One
of the themes of this book is that things that are hidden will be revealed.
Mordecai reveals a plot to kill the king; Esther reveals Haman’s hidden agenda;
Esther and Mordecai’s hidden identity is revealed. This pattern points to the
revelation of another hidden character in the account. God’s working behind the
scenes is hidden. His name is not mentioned at all in the Book of Esther, yet
His hand is evident throughout as events “just happen” to occur leading to the
exposure of Haman and the redemption of the Jewish people.
One
of the hidden patterns of the Book of Esther is the appearance of duals. A
detail will be mentioned twice, an event will happen twice, or an event will
occur that is parallel to another event. Some examples of these duals are two
lists of the king’s servants, two reports that Esther concealed her identity,
two houses for the women, and two references to the death of Haman’s sons.
Through these duals, the number two is hidden or embedded into the account.
What is the significance of the number two? Two is the number of the Son, the
second person of the Godhead. It is also the number of differentiation. God
separated darkness from the light on the second day of creation. Yeshua, the
Son, comes twice. In Yeshua’s first coming, He dies and is resurrected ensuring
life for those who believe in Him. He separates life from death. When He
returns, He comes with the two-edged sword to judge the nations.
Re
1:16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp
two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
(NKJV)
Heb
4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (NKJV)
Yeshua,
the Living Word, differentiates between those who are His and those who are
destined for death. So, throughout the Book of Esther, there is the hidden
theme of a ruler coming who will rule in righteousness and justice. Where do we
see this theme in the Book of Esther and what does it tell us about the coming
of Yeshua?
One
of the patterns of duals is in the pairing of the ten banquets in the book. Ten
is the number of perfection of divine order. It signifies a complete cycle or
the whole of something. In this case, we will see that it represents the
completion of the cycle of the exaltation of man above God which began when
Adam and Eve chose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and
“become like God.” It continued through Nimrod who led the building of the
Tower of Babel to “reach the heavens.”
The
ten banquets are:
1)
The
king’s banquet to begin the 180 day display of his wealth and power.
2)
The
king’s seven day banquet at the end of the 180 day display of wealth and power.
3)
Queen
Vashti’s banquet for the women.
4)
The
banquet given in honor of Esther being made queen.
5)
The
private banquet between Haman and the king at the signing of the decree to kill
all the Jews.
6)
The
first banquet Esther gave for the king and Haman.
7)
The
second banquet Esther gave for the king and Haman during which she denounces
Haman.
8)
The
public banquet given to elevate Mordecai to the rank of second only to the
king.
9)
The
banquet celebrating Jewish victory in the provinces.
10)
The
banquet celebrating Jewish victory in Shushan.
The first two banquets serve to exhalt the king.
Esther
1:3-4 NKJV 3 that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his
officials and servants-the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the
princes of the provinces being before him- 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.
When
we add the length of the seven day feast that followed this 180 day display,
the entire period of 187 days is two days longer than the interval between
Passover, the first Feast of the LORD, to the end of the seven day Feast of
Tabernacles, the last Feast of the LORD. Passover demonstrates the humble
character of God who through His son Yeshua, died on the cross to bring
salvation to mankind. Paul writes that Yeshua:
Philippians
2:6-9 NKJV 6 …who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be
equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a
bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance
as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even
the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given
Him the name which is above every name,
The
final feast celebrates Yeshua’s return when God will finally and forever dwell
with man. It is the wedding feast of the Lamb where the bride and groom feast
and celebrate together. One of the things we notice about the King of Persia’s
final seven day feast is that the queen is not there! She is busy holding her
own separate feast. In this scenario,
the wife of the king remains rebellious against the king, reminding us of
mankind’s rebellion against God.
Esther
1:10-11 NKJV 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, 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.
Esther
1:13-14 NKJV 13 Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times
(for this was the king's manner toward all who knew law and justice, 14 those
closest to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and
Memucan, the seven princes of Persia
and Media, who had access to the king's presence, and who ranked highest in the
kingdom):
The
king called for Vashti on the seventh day of the feast. For those of you who
are familiar with the Feast of Tabernacles, you know that the seventh day is
called “Hashanah Rabba” or the great seventh. This last day of the Feast is
celebrated with more joy, enthusiasm, and extended ceremonies than the previous
six days. Also, notice the preponderance of the number seven. Seven is the
number of spiritual completion. It points to the ultimate Sabbath or seventh
day rest when Yeshua will rule and reign from Jerusalem with perfect justice
and righteousness. So, hidden behind the king’s feasts exalting mankind, is the
promise of the coming of the King who rules under the authority of God and
exalts God.
