal earthly temporal qualities overlap those found in Proverbs 31, without doubt one attribute clearly stands out: Proverbs 31:30 “…a woman [that] feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.”

These verses are worth repeating:

1. 1 Timothy 2:9-15, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.“
2. 1 Peter 3:1-6, “¶Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation [coupled] with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward [adorning] of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, [even the ornament] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.“

Introduction

Have you ever wondered what was meant by the following verses concerning the building with “gold, silver, precious stones” versus “wood, hay, stubble” as it appears in the following context?…

1 Corinthians 3:9-15, “¶For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye are] God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver,  precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day (Judgment Day) shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.“

Understanding requires a bit of study and comparison of scripture with scripture (“comparing spiritual things with spiritual” according to 1 Corinthians 2:13).

When we think of “gold“, “silver“, and “precious stones“, we think of things that are obviously more lasting in the presence of fire than “wood“, “hay” and “stubble“. God specifically makes clear the point that the believers are “precious” in His sight and protected from the fires of Hell because of Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice; while also comparing unsaved peoples to the inflammable “wood” or “hay (dry grass)” or “stubble” which are easily burned and consumed by fire.

The Elect Are Precious (the Righteous Because Jesus is Righteous) And Belong to God and Are Those To Be Saved

Note what God says in Malachi 3:16-18, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.“

Zechariah 13:9, “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It [is] my people: and they shall say, The LORD [is] my God.” [Jeremiah 23:29, “[Is] not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces?“]

Flammable Wood and Stubble (the Wicked) Are To Be Condemned and Burned Up

We see examples in Zechariah 12:6, “In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, [even] in Jerusalem.”

We also we see similar references to “stubble” in:

1. Isaiah 5:24, “Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” and
2. Isaiah 47:14, “Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: [there shall] not [be] a coal to warm at, [nor] fire to sit before it.” and
3. Malachi 4:1, “¶ For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.“

It is also interesting to consider the spiritual implications of Job 22:23, “If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the [gold] of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.“

“We are Labourers together with God“

The believers are made co-laborers with Jesus in the building of His Church, His Bride, The New Jerusalem. For additional background, please see this study on Nehemiah Chapter 2. Nonetheless, we must never forget God’s unequivocal pronouncement in Psalm 127:1, “[[A Song of degrees for Solomon.]] Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh [but] in vain.” God is the ultimate Builder and the Chief Architect.

1 Colossians 3:9, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye are] God’s building.“

Luke 10:2, “Therefore said he (Jesus) unto them (His disciples), The harvest truly [is] great,  but the labourers [are] few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.“

We build Up a Spiritual House on the Foundation of Jesus Christ, the “Chief Corner Stone, Elect, Precious“

1 Peter 2:4, “¶To whom coming, [as unto] a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, [and] precious,“

1 Peter 2:5-8, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. ¶Unto you therefore which believe [he is] precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, [even to them] which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.“

Note to the Reader: The Apostle Paul was referring back to Psalm 118:22, “The stone [which] the builders refused is become the head [stone] of the corner.” and
Isaiah 28:16, “¶Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone,  a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.“

Ephesians 2:19-22, “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.”

Hebrews 9:24, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:” And in that vein, let us also recall what we find in 2 Corinthians 5:1, “¶For we know that if our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” For a more in-depth study on the Holy Temple of God, which is not made with hands, please see this study: “The Holy Temple of God, Will it Ever Be Rebuilt?“

“Every Man’s Work Shall Be Made Manifest“

The “work” that God is referring to is only serving God by be a faithful messenger in bringing the true message of Salvation to a dead and dying world seeking to add true “living stones” in the building of the eternal Temple of God. The believer has no control over how or when a person will respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Atoning Sacrifice, because that is God’s business. The Parable of the Sower and the teaching of the Potter and the Clay make this clear.

On Judgment Day, everything will be revealed as to who is to be saved and who is not, and those to whom the Gospel was faithfully preached who are drawn by God the Father to Jesus will be saved and refined by fire because Jesus went through the fires of Hell for them, or those for whom Jesus did not Atone will be burned in the the fires of Hell. The believer who preached will suffer that loss, but that believer will not lose his or her own salvation, because Jesus endured the fires of Hell for all believers.

Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.“

Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no  good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.“

Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.“

Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:“

Philippians 2:12&13, “¶Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but  now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.“

The Great Division

The key is that there are only two kinds of people in the world. The saved and the unsaved, the spiritual and the carnal. All who will be saved will be saved by being brought vicariously through the fires of Hell in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no such thing as a “carnal Christian. On Judgment Day there will be the great separation between the wheat and the tares…the sheep and the goats…the saved and the unsaved. Please see: The Great Division and The Threshing Floor of God,

Conclusion

The only truly “good work” is God’s Work, and God Works through the life of believers, through His Holy Spirit, to preach Jesus’ Gospel of Salvation to a dead and dying world as the means to harvest souls for God’s Heavenly Harvest House. The “work” is the saving of sinners the proclamation of that Gospel, and “the works” are those who have professed belief and become a part of the corporate church. Note the consistency with what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:1, “¶Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?”

