Bereansearching Bible Studies

The casting of “pur” or “lot” in the Book of Esther is like the rolling of dice, but as we know from Proverbs 16:33, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.“

An Exposition of the Book of Esther: The Little Known (Little Understood?) Book of Prophecy that Reveals God’s Magnificent Plan of Salvation Through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Esther, Like All of the Books of the Bible, Displays God’s Providence for His Glory and His Honor

The Book of Esther is read every year to the assembled congregations of the Jewish people in their synagogues to the present day.  It is read as part of the celebration of the Feast of Purim (also known as the “Feast of Lots”, referring to the objects (the “lot”), which was used in Old Testament times as a form of divination, something like “dice”, and from which we get the term “lottery”.)  The feast is celebrated to remember the deliverance of the Jews then living in Persia, who were scheduled to be destroyed (their day of judgment) on a particular day at the end of that year as determined by the casting of “pur” or “lot” (Esther 9:24). The thereby divined determined time of destruction was to be at the end of the year, which ultimately, amazingly, was instead turned into a day of deliverance and salvation, all in accordance with God’s Will (Proverbs 16:33). And because of that deliverance of the Jews in Persia, God enabled them to return from captivity and to restore Jerusalem and the Holy Temple, which all made possible the coming of The Lord Jesus Christ, The Jewish Messiah, about 450 years later.

We must also take note that the Book of Esther is one of only two books in the Bible named for women, the other being the Book of Ruth. 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 in the following discussion).

However, there is another aspect of the name Esther that is also worthy of consideration, because the name ‘Esther’ in Hebrew is אֶסְתֵּר (’es·têr)^H635, which happens to be, phonetically, very similar to the Hebrew word אֶסָּתֵ֑ר (’es·sā·ṯêr)^H5641. That version of that Hebrew word, means “to hide” or “to conceal”, or “to close-up”, and is found twice in this form in the Bible in Genesis 4:14 (translated in English as “shall I be hid;“) and in Job 13:20; as well as this version of the same Hebrew word 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 ^H5641 hide ^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 the people of Israel would commit spiritual adultery, by worshipping other gods, at which point God would “hide/conceal” Himself 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 in effect a “homonym”, in that in Persian it means “Star”, but in Hebrew it means “Concealed”. At a minimum, one could say that, by changing her name from Hadassah (Jewish) to Esther (Persian), it would have helped 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.

The Book of Esther is About Deliverance and Salvation Through Jesus Christ

It is indisputable that the Book of Esther is indeed about the miraculous physical deliverance of the Jews of National Israel (the physical descendants of the patriarchs from the first, Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob and David).  However, it is more importantly about the miraculous eternal deliverance of the true “Jews”, the body of believers, the church of Jesus Christ (those who are of the faith of Abraham, which include a remnant of both National Israel and the Gentile nations – – Romans 2:28–29; Romans 4:13–16; Galatians 3:26–29).   Because the Book of Esther has both an earthly/historical meaning and a heavenly/eternal spiritual meaning, it is an “Historical Parable“, which involves significant use of “allegories” and “types“.

Being ordained and crafted by God as an Historical Parable, the true spiritual meaning of the Book of Esther has remained “hidden”, “concealed” and “closed up” to the Jews (and all unbelievers) to this day. God hid His face from National Israel exactly as He prophesied in Deuteronomy 31:18 and we see confirmed in John 12:35-41, “¶Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. ¶ But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias (Isaiah) the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? (referencing Isaiah 53:1) and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? ¶Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias (Isaiah) said again (in Isaiah 6:9&10), He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with [their] eyes, nor understand with [their] heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory (in Isaiah 6:1), and spake of him.“

Romans 11:7, “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.”

2 Corinthians 3:14, “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which [vail] is done away in Christ.“

The Book of Esther Reveals God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan Through Jesus Christ…From Beginning to End and Forever

Perhaps the most important of God’s purposes for the Book of Esther was to convey (albeit in a concealed manner) most, if not all, of the key elements of God’s magnificent salvation plan in one short (ten chapter) account. 

The messages of the Book of Esther is the same Gospel message that can be found everywhere else in the Bible as it focuses on the Person and Work of the LORD Jesus Christ. The only difference is that, each time Jesus is found in the Bible, we can learn more about Him and God’s Gospel plan through Him (which glorifies God in the process).  However, to truly “see” Jesus (to believe with our hearts and not just our minds), we must have our “spiritual eyes” opened by God.  Given that this can be the case, then another purpose for God having provided us with the Book of Esther is that it will edify and strengthen the faith of the saints (the elect of God, the believers).

Just as significantly, the Book of Esther is also a book of “Prophecy“! It points to the Person and Work of Jesus establishing the New Covenant to offer a way of escape from the demands of God’s Law under the Old Covenant, and the New Testament era that followed. It also culminates with a picture of Judgment Day at the end of creation, and the transition into eternity in Heaven that will follow for all who are counted among the people of Jesus… and the eternal death and destruction in hell for all those who are not.

So where do we see Jesus in the Book of Esther?

Some Christian commentaries conclude that it is Esther who, “as the advocate for her people,” is the deliverer of salvation to her people and therefore portrays Jesus Christ.  Is that correct?   Let’s look at the six main characters in the order of their appearance:

1) King Ahasuerus: A very great and powerful king who reigned over a “glorious  kingdom” with the “honour of his excellent majesty.”

2) Queen Vashti: A beautiful queen, the first wife of the king Ahasuerus.  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.  He also decreed 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.”

3) Mordecai: A certain Jew, “the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite“, who lived in the king’s palace and sat in the king’s gate. He was the nearest kinsman to Esther, being her elder cousin.

4) Esther: A fair and beautiful maid, a virgin, (and an orphan, because “for she had neither mother or father”)  who was brought up by Mordecai, and he “took for his own daughter“… “when her father and mother were dead“.)  Esther pleased king  Ahasuerus and “she obtained kindness of him.”  “And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.“

5) Hegai (Hege): The King’s Chamberlain, the keeper of the women (evidently a eunuch). (We also read about another King’s Chamberlain in Chapter 4, named Hatach, who evidently was also a eunuch.)

6) Haman: A chief prince of king Ahasuerus who because he saw that Mordecai bowed  not to him (Haman), nor reverenced him, “Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that  were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.” Esther identified him as “wicked” and “the adversary and enemy”.

Synopsis

King Ahasuerus replaces his first queen, Vashti, for her disobedience in not coming to the King’s feast when bidden, and he then gives her royal estate to Esther (the Jewish orphan raised up by her elder kinsman, Mordecai) who has been properly anointed by the King’s Chamberlain, Hegai.  Later, the chief prince, Haman, in his prideful wrath, determined (by the casting of lots, or pur) a specific day at the end of the year to destroy Mordecai and his people (the Jews), and then convinced the king to decree the destruction of “a certain people” (the Jews) from throughout the land by accusing that they did not keep the king’s laws.  Haman also sought to have Mordecai hanged on the highest gallows that Haman had made.  When Mordecai heard about it, he put on sackcloth and ashes, and sat outside the palace gate.  “Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king’s chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it [was], and why it [was].” Later under commandment from Mordecai, Esther went into the kings presence (at the risk of death, but walking by faith…”if I perish I perish“) to inform the king (over time through two sequential banquets) of Haman’s plot to kill her people.  However, Mordecai, because of an earlier act of faithfulness to the king (which Esther had “certified the king [thereof] in Mordecai’s name”, although the king had forgotten for a time until he had a dream reminding him), was honored by the king, and arrayed in the king’s royal apparel wearing the king’s royal crown and allowed to ride through the street of the city on the king’s horse.  This was the very honor that Haman, because of his pride, had sought for himself.  Instead of receiving that honor as he expected, Haman was subsequently humiliated. Moreover, when Esther later revealed Haman’s plot to the king, and, as the king soon supposed Haman was about to physically assault/molest queen Esther, the king ordered his third chamberlain, Harbonah, to hang Haman from the same gallows that Haman had made for Mordecai.

Mordecai was subsequently granted the king’s authority (which had previously been placed by the king under Haman), and Mordecai made a new decree, which, while not nullifying the earlier decree, provided the means by which the Jews could defend themselves and kill all those in league with Haman at the end of the year. And we also know that there was a great ‘conversion‘ during this interim period between the third month (associated with the Feast of Firstfruits/Pentecost) and the end of the year, for we read, “…And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.“

In the final battle, at the end of the year, where Haman had planned to have all the Jews destroyed and consumed in one day, all those who hated the Jews, including all of the ten sons of Haman were themselves removed “with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction.”  The next day, after this great battle, the Jews rested from their enemies and “made it a day of feasting and gladness,” to be remembered and kept throughout every generation. 

Finally, because the king had advanced Mordecai “next unto the king” (his right-hand man, so to speak), Mordecai was “great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.”  We also read earlier, that, after the death of Haman, “Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.  The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.“

The Spiritual “Types” Represented by Each Person In the Book of Esther

If we compare this historical account with the rest of the Bible, we can find some amazing and unequivocal parallels/typologies between the following:

1)  King Ahasuerus with Heavenly Father (or more generically, Almighty God)

2) Queen Vashti with National Israel of the Old Testament

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.

3)  Mordecai with Jesus Christ (God as Savior)

It is Jesus Christ who delivers His people, the “Jews.”  He is the one who ascended to the Right Hand of God the Father.  Jesus is the One Who we read about in Revelation 19:11-16. Jesus wears the “many crowns”, riding the “white horse”, and Jesus bears the Name that is “Faithful and True“.  He is the one who Satan sought to destroy on the cross, but it was Jesus who instead vanquished Satan at the cross.  Jesus (as the God-Man) is the One Who nurtures the believers by serving in the role of their near kinsman.  We also know that at the Great Battle at the end of the age, on Judgment Day, all who are in league with Satan (the unbelievers) will be destroyed with him at that time.  Then will the “Jews” (the true believers in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, please see Romans 2:28-29) find rest from their enemies.  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 (please see Jeremiah 3:8 regarding the initial divorce by God of the first ten tribes of Israel, see also Isaiah 50:1) because they would not come when bidden to the final Passover Feast (they rejected Jesus as Messiah, the Perfect Passover Lamb of God, see also Luke 14:15-24).

