Esther chapter 2. We started
chapter 1 last Wednesday night and the title of that message
was a fall from a glorious kingdom. A fall from a glorious kingdom.
We saw the glory of King Ahasuerus' kingdom representing the glory
of God's kingdom. We saw how his wife, the queen,
her name was Bashti, she sinned against his commandment. And the condemnation of the law was
brought against her. And she was cast out of the kingdom
so that her estate could be given to another that was better than
she. And we saw that that's a picture
of us in the fall of Adam's sin against God. And how our estate
had to be given to a better than us. And that better than us is
Christ. And we're gonna see that in this
woman, Esther. She is the picture of Christ. King Ahasuerus is the picture
of God the Father. And a man named Mordecai right
here is the picture of God's leading, guiding, counseling
Holy Spirit. All right, verse one. After these things, when the
wrath of King Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Bashti, and what
she had done and what was decreed against her. Adam's sin, man's
sin has never been forgotten by God. Never been forgotten. The only way that he can remember
sin no more, you know, I will forgive their iniquity, I will
remember their sin no more. The only way that he can remember
sin no more is if it's not there. It has to not be there. It has
to be gone. He is a holy God, He cannot clear
the guilty. And there's not enough time in
eternity. You know why people die, they go into a grave and
they don't ever come back out? Our Lord came back out after
three days. It's because He satisfied the
full payment of God against sin. Man cannot do that. If Christ
did not satisfy that payment for us, we will never come back
out of that death. because we will never fulfill
the wages of our sin. There's not enough time in eternity
that would allow the sin of man to be overlooked and forgotten
by God. His law is too strict. His law is too unforgiving. It's just too unforgiving. Verse
one, 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. Then said the king's servants
that ministered unto him, let there be fair young virgins sought
for the king. And let the king appoint officers
in all the provinces of his kingdom. that they may gather together
all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house
of the women, unto the custody of Hegi, he's also called Hegai
later in the chapter, the king's chamberlain, the king's unit.
Keeper of the women, and let their things for purification
be given them, and let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen
instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king,
and he did so. The king's council said, let's
bring in every available candidate, all of them, and let's assess
every one of them. And they said, the one who you
can say, this is the one. In this one, I am well pleased. Let that one be the substitute
for the sinner. Verse 4 says, And the thing pleased
the king, and he did so. And that's exactly what God the
Father did concerning Christ. Our Lord was born into this world
in the likeness of sinful flesh, just like every other candidate
before God. And I say that because natural
man is always complaining about God's dealings with man, saying
it's not fair. God can't deal with man that
way. It's not fair. They say everybody ought to have
a chance. Okay. Give everybody a chance. Do that. It'll take them about one second.
Go ahead. Give everybody a chance. Fail. Sin. That's all we can do. We're conceived
in sin. It's all we can do. But this man, the one that Esther
represents, Romans 8 says, what the law could not do in that
it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the
likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, meaning by a sacrifice
for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. That means in him
was no sin. He only went about doing good,
no sin, only right, only holy. And therefore, God the Father
sent God the Spirit to descend like a dove and to land upon
him while he cried out loud, this is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased. This is the one. In him, I am
well pleased. That's what this is representing.
Verse 2, Then said the king's servants that ministered unto
him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king,
and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom,
that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto
Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody
of Hege, the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women, and let
there things for purification be given them, and let the maiden
which pleaseth the king be queen instead of basti. And the thing
pleased the king and he did so. 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. 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." Mordecai and Esther were cousins. Hadassah, it was
Mordecai's uncle's daughter. They were cousins. Hadassah was
her Jewish name. Esther was her Greek or Persian
name. So Mordecai and Esther were family. God is family. The family of
God. Father, son, spirit. Mordecai raised Esther because
she didn't have a father or a mother. And it says here that they both
died. But her being without father and mother makes me think of
another picture of Christ in the scripture. A man named Melchizedek. He was without father and mother. That's Christ. And Melchizedek
in the scripture is Christ. But he was without father and
mother. That's Christ. He had no beginning of days and
no end of days. That's Christ. He met Abraham
back in Genesis. Hebrews speaks of him. Our Lord
is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. He was the only man in the scripture
who was a prophet, a priest, and a king. And that's Christ. And this is Christ. Verse 7 says,
Mordecai brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, her name means
star, a star among the people. That makes me think of when our
Lord was born, those shepherds found him by following a star,
that star just stopped right where he was. Verse 8 says, So it came to pass,
when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when
many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the
custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's
house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women, and the
maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him, And he speedily
gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged
to her, and seven maidens, which were meat to be given her, out
of the king's house. And he preferred her and her
maids unto the best place of the house of the women." That
word preferred means exalted. He exalted her. This keeper of
the king's house represents the law. Everyone was held under the rule
of the law. And of every soul that was placed
under the law, only one of them was ever exalted by the law. Only one ever pleased the law
and obtained kindness and favor from the law, and that was Christ. Verse 10. Esther had not showed her people
nor her kindred, for Mordecai had charged her that she should
not show it. That means she veiled herself.
