ESTHER

ESTHER - 1

Lessons from the book of Esther

The spiritual picture

King - GOD

His kingdom - The Kingdom of GOD

Mordecai - The LORD JESUS

Vashti - The rebellious believers

Esther - The bride of CHRIST

Jews - The people of GOD

The seven eunuchs in 1:10 - The seven angels

Chapter 1

Living to glorify GOD

Esther 1:4  

..when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.

Revelation 21:24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.

We can also say that the glory and honor of the kings on earth

is a reflection of an aspect of the glory of heaven.

Esther 1:5

And when these days were completed,

the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people

who were present in Shushan the citadel,

from great to small,

in the court of the garden of the king's palace.

This indicates a complete period of grace during which

all people are invited into the Presence of the King of kings.

Esther 1:7

And they served drinks in golden vessels,

each vessel being different from the other,

with royal wine in abundance,

according to the generosity of the king.

All of us as GOD’S vessels are different from each other.

Spiritual blessings are available to us in abundance

to receive into our individual unique spiritual being.

Esther 1:8

In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory;

for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household,

that they should do according to each man's pleasure.

Each person has a free will

and has to choose whether to receive GOD’S blessing or not.

Esther 1:9

Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women

in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

All our provision on earth belong to GOD.

We also belong to GOD the King.

 Esther 1:10

On the seventh day,

when the heart of the king was merry with wine,

he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas,

seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus,

At the end of the period of grace

GOD’S servants who are angels are commanded

 Esther 1:11

to bring Queen Vashti before the king,

wearing her royal crown,

in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials,

for she was beautiful to behold.

To bring His bride to show her beauty.

Revelation 21:2, 9-11

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem,

coming down out of heaven from God,

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Then one of the seven angels

who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues

came to me and talked with me, saying,

"Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."

And he carried me away in the Spirit
to a great and high mountain,

and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem,

descending out of heaven from God,

having the glory of God.

Her light was like a most precious stone,

like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

The glory of the Bride of CHRIST, the Church,

is a reflection of the glory of JESUS.

This glory is for His pleasure and for the glory of His name.

 Esther 1:12

But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command

brought by his eunuchs;

therefore the king was furious,

and his anger burned within him.

When GOD’S people refuse

to respond to His promptings and His beckoning,

His anger is kindled.

The period of grace does come to an end

when there will be a reckoning and judgement.

GOD’S eternal wrath will fall on all the rebellious.

Am I taking the commands and promptings of the LORD lightly?

Esther 1:17

"For the queen's behavior will become known to all women,

so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes,

when they report,

'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti
to be brought in before him,

but she did not come.'

The proof of our willingness to obey the LORD

is our respect to the structure of authority He has set for us.

Esther 1:18 

"This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media

will say to all the king's officials

that they have heard of the behavior of the queen.

Thus there will be excessive contempt and wrath.

As a wife, are you honoring and obeying your husband?

As a child, are you honoring and obeying your parents?

As an employee, are you honoring and obeying your employer?

If you don’t submit to your husband
and if you don’t honor your wife,

your children will not submit to you nor honor you.

If you don’t submit to your superiors,

your subordinates won’t submit to you.

 Esther 1:19

"If it pleases the king,

let a royal decree go out from him,

and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes,

so that it will not be altered,

that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus;

and let the king give her royal position

to another who is better than she.

When the LORD calls you to Himself, do you come to Him?

 Matthew 22:1-10

And Jesus answered
and spoke to them again by parables and said:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king
who arranged a marriage for his son,

"and sent out his servants
to call those who were invited to the wedding;

and they were not willing to come.

"Again, he sent out other servants, saying,

'Tell those who are invited,

"See, I have prepared my dinner;

my oxen and fatted cattle are killed,

and all things are ready.

Come to the wedding."

' "But they made light of it and went their ways,

one to his own farm,

another to his business.

"And the rest seized his servants,
treated them spitefully,

and killed them.

"But when the king heard about it, he was furious.

And he sent out his armies,

destroyed those murderers,
and burned up their city.

"Then he said to his servants,

'The wedding is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy.

'Therefore go into the highways,

and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'

"So those servants went out into the highways

and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.

And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

If we consistently ignore or refuse Him,
He will call someone better than us.

If we don’t answer His calls now,
we will not answer His last call.

We will not be taken up to Him when we die.

The whole purpose of our lives is to glorify GOD.

Our LORD JESUS set the example for us.

John 17:4

"I have glorified You on the earth.

I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.

Because of her rebellion
Vashti was stripped of the glory of a queen

and became one of the king’s concubines.

She was no more called by name by the king
nor came before the king.

  2 Corinthians 4:6-7

For it is the God
who commanded light to shine out of darkness,

who has shone in our hearts

to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God

in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,

that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

The glory we reflect

is the knowledge of GOD

in the face of JESUS CHRIST,

Through our good works.

Matthew 5:16

"Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works

and glorify your Father in heaven.