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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
ESTHER 10
LESSON #11
THE BOOK OF ESTHER IN ALLEGORY
v MEMORY VERSE: PSALMS 47:1
v READ EST 10:1-3 MORDECAI’S TRIUMPH
Ø ESTHER DOES NOT APPEAR IN THIS CHAPTER.MORDECAI GOT THE FINAL GLORY AND POSITION OF GREAT AUTHORITY.
§ MORDECAI INTRODUCED THEFIRST UNIVERSAL TAX. (1)
· PERHAPS TO PAY THE KING’STREASURY FOR WHAT HAD BEEN MISSED BY NOT CARRYING OUT HAMAN’S PLAN.
v SUMMARY:
Ø THE VALUE AND MEANING OF THE BOOK:
§ PRIMARY THEME IS GOD’SSOVEREIGNTY.
· PRESENT WORLD HAPPENINGS MAYUPSET US BUT THEY NEVER DISTURB GOD. FINANCIAL PROBLEMS MAY OVERWHELM US, BUT THEY NEVERTAKE HIM BY SURPRISE. GOD IS NEVER TAKEN UNAWARE BY THE EVENTS OF HISTORY, FOR HE MAKESHISTORY. HE KNOWS THE END FROM THE BEGINNING AND NEVER HAS TO WAIT TO SEE HOW THINGS WILLTURN OUT.
· GOD GENERALLY GETS PEOPLE INTOPOSITION BEFORE HE NEEDS THEM. GOD DOESN’T RUSH IN AT THE LAST MINUTE IN A PANIC TOSTRAIGHTEN OUT MISTAKES AND LOOK AROUND HASTILY FOR SOMEONE HANDY TO DO THE JOB.
¨ GOD’S TIMING IS PERFECT, ALWAYS.
§ THE SECONDARY THEME ISGOD’S ABILITY TO WORK WITH THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM TO DO THE ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM.
· GOD TAKES YEARS TO PREPARE HISSERVANTS FOR WHAT MAY PROVE TO BE A SHORT BUT VITAL PERIOD FOR SERVICE.
· GOD USES PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLINGTO BE USED.
· GOD USES PEOPLE WHO WILL DIE TOTHEIR FLESH NATURE FOR HIS GLORY.
v BOOK SUMMARY
Ø THE BOOK OF ESTHER CAN BE VIEWED AS ANALLEGORY FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS. WE HAVE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT HAMAN BEING APICTURE OF SATAN. I’D LIKE TO EXPAND ON THE ALLEGORICAL ASPECTS OF THE BOOK.
Ø LET’S CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING INTERPRETATIONS:
§ DARIUS, BY HIS POSITION,NOT HIS PERSONAL LIFE, IS A PICTURE OF JESUS CHRIST AS KING
§ ESTHER DEPICTS THEBELIEVER, THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
§ MORDECAI DEPICTS THE HOLYSPIRIT
§ HAMAN DEPICTS EITHER SATANOR THE FLESH NATURE OF MAN
Ø CHAPTER 1
§ THE SETTING OF THE ROYALPALACE
· THE DESCRIPTION OF XERXES COURTUSES SOME OF THE SAME COLORS THE OLD TESTAMENT USES IN THE TABERNACLE TO ALLEGORICALLYSPEAK OF CHRIST
¨ FOR EXAMPLE (6):
Ø WHITE = RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST
Ø GREEN = VERDANCY OR NEW BEGINNINGS
Ø BLUE = HEAVENLY SON OF GOD
Ø PURPLE = ROYALTY, KING OF KINGS
Ø SILVER = REDEMPTION (30 PIECES OF SILVER)
Ø MARBLE = FIRM FOUNDATION OF GOD’S KINGDOM
Ø GOLD = KINGLY WEALTH, VAST TREASURES OF GOD’SKINGDOM
Ø RED = BLOOD SACRIFICE
· SEVEN CHAMBERLAINS (10)
¨ 7 IS GOD’S PERFECT # OF COMPLETION SO THISDEPICTS THE HEAVENLY HOST SURROUNDING THE THRONE.
Ø CHAPTER 2
§ ESTHER WAS UNDERGOING THEBEAUTIFICATION TREATMENTS IN PREPARATION TO BECOMING QUEEN. THIS DEPICTS THE BELIEVER’SWALK OF THE MATURING, SANCTIFICATION PROCESS.