4)  Queen Esther with the Body of Believers (from both Jews (the remnant) and Gentiles; the true “Jews” or the eternal Israel also known as the Jesus church and spiritual bride)

5)  Hegai (Hege) and Hatach, the King’s Chamberlains, with God, the Holy Spirit

Hegai (Hege) (הֵגֵא (hēḡē’) ^H1896 was a chamberlain eunuch appointed by King Ahasuerus to attend Queen Esther whose name means either “eunuch” or “Meditation“; “Word“; “Groaning“; “Separation”, who prepared Esther to come into the presence of the King by purifications with nothing but what Hegai appointed, and that was “six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with [other] things for the purifying of the women.”  Remembering that in Romans 8:26 we read, “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.“

Another of the King’s Chamberlains, who also would have had to have been a eunuch like Hegai, is named Hatach, הֲתָךְ (hăṯāḵ)^H204 meaning either “a Gift” or “Verily” (hence “Truly” or “Truth“), and both attributes are clearly used in the Bible as representations of the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit.   The Holy Spirit Anoints the believer. He Is An Intermediary for them in prayer to God the Father. He Is “The Gift from God”Acts 10:45, and also He Is “The Spirit of Truth” John 16:13 Who leads the believer into all Truth (Jesus)!  (Please see the much more extensive exposition regarding the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost below.)

6)  Haman with Satan

Regarding Haman’s role, from Isaiah 14:12-15, we clearly see that Satan, the chief prince of all the angels that became devils, in his great pride sought to “be like the most High,” but was subsequently consigned to Hell. Satan wanted to exalt his throne above the “stars” of God; as we read in Isaiah 14:13, “For thou 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:“

It is particularly noteworthy that in Esther 7:6, we read, “And Esther said, The adversary and enemy [is] this wicked Haman.“ In the original Hebrew, the word frequently translated into English for “adversary” is שָׂטָן (śāṭān)^H7854. So it should be abundantly clear that Haman is being used as a “Type” of the devil (Satan), who is most certainly both wicked and the enemy of God, God’s Word, and God’s people. This is also entirely consistent with 1 Peter 5:8, where we read, “¶Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:“

We also see this is God’s condemnation of Edom, hence Esau, hence Haman (and therefore: the devil) in Obadiah 1:4, “Though thou exalt [thyself] as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

God dealt with Haman’s (and the devil’s) pride exactly as God Will Do on Judgment Day (“The day of the LORD of hosts”) as we read in Isaiah 2:12, “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:“

In the Bible the “stars” represent the believers, typified by Esther (whose very name means “Star”).  We see this also clearly in 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.” And please note also how the words “stars” and “sons of God” are used together in this verse: Job 38:7, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Remember also, in Matthew 4:8-10, how the devil, having been given the power by God to rule this world upon the Fall of Adam, desired for Jesus to “fall down and worship” him (exactly as Haman desired from Mordecai), and Jesus answered, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Biblical Validation of the Esther Exposition

This commentary was not written with any presumption that this author understands every nuance of the Book of Esther.   No one (other than God Himself) can ever claim the ability to plumb the depths of the riches of God’s Word, the Bible.  However, if we humbly, faithfully, and prayerfully approach the Bible with no other pre-suppositions than that God is the Sole Author of the Bible, then we can begin to see by that faith (albeit as “through a glass, darkly” 1 Corinthians 13:12) the truths that God has hidden within His Word.  

Most importantly, it is absolutely impossible “to see” without being led by God, the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost, as we read in 1Corinthians 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.” (e.g, scripture with scripture).  This effort requires careful comparison of Biblical scripture with Biblical scripture, which was Spiritually written entirely by the Wisdom of God (via human scribes) as we read in 2 Peter 1:2, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.“

As we have already learned, there is much more to the Bible than meets the “physical” eye, and it’s not just an intellectual exercise. The Bible itself uses such terms such as “mystery” and “dark sayings” to describe how it has been uniquely crafted by God in a magnificent, and yes, even a mysterious way, whereby He has deliberately veiled or hidden the true spiritual meanings of its passages from those whom He has not given the “spiritual eyes and ears.” Please also see The Hearing Ear, and the Seeing Eye.

In Mark 4:11+12 we read, “And he (Jesus Christ speaking to His disciples) said unto them, Unto you (the elect of God, all true believers) it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without (the non-elect), all [these] things are done in parables:  That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.”  In the final analysis, it is only by the Grace of God that anyone is empowered by God to discover that Jesus Christ is the mystery and hidden wisdom of the whole Bible, and that salvation is by Jesus Christ Alone. (See 1Corinthians 2:7+8.)

It has been argued by some theologians and academics that the hermeneutics being applied in the studies found within the pages of the Bereansearching blog are “dangerous”.  However, the only thing “dangerous” about this method of Biblical interpretation is that unless it is done faithfully, trusting in God to guide the reader by His Holy Spirit and using the Bible as its own sole interpreter, men will indeed arrive at erroneous conclusions based on their own thoughts rather than those of God.

It should also be noted that, no matter how well these or other such studies explain with clarity the Purpose of God for the believers to understand the Bible, the unbelievers will still not see or understand any of it, because God leaves them in their spiritual blindness.  For example, we know that in Matthew 13:34  we are told that, “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:” and in Mark 4:34, “But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.” Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes and yet expounded upon the Parable of the Sower and the Wheat and the Tares to his disciples and yet the expositions are plainly available for all to see to this day.  We must therefore conclude that even when a parable is expounded in the open, the non-elect unbeliever will not accept the truth being provided.

But those who are God’s elect will see and understand, because as we read in Amos 3:7, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Daniel 2:20-23 also tells us, “¶Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast [now] made known unto us the king’s matter.” Note that the word “matter” can also be translated as “word” from the Hebrew, מִלָּה (millâ)^H4406

The Expositional Outline of the Prophetic Book of Esther:  

Comfort for the Believers at all Times (God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan Explained in Ten Chapters)

(Psalm 68:5, “A father of the fatherless (i.e.,Esther), and a judge of the widows (i.e.,Ruth and Naomi), [is] God in his holy habitation.“)

Chapter I.          God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan: National Israel (under the Law) rebels: making a way for the remnant of both Jews and Gentiles (under Grace)(Esther 1:12 and Esther 1:19). Please see Deuteronomy 31:16-18 and Romans 4:15.

Chapter II.         God Remembers His Covenant:  The Establishment of the New and Better Covenant (Esther 2:1-4)   Please also see Hebrews 8:6-13.

• Jesus Christ (Mordecai) Shows Mercy to the Fatherless (Esther)  (Esther 2:7)
• The Work of the Holy Spirit in Purifying the Believer (Esther) to enter into God’s presence: (Esther 2:15)
• A Rebellion Against the King by Those (possibly eunuchs) Who Kept the Door, Bigthan and Teresh (possibly representing the fallen angels of 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6 Revelation 12:9?) (Esther 2:21-23)

Chapter III.        Satan Given Dominion Over This Creation Immediately Upon the Fall of Adam (Esther 3:1 and Esther 8:5)  Please see Romans 6:23

• The Temptation of Christ,  Satan Seeks to Destroy Jesus and His People by Accusing the People for Being Sinners…Not Keeping the King’s Laws (Esther 3:6-8), Please see: Revelation 12:10

Chapter IV.       The Atonement of Jesus Christ (Esther 4:1) followed by “three days and nights” of fasting.

Chapter V.        The Faith of the Saints (Christ’s Faith, Ephesians 3:11&12)  (Esther 5:1&2) Please see Hebrews 12:2, Numbers 24:17, and Psalms 45:6 (note that Esther did not put on “royal [apparel]” until the “third day”)

Chapter VI.       Palm Sunday (Esther 6:11)

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

Chapter VIII.     The Great Commission and the New Testament Era Beginning at Pentecost (Esther 8:1-17)

Chapter IX.       Judgment Day and the Transition to Eternity (Esther 9:1-5) Please see Revelation 19:11-19

Chapter X.        Eternity in Heaven (Esther 10:3) Please see Galatians 3:16 & 29

NOTE: There is not one direct/explicit reference to God found anywhere in the Book of Esther.  As a result, Martin Luther declared it to be an apocryphal book.  It is also the only Old Testament book missing from the Dead Sea Scrolls, possibly because the Essene sect believed that Esther was not sufficiently faithful to the Mosaic Law, e.g., Esther married the “Gentile” Persian king.  Nonetheless, it is important to also note that Mordecai is specifically mentioned in two other books of the Old Testament as being among those who returned to Jerusalem in the restoration, following the previous captivity into Babylon, as can be found in both Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7. This double witness validates that Mordecai was a real person in history during the associated time period. The Book of Esther is indeed a valid part of the Holy Scripture, and was perfectly crafted by God the Holy Spirit as an Historical Parable.

Selected Expanded Expositions From the Book of Esther

Esther 2:1: God Remembers His Covenant

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 can in no way be interpreted as saying that king Ahasuerus changed his mind and later 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. 

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.” 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 the remnant chosen by Grace out of all the world (the Gentiles), that also includes “a remnant” from National Israel (Hosea 2:16-20).

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 Israel 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).