The Holy Heavenly Temple of God is being constructed with living souls, as “lively stones“, from all mankind drawn to Jesus throughout temporal history. Those saved souls (the true believers) are represented by the “gold, silver, and precious stones” that do not burn and are only refined by fire. Sadly, there will be others, represented by the “wood, hay, stubble“, who, after having heard the Gospel, will come into, and associate themselves with, the external body, the corporate Christian church (vice the Eternal Church of Jesus Christ), but who are in reality are not part of God’s Elect. Those persons will be burned and lost forever. Those who faithfully preached the true Gospel to those making up this latter group will not be held accountable by God for that failure.

This reality, which might be hard for some to accept, is nonetheless clearly taught by Jesus in His Parable of the Ten Virgins.

Please also note the parallels with these verses:  2 Timothy 2:15-21, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane [and] vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. ¶But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” And remember the vessels of honor versus dishonor as are mentioned in Romans 9:21, “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” Please see also this post: “The Potter and the Clay“

It is therefore all the more poignant that we look back now at the four preceding verses of those covered in this post: 1 Corinthians 3:5, “¶Who then is Paul, and who [is] Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.”

2 Timothy 1:8-11, “¶Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 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 through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.“

Therefore God is entirely Sovereign, and God gets the ALL of the credit for the salvation of souls, while the “reward” that is given to the believer who has been given the role in the labor of planting and watering will be the same “reward” that will be given to each and every believer as Jesus said in Matthew 25:23, “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” And remember also what we read in Isaiah 58:8, “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.” [Note the phrase “shall be thy rereward” is from the single original Hebrew word, אָסַף (‘āsap̄) ^H622, so the last part of the verse could also be interpreted as effectively saying “gathered up to the glory of the LORD is the believer’s reward”]. Similarly, we also read in Gen 15:1“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I [am] thy shield, [and] thy exceeding great reward.“

At this point, this teacher highly recommends that the reader please also see these studies on “The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard“, “The Parable of the Sower“, and “The Doctrine of Election“.

NOTE TO TALARICO: God Is NOT ‘Nonbinary’

Introduction

The world today faces turmoil—not only physically and morally but, most critically, spiritually. The Bible illustrates what happens when nations turn away from worshiping and from obeying the true God, becoming morally bankrupt as a result. Alarmingly, a majority of formerly Christian churches have also strayed, embracing apostasy following the ways of man rather than the ways of God. Repenting and returning to God’s Word would bring blessings, while continued rebellion invites God’s wrath and, ultimately, eternal destruction in Hell. The Book of Isaiah offers historical lessons for ancient Israel and spiritual insights for our world today, especially in the Western world, once a hub of Christian evangelism.

Key Lessons from Isaiah

Isaiah provides some important lessons, which applied to National Israel in Isaiah’s day, from a physical and temporal perspective, but, more significantly, Isaiah also provide very insightful spiritual lessons applicable to our world in our day.

So let us just review and ponder a few selected verses from the first three chapters of Isaiah, and then think carefully about:

1. What they are saying in the historical and prophetic sense to National Israel, and
2. What they are saying that is also prophetically applicable to everyone in the world in our day…particularly the Western world as it is now (because for centuries, it had been a center of Christian evangelism).

Let’s examine selected verses from Isaiah 1–3 to understand their historical context for Israel and their relevance for us today.

1. God Invites Us to Reason

God says, “Let Us Reason Together“

Isaiah 1:18-20, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].”

Isaiah 1:21&23, “How is the faithful city become an harlot!  it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.“”Thy princes [are] rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.“

Meaning:
Historically, Israel turned from God, embracing corruption and injustice. Today, these verses warn all societies and individuals to repent. God offers forgiveness and restoration to those who obey, but promises wrathful judgment for those who persist in rebellion.

2. A Day of Reckoning Awaits

Isaiah 2:11&12, “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts [shall be] upon every [one that is] proud and lofty, and upon every [one that is] lifted up; and he shall be brought low:“

Meaning:
God will judge pride and arrogance. For ancient Israel, this foretold Divine punishment. For us, it signals the coming Judgment Day (and its Prequel “the Great Tribulation”), urging humility and reverence for God. (See also: Judgment Day is Coming Soon! and Is Hell Real?

3. God Will Remove Honorable and Prudent Leaders and Replace Them With Vile Ones

God states that, among the punishments for a nation’s disobedience, He would remove the honorable and competent leaders who previously ruled that nation…”Isaiah 3:2&3, The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.“

We should bear in mind that Isaiah can be interpreted on two levels. One level addresses daily issues of life in the physical temporal affairs of men, both in the civil world, but (in the case of National Israel: kings, princes, and judges) also the ecclesiastical world dealing with Israel’s spiritual leadership (priests and prophets). The other level deals with prophesy that also applies to the civil affairs of mankind, but most importantly from God’s vantage point, the spiritual health of His Corporate Church (that has within it a subset of true believers).

God said that He would replace honorable and prudent rulers with immature, corrupt, and oppressive rulers:

1. Isaiah 3:4&5, “And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.“
2. Isaiah 3:12 “[As for] my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause [thee] to err, and destroy the way of thy paths“.
3. The people’s open sin, like Sodom’s, will testify against them. Isaiah 3:9, “The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide [it] not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.“

Meaning:
Israel’s weak and corrupt leadership bred disobedience. Israel was a theocracy, but it served as a figure of the New Testament era nation of believers. God’s call to repentance is not unto societies or nations, but to individuals. It is that the church of Jesus Christ today is now beset with corrupt governance, which has led the populace into apostasy. Similarly, today’s societies lack good governance as a consequence of both the church and nations turning away from God.

