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CHRIST IN ESTHER For a book that never mentions "God" or "LORD," Esther is quite interesting. CHAPTER 1 Verse 4: “. . . When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days.” So Jesus Christ is a King Who will also show the riches of His glorious kingdom: “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:7) Verses 10-11: “On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on.” Likewise, at the Marriage of the Lamb (Rev. 19), Christ will be pleased to show the beauty of His bride, the church, and this will be “on the seventh day” of God’s 7000 year prophetic plan. Verse 12: “But the queen Vashti refused to come . . .” The same is true of today’s Laodicean “believers.” Everyone wants to glorify and gratify themselves instead of showing the riches of Christ’s kingdom. CHAPTER 2 Verse 4: “And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti . . .” This is a great picture of what our King is doing in these last days as the times of the Gentiles wind down and God focuses more on Israel. Just as Esther replaced Vashti, Israel will replace the church as the Lord’s shining star (Esther means star). Verse 4: It is also noteworthy to point out that our duty, like Vashti’s, is to please our King. Revelation 4:11 says that all things were created for his pleasure. CHAPTER 3 Verses 2-5: “And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.” Haman is called a wicked adversary and enemy in Esther 7:6, which makes him a picture of Satan. Here we see that he is enraged over the fact that Mordecai refused to bow to him, just as Jesus refused to bow to Satan:“. . . All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” (Mat. 4:9). Verses 13-15: “And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.” Here we see Satan’s age-old plan shining through: destroy the seed (Old Testament), destroy the saviour (Gospels), destroy the saints (Church Age). Here he sought to destroy the seed, thus preventing Christ from ever being born. Such was also the case in Exodus chapter one and in Matthew chapter two. CHAPTER 4 Verse 11: “All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live . . .” A good spiritual application would be the fact that we, as Christians, have been “accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:6). Our King has shown favor to us, therefore we shall live in His presence. CHAPTER 5 Verse 14: “. . . Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.” Just as Haman targeted Mordecai, Satan targeted the Lord Jesus Christ. CHAPTER 6 Verses 6-11: “So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself? And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour, Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head: And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour. 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 took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.” Haman’s plan backfires and results in Mordecai being exalted, rather than himself. This is exactly the case with Jesus. Being totally self-centered like Haman, Satan’s plan to exalt himself will backfire and Jesus Christ will be crowned King. Furthermore, it looks like Satan will be required to honor Jesus Christ, much like Haman was required to honor Mordecai. Philippians 2:10-11: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” CHAPTER 7 Verses 6-10: “And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen . . . So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.” The backfiring continues with Haman being hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecia, thus picturing the fact that antichrist and his followers are destroyed by the leader of the very people he seeks to destroy (Rev. 19:19-21). CHAPTER 8 Verses 2 & 15: “And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman . . . And 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.” So the Lord Jesus Christ will be exalted as King of Kings after the antichrist and his followers are judged and condemned to the lake of fire (Rev. 19). CHAPTER 9 Verse 4: “For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.” The same is true of Christ. He will wax greater and greater throughout eternity. Isaiah 9:7 says, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end . . .” That implies continual growth for all eternity. CHAPTER 10 Verse 3: “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.” Mordecai became the second ruler of the kingdom, picturing Christ the second member of the Holy Trinity. This was also the case with Joseph in Genesis (Gen. 41:40-43).