What else does the Bible say on this issue?  With respect to remembering Vashti we know that God never forgot 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 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:“

God remembered and performed His covenant to Israel with a new and everlasting covenant in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ (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, 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;”

Esther Chapter 3: The “Law” is Given

Mordecai Refuses to Reverence Haman, So Haman Seeks to Destroy Both Mordecai and All the Jews

In Esther 3:5&6, we read, “And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath (חֵמָה (ḥēmâ))^H2534. And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that [were] throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, [even] the people of Mordecai.”  This is exactly what we know to be the situation that we find in in Matthew 4:8-10, where the devil, having been given the power by God to rule this world upon the Fall of Adam, desired for Jesus to “fall down and worship” him, and Jesus answered, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”  The devil wrathfully hates God, and not only desired to kill Jesus, but to also continues seeking to kill all of those who believe in Jesus and who are the true Christians.  In 1 Peter 5:8,  we are told to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:“

It should also be noted that the word for “wrath” that is used to describe the hate that filled Haman against Mordecai is חֵמָה (ḥēmâ))^H2534 in the original Hebrew, which has been translated into English by the King James Translators variously as: fury (67x), wrath (34x), poison (6x), furious (4x), displeasure (3x), rage (2x), anger (1x), bottles (1x), furious (with H1167) (1x), furiously (1x), heat (1x), indignation (1x), wrathful (1x), wroth (1x). And for the record, it is also the same word used to describe the “wrath” of King Ahasuerus that was “appeased” against Queen Vashti and “pacified” against Haman that we see in Esther 2:1, and Esther 7:7 together with  Esther 7:10.

Casting the Lot to Determine Judgment Day

In Esther 3:7, we read the following “In the first month, that [is] , the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot (גּוֹרָל (gôrāl))^H1486, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, [to] the twelfth [month], that [is], the month Adar.” Now we need to remember what God tells us in two places in the Bible.

1. First, in Proverbs 16:33, “The lot (גּוֹרָל (gôrāl))^H1486 is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof [is] of the LORD.” This means that even though Haman cast the lot, God is still in charge of how it turns out.
2. Then in Isaiah 34:17, “And he hath cast the lot (גּוֹרָל (gôrāl))^H1486 for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.” The “he” is God Almighty, and “them/they” are all those consigned to Hell (a land of brimstone and burning pitch Isaiah 34:9) on Judgment Day (“the day of the LORD’S vengeance” Isaiah 34:8 when the smoke of their torment goes up for ever. Isaiah 34:10 and Revelation 14:11).

All of Isaiah chapter 34 is a warning from God to the entire world of the Judgment Day to come, and that God warns us that none of His Words will fail that are found in the Bible, Which book God tells us all to “read”, as we find in the preceding verse to the one above, “Isaiah 34:16, “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.“

Haman’s Plot Against the Jews

Next in Esther chapter 3 we read where Haman, as the chief of the princes with him, because of His pride, reports to the king in verse 8, that there is a people that is scattered throughout the kingdom who do not keep the kings laws and the king should not suffer them to live.  Haman even offered a great sum of silver to bring about the people’s destruction in verse Esther 3:11, “And the king said unto Haman, The silver [is] given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee.”  Then in Esther 3:12 we read, “¶ Then were the king’s scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and [to] every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king’s ring.”  The Bible, the extant Law of God, has gone out to all the earth and it makes clear in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin [is] death;” We would all remain condemned to Hell according to the Law of God (apart from the Mercy and Grace of God).

Isn’t it an interesting “coincidence” that when God gave the commandment (the Law) to Adam and Eve to not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and despite God telling them that the day they ate of it that they would die, that the serpent (Satan) effectively had caused them to not “keep the King’s law.”  Isn’t it also true that, until the cross, Satan was allowed to come before God (see Job 1:6 & 7) to be the accuser of the believers for not perfectly keeping the Law of God, for in Revelation 12:10 we read, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”  Note also that the not only was Judgment Day in view when God gave the first commandment, i.e. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin [is] death;” but in the second part of that verse is the decreed way of escape by God’s grace that we read about in Esther 8:9, “the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“, but God allowed Satan to have dominion over this whole creation by right of conquest.  That is why Jesus said in John 18:3, ¶”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.“

Esther 4:1: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

“When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;“

A close look at Esther 4:1 will reveal a beautiful summation of the atonement of Jesus Christ, the One Who “perceived all” that God’s Law decrees.  Jesus knew that He must come as the sin bearer to redeem His people and so He humbled Himself (typified by Mordecai’s putting on of sackcloth with ashes), as the king of Nineveh did in Jonah 3:6, “For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered [him] with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.”  Jesus humbled Himself by taking on a human body of low estate to become the sin bearer of all who would believe on Him.  Incidentally, if we look at Psalms 69:11, in this clearly Messianic Psalm that, “I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb (parable) to them.”  Please remember that this is the same Psalm that so particularly reveals the details of Christ’s atonement on the cross.  As a result it is the most frequently quoted Psalm referring to Jesus Christ in the New Testament, including that by Jesus Himself.  In Psalms 69:4, “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, [being] mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored [that] which I took not away.”  Compare this with John 15:24 &25, “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.  But [this cometh to pass], that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.”  In Psalms 69:21 we read that, “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”  That verse Messianically describes what happened to Jesus while He was hanging on the cross, as we find in Matthew 27:34, “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted [thereof], he would not drink.”  Also in John 19:28-30 we read, “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.  Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put [it] upon hyssop, and put [it] to his mouth.  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”  In verse 9 we find, Psalm 69:9, “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.”  Compare this with John 2:17 “And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” and Romans 15:3, “For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.“

If Jesus had not provided a substitutionary atonement for His people, the “Jews,” the Law would demand that they would perish at Judgment Day at the end of the age (typified by the end of the year in Esther).  When Jesus died on the cross in Jerusalem, Jesus completed that work and, like Mordecai, gave out a “loud and bitter cry” as we read Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” 

Matthew 27:50, “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.” (see also Mark 15:34&37 and Luke 23:46)

Notice also the parallels between the actions of Esther (as a type for the Church) and Mordecai in Esther 4:4, “So Esther’s maids and her chamberlains came and told [it] her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received [it] not.” with that of Peter (as another “type” of the Church) and Jesus when Peter attempted to physically defend Jesus and keep Him from His atoning work.  In John 18:10&11 we read, “Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.  Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?“

That cup was the cup of God’s wrath for sin that Jesus had to suffer for the sins of His Elect!

In Esther 4:16 we read, “Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” Note that we had already compared Mordecai putting on sackcloth and sitting in ashes and giving out a loud and bitter cry being equivalent to the suffering atonement of Jesus Christ.  But now we can see mention of a period of three days and three nights. It is clearly reminiscent of the three days and three night period of Jesus atoning sacrifice, death and burial between the Garden of Gethsemane on Thursday night (Passover evening) until His Resurrection on Sunday morning,  on the third day, 1 Corinthians 15:4 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:“

Esther Chapter 5: Jesus’s Resurrection on the Third Day Made it Possible for Believers to Boldly Enter God’s Throne Room of Grace

Chapter 5 begins with, “Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on [her] royal [apparel], and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.” Note that Esther did not put on “royal apparel” until the “third day” and we know that Jesus rose from the dead on “the third day.”

Esther boldly entered the throne room of King Ahasuerus, per the instruction given to her by Mordecai. Does not this parallel what we read in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.“

And in Hebrews 10:19-22,  “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;  And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.“

Also we read in Ephesians 3:11&12, “According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”  And in 2 Corinthians 5:7 we read, “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”

Jesus instructed us to freely ask…John 14:13&14, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].  We also read in Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.“

Also, in Psalm 65:4, “Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee, that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.“

The Golden Sceptre of Grace (Another Type of Jesus Christ)

Regarding the Golden Sceptre (שַׁרְבִּיט (šarbîṭ)^H8275) held in the King’s hand (likely right hand)…these  verses clearly apply…and are therefore also a prefigurement of Jesus and His being The Means by which we can boldly enter the Throne Room of God the Father to receive His Grace:

Genesis 49:10 “The sceptre (שַׁרְבִּיט (šarbîṭ)^H8275) shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (descended from Judah) and He is that Sceptre that does not depart from Judah.

Numbers 24:17 “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre (שַׁרְבִּיט (šarbîṭ)^H8275) shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.”

Psalm 45:6, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre (שַׁרְבִּיט (šarbîṭ)^H8275) of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.”(שַׁרְבִּיט (šarbîṭ)^H8275)

Hebrews 1:8, “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre (ῥάβδος (rhabdos)^G4464) of righteousness is the sceptre (ῥάβδος (rhabdos)^G4464) of thy kingdom.”

God’s has total control over the hearts of kings…Proverbs 21:1,  “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” and in Daniel 4:25, “That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.“

Esther Chapter 6: Palm Sunday Prefigured

In Esther 6:1-9, we are provided with information concerning the king’s inability the night just prior to Haman’s coming to request permission to hang Mordecai on the high gallows that Haman had built. The king awoke to request that the chronicles be searched to determine who had intervened to save his life from an insurrection. Moments after the king learned that Mordecai was the hero and that nothing had been done to reward Mordecai, Haman arrived at the king’s palace. The king asked Haman what should be done to reward the man to whom the king most wanted to honor. Haman in his pride thought that the king was taking about him, so Haman provided a grandiose plan of what Haman desired for himself.

The king agreed, and in Esther 6:10, we read, “¶Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, [and] take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.” Then we read in Esther 6:11, ¶ Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.”

It is noteworthy that the king knew that Mordecai was a “Jew” and hence Haman’s fate was sealed when Haman heard the king utter those words. There was never any earlier indication that Haman had informed the king that it was the Jews who were the people that Haman had convinced the king to have exterminated at the end of the year.

Following the above, Haman, who was now entirely humiliated according to Esther 6:12, “¶And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.” When Haman arrived at home he told his household the news, as we read in Esther 6:13, “And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every [thing] that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai [be] of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.” Note the correlation with what we read regarding Jesus, Who also is of the seed of the Jews, in Romans 14:11, “For it is written, [As] I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.“, which is referring back to Isaiah 45:23, “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth [in] righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

Esther Chapter 7: The Last Passover Feast and Christ’s Victory over Satan at the Cross

Esther Chapter 7 begins with a banquet, and ends with the death of a wicked banqueter. We read in Esther 7:1, “¶So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.“This was the last feast where king Ahasuerus sat down with Haman in the presence of Esther. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All three uses of the word here seem to be associated with the dispelling of wrath after a judgment is carried out and justice was satisfied.