But what about the corporate church of Christ in our day? There are currently denominations that have their top ecclesiastical positions held by women. We see women pastors, elders, and deacons and in other positions of authority within the church. Similarly we have women in top leadership positions in civil authority. Rebellion by those that claim to be the people of God unequivocally infects the society. Only the children of God actually see and understand this. The rest are duped by the devil into believing that because a country calls itself Christian, it has the blessing and favor of God. One could argue that our nation, in spite of thinking that we are the most Christian, is actually the main proponent of the most vulgar and pervasive of sins. Just look how this country champions homosexuality under the banner of “Pride” and has led the charge in the transgender movement. “…they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide [it] not.“

Moreover, today the focus of so-called Christian church leadership is upon various false gospels (e.g., works gospels) and erroneous doctrines now being followed within Christendom that are more modeled after the world, to appeal to the world, rather than being standard bearers of the Bible’s teachings (e.g., regarding the marriage institution and homosexuality). Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

We must remember that God does not alter His nature or His ways, our God is an unchanging God, ensuring that these principles still apply: Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Therefore, the warnings of God through the Prophet Isaiah are just as relevant today as they were in Isaiah’s day. The key difference being that in Isaiah’s day it portended the destruction of National Israel (apart from a saved remnant), but now in our day, it portends the destruction of the world (apart from those who are the saved remnant, being God’s elect in Christ) and the coming Judgment Day.

4. Supporting Scriptures

• Psalm 12:8, “The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.”
• Ecclesiastes 8:11-13, “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. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his [days] be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong [his] days, [which are] as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.”
• Proverbs 14:34, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
• Proverbs 24:24, “He that saith unto the wicked, Thou [art] righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:“
• Proverbs 28:28, “When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase.“
• Proverbs 29:12, “If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants [are] wicked.“

For more insights, see Biblical Proverbial Wisdom and Truth (w/Axioms & Maxims) Applicable to Our World Today. Biblical guidance is provided by God to the believer on how to maintain an eternal perspective of the current wickedness, drawing heavily from Psalm 37 and Psalm 73.

Conclusion

The Christian’s focus should be on continuing to share the Gospel of Salvation made available by The Person and Work of The Lord Jesus Christ. Regardless of how that Gospel may be received by the hearer, we can rest in the knowledge that God’s Word will not return to Him void as we are told in Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.” More on this can be found in the study of the study on the Parable of the Sower.

We must also warn of the coming Judgment Day for the unrepentant, as Hell is real!

Finally, as this world nears its final days and heads towards oblivion and that final Judgment Day, Jesus lovingly tells His sheep, the true believing Christians, the following:

1. That the devil will be loosed from spirit prison for a “little season” (the “Great Tribulation”) according to Revelation 20:3, Revelation 20:7-10, and 2 Thessalonians 2:5-12), and, as a result,
2. Mark 13:19 “For [in] those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created  unto this time, neither shall be.“ and
3. Luke 21:28, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.“

POSTSCRIPT: Judgment Day is in View

Before proceeding with this postscript, this teacher wants to alert the reader to the fact that whenever God uses the phrase, “In that day“, that phrase almost always (if not always) points to Judgment Day! While the phrase can also be interpreted in many instances as having a temporal application, the fact of the matter is that those temporal warnings are just prefigurements of the final Judgment Day to come. That having been said, let us move on…

There is another aspect to the warnings of the opening chapters of Isaiah. We read in Isaiah 2:19-21, “And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made [each one] for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.”

Is not this entirely consistent with the very last words of the Lord Jesus Christ on the way to the cross, foretelling the future, where Jesus said in Luke 23:30, “Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.”

Similarly we read in Revelation 6:12-17, “¶And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?“

Note how the last two verses above (Revelation 6:16&17) are in complete and absolute harmony with what we saw above in Isaiah 2:19-21, “And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made [each one] for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.” Similar wording is also found in Hosea 10:8, “The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.”

For more on why there is no doubt that these verses are clear and unambiguous warnings to the world in our day regarding the soon to come Judgment Day and for the unsaved only Hell to pay, please see “The Heavens Shall Be Rolled Together as a Scroll“.

Judgment Day Warnings Are Found Throughout the Bible!

Although this may not be well known, the fact is that, either directly or indirectly, the majority of the Bible points to Judgment Day The whole summation of the Bible is to tell us that the only way to avoid having to deal with Judgment Day, and Hell and the Lake of Fire that will follow because of mankind’s inherent sin nature, is to have Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God, as Lord, God, and Savior of your life NOW! The warning is simply to make peace with God now, through Jesus (as the only acceptable sin Substitute) before it is too late! Today is the Day of Salvation!

We see this in both Isaiah 49:8, “Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee:and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;” and In 2 Corinthians 6:2, the Apostle Paul hearkens us back to Isaiah 49:8, “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.)“

The Result of Ignoring the Warnings

But what if that warning is not heeded? Have you ever heard the following verses in the Bible before? They are the means whereby God is providing us just a sample of insights of how bad it will be to the unrepentant world when Jesus Christ comes back on the clouds of Glory on Judgment Day:

Isaiah 2:19-21, “And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made [each one] for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.”