§ MORDECAI SPENT EVERY DAYNEAR THE COURT CONCERNED AS TO HOW SHE DID. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS DAILY CONCERNED WITH HOWTHE BELIEVER IS BECOMING MORE LIKE CHRIST.
§ THE CHRISTIAN WALK IS ACOMBINATION OF BITTER TEARS AND TIMES OF JOY. ESTHER’S BEAUTY TREATMENTS SHOW US THIS.
· IT TELLS US MYRRH AND SWEET ODORSWERE USED TO BEAUTIFY HER. (12)
¨ EXO 30;23-24 TELLS US THE EXACT INGREDIENTSUSED:
Ø MYRRH = A BITTER HERB TO TASTE BUT FRAGRANTTO SMELL.
Ø CINNAMON = A BAD ODOR BUT GOOD TASTE SPEAKSOF THE JOYS OF LIFE THAT HELP US OVER THE BITTER TIMES.
Ø CALAMUS = A PLANT THAT SCENTS THE AIR. THELARGER IT GETS, THE MORE SCENT IT GIVES OFF. AS WE MATURE, OUR LIFE GIVES A MORE FRAGRANTWITNESS TO CHRIST.
Ø CASSIA = GROWS AT HIGH ELEVATIONS WITH PURPLEFLOWERS. IT SPEAKS OF BEING A ROYAL HEIR LIVING ABOVE THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE BY FAITH.
Ø OLIVE OIL = A PERVASIVE SYMBOL IN SCRIPTUREFOR THE ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
§ ONCE PREPARED AND CHOSEN,ESTHER BECAME THE BRIDE OF THE KING AND REJOICED AT A GREAT FEAST. (18)
· AS BELIEVERS, WE HAVE A MARRIAGEFEAST TO LOOK FORWARD TO CALLED THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB.
Ø CHAPTER 3
§ IN THIS CHAPTER HAMAN, APICTURE OF SATAN, SEEKS TO DESTROY THE PEOPLE OF GOD BY DECREEING GENOCIDE ON THE JEWS. OFCOURSE, SATAN OFTEN USES THE FLESH NATURE OF MAN TO DESTROY GOD’S PEOPLE. (ROM 7:15)
Ø CHAPTER 4
§ IN THIS CHAPTER, MORDECAI,A PICTURE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, IS IN SACKCLOTH AND ASHES OVER THE DECREE. THE HOLY SPIRITIS GRIEVED WHEN GOD IS NOT WINNING IN OUR BATTLE WITH THE FLESH NATURE.
· BUT WE SEE ESTHER, AS THE BRIDEOF CHRIST, SAY “IF I PERISH, I PERISH”. SHE MAKES THE DECISION TO DIE TO HERSELF(HER FLESH NATURE) AND TO CHOOSE GOD’S WAY, JUST AS WE ARE TO CRUCIFY THE FLESH NATURE,DIE TO OURSELVES, AND CHOOSE GOD. NOTICE THE ENCOURAGEMENT MORDECAI, THE HOLY SPIRIT,GIVES TO ESTHER, THE BRIDE OF CHRIST.
Ø CHAPTER 5
§ THIS CHAPTER IS ESTHER ININTERCESSION BEFORE THE KING SEEKING HIS FAVOR.
· WE, AS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST, HAVEBOLDNESS TO ENTER INTO OUR KING’S PRESENCE AND INTERCEDE ON BEHALF OF OTHER BELIEVERS.
¨ AS ESTHER IS CLOTHED WITH A ROYAL ROBE, WEARE CLOTHED WITH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST (1)
Ø CHAPTERS 6 & 7
§ IN THESE CHAPTERS, HAMAN ISFORCED TO HONOR MORDECAI.
· WHEN WE AS BELIEVERS MAKE THERIGHT CHOICES AND LIVE UNTO THE LORD, EVEN THE PLANS OF THE DEVIL ARE TURNED TO GLORIFYINGGOD, AND WE SEE SATAN’S DEFEAT.
Ø CHAPTER 8 & 9
§ IN 8:1, THE HOUSE OF HAMANIS GIVEN TO ESTHER. IN 9:1, WE ARE TOLD THE JEWS HAD RULE OVER ALL WHO HATED THEM.
· BY THE AUTHORITY WE HAVE IN JESUSCHRIST, EVEN OUR ENEMIES ARE MADE TO GIVE UNTO US.