Esther Chapter 8: The New Testament Era Begins: The Great Commission and Pentecost (Which Occurs Only in the Third Month) 

As additional confirmation that the parallels derived from Esther with God’s whole plan of salvation are correct, please look at Esther 8:9, which describes how on the 23rd day of the third month a new decree (“all that Mordecai commanded …“) went forth by messengers on beasts under the commandment of Mordecai to every people and tongue in every province in the kingdom of King Ahasuerus.  This new decree, while not annulling the first decree, which originally allowed for the destruction of the “Jews” (the people of Mordecai), did offer a way of escape for the people of Mordecai from the judgment day set forth in the first decree.

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

NOTE: Is it only a coincidence that The Feast of Pentecost (also known as the Feast of “First Fruits” when the wheat first starts to ripen) is always during the third month of the Hebrew calendar (Sivan)?   On Pentecost in 33 AD (in the third month), we read in Acts 2:4-6, that the apostles were “all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”  “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because every man heard them speak in his own language.”  And what they each heard the apostles speaking in his own language was “the wonderful works of God.”!  At that same time, Peter stood up and preached the Gospel of Salvation to that multitude, and of those who heard, about three thousand souls “gladly received his word were baptized.”

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

Is not that amazingly similar to the last words of Jesus after the resurrection and just prior to His Ascension to Heaven?…

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

Acts 1:4-8, “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”  

This is entirely consistent with what we read in Matthew 28:18-20 (the last verses of Matthew), “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.”

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

The Fear of God!

Note also how 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 and gladness, 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.”  Does not this sound exactly like the conversion that happened at the beginning of the New Testament era starting at Pentecost* in 33 A.D. when the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ was first proclaimed?  The New Testament did not nullify, abrogate, or abolish the Old Testament Law, but the New Testament of Jesus Christ (exactly like the new decree instituted by Mordecai) offered the Good News of the Way of escape through Jesus Christ from the penalty of the Law, which “the wages of sin is death“. Remember also that it is not just mankind’s physical death that is in view, but eternal spiritual death in Hell on Judgment Day at the end of the world, typified in Esther as being the “end of the year“.

This is clear as we read in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Did not many of the people obtain the necessary “fear” of God and become Christians (the true “Jews”), thereby obtaining peace with God, as a result?  Again, is not this is exactly what was declared in Revelation 14:6&7, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”  Side Note: This is also what happened to the mariners in the Book of Jonah, they heard Jonah speak of the Lord, they cried unto the Lord, and after they threw Jonah into the sea, they became believers… as we read in Jonah 1:15&16, “So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea:and the sea ceased from her raging.Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.”

To have the fear of the Jews can also be interpreted as having the same fear of God that the Jews had.  And as we are told in Psalm 34:9, “O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for [there is] no want (no lack) to them that fear him.” (and remember that Amalek, the ancestor of Haman, “feared not God” Deuteronomy 25:18, and therefore God said that He would blot out the remembrance of Amalek forever.) We also read in Psalm 36:1, “The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, [that there is] no fear of God before his eyes.”  And we know that Haman was “wicked”.

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

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

Gladness and Feasting!

We see the word “gladness” is used similarly in Acts 2:46, “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,” Moreover, in Acts 13:48 ¶And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”

Fear of the Jews, Fear of God!

We see that the word “fear” is used in Acts 2:43, “And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.“

[And dear reader, please do not forget that this is also reiterated in the Book of Revelation, Revelation 14:6&7, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.“]

The Role of Pentecost as the Feast of the First Fruits

We should also note the significance of Pentecost, as it is the second of the three major feast days in the Hebrew calendar between Passover in the first month (Nissan) and the Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month (Ethanim/Tishri).  We see it described by God in Leviticus 23:15&16, “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.” and Deuteronomy 16:9, “Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from [such time] as thou beginnest [to put] the sickle to the corn.” (the corn refers to barley corn, and the seven weeks, or 49 days, plus one equals 50 days or “Pentecost”)

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

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

Esther Chapter 9: The End of the Year, Judgment Day, and the Transition to Eternity

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

Haman’s Ten Sons

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

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

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

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

“on the spoil laid they not their hand.“

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

The Last Days Typified

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

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

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

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

The Feast of Tabernacles (also called Feast of Booths or Sukkot in Hebrew when those celebrating the feast would do so while living in booths made from tree branches) was the seventh and final feast commanded in the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament). Most significantly, it was the third of and final of the three yearly occasions when all Jewish men were to appear in Jerusalem before the Lord to worship as we read in Deuteronomy 16:16, “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread (starting with Passover), and in the feast of weeks (Pentecost), and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:”.  It was also when the temple in Jerusalem was being dedicated during this time as we read in 1 Kings 8:2, “And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which [is] the seventh month.”

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

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

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

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

The Feast of Purim

Esther 9:26&26, “¶Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and [of that] which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them, The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their [appointed] time every year; And that these days [should be] remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.“

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

The End of the Year is When Eternity Begins

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

Esther Chapter 10: Eternity In Heaven, Believers Rest in the Peace of Jesus Christ

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

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

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

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

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

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

In Esther 10:3 we read, “For Mordecai the Jew [was] next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.”  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Romans 9:1-8 reiterates how God views the eternal spiritual Israel (the believers in the Messiah, Jesus Christ), for Paul was moved by the Holy Spirit to write the following: “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,  That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.  For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:  Who are Israelites; to whom [pertaineth] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service [of God], and the promises;  Whose [are] the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ [came], who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.  Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they [are] not all Israel, which are of Israel:  Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”   This is also consistent with what we read again in Psalm 22:30, “A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.” 

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

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

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

Five Main CHARACTER PROFILES:

1] King Ahasuerus, Who Sat on the Throne of  “His Glorious Kingdom and The Honour of His Excellent Majesty”: A Portrait of God, The Father in Heaven

Ahasuerus:  According to Strong’s Concordance of Persian origin.  It is said to be more of a title, refering to a king, rather than a specific name.  It is believed to be the same as either Artexerxes or Xerxes (which has been said to mean “Mighty Eye” or “Mighty Man”, but this is also unclear from the Biblical text alone). It has been claimed in more than one reference that the name means “venerable father”, which, if true, is extremely significant as we shall see later.

There is no genealogy provided (Remember that God Himself has no genealogy).  It should be noted that in Daniel 9:1 we read, that “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;”. Darius is one of the kings of Persia who commanded, in Ezra chapter 6, that the Jews rebuild the temple and walls of Jerusalem.  In Ezra 6:14 we read, “And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.”

All Glory and Honor and Majesty Belong to God, He Alone is Excellent!

Esther 1:4,  “When he shewed the riches of his glorious (כָּבוֹד (kāḇôḏ))^H3519 kingdom and the honour (יְקָר (yᵊqār))^H3366  of his excellent (תִּפְאָרָה (tip̄’ārâ))^H8597 majesty (גְּדוּלָה (gᵊḏûlâ))^H1420 many days, [even] an hundred and fourscore days.“

Psalm 8:1, “{To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.} O LORD our Lord, how excellent [is] thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory (הוֹד (hôḏ)) ^H1935 above the heavens.“

Psalm 8:5 “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory (כָּבוֹד (kāḇôḏ)) ^H3519 and honour (הָדָר (hāḏār)) ^H1926.

Psalm 21:5, “His glory (כָּבוֹד (kāḇôḏ))^H3519 [Is] great in thy salvation: honour (הוֹד (hôḏ)) ^H1935 and majesty (הָדָר (hāḏār)) ^H1926 hast thou laid upon him.”

Psalm 24:10, “Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he [is] the King of glory. Selah.“

Psalm 104:1, “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour (הוֹד (hôḏ)) ^H1935 and majesty (הָדָר (hāḏār)) ^H1926.“

Psalm 111:3. “His work [is] honorable (הוֹד (hôḏ)) ^H1935 and glorious (also “majesty” (הָדָר (hāḏār)) ^H1926: and his righteousness endureth for ever.“

Psalm 145:5, “I will speak of the glorious (כָּבוֹד (kāḇôḏ))^H3519 honour (הָדָר (hāḏār)) ^H1926 of thy majesty (הוֹד (hôḏ)) ^H1935, and of thy wondrous works.“

Psalm 145:10-13, “All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.They shall speak of the glory (כָּבוֹד (kāḇôḏ))^H3519 of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious (כָּבוֹד (kāḇôḏ))^H3519 majesty (הָדָר (hāḏār)) ^H1926 of his kingdom.Thy kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion [endureth] throughout all generations.“ Actually, all of Psalm 145 extols, and speaks praise to, Almighty God’s Glorious Honor and Majesty.

Psalm 72:19, “And blessed [be] his glorious (כָּבוֹד (kāḇôḏ))^H3519 name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled [with] his glory (כָּבוֹד (kāḇôḏ))^H3519 ; Amen, and Amen.“

1 Chronicles 29:13, “Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious (תִּפְאָרָה (tip̄’ārâ))^H8597 name.“

Psalms 148:13, “Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory (הוֹד (hôḏ)) ^H1935 [is] above the earth and heaven.“

Psalm 150:1&2, “¶ Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.“

Matthew 24:30, “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.“

Jude 1:25, “To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 4:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.“

1 Chronicles 16:25-27, “For great [is] the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also [is] to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the people [are] idols: but the LORD made the heavens.  Glory and honour [are] in his presence; strength and gladness [are] in his place.

1 Timothy 1:17, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, [be] honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.“

Jeremiah 10:10, “But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath (קֶצֶף (qeṣep̄))^H7110 the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.”

 God and His Word are Unchangeable

God’s Law is eternal, unchangeable (cannot be altered or annulled) and is irrevocable, just like the law of the Medes and the Persians.