Similarly we read in Hosea 10:8, “The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.”

Among the very last words of the Lord Jesus Christ on the way to the cross, foretelling the future, said in Luke 23:30, “Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.”

And finally, there is no doubt that these verses are all referring to Jesus’ return on the clouds of Glory on Judgment Day when we this same language explained further in context in Revelation 6:15-17, “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains. And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?“

Judgment Day Foretold

And so there is no misunderstanding that this is unequivocally describing Judgment Day, we only have to look at the three preceding verses to the above verses and compare them with 2 Peter chapter 3:

Revelation 6:12-15, “¶And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.“

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 [al]l 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 newheavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.“

And this should be a wake-up call to all who read this: Revelation 9:6, “And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”

Isaiah 55:6&7, “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 unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.“

God’s Admonitions and Warnings Are Clear

And this should be a wake-up call to all who read this:

Revelation 9:6, “And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”

Hebrews 3:7&8, “¶Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:” and Hebrews 3:15, “While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” (Referring back to Psalm 95:7–11)

But Who Will Really Heed the Warnings?

The believers will not have to worry, as we are told in Psalm 46:1-3 that God the Refuge of His People, “¶[[To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.]]”  “God [is] our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; [Though] the waters thereof roar [and] be troubled, [though] the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.“

As Jesus said 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.” Moreover, in Matthew 22:14, Jesus said, “For many are called, but few [are] chosen.”

At this point, hopefully, someone will say, “Wait a minute…What does “chosen” mean?” This teacher is so glad that you got this far and might have asked that question. The answer is that God also tells us in the Bible that He is Sovereign and that God Alone chooses who will be saved. That is really scary to anyone who stops to think about it because it means that man has no choice in the matter of salvation.

The reality according to the Bible is that Salvation is predetermined by what is known as Election. However, if anyone finds this to be scary, then that is a good thing. It means that God is working in that person’s hard and is likely drawing that person to Jesus such that that person will be saved. On the other hand, if a person refuses to listen, and stubbornly rejects the warnings and admonitions and refuses to come to God on God’s terms, then that person is on the road to Hell. There are only two results, to be with Jesus in Heaven for eternity or in Hell for Eternity.

 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 unto the 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.“

Introduction

For the curious reader, it should be understood that this study is one of six individually posted “Character Profiles”, which in addition to this one include 1) King Ahasuerus, 2) Vashti, 3) Mordecai, 4) Queen Esther, and 5) Haman. These profiles are all excerpted from an in-depth, expositional commentary on The Book of Esther which shows, by many examples, how the Book of Esther was crafted by God, through the orchestration of time and space with the Holy Spirit inspired recording of it, to perfectly form an Historical Parable. More clearly stated, the Book of Esther has both an earthly/historical meaning and a heavenly/eternal spiritual meaning, which involves significant use of “allegories” and “types“. This study is one of many posted on this website to show that there are many such Hidden Treasures embedded within the various historical accounts that are recorded in the Bible. The Bible is a Spiritual Book, and the understanding of many of the key aspects of the Bible requires spiritual discernment. It should also be remembered that Jesus only spoke in parables to the multitude for the reasons explained here: “Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables?“.

Hegai (Hege), The King’s Chamberlain, Prepares Esther to Come into the King’s Presence

1. Hegai (Hege) 

In Esther chapter 2 we read of the King’s chamberlains, the keeper of the women. The first was Hegai (who was in all likelihood a eunuch, see below).  We are told that Esther obtained kindness of him, and later received a total of twelve months of purification, six months with the oil of myrrh and six months with sweet odors.  It would not be inconsistent to conclude that in this prophetic parable, Hegai is a type of the Holy Spirit that anoints and purifies (sanctifies) and spiritually separates out the believers from the unclean (like the water of “separation” in Numbers 19:20), and Who makes it possible for the believers to come into the presence of The Everlasting Almighty King, God Himself!

Please note how in Esther 2:15 we are told, “Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.”  Again we can see the connection with the Personage of The Holy Spirit, because the believers who have been sanctified by the anointing and indwelling of the Holy Spirit require “nothing but” that which The Holy Spirit provides in order to come into the presence of the Everlasting King…The Lord God Almighty!

Note how in 1 John 2:20, we read “¶But ye have an unction (χρῖσμα (chrisma))^G5545 from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” (“unction” means “anointing”) and in 1 John 2:27, “But the anointing (χρῖσμα (chrisma))^G5545which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing (χρῖσμα (chrisma))^G5545 teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.“ The anointing is of the Holy Spirit (The Holy Spirit Is also a “Him”), Who God the Father sent to the believers to lead them into all truth, and that Truth Is Jesus.