Notice
that King Ahaseurus is advised by seven princes who supposedly understand the
times and are wise in matters of the law and justice. When Yeshua reigns, the
seven spirits of the LORD are before Him.
Revelation
1:4 NKJV 4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and
peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits
who are before His throne,
Zechariah
4:2 NKJV 2 And he said to me, "What do you see?" So I said, "I
am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it,
and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.
Zechariah
goes on to explain that the seven lamps are the seven spirits of God. Isaiah
also writes about the seven sprits of God.
Isaiah
11:1-4 NKJV 1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch
shall grow out of his roots. 2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit
of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. 3 His delight is in the fear of the
LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the
hearing of His ears; 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And
decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with
the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
Yeshua
is advised by the Spirit of the LORD who is truly understands the times and is
wise in matters of law and justice.
Vashti
attending her own feast reminds us of Yeshua’s parable of the ruler whose
guests he invited for his son’s wedding can’t be bothered to show up for the
wedding.
Matthew
22:8-9 NKJV 8 "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but
those who were invited were not worthy. 9 'Therefore go into the highways, and
as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'
Vashti,
as the bride, is not ready or willing. Esther is a type of bride who has made
herself ready. The banquet Vashti holds has its dual in the banquet the king
holds for Esther.
Esther
2:16-18 NKJV 16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace,
in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his
reign. 17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained
grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal
crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king made
a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he
proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the
generosity of a king.
The
next banquet is a private banquet with just Haman and the king as they
celebrate the signing of the decree to kill the Jews.
Esther
3:15 NKJV 15 The couriers went out, hastened by the king's command; and the
decree was proclaimed in Shushan the citadel. So the king and Haman sat down to
drink, but the city of Shushan was perplexed.
The
villain’s identity, Haman, is hidden from public view. The public is confused
and bewildered about this decree.
The
dual for this banquet is a public banquet elevating Mordecai to a position of
authority. The feasts that Queen Esther gave for the king and Haman fall
between these two feasts. During the course of these two banquets, Haman falls from
his favored position and is executed. Mordecai goes from obscurity to second in
command. During this time, the king discovers that Mordecai had exposed a plot
to kill him but had not been rewarded for that act. To begin Haman’s
humiliation and Mordecai’s exaltation, Haman is the one who must clothe
Mordecai in the king’s robe, place him on the king’s horse and parade through
the streets of Shushan proclaiming that the king delights in Mordecai
Esther
6:11 NKJV 11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him
on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, "Thus
shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!"
After
Haman is executed, Mordecai is appointed in his place and rises to an even
higher honor, that of second only to the king. He is clothed in the garments of
royalty and given a gold crown. His identity is open and revealed for all to
see and a feast is held in his honor.
Esther
8:15-17 NKJV 15 So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal
apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine
linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16 The Jews
had light and gladness, joy and honor. 17 And in every province and city,
wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a
feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because
fear of the Jews fell upon them.
The
last two feasts of the book are together duals of the first two feasts. In
these last two feasts, the Jewish people celebrate the victory over their
enemies. Instead of exalting in their power, they refuse to take plunder from
their enemies and, instead, give gifts to the poor.
Esther
9:16-22 NKJV 16 The remainder of the Jews in the king's provinces gathered
together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed
seventy-five thousand of their enemies; but they did not lay a hand on the
plunder. 17 This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. And on the
fourteenth day of the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and
gladness. 18 But the Jews who were at Shushan assembled together on the
thirteenth day, as well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of the month
they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews
of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day
of the month of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending
presents to one another. 20 And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to
all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, 21
to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and
fifteenth days of the month of Adar, 22 as the days on which the Jews had rest
from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them,
and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and
joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.
The
feast days were held as days of rest, joy, gladness and generosity. Their
sorrows were turned to joy. When Yeshua reigns and we enter into His rest, all
our sorrow will turn to gladness.
Isa
35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And
sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Revelation
21:4 NKJV 4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there
shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain,
for the former things have passed away."
Shalom
and be blessed
Dan
& Brenda CathcartVisit our web site at www.moedministries.com