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.”   (Compare with: Daniel 6:8, “Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.”  and Daniel 6:15, “Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians [is], That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.“)

Malachi 3:6, “For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.“

Numbers 23:19, “God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?“

I Samuel 15:29, “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he [is] not a man, that he should repent.“

Jeremiah 4:28, “For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken [it], I have purposed [it], and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.“

God’s Word (the Gospel of Jesus Christ) is “Published” Throughout All His Empire

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.“

Psalms 68:11, “The Lord gave the word: great [was] the company of those that published [it].“

Mark 13:10, “And the gospel must first be published among all nations.“

Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.“

Deuteronomy 31:30, “And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.  Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.  My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:  Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.  [He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he.“

And to emphasize that the Kingdom of God is from all nations, Revelation 7:9&10, “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 beforethe Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”

 The Seven Wise Men in Shushan the Palace

In Esther 1:13&14 we read, “Then the king said to the wise men, which knew the times, (for so [was] the king’s manner toward all that knew law and judgment:  And the next unto him [was] Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, [and] Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king’s face, [and] which sat the first in the kingdom;)”  Who do these seven wise men represent who know both times, law, and judgment?  God gives us the answer in Revelation 4:5, “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.“

Please note the similarity to what we find in Exodus 19:16 where we read, “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that [was] in the camp trembled.  And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.  And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.”  and in Exodus 34:2, “And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.  Remember what God told Moses when Moses was to go up to Mount Sinai to visit with God?  In Exodus 33:20 we read, “And he (God) said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live“.  Doesn’t it appear that Mount Sinai was used of God to typify His throne?  Furthermore, by typifying God’s throne, both Mount Sinai in Exodus (and Shushan the palace in Esther 1:2, “[That] in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which [was] in Shushan the palace,“) must therefore represent Heaven.  We can say this because of what we read in Isaiah 66:1 (and Acts 7:49), “Thus saith the LORD, The heaven [is] my throne, and the earth [is] my footstool: where [is] the house that ye build unto me? and where [is] the place of my rest?“.  Finally, isn’t it also reasonable to conclude that the seven wise men in the book of Esther could therefore be representative of the “seven Spirits of God” that are always with Him and see His face and Who know the times, law, and judgment (which relates to the “fire”)?

 2] Mordecai, a Jew, and an Elder Who Sat in the Gate: A Portrait of The LORD Jesus Christ

Esther 2:5, “[Now] in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name [was] Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;  Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.“

Although the meaning of “Mordecai” is not clear, but it is said to mean “little man“, which is interesting because Mordecai’s warning that saved the kingdom was not remembered.  Doesn’t this sound somewhat similar to what we read in Ecclesiastes 9:13-17, “This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: [There was] a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise [men are] heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.“

We do know that as a Benjaminite, Mordecai was of the tribe of Benjamin (the only full brother of Joseph), whose name means “son of my right hand.”  When Moses gave a blessing to the sons of Jacob/Israel, this is how he blessed Benjamin in Deuteronomy 33:12, “[And] of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; [and the LORD] shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.”  Jair means “He Enlightens“: “Shimei*” means “renowned” or “famous“: and “Kish” means “power” (also “bow” or “snare”…like the river Kishon). We know that a man named Kish was also the father of the first king of Israel, King Saul.  1 Samuel 9:1&2, “Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.”  The only progeny of King Saul to have been recorded as not having been killed off was Mephibosheth (King Saul’s grandson through Jonathan). Please see this exposition of Mephibosheth.

Is there a King Saul, Jonathan, Mephibosheth Connection to Esther and Mordecai?

It should also be noted that the genealogy provides some additional information that could be pertinent to any study of Mordecai, so let’s look a bit closer.  The genealogy makes it clear that Mordecai was at least indirectly related (a kinsman) to King Saul.  

As mentioned above, a man named Kish was the father of King Saul, who was also a Benjamite (perhaps ironically, so too was the Saul in the New Testament who later became known as Paul).  While King Saul was an outwardly handsome man, of great stature, and a king after the people’s heart, he was faithless and not a king after God’s own heart as was King David.  Nonetheless, God did show compassion and grace toward a remnant of that line by the hand of King David.  This was true for Mephibosheth (a grandson of Saul through Jonathan) who we read about in 2 Samuel 9:13, “So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.” We also know that Mephibosheth had a least one son in David’s day, because we read that he had a young son named Micha in 2 Samuel 9:12 “And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name [was] Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba [were] servants unto Mephibosheth.“

While it remains unclear if Mordecai (and hence also Esther) are descended from Kish apart from King Saul (by the Shimei who cursed David?), or through King Saul via Jonathan and then Mephibosheth? (NOTE: The detailed lineages/decendents down from Mephibosheth are also listed to the end of the 1 Chronicles, Chapters 8 & 9 and do not provide any evidence of a direct from king Saul down to Mordecai or Esther). 

However, if descended from Kish through Saul/Jonathan/Mephibosheth/Micha, and perhaps a later unlisted descendent who was also named Kish (again meaning “power” (also “bow” or “snare”…like the river Kishon), then both Mordecai and Esther would also be viewed as having:

1) A “royal lineage” through the failed house of Saul (and only due to the promised covenant between David (a type of Jesus Christ) and Jonathan (whom David loved and Jonathan loved David).

2) And, been beneficiaries of the eternal covenant established between the house of David and Jonathan, Saul’s son, that would ensure Jonathan’s seed continued “forever” as we read in 1 Samuel 20:42 “And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.”

This genealogical connection would then be particularly noteworthy, and yes, even amazingly ironic, when we consider that King Saul disobeyed God’s command to utterly destroy the Amalekites, as we read in 1Samuel 15:2&3, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember [that] which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid [wait] for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” King Saul disobeyed God by capturing, but not killing, Agag, “Agag the king of the Amalekites“1 Samuel 15:8.

The following is the discourse between King Saul and Samuel, who, as a prophet of God, condemned King Saul for that disobedience. In 1 Samuel 15:20-23, we read, “And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.”  

It is therefore a most interesting irony that if King Saul been obedient to God’s command to kill the Amalekites, then the book of Esther would not have been written, because the adversary, Haman, who sought to destroy Mordecai and all of his people (the Jews), was none other than a descendent of king Agag (Samuel hewed king Agag in pieces in 1 Samuel 15:33)!

However, it clearly served God’s Purpose for history to develop as it did, according to His Will, to ultimately bring Glory and Honor to God through the fulfillment of His Covenant Promise to Abraham (as well as all of the Old Testament prophesies) to bring about the immaculate birth, sinless life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ to save a people for Himself.

Mordecai and Esther, as Benjamites, Likely of King Saul’s House, Fulfilled God’s Command that King Saul Had Disobeyed

So is it not most interesting, yes, even amazing, that, in the book of Esther, those who are possibly the descendants, or at the least, relatives, of King Saul, being all Benjamites, descended from a man named Kish would thus have fulfilled the earlier command of God, which King Saul had failed to do, in putting out the name of Amalek forever. That command’s fulfillment would be typified by the hanging of Haman and his ten sons as we read in Exodus 17:14-16, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this [for] a memorial in a book, and rehearse [it] in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi: For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn [that] the LORD [will have] war with Amalek from generation to generation.” It was therefore clearly all foreordained by God to play out and be recorded exactly as it occurred in Esther!

(NOTE: There is one additional irony to be found in the Bible with regard to the Amalekites and King Saul, the son of Kish, because according to 2 Samuel 1:13, it was was none other than “the son of a stranger, an Amalekite” who looted King Saul’s crown and who evidently falsely claimed to David that he had dealt the final lethal blow to King Saul after King Saul had been wounded in battle by Philistine archers (even though the wounded King Saul is recorded in two places in the Bible as having taken his own life by falling on his sword, see both 1 Samuel 31:1-6 and 1Chronicles 10:4). The full account regarding that Amalekite begins in 2 Samuel 1:1 where we read that, “Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;” and ends with David putting that Amalekite to death 2 Samuel 1:16, “And David said unto him, Thy blood [be] upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD’S anointed.” The same account is also brought up later by King David in 2 Samuel 4:10, “When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who [thought] that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:”).  

It is also clear that no matter how many times the Amalekites were “slaughtered” at various times in the Bible, that nonetheless, somehow, Haman survived (and Haman was a descendent of king Agag, who ruled the Amalekites in the time of king Saul and king Agag was killed by Samuel).  It seems clear however, that even though the last reference to the slaughter of the Amalekites, which occurred during the reign of Judah’s King Hezekiah (where we are told that 500 men from the tribe of Simon “smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped)” that some Amalekites continued to live until the time of Esther.  Given that there are no further mentions of the Amalekites or Agagites beyond the book of Esther, that therefore the death of Haman and his ten sons marked the final end of the line for the Amalekites.

Who is Jair?

As noted above, Jair means “He Enlightens“: Jair’s father was “Shimei”, which means “renowned” or “famous“: and his grandfather was “Kish”. As for Jair, we read of a man named Jair in Judges 10:3-5, who was a judge in Israel; and in 1 Chronicles 20:5 of another son of a man named Jair (named Elhanan, which means “God is a gracious giver”) who slew the brother of the giant Goliath.  The genealogical namesakes remind us that Mordecai (like Saul who became Paul) was of a line that should have been cut-off by God, but nonetheless was instead a recipient of God’s grace.

Who is Shimei?

Shimei (or Shimhi or Shimi or Shimea) is also the name of a man descended from Saul who we read about in 2 Samuel 16:5, “And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name [was] Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came.”  Later in 2 Samuel 19:16-20, Shimei repented of his sin against David and begged for mercy, and David granted it, as we read in 2 Samuel 19:23, “Therefore the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him.”  However, in the case of that Shimei, we later read 1 Kings 2:36-46 that because he did not obey King Solomon’s commandment to not cross the Brook Kidron (he turned again to folly), King Solomon had that Shimei put to death. (For more background how this was pre-determined by David immediately before his own death in his last words of instruction to his son Solomon, please see also 1Kings 2:8&9).

It is not possible to definitively rule out that Mordecai (as well as Esther) is descended from this same Benjamite Shimei, because this Shimei could have had children after being spared by king David and his later being put to death by Solomon. If that were so, then this would be another irony in that had David not spared Shimei, then Mordecai and Esther would not have been born…much like the ironic twist wherein if Saul had destroyed Agag and all the Amalekites, then Haman would not have been born.