Note also what Jesus said in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that]shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” Note the consistency with John 14:26, “But the Comforter (παράκλητος (paraklētos))^G3875, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” 

And is it not interesting that the original Greek word for Comforter is παράκλητος (paraklētos)^G3875 as we also find in John 14:16, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, ^G3875 that he may abide with you for ever;” and then later in 1 John 2:1, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate ^G3875 with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.” [Note that that the word translated as “advocate” (hence an “intercessor”, see below) is the same as that which is elsewhere translated as “Comforter”]

It is also interesting that the name Hegai (also spelled once as “Hege” in the Esther account in Esther 2:3) is thought to mean in the Persian, fittingly, “eunuch” .  However, some translators have concluded that Hegai (Hege) can also be interpreted as “meditation; word; groaning; separation”.  If indeed this is the case, we can certainly see parallels between Hegai and the Holy Spirit given what we find in Romans 8:26-27, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will] of God.”

When we pray, we pray in The Spirit/The Holy Ghost, as we read in, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” and Jude 20&21, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” And we also know that The Holy Spirit witnesses to our spirit: Romans 8:16, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:“

2. Hatach

We are first introduced to Hatach in Esther Chapter 4.  There we see him as the vehicle of communication between Esther and Mordecai in verses 4&5 and between Mordecai and Esther in verses 9&10. It is also interesting to note that Hatach (הֲתָךְ hăṯāḵ reportedly means “Verily” (hence “Truth“) or possibly also “Gift” ), and is also a proper masculine noun. Both attributes are clearly used in the Bible as representations of the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit. See for example: for “Truth”; John 14:17, John 15:26, John 16:13 and for “Gift”; Act 2:38, Act 10:45, Hebrews 6:4. It was through him that Esther communed with Mordecai “to know what it [was], and why it [was]” and thereby learned the details of Haman’s plot against the Jews. Hatach was serving in the role of an intercessory communicant!

If we therefore consider that, if Esther represents the eternal Church (the believers) and Mordecai is an allegorical prefigurement of the Lord Jesus Christ, then it would seem quite reasonable to view Hatach, like Hegai earlier, as another “Type” representing God, The Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit.  Most particularly so, because Jesus said, in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” The Holy Spirit communicates to us The Truth, and we know that Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6). We also know that Salvation is a Gift, for in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” and Hebrews 6:4 says, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,…” and in John 14:16-18, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

Finally, in 1 John 5:6, “¶This is he that came by water and blood, [even] Jesus Christ; not by water  only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.“

We can now more clearly see that both Hegai and Hatach served an important role in ensuring the deliverance of the Jews through preparation and intercession, just as the Holy Spirit Works in the preparation, sanctification, and intercession for the believers.

There is more that the Bible has to say regarding The Personage of The Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost. In addition to the above, we have this in John 3:5-8, “¶Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” 

We are also instructed concerning the anointing, sealing, and being given “the earnest” of the Spirit, God’s Holy Spirit, by Whom we are sealed to the day of redemption as we read in 2 Corinthians 1:21&22, “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, [is] God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” and Ephesians 1:13&14, “In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

NOTE: Another chamberlain, Shaashgaz, שַׁעַשְׁגַּז (šaʿašgaz)^H8190, meaning “servant of the beautiful“. Shaashgaz was in charge of the concubines in the “second house“, after each had her year of purifications and after having come into the presence of the King the first time. It is not entirely clear to this teacher what specific role Shaashgaz has, but he could serve as a ministering angel from Heaven (Hebrews 1:13&14) and/or an earthly minister of the church (Matthew 19:12). We do know that Esther was described as beautiful in Esther 2:7, “And he (Mordecai) brought up Hadassah, that [is], Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid [was] fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.”

Introduction

For the curious reader, it should be understood that this study is one of six “Character Profiles”, which in addition to this one include 1) King Ahasuerus, 2) Vashti 3) Mordecai, 4) Heggai/Hatach, and 5) Haman. These profiles are all excerpted from an in-depth, expositional commentary of The Book of Esther which shows, by many examples, how the Book of Esther was crafted by God, through the orchestration of time and space with the Holy Spirit inspired recording of it, to perfectly form an Historical Parable. More clearly stated, the Book of Esther has both an earthly/historical meaning and a heavenly/eternal spiritual meaning, which involves significant use of “allegories” and “types“. This study is one of many posted on this website to show that there are a lot of Hidden Treasures embedded within the various historical accounts that are recorded in the Bible. The Bible is a Spiritual Book, and the understanding of many of the key aspects of the Bible requires spiritual discernment. It should also be remembered that Jesus only spoke in parables to the multitude for the reasons explained here: “Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables?“.

Esther: What’s in a Name? (Esther is a Book of Concealment and Hidden Truth)

Esther’s Persian name is of uncertain meaning or derivation, but is generally accepted to mean “Star” (although Esther’s Hebrew name is “Hadassah“, which means “myrtle wood“, and this will be addressed later in the following discussion).

Many Bible students are aware that there is not one direct/explicit reference to God to be found anywhere in the Book of Esther. This is because God has deliberately concealed Himself within the text, and, moreover, in the process, God has also deliberately concealed the Gospel of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, wrought by the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, as well. In fact, the entire Book of Esther concerns “concealment” and “hidden things of God”.

We should take a moment to recall what we read in Isaiah 45:15, “Verily thou [art] a God that hidest (סָתַר (sāṯar))^H5641thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.“

Esther’s Name Actually Highlights ‘Concealment‘

It is not widely known that the very name ‘Esther’ underscores this point. Although ‘Esther’, the Jewish orphan made queen in Persia (as found in the Book of Esther) was born with a Hebrew name, הֲדַסָה (hăḏasâ)^H1919 that was translated in the King James translation as “Hadassah“, which means “Myrtle” (in the feminine form that is found only once in the Bible, in Esther 2:7) because it is derived from the the Hebrew word הֲדַס (hăḏas)^H1918, a masculine noun, meaning “myrtle (tree)”. 

