King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) was a real Persian King; why would the other people in the story not be? Perhaps history just has not caught up with reality, or two queens were lost to history by God’s Divine Plan! Both Vashti and Esther served their purposes, and all people need to know about them has been written.
The end of the story was the Feast of Purim. Purim is plural for “lot,” thus is “lots.” The feast is to be done forever in remembrance of Mordecai’s service to the Jews. Nowhere in the story were lots cast except in the hearts of the king and his subjects. They either cast their lot with Mordecai the Jew or Haman the Agagite. The latter people were the mortal enemies of the Jews. Agag was the king of the Amalekites – a people from the line of Esau the Edomite. Edomites had always been adversaries of the Jews, hence Haman was a type of Adversary, and by that I mean a type of Satan.
Mordecai was Esther’s older cousin who, apparently, she considered her “uncle” in that he was her guardian. The root Hebrew word for his name means comes from Marduk, “chief God of Babylon.” As such, Mordecai is a type of supreme God, specifically a type of Jesus, as is concealed in the story. None of the characters in the story can be completely paralleled with New Testament people, but that’s what typology is all about. God used Old Testament stories to reveal Christ to the Jews. I believe the story of Esther is canon written to foretell Christ, grace, and salvation.
Let’s consider grace first, as always should be done. Xerxes was not even a good king of Persia, but this ordinary man in