An Elder in the City

We know that Mordecai was an elder in the city because he sat in the king’s gate.  Further, despite having saved the life of the king, he and his good deed were soon forgotten.  This is similar to the account in Ecclesiastes 9:14&15, “[There was] a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:  Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.”  Isn’t this similar to the wisdom of Jesus Christ who became poor that the believer’s might become rich in Him.  Didn’t Jesus save His beloved Church, the “city” of the New Jerusalem?  Nonetheless, following the abasement Mordecai suffered by the putting on sackcloth and sitting in ashes, eventually he was exalted to the right hand of the king.  Isn’t this similar to what we read of Jesus?

Hebrews 2:9, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.“

2 Peter 1:17, “For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.“

Also in Revelation 4:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.“

In Psalm 145 we read, “(David’s Psalm of praise.) I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.”

Revelation 5:11-13, “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 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.  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, [be] unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.“

Revelation 7:12, “Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, [be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.“

Revelation 19:1, “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:“

Mordecai’s Attributes:

Humility

Mordecai was a humble man who did not boast of his having saved the King.

Wisdom

Mordecai always took the wise and appropriate actions towards God and man.

Concern for Others

Mordecai showed compassion to Esther by raising her up as his own daughter and continuing to be concerned about her welfare and that of her (and his) people.

A Man to Whom Glory and Honor Was Ultimately Given

In reviewing the attributes of Mordecai and his portrayal relationship to Jesus in overturning the forces of darkness and receiving honor and glory in ultimate victory we can look to Psalm 21:1-13, “{To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.} The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!  Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.  For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.  He asked life of thee, [and] thou gavest [it] him, [even] length of days for ever and ever.  His glory [is] great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.  For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.  For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.  Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.  Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath (אַף (‘ap̄))^H639, and the fire shall devour them.  Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.  For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, [which] they are not able [to perform].  Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, [when] thou shalt make ready [thine arrows] upon thy strings against the face of them.  Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: [so] will we sing and praise thy power.“

1 Timothy 6:14-16, “That thou keep [this] commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, [who is] the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. See also Revelation 19:16

(Note that in both Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7 we can read of a man named Mordecai, clearly considered a  senior person at the time, who was taken into captivity by the King of Babylon and later returned after the captivity.  The dates of the various Medo-Persian kings is not entirely clear, but there is at least the possibility that this could be the same Mordecai who, with Esther, has been relocated first to Persia after Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon was conquered.)

 3] Esther: A Portrait of the Bride of Jesus Christ, His Church

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.“

Esther’s Name

Esther’s  Persian name, 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.  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.“

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).  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.”

Esther’s Attributes:

Esther was a “maid” (verse 2:7)…II 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 maid that [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] fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.”  Song of Solomon 2:10, “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.“

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.“

I 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.”

II 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.“

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.

Psalms 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.“

I 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.“

II 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.“

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

Psalms 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.“

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

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

Psalms 119:58, “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)…I 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.“

II 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,.“

Matthew 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,“

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.“

II 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.“

4] Hegai (and Hatach): Portraits of the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit

Hegai (Hege): In Esther chapter 2 we read of the King’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, 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 (which in the Hebrew means “the father of power, might, strength, and virtue,” e.g., another portrait of God the Father) 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 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!

It is also interesting that the name Hegai (also spelled once as Hege in the Esther account) is thought to mean in the Persian, fittingly, “eunuch” https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1896/kjv/wlc/0-1/.  However, some translators have concluded that Hegai (Hege) can also be interpreted as “meditation; word; groaning; separation” http://www.kingjamesbibledictionary.com/Dictionary/Hegai.  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:“

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 5&6 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” for God, representing 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.”

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.”

5] Haman as an Agagite Was Also an Amalekite: a Vessel “Unto Dishonour”: A Portrait of the Devil

Esther 3:1 “After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that [were] with him.“

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

* The specific words “adversary“, “enemy“, and “wicked” (when taken together) are used pointedly in the Bible to unequivocally describe the devil, Satan (i.e, 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:; Matthew 13:39, “The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.“; and, Matthew 13:38, “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one];”  One more thing should be noted however…the word that the King James translators took to mean as “adversary” is actually the Hebrew word אִישׁ (‘îš) ^H376, which is actually a far more benign word, translated over 1000 times in the Bible, as simply meaning “man” and never translated anywhere else in the Bible as “adversary”.  However, when we do look up the proper Hebrew word for “adversary”… Lo and behold…the word is, most significantly, שָׂטָן (śāṭān) ^H7854! Yes, the devil himself, the arch-enemy of God and of all of God’s elect!  Is it possible that somehow the translators were moved by God to lead us to this interpretation, perhaps even unbeknownst to themselves?  Only God knows for sure.

Haman:  According to Strong’s Concordance: of foreign derivation, however is very close to Hebrew word meaning “rage,” “tumult,” “destroy,” or “vex.” Another translation claims the name means “Magnificent” (which is not inconsistent with what we read of the devil in Isaiah 14:12…”How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!)

Hammedatha:  “Threshing“?   Possibly pertains to the last judgment, or threshing, when the evil are cast into hell. The Threshing Floor is where the wheat is separated from the chaff that is taken out and burned as we read in Matthew 3:12, “Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor (threshing floor), and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.“

Agagite:  “Flame“?  Again possibly pertaining to those things that are taken out and burned by fire.

Note: We see a similar wicked character (another “type” of the devil) mentioned in Psalm 52:1-7, “[[To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.]] Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God [endureth] continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; [and] lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring words, O [thou] deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of [thy] dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: Lo, [this is] the man [that] made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, [and] strengthened himself in his wickedness.” The Psalm ends on a positive note with Psalm 52:8&9, “But I [am] like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done [it]: and I will wait on thy name; for [it is] good before thy saints.“

Haman’s Genealogy:

Haman was a direct descendent of King Agag, hence Amalek, hence Esau.  Let’s see what God has to say about each of these individuals that make up the ancestry of Haman:

Esau: (Please see more about Esau in the Parable of the Prodigal Son)

Genesis 36:1, “Now these [are] the generations of Esau, who [is] Edom.”

Malachi 1:2&3, “I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? [Was] not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,  And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.“

In Obadiah 1:1, God condemns Edom, hence Esau, hence Haman… “¶The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen,Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation [is] high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt [thyself] as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD. If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grape gatherers came to thee, would they not leave [some] grapes? How are [the things] of Esau searched out! [how] are his hidden things sought up!“

In Obadiah 1:8-10, “Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise [men] out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? And thy mighty [men], O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter. For [thy] violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.“

Romans 9:13, “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.“

Amalek:

The Amalekites were descended from Esau’s grandson, Amalek, Genesis 36:12, “And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these [were] the sons of Adah Esau‘s wife” Amalek עֲמָלֵק (ʿămālēq) ^H6002 simply means “dweller in a valley.”

We also can find that, in Exodus 17:8-13,  Joshua fought against Amalek under the inspiration of Moses, who arms were supported by Aaron and Hur, and that “Joshua” (who’s very name in the original Hebrew (יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (yᵊhôšûaʿ), meaning “God is Salvation” or “Savior”) is exactly the same name as “Jesus” Ἰησοῦς (iēsous) in the Greek) slew the Amalekites with the sword. The Amalekites were evidently not completely destroyed, however, and at the end of this war Moses was ordered to write in a document, as a reminder, that the Lord would one day blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven as we read in Exodus 17:14-16, “¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this [for] a memorial in a book, and rehearse [it] in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.  And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:  For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn [that] the LORD [will have] war with Amalek from generation to generation.“

The reader should also note that another translation of the original Hebrew for the beginning word “Because” in Exodus 17:16 claims that it is “Because the hand of Amalek is against the throne of the LORD,” and therefore “the LORD hath sworn [that] the LORD [will have] war with Amalek from generation to generation.” If so, then this is another clear indicator that the Book of Esther is intended to provide us with insights on the spiritual battle ongoing until Judgment Day of the devil against God as it is typified by Haman against Mordecai (and hence also King Ahaseurus).

God reiterates His command in Deuteronomy 25:17-19, “¶ Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;  How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, [even] all [that were] feeble behind thee, when thou [wast] faint and weary; and he feared not God.  Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance to possess it, [that] thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget [it].“

In that context it should be remembered that it was the Edomites who would not let the Israelites pass and threatened to kill them if they even set foot inside of Edom.  See

Numbers 20:14-21, “¶And remember that “Esau is Edom” as we read four times in Genesis 36 (verses 1, 8, 19, 43).  Note that with regard to “Edom“, God has nothing good to say in the Bible, in fact, the last time that Edom is mentioned in the Bible, in Malachi 1:4, we read, “Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.”

Amalek was the first enemy that Israel encountered after the crossing of the Red Sea as we read in 1 Samuel 15:2&3, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember [that] which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid [wait] for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.  Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.“

1 Samuel 15:18, “And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.“

King Agag:

1 Samuel 15:32&33,  “Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.  And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.“

It is also interesting to note that in the parable of Balaam versus Israel (where Balak, the king of Moab, sought to hire Balaam to curse Israel), God made Balaam prophesy that Israel (and its ultimate King, Jesus Christ) would be exalted above king Agag as we read Numbers 24:7, “He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed [shall be] in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.”  However, Balaam was forced by God to curse the line of Amalek as we read in Numbers 24:20, “ And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek [was] the first of the nations (the first of the  nations to confront returning Israel); but his latter end [shall be] that he perish for ever.” (NOTE: There are several references to the slaying of the Amalekites, with some, at times, escaping. It is not clear how Haman’s family escaped, but obviously they did.  In 1 Samuel 30:17 we find, “And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.” and in 1 Chronicles 4:43, “And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day.“)

(Another NOTE: The Bible, in Joshua 13:22, also tells us that this same Balaam (the son of Beor, “of Pethor of Mesopotamia”, according to Deuteronomy  23:4) was a “soothsayer” (diviner) and that Balaam was among those that Israel subsequently slew with the sword (also in Numbers 31:8).  According to the Bible, Balaam was deserving of death because he gave counsel to Balak to cause Israel to stumble, as we read in Numbers 31:16, “to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.” and in Revelation 2:14,”But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac (Balak) to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.”  Moreover in Micah 5:12 God specifically stated, “And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:”)

Haman, like Satan, is the “Accuser”

Note the similarity between the accusation by Haman against the Jews in Esther 3:8&9 (“And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.“) with what we find in Ezra 4:4-6, “Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,  And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.  And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they [unto him] an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.” 