The masculine version of myrtle (הֲדַס (hăḏas)^H1918) is found six times in the Bible, and each time the myrtle tree is always cast in a positive light. In Isaiah 55:13, the myrtle tree is juxtaposed with a brier; and in Isaiah 41:19 it is a green tree planted by God in what had been a wilderness. It can be concluded from these two verses that the myrtle tree is a representation of the believers, where in the wilderness (the world) thorns (unsaved people) flourish, God raises up myrtle trees (the believers); in Nehemiah 8:15, branches from the myrtle tree are to be used in the construction of the Succoth booths (representing a Heavenly abode), and then in Zechariah, myrtle trees are found three times Zechariah 1:8, Zechariah 1:10, Zechariah 1:11, where a horseman is seen in a vision walking among myrtle trees and Zechariah is told by the horseman, “These [are they] whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. ¶And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.” This was during the seventy year period, which God had foretold by the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:10&11 (see also 2 Chronicles 36:21) whereby God would cause the land to have its Sabbaths (rest) while the Jews were in captivity, but that God would later restore Jerusalem and also spoke “good words [and] comfortable words” (Zechariah 1:13).

However, the very name ‘Esther’ (the Persian name taken by Hadassah) underscores this point of ‘concealment‘. Esther in Hebrew is אֶסְתֵּר (’es·têr)^H635, which happens to be, phonetically, very similar to the Hebrew word אֶסָּתֵ֑ר (’es·sā·ṯêr)^H5641, which is a version of the Hebrew word סָתַר (sāṯar)^H5641, meaning “to hide” or “to conceal“, or “to close-up“, and that version, אֶסָּתֵ֑ר (’es·sā·ṯêr)^H5641, is found twice in this form in the Bible:

1.  Genesis 4:14 (translated in English as “shall I be hid;“ where we read of Cain crying to God, “Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid (אֶסָּתֵ֑ר (es·sā·ṯêr))^H5641; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, [that] every one that findeth me shall slay me.“) and 
2. Job 13:20, “Only do not two [things] unto me: then will I not hide (אֶסָּתֵ֑ר (’es·sā·ṯêr))^H5641 myself from thee.” 

Another version of the same Hebrew word is אַסְתִּיר (’as·tîr)^H5641, which is used only once in this particular form in the Bible, in Deuteronomy 31:18, where we read, “And I will surely (אַסְתִּיר (’as·tîr))^H5641 hide (אַסְתִּיר (’as·tîr))^H5641 my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.” (Note also that the word “hide” was doubled, and hence was translated as “surely hide“). In this later usage, God was specifically telling Moses in Deuteronomy 31:16-22 that, in the future, when the people of Israel would commit spiritual adultery, by worshipping other gods, that God at that point would “hide/conceal” Himself (hide His “face”) from National Israel as a result. (It is therefore all the more ironic that, derived from this forewarned concealment of God’s Face, a Jewish tradition has arisen, such that hiding one’s face (wearing a mask) is considered proper when the Jews celebrate the day of Esther/The Feast Purim.)

So then, we can see that the name Esther is actually a cross-cultural “homophone”, in that in Persian, Esther means “Star“, but in Hebrew, Esther means “Concealed“. At a minimum, one could say that, by changing her name from Hadassah (Jewish) to Esther (Persian), it would have certainly helped her to “hide” or “conceal” her Jewish identity from potential enemies like Haman. While providing an interesting play on words (“pun”), we will learn from this study that there is far more hidden in the Book of Esther (by God) than just Esther’s Jewish identity. 

And we should all remember what God tells us in Proverbs 25:2 (KJV). There we find this extraordinary verse, “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.” If we look carefully at the text as it reads in the original Hebrew using an Interlinear Bible or Online cross-reference like this: https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/pro/25/2/t_conc_653002, we find that it can also read like this… ”[It is] the glory of God to conceal a “word” (because it is from the Hebrew דָּבָר (dāḇār)^H1697, a masculine noun): but the honour of kings [is] to search out a “word”(because the word that was translated into English as “matter” is also the same word found in the original Hebrew to be דָּבָר (dāḇār)^H1697, which is translated more than eight hundred times in the Old Testament as “word.”).  It appears, therefore, that God is telling us that He is glorified by the concealing of The Word (Jesus Christ) in the Bible, and the believers are “honored” by being made able to search out The Word (Who is Jesus Christ) when reading the Bible. And as we will see, God has not only “concealed” Jesus Christ within the Book of Esther, but, in our day, God has graciously also allowed the believers to “search out” Jesus Christ from the Book of Esther. There is more on this here, and we should also remember Jesus’ own testimony along The Road to Emmaus.

Esther Comes Into View

Esther 2:7, “And he brought up Hadassah, that [is], Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid [was] fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.“

Esther 2:15, “Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.“

The latter verse is rich with spiritual meaning, portraying Esther as a “Type” of all the believers, Mordecai as a Christ-like figure, and Hegai as the Holy Spirit.