§ THE KING ISSUES A NEWDECREE NULLIFYING HAMAN’S EVIL WORK.
· JESUS CHRIST HAS THE FINAL WORDIN JUSTIFYING THE BELIEVER BEFORE THE WORLD AND SATAN.
§ HAMAN’S 10 SONS WEREKILLED. NUMBER 10 IN SCRIPTURE MEANS GODS STANDARD BY WHICH MAN IS TESTED.
· WEBELIEVERS ARE CONTINUALLY TEMPTED AND TESTED BY OUR FLESH NATURE AND MUST CONTINUALLYCRUCIFY OUR OLD FLESH NATURE.
§ IN 9:26, THE FEAST OF PURIMIS INSTITUTED. IT IS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF VICTORY WON. IT IS A CELEBRATION OF THESOVEREIGNTY OF GOD.
· AS BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST, WEHAVE A FEAST OF REMEMBRANCE CALLED COMMUNION THAT SPEAKS OF OUR VICTORY OVER SIN THROUGHJESUS CHRIST.
Ø CHAPTER 10
§ MORDECAI, WHO REPRESENTSTHE HOLY SPIRIT, RECEIVED THE GLORY AND HONOR INSTEAD OF ESTHER, WHO REPRESENTS THEBELIEVER.
· THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER IS TOGLORIFY GOD.
v THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ACROSTICS:
Ø THERE ARE 5 OF THEM. THE NUMBER 5 IS AGOVERMENTAL NUMBER INDICATING THAT GOD IS SOVEREIGN AND IN CONTROL. REMEMBER THAT GODSSOVEREIGNTY IS THE THEME OF THIS BOOK.
Ø NOTICE THAT SOME OF THE ACROSTICS WEREFORWARD AND SOME OF THEM WERE BACKWARDS. WHY?
§ IF WE LOOK AT THE CONTEXTIN WHICH EACH OF THE ACROSTICS OCCUR, WE CAN SEE A PATTERN AND A SIGNIFICANCE.
· 1:8 THE NAME OF THE LORD ISSPELLED BACKWARD.
¨ THE CONTEXT IS BEFORE ESTHER BECOMES QUEEN.
Ø SIGNIFICANCE: IT IS AS THOUGH GOD ISSAYING, MY PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN ME. THEY NEED TO LOOK BACKWARD AT FROM WHERE THEYHAVE COME AND REMEMBER THAT I AM THE LORD.
· 5:4 THE NAME OF THE LORD ISSPELLED FORWARD.
¨ THE CONTEXT IS WHEN ESTHER INVITES THE KINGAND HAMAN TO THE FIRST BANQUET.
Ø SIGNIFICANCE: IT IS AS THOUGH GOD ISSAYING, I SEE YOUR PROBLEM AND YOU NEED TO LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT I WILL DO FOR MYPEOPLE.
· 5:13 THE NAME OF THE LORD ISSPELLED BACKWARD.
¨ THE CONTEXT IS IN THE MIDST OF HAMANSPRIDE AND HATRED FOR MORDECAI.
Ø SIGNIFICANCE: IT IS AS THOUGH GOD ISSAYING TO HAMAN, LOOK BACK IN HISTORY AND YOU WILL SEE HOW I JUDGE THIS KIND OFBEHAVIOR AND PROTECT MY PEOPLE.
· 7:5 THE NAME OF GOD, I AM,IS SPELLED FORWARD.
¨ THE CONTEXT IS WHEN THE KING ASKS FOR THEIDENTITY OF THE MAN WHO THREATENS THE QUEENS LIFE.
Ø SIGNIFICANCE: IT IS AS THOUGH GOD ISSAYING TO ESTHER, SEE, I AM PRESENT WITH YOU IN THE MIDST OF YOUR PROBLEM.
· 7:7 THE NAME OF THE LORD ISSPELLED FORWARD.
¨ THE CONTEXT IS AFTER THE KING LEARNS THATHAMAN IS THE CULPRIT AND BEFORE HE DECIDES WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.
Ø SIGNIFICANCE:IT IS AS THOUGH GOD IS SAYING TO ESTHER, NOW LOOK FORWARD TO HOW I WILL SAVE MYPEOPLE FROM DESTRUCTION.
THE END
GOD BLESS YOU.