Furthermore, we also know according to Revelation 12:10, that Satan (described in the immediately preceding verse as, “…the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.“) is the accuser of the brethren before God, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.“ 

And let us consider the end of all those, like Haman, who are deemed to be enemies and wicked as we had read in Esther 7:6, “And Esther said, The adversary and enemy [is] this wicked Haman…” 

Psalm 37:20, “But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD [shall] be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.“

Psalm 37:28, “For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.“

Psalm 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God.”

Psalm 11:2 “For, lo, the wicked bend [their] bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.“

Then there is this analysis that was recently found on the internet at http://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Esther.html under “Foreshadowings“, and it is very well said:
“Just as Haman plotted against the Jews in order to destroy them, so has Satan has set himself against Christ and God’s people. Just as Haman is defeated on the gallows he built for Mordecai, so does Christ use the very weapon that his enemy devised to destroy Him and His spiritual seed. For the cross, by which Satan planned to destroy the Messiah, was the very means through which Christ “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; [And] having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:14-15). Just as Haman was hanged on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai, so the devil was crushed by the cross he erected to destroy Christ.”

Proverbs 16:18, “Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.“

Conclusion

The Book of Esther provides us with an accurate account of an actual period in history, but it was nonetheless orchestrated, recorded, and written under the inspiration of Almighty God, by His Holy Spirit, and it is incorporated into God’s Word the Bible for the edification and consolation of His people, which glorifies God in the process.  The Book of Esther is, therefore, an historical vignette (an Historical Parable) orchestrated by God in the first instance (historically), and written down as precisely crafted in the Bible in the second instance (spiritually) to fulfill God’s own purposes. Those purposes include the conveyance (albeit in a concealed manner) of most, if not all, of the key elements of God’s magnificent salvation plan in one short (ten chapter) account. May this study be a blessing to all who find it.

Knowing the truth about the Book of Esther, or anything else in the Bible, will not save anyone, but knowing Jesus Christ as Lord God and Savior from the just penalty for sin will. This study and all the studies on this website are intended to be a witness that the Bible is true and trustworthy and that Jesus is Who He said that He was.

And to reiterate what is said on the pinned page of this website, the posts found herein are intended to:

1. Exemplify a Faithful Witness, such that they might “Feed Jesus’s Sheep” from the Word of God, the Bible, and thereby Comfort, Edify (“build up”), Encourage, Exhort, Establish, Perfect, Settle and Strengthen the faith of the Saints (the true Believing Christians, the “Sheep”, the Eternal Church of Jesus Christ per Jesus’ instruction to the Apostle Peter in Luke 22:32 to “strengthen thy brethren“).

2. Richly bless each of whomever might be among those who are still on the road to Salvation, by God’s Mercy…e.g., those who are still earnestly seeking God (because He first sought us), in these last, very dark (from a gospel perspective) days, and

3. Make it possible that All readers would come to know for certain that the Bible is the true and trustworthy Word of God, and that “Salvation” means being saved from God’s predetermined just penalty for sin, which requires an eternity in Hell come Judgment Day (please see: Is Hell Real?). Jesus Is The Only Means of Escape, because Jesus, as the “Lamb of God”, Is the ONLY acceptable sacrificial substitute for sin in accordance with God’s Law. Jesus, The Word of God, Is represented by the sharp two-edged sword that we read about in both Hebrews 4:12 and Revelation 1:16. Jesus will either Be your Eternal Savior, or He Will Be your Eternal Judge and Executioner.

POSTSCRIPT: Could “One Year” Represent God’s Entire Salvation Plan Era Divided into Two Equal Parts?

In Esther 2:12, we read of a year of purification, “¶Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, [to wit], six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with [other] things for the purifying of the women;)” Could it be that we are being provided some insights on God’s timeline of history?  The Old Testament Covenant Period was 2000 years from Abraham until Jesus’s (the promised Messiah’s) Atonement, and then from Jesus’s Atonement, which marked the beginning of the New Testament Covenant Period until now, is just about an equal 2000 years as well.

The First Six Months of the Year with “Oil of Myrrh“

It should be of particular interest as to why that “myrrh” was applied for the first half of the year, and the “sweet odors” the last half of the year.  The year is divided equally into two parts.

The use of the word “myrrh” (מֹר (mōr))^H4753 in association with the first half of the year is particularly noteworthy as it points to Jesus and His Sacrificial Death and Atonement.  We can see this from the following verses: Solomon’s Song 1:13 “A bundle of myrrh [is] my well beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts” and Matthew 2:11, “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

“Myrrh” was used as one of the ingredients to make holy anointing oil as we read in Exodus 30:23-32, “Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, [even] two hundred and fifty [shekels], and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty [shekels], And of cassia five hundred [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.” That oil was used to anoint the furniture and vessels in the Holy Tabernacle and later Temple and to anoint the priests who were ordained to enter the Temple. Jesus would become our High Priest after the Order of Melchelzidek .

“Myrrh” is also he material used “to prepare” a dead body for burial as we read in John 19:38-40, where Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus prepared the body of Jesus with “myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound [weight]” before placing Him in the tomb, and “wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.”  And when Asa, the King of Judah died, we read in 2 Chronicles 16:14 that, “they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds [of spices] prepared by the apothecaries’ art: and they made a very great burning for him.“

Note elsewhere how “myrrh” is applied in the Bible: Psalm 45:8-17, “All thy garments [smell] of myrrh, and aloes, [and] cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. 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.“

So we can infer that the first six months is to remind us that the Old Testament Era points to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus (~2000 years from Abraham to Jesus fulfillment of the Old Covenant)

The Last Six Months of the Year with “Sweet Odours“

But is it not also interesting that the last half of the year (an equal part) is associated with “sweet odours“. We are reminded of Revelation 8:3-4, where we read that, “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.” This is reminiscent of Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee [as] incense; [and] the lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice.” And remember when John the Baptist’s father, Zacharias, as a priest, entered the Temple in Luke 1:8&9, “¶And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord, ” we then read in the next verse, Luke 1:10, “And the whole multitude of the people were praying without (outside the Temple) at the time of incense.“

If we indeed are understanding the spiritual meaning of this Esther 2:12 correctly, then we might similarly infer that the last six months represents the New Testament Era, which entails the Church age, involving the active evangelizing of the whole world with the Gospel for the building Jesus Christ’s Church right up until Jesus’ Return in Judgment at the End of the World (~2000 years from 33AD to the present time).

APPENDIX: Questions and Answers

Having provided this study and the fundamentals of the allegorical understanding by which it was derived, let us now look at a few questions that have been brought to this teacher’s attention regarding the preceding commentary. It has been asked of this teacher by someone who is very familiar with the Bible, “What are the implications of a pagan, drunken, self-centered, and rash king (who seeks and is bound by the counsel of his advisors) being likened to God?”

1) Can A Pagan King Be Likened To God?

Is it really possible that a “pagan” king can be likened to God?  If we turn to Genesis 41:39-44, we can see a similar account where another pagan king, a pharaoh of Egypt, elevated Joseph (who, like Mordecai, is a classic allegorical pre-figurement of Jesus Christ) to his right hand.  Notice the language, “And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;  And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him [ruler] over all the land of Egypt.”  Isn’t it Jesus Christ to whom every knee will eventually bow? (see Philippians 2:10)  And doesn’t the fine linen pertain to the righteousness of Christ which will eventually also be imputed to the believers? (See Revelation 18:19).  What about kings Cyrus and Darius of Persia when they each gave a commandment to rebuild the temple? (see Ezra 1:1-2, Ezra 6:12)  (Also note that in Ezra 6:14, Artaxerxes (Ahasuerus) is also listed with Cyrus and Darius, right after the God of Israel as having given that commandment.)  In Daniel 6:25, we read, “Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.”  Who is it that has the power to declare to all people, nations and languages, that dwell in all the earth, “Peace be unto you?”  Only Almighty God Himself! (John 20:19, John 20:21, John 20:26, and Revelation 1:4)  So then, you be the judge…can a pagan king be likened to God?

2) Is God Drunken with Wine?

Regarding the issue of “drunkenness”, there is no place in the book of Esther where there is an explicit reference to “drunkenness” on the part of the king Ahasuerus.  What was recorded in Esther 1:10 was only, “When the heart of the king was merry with wine.”  We should take a moment to review what is a “parable”?…A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly or spiritual meaning.  While we may speculate that in the historical context this means drunkenness, we have to be careful to see what God means “spiritually” by the use of such language.  If it can only mean drunkenness, then we would also have to accuse God of being a drunkard, because in Judges 9:12-13, we read, “Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, [and] reign over us.  And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?”  Incidentally, in this parable, “the vine” represents Jesus Christ (John 15:1+5), and as everywhere in the Bible, good wine represents the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  Even “Strong wine” as we find in Numbers 28:7 “And the drink offering thereof [shall be] the fourth [part] of an hin for the one lamb: in the holy [place] shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the LORD [for] a drink offering.”

Also take for example, in Luke 10:34, we read how the Good Samaritan treated the “half-dead man” (BTW: the half-dead man is someone who is physically alive, but spiritually dead, and hence unsaved), “And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”  The wine represents the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and the Oil represents the Holy Spirit (Psalms 23:5), and Jesus is that Good Samaritan as He saves every believer.  In Psalms 104:14-15, we read how the Lord God “causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;  And wine [that] maketh glad the heart of man, [and] oil to make [his] face to shine, and bread [which] strengtheneth man’s heart.”  We have just observed what the wine and oil represents, and every believer should know that the bread represents Jesus Christ’s body that was given for us (please see John 6:35 and John 6:31 and Matthew 26:26, Mar 14:22, and Luke 22:19 ).