Esther as the Fatherless

Esther, an orphan (as we were told earlier Esther 2:7), represents the “fatherless” whom God defends (Psalm 68:5; Deuteronomy 10:17-19; Job 29:12). This aligns with James 1:2, where pure religion involves caring for the fatherless and widows—who spiritually represent all those who are redeemed by God.

Who Does Abihail Represent?

• Name Meaning: “Abihail” (Hebrew: אֲבִיהַיִל (‘ăḇîhayil)^H32 “father of strength, might, strength, and virtue“) might initially suggest God the Father. However, Esther’s orphan status complicates this interpretation.
• Familial Context: Abihail is Mordecai’s uncle, making Mordecai Esther’s cousin and elder kinsman.
• Allegorical Role: Abihail could represent Adam, the first “father”, who together with Eve, died (like Esther’s parents). Believers, orphaned by Adam’s Fall, are adopted by Christ, the “second Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Jesus, as a kinsman-redeemer (like Mordecai to Esther), adopts the believers into His Church.

Mordecai as a Type of Christ

Mordecai takes Esther as his daughter, mirroring how Jesus adopts believers as “sons of God” (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1&2; Galatians 3:26). Believers become “heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29; Titus 3:5-7; Colossians 1:12), and “God, “Who Is rich in mercy“, “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” (Ephesians 2:4-6).

Hegai as the Holy Spirit:

Esther takes only what Hegai provides, symbolizing believers relying solely on the Holy Spirit’s anointing. We can also see again the connection of Hegai (Hege) with the Holy Spirit, because the believers who have been sanctified by the anointing and indwelling of the Holy Spirit require “nothing but” that which The Holy Spirit provides in order to come into the presence of the Everlasting King…The Lord God Almighty!

Now this verse helps to make clear to us how Esther was different from the other maidens. She took nothing of her own choosing to delight the king, but rather “nothing but” that which was provided for her by Hegai. This is because, spiritually speaking, the only thing that can make a person presentable to God is to have been granted spiritual rebirth through the anointing of God The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, because of Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice. The true believers are gifted the Robes of Christ’s Righteousness to make them presentable before Holy God in Heaven. All the uncleanness of sin will be fully covered.

Key Takeaway: 

Esther’s story, as found in this one verse, illustrates God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan: Despite having been spiritually orphaned by Adam (Abihail), the saints (Esther) are redeemed by Christ (Mordecai), and sanctified by the Spirit (Hegai) to be able to before Almighty God.

Another Look at Esther’s Name

Esther (a “Star”)

Esther’s  Persian name is of uncertain meaning or derivation.  Some commentaries claim that the name means “a star,” which, if true, would be consistent with the theme that Esther represents the believers over whom the devil wants to reign as we read in Isaiah 14:13-15, “For thou (the devil) hast said in thine heart, 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.” And note the similarity with Obadiah 1:4, “Though thou (the devil) exalt [thyself] as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

The Apostle Paul made this point in Hebrews 11:12 regarding Abraham, “Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, [so many] as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.“

In Psalm 147:4, God says that , “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by [their] names.“

Note also in Psalm 148:3, “Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.” bearing in mind that Jesus is the Light! John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.“

For more regarding the believers being referred to as stars as as a sign to represent them, we read in Genesis 1:14, “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.” together with Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

The “physical” stars in the universe are simply “signs” pointing us to the spiritual “stars” which are the believers.

Hadassah (Myrtle Wood)

Esther’s Hebrew name “Hadassah“, means “myrtle wood.”  Because this name is of Hebrew origin it is easier to find correspondence in other parts of the Bible.  When we search the scriptures, we find the following verses in which hadassah (“myrtle”) is also used:

Nehemiah 8:15, “And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as [it is] written.“

Isaiah 41:19, “I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, [and] the pine, and the box tree together:“

A quick aside…In Isaiah 61:3, we read where God says, immediately following the most significant Messianic verses in Isaiah 61:1 & Isaiah 61:2 (The same words proclaimed by Jesus in Luke 4:18 and John 1:32, John 3:34) addressing Jesus’s salvation gospel message to the otherwise hopeless of the world (those who would become His Church) ” ...that they might be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”

Isaiah 55:13, “Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign [that] shall not be cut off.“

Zechariah 1:8-11, “I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that [were] in the bottom; and behind him [were there] red horses, speckled, and white.  Then said I, O my lord, what [are] these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these [be].  And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These [are they] whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.  And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.“

It can be concluded from the above that the myrtle tree is a representation of the believers, i.e., in the case of Isaiah 41:19, where in the wilderness (i.e., the world) thorns (unsaved people) flourish, God raises up myrtle trees (the believers).  Please notice how in Zechariah 1:11, the “angel” (actually “messenger”) of the LORD stood among the myrtle trees.  Does not God stand among the believers?  Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

The “myrtle tree” is most likely the aromatic common myrtle (M. communis) is native to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. This evergreen tree is said “to grow more than 5 meters, or about 16.5 feet, high. The opposite leaves are thick and lustrous, with many small, translucent, oil-bearing glands. The solitary white flowers, about 1.8 cm (about 0.7 inch) long, are borne on short stalks. The fruit is a purplish black, many-seeded berry. Myrtol, a volatile oil found in most parts of the plant, was formerly used as an antiseptic and tonic.”