She was unknown for who she truly was, and that's what Christ did
in the earthly body he was veiled in. On the Mount of Transfiguration,
for just a brief moment, he removed the veil, and Peter, James, and
John saw who he truly was. But outside of that moment, God
was the one walking around on this earth. And men and women
had no idea who he was. He would come into their assemblies
and sit down and meet with them. God would take a seat. And they
would have no idea that's God sitting in front of them. That's
God right behind me. No idea. He veiled himself. Veiled himself in human flesh. Verse 11. And Mordecai walked every day
before the court of the women's house to know how Esther did
and what should become of her. That makes me think about the
fact that while our Lord walked this earth, all of heaven looked
on. All of the angels desired to
look into these things. God the Father and God the Spirit
never took their eyes off him. Verse 12 says, now when every
maid's turn was come to go into King Ahasuerus, after that she
had been 12 months according to the manner of the women, for
so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit or to know
six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odors,
and with other things for the purifying of the women. Then
thus came every maiden unto the king whatsoever she desired was
given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto
the king's house. In the evening she went, and
on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women
to the custody of Shayashgaz, the king's chamberlain which
kept the concubines. She came in unto the king no
more, except the king delighted in her in that she were called
by name. Any and every woman that was
not chosen came no more to the king and was sent to live with the
concubines. When I hear that word, I think
sin. That's what comes to my mind,
transgression. Our Lord was numbered with the
transgressors in the same likeness of their sinful flesh, in the
same likeness, yet without sin. Verse 15, now when the turn of
Esther, the daughter of Abihael, the uncle of Mordecai, who had
taken her for his daughter was come to go in unto the king.
She required nothing but what he guy, the king's Chamberlain,
the keeper of the women appointed. A behel, that was Esther's father's
name. His name means my father is might. And Christ could say that. My
father is might. And when her turn to come in
came, it says, verse 15, when the turn of Esther, the daughter
of Abihael, 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.
She required nothing. Anything she wanted was given,
would be given to her. She required nothing, she was
perfect. She went in just as she was, perfect. That's what a man or a woman
has to be to be accepted in the presence of God, perfect. You have to be perfect. Leviticus
22, 21 says, it shall be perfect to be accepted. There shall be
no blemish therein. And that's Christ. That's exactly
what Christ was, that's what he is. Perfect. He stood before
Pilate, and Pilate said, I find no fault in him. He stood before
Herod, and Herod said, I find no fault in him. He stood before
the law, and the law said, I find no fault in him. He stood before
God and God said, I find no fault in him. None whatsoever. That's the only
reason he was worthy for God to lay the fault on him. Fault
had to be laid on him because there was no fault in him. Only
the innocent one could bear the sin of the guilty. He was the
only one who could do it. A sinful man couldn't bear the
sin of another man, he had his own sin to deal with. Only the spotless one could give
his life and his blood for the blemished ones. Only the complete one could bind
up the broken. And only the well-pleasing one
could make the outcast acceptable again. Verse 15 says, Now when
the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihael, the uncle of Mordecai,
who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king,
she required nothing but what Hegi, the king's chamberlain,
the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favor in
the sight of all them that looked upon her. So Esther was taken
unto King Ahasuerus into his house royal, in the 10th month,
which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign,
and the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained
grace and favor 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. John 3.35 says, The Father loveth
the Son and has given all things into His hands. Everything. Crown
Him Lord of all. Exalt Him. Glorify Him. Praise Him. He's the one in whom
I'm well placed. He's the one. Verse 17, it says,
And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained
grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so
that he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead
of Basti. Then the king made a great feast
unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast. Last Wednesday night, I told
you wrong. I told you that happened at the
end of the story. I read the whole story and I forgot where
it was. When I got here Thursday morning and saw it's at the beginning
of the story, I thought, that's even better. Let's celebrate him now. You
know, again, that's the marriage supper of the Lamb. We celebrate
that now, don't we? We're going to celebrate that
then. We celebrate it now, we celebrate
him now. Verse 18, then the king made
a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's
feast, and he made a release. You have a center margin? Release means rest, he made a
rest. He announced a rest. He decreed
rest for Esther's sake, for the name of Esther's sake. He made a release to the provinces
and gave gifts according to the state of the king. Gifts means
grace. He gave grace. The law came by Moses, but grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ. That word state means hand. This grace came directly from
the hand of the king. Verse 19, and when the virgins
were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the
king's gate. Esther had not yet showed her
kindred nor her people as Mordecai had charged her. For Esther did
the commandment of Mordecai like as when she was brought up with
him. She did what he said. That's
what one member of the Godhead always says about another member
of the Godhead. Without you, I can do nothing.
Whatever you say, that's what I'm going to do. Full agreement. Full agreement. Esther had not
yet showed her kindred nor her people, it says, because her
time had not yet come. There's an appointed time from
God for everything. That's how it was with the cross,
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. When the fullness of that time
came, he revealed this union with his people. He revealed
it on the cross. Verse 21, it says, in those days
while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains,
Bigthon and Tyresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth
and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. And the thing
was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen, and
Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai's name. So these
two men, they wanted to lay hand on the king, they wanted to kill
the king. Mordecai found out about it, told Esther, Esther
told the king. Verse 23, and when inquisition
was made of the matter, it was found out, therefore they were
both hanged on a tree, and it was written in the book of the
chronicles before the king. I'm trying to go through this
book chapter by chapter. I don't know if I will. I really
thought about doing those three verses separately. A whole message needs to be devoted
to those three verses. The name Bigthin means the wine
press. And the name Tyresh means the
strictness of the law. Okay, the wine press and the
law. A transaction between these three,
Ahasuerus, Esther, and Mordecai, father, son, and spirit. Okay,
a transaction between these three put an end to the wine press
and the law. In the death of Christ, he put
an end to the winepress. He bore the winepress. He suffered
the winepress. And we're not going to endure
the winepress because of that. And in the life and the righteousness
of Christ, he put an end to the law. He did not put away the
law, but he satisfied it. He fulfilled it. Christ is the
end of the law. For righteousness. Christ is
the end of everything. He's the finish line. Seeing that now and falling in
love with him now is salvation. It is salvation. And we have fallen in love with
the fact that he put an end to every bit of that. So all glory goes to Christ for
this. All glory goes to Christ. And
the glory is going to keep going to Christ. We're going to see
that. Amen.