Before we leave the subject of wine at the feast (Jesus’s death on the final Passover) to which Vashti (National Israel) refused to come.  Did the wine (Jesus’s shed blood, as the atoning sacrifice culminating with His crucifixion) cheer God (make His heart merry)?  In Isaiah 53:5 we read how Jesus “[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.”  And then in Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.“ and again in Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

One other aspect that relates to feasting and wine that is in the book of Esther (mentioned earlier above) relates to the “banquets of wine” at which king Ahasuerus sat down with Haman in the presence of Esther (Esther, chapters 5-7).  Did God ever sit down at a feast table with Satan in the presence of believers where wine was also present?  Indeed He did!  At the last Passover feast, the “last supper,” God (as Jesus Christ) sat next to Judas Iscariot (who we know was indwelt with Satan, Luke 22:3) in the presence of Jesus’s eleven other disciples (believers) at the Passover feast where we know the Jesus instituted the sacrament service with wine (representing His shed blood).  As Jesus said in John 13:18, “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture (Psalms 41:9) may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.“

Note also how that immediately after the banquet of chapter 7, Haman was hung on the high gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.  The same day as the Passover Feast at which Judas Iscariot subsequently betrayed Jesus (under the prompting of Satan, see John 13:2), Jesus was hung on the cross (see Galatians 3:13).  The fact of the matter is, although Satan sought to destroy Jesus at the cross, it was Satan who was actually dealt a death blow on that same cross.  (Incidentally, at the same time, so was Judas Iscariot (who in effect was typifying Satan) hanged, see Matthew 27:5).  On the last day, Judgment Day, Satan and all his dominion will be permanently cut-off and cast into the lake of fire, as typified by the death and subsequent hanging of Haman’s ten sons.

3) Is God Self-Centered?

There is not too much that can be said about this other than God is the Great “I AM.”

In Revelation 4:11, we read, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.“

In Esther 1:4, we read about king Ahasuerus’s “riches of his glorious kingdomand the honour of his excellent majesty …”  (Psalms 148:13, “Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory [is] above the earth and heaven.” and Psalms 150:2, “Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.“)

In Esther 1:1 we read that the kingdom comprised 127 provinces*.  This is a large prime number, and as a result, it cannot be divided into any smaller numbers.  God’s kingdom is also great and indivisible.  Just as the decrees or commandments of king Ahasuerus could not be rescinded, neither can the laws of God be nullified by another decree.  God’s law is eternal and irrevocable (as is to be expected of a just God). Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luk 21:33, God says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”  God also says in the Bible (Romans 6:23), “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  When someone goes to hell for his sins, it is an irrevocable edict.  And if someone is saved by grace (through Jesus’s perfect fulfillment of the law), God assures that person will remain in Heaven forever.

* Interestingly, Sarah lived 127 years as we read in Genesis 23:1 ¶ “And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: [these were] the years of the life of Sarah“.   We also know that Abraham was told that in Genesis 22:18 “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”  But Sarah, as the mother of Isaac, was also the vehicle by which God would bless all the nations of the earth through here Descendent, Jesus Christ.  So the number 127 would therefore seem to point to “all the nations of the earth” from another vantage point.

4) Is God Rash?

The anger and wrath of a just God in the face of sin is never rash.  When God sends sinners to hell for eternity, some might consider that rash (particularly in our day).  If all we see in Esther chapter 1 is a simple historical account, it might appear as though the action of Ahasuerus was rash.  Keep in mind that one sin is sufficient to send anyone to hell (just look at what happened to Adam and Eve, and hence all of mankind descended from them, for their one sin).  Queen Vashti was bidden by the king to come to the feast (while at the same time she was holding her own feast “for the women [in] the royal house which [belonged] to king Ahasuerus.”). 

Please see Deuteronomy 31:16-18, because it lays the foundation for understanding why National Israel, as a people, fell under and have remained under God’s wrath and condemnation: “¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go [to be] among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God [is] not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.”

God provides additional commentary in Psalm 95:10&11 regarding the nation of Israel after their coming out of Egypt, “Forty years long was I grieved with [this] generation, and said, It [is] a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.“

Remember the parable of Matthew 22:1-14?  The “remnant”, that Jesus said was bidden to the wedding feast, but who refused to come and then slew the King’s servants (the Christians), was National Israel!  Like Vashti, she acted rebelliously.  She refused to come.  She was disobedient.  Anyone who takes the same action in response to God’s command to “Come unto me” will be cast out of the presence of God forever.  Would anyone dare call that rash?

[It has also been pointed out to this teacher, that Queen Vashti has attributes that can also be likened to the apostate “Christian” church (as opposed to the true eternal church of Jesus Christ), which in effect also refuses God’s command to come to His feast, because it is conducting its own feast in the house that otherwise belongs to God]

[Some may think that because National Israel was restored as a nation among nations again in 1948, with its capital established in Jerusalem in 1967, that this means that God brought this about to restore His relationship with National again. Absolutely NOT! Rather, it is because it is the fulfillment of Jesus proclamation concerning the “parable of the fig tree.” Matthew 24:32&33, “¶Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch isyet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors.” The parable was provided in the context of determining the time of the end of the world. Note that it does not say that there would be any fruit. Let him who has ears hear. For more on this topic, please see “Will the Temple Ever Be Rebuilt?]

5) Would God Seek and Be Bound to the Advice of Counselors?

The answer to this question is found in the fact that God is in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  That is why we read in Genesis 1:26,  “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”  God Counsels with Himself.  Note also how there were 7 counselors.  The number seven pertains to the perfection of God’s plan, so it is entirely appropriate that there would be 7 counselors.  Please see Revelation 1:16 and Revelation 1:20 regarding the 7 stars in Jesus’s right hand that were described as a “mystery” and which were “the angels (messengers) of the seven churches.”  Finally, as was explained above, God is bound by His own law that He established before the foundation of the world.

6) How Can Queen Vashti Represent National Israel Permanently Being Replaced by Esther?

Many people have taken issue with the idea that Queen Vashti could represent National Israel and “her royal estate being given unto another that is better than she,” (The another, meaning the Jewish maid, Esther, a figure or type of the true eternal body of believers from both the Old and New Testaments.)  This can be so because the gospel of salvation (through the person and work of Jesus Christ, The Jewish Messiah) is intended for the whole world, both Jew and Gentile, and no longer exclusive to National Israel (although a remnant will nonetheless be saved).

Please see Matthew Chapter 22 where Jesus provides the parable about the king who prepares a marriage feast for his son, but those that were bidden did not come…”they made light of it” and others slew the servants of the king.  So then in Matthew 22:7-9 we read, “But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.” Isn’t this just like the case we read about for Queen Vashti, the kings first wife, and then the search for another wife who was better than she (more worthy)?

The concept of God becoming estranged from National Israel is a difficult one for most Christians to accept.  God said that except for adultery there could be no divorce (please see Matthew 5:32 based on Deuteronomy 24:1) and the Bible makes clear the spiritual adultery of National Israel (please see Hosea 2:2).  Nonetheless, based on Mark 10:2-12, God took the higher road, in that the final separation did not finally take place until the death of Jesus (God in the Flesh) on the cross.  That death effectively terminated the previous marriage according to the original law (Genesis 2:24), freeing Jesus to marry another whom God esteemed to be better than she, which is the new bride, the eternal Christian Church. 

7) Who Best Represents the Likeness of Jesus Christ: Esther or Mordecai?

Many, if not all, other commentaries on the Book of Esther claim that Esther (if she can be likened to anyone or anything) is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, because (the authors of those commentaries claim), “Esther saved her people from destruction.”  Is that true?  Before we begin to answer that question, we must first be aware that absolutely nowhere in the Bible is a bride (or queen) ever likened to Jesus Christ.  Jesus is always the Bridegroom (or Prince or King), while the Church (the body of Believers) is always represented by a woman, the bride (see Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19, Luke 5:34, Psalm 19:5, Isaiah 61:10, Jeremiah 7:34, Jeremiah 16:9, Jeremiah 25:10, Jeremiah 33:11, Joel 2:16, Revelation 18:23).  That having been said, was it Esther or Mordecai that saved the Jews?

In Esther 2:22, we read where Mordecai overheard a coup against the king, “And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told [it] unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the king [thereof] in Mordecai’s name.”   Who had the knowledge at the first?, and in whose name was the testimony certified?  It was in Mordecai’s name, not Esther’s!  When we, as Christians, petition (pray to) Heavenly Father, do we close the prayer in the name of the bride, or the Bridegroom?  We are to pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ!  He is the One with knowledge that gives life, and He imparts it to us by His Holy Spirit.  We don’t even know how or what to pray for unless He first tells us.  Romans 8:26, “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.“

Remember also that Esther was an orphan (being “fatherless,” she was, according to the Bible, spiritually desolate by nature…as everyone is before being saved), she was brought up or nourished by Mordecai, and not the other way around.  He was, in effect, her kinsman redeemer (much as Boaz, another figure of Christ, to Ruth the Moabitish widow…and, as a “widow”, she was another Biblical figure of everyone who is desolate by nature before being saved. Please see: The Introduction to Ruth and Esther ).  Esther went into the king’s presence at the instruction of Mordecai, walking by faith (“if I perish, I perish“).  She only acted as any faithful believer in Christ should act, humbly trusting in God’s mercy alone to save her.  Note that in Hebrews 12:2, we read, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  The Church is the vehicle that God uses to bring the salvation message to save the true Jews (the elect of God, the true believing Christians).  The believers pray to their Father in Heaven for the salvation of God’s elect in the name of Jesus Christ.  We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  Furthermore, aren’t the believers told in Hebrews 4:16 to “…come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.“? And please note the harmony with Psalm 65:4, “Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee, that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.“