We should also remember again (this was mentioned at the beginning of this commentary) that the name “Esther” is also a cross-cultural “homophone“, in that in Persian Esther means “Star“, but in Hebrew, Esther means “Concealed“. At a minimum, one could say that, by changing her name from Hadassah (Jewish) to Esther (Persian), it would have certainly helped her to “hide” or “conceal” her Jewish identity from potential enemies like Haman. While providing an interesting play on words (“pun”), we have also been shown from this study that there is far more hidden in the Book of Esther (by God) than just Esther’s Jewish identity. (For a more detailed exposition on this facet of Esther, please see: “The Hidden Spiritual Gem“)

Esther’s Attributes:

Esther was “Better” than Queen Vashti (Verse 1:19)

Esther replaced Vashti as the King’s Queen, because Queen Vashti refused to come to the feast when bidden by King Ahasuerus according to this recommendation in Esther 1:19, “If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.“

Esther was a “maid” (verse 2:7)

…2 Kings 5:2-4, “And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.  And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord [were] with the prophet that [is] in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.  And [one] went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maidthat [is] of the land of Israel.”  NOTE; God used the little “maid” to be a witness of His power in Syria.

Esther was “fair” (verse 2:7)

…Job 42:15, “And in all the land were no women found [so] fairas the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.”  Song of Solomon2:10, “My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.“

Song of Solomon 4:7, “Thou [art] all fair, my love; [there is] no spot in thee.“

Song of Solomon 6:10, “ Who [is] she [that] looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, [and] terrible as [an army] with banners?

Esther was “beautiful” (lit. of good appearance or good countenance) (verse 2:7)…Song of Solomon 6:4, “Thou [art] beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as [an army] with banners.” and Isaiah 52:1, “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.”  NOTE: God declares his bride to be the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21:2, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.“

We also see in Isaiah Chapter 49 regarding the ingathering of the Gentiles to God as part of that Bride. In Isaiah 49:18, “Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, [and] come to thee. [As] I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them [on thee], as a bride [doeth].”

Note also the description of the beautiful Queen in Psalm 45:9-17, and how closely the verses correlate with the depiction of Queen Esther and her coming into the presence of king Ahasuerus.

Isaiah 52:7  “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!“

Esther was a “virgin” (verses 2:3 with 2:8)

…Isaiah 62:5 “For [as] a young man marrieth a virgin, [so] shall thy sons marry thee: and [as] the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, [so] shall thy God rejoice over thee.”  Jeremiah 31:4, “Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.“

1 Corinthians 7:28, “But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.”

 2 Corinthiana 11:2, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.“

Esther was an “orphan.” (Esther 2:7)

Lamentations 5:3, “We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers [are] as widows.“

As and orphan, Esther was also “fatherless”…Deuteronomy 10:18, “He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.“

Job 29:12, “Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and [him that had] none to help him.

 Psalm 68:5, “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, [is] God in his holy habitation.“

Jeremiah 49:11, “Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve [them] alive; and let thy widows trust in me.“

James 1:27, “ Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.“

Esther was “loved.”  (Esther 2:17)

… Deuteronomy 33:2&3, “And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand [went] a fiery law for them.  Yea, he loved the people; all his saints [are] in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; [every one] shall receive of thy words.“

1 Kings 10:9, “Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.“

John 3:16,  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  We know that God loves those whom He sacrificed His Son to save.

John 13:23, “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.”  Jesus loved John who typified all true believers.

John 13:34, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.“

John 14:21, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”  Jesus reveals (manifests) Himself to those whom He loves.

 John 15:9, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.“

2 Thessalonians 2:16, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given [us] everlasting consolation and good hope through 

grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

Esther found “Grace.” (Esther 2:17)

 Genesis 6:8, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.“

Jeremiah 31:2, “Thus saith the LORD, The people [which were] left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; [even] Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.“

Acts 4:33, “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.“

Acts 15:11, “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.“

Acts 20:32, “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.“

Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:“

Esther found “Favor.”  (Esther 2:17)

…Genesis 39:21, “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.“

 Psalm 5:12, “For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as [with] a shield.“

Psalm 30:5, “For his anger [endureth but] a moment; in his favour [is] life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy [cometh] in the morning.“

Psalm 30:7, “LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, [and] I was troubled.“

Psalm 89:17, “For thou [art] the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.“

Psalm 119:58dd, “I entreated thy favour with [my] whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.“

Proverbs 3:4, “So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.“

Proverbs 8:35, “For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.“

Proverbs 12:2, “A good [man] obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

Isaiah 60:10, “And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

Luke 1:30, “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.“

Acts 7:10, “And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.“

Acts 7:46, “Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.“

Esther was made a “Queen.”  (Esther 2:17)

…1 Kings 10:13, “And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside [that] which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.“

 2 Chronicles 9:1-3, “And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.  And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.  And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,.“

Mat 12:42, “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon [is] here.“

Esther wore a “crown” (Esther 2:17)…Genesis 49:26, “The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.“

Leviticus 21:12, “Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God [is] upon him: I [am] the LORD.“

Proverbs 4:9, “She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.“

Isaiah 28:5, “ In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,“

2 Timothy 4:8, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.“

Revelation 2:10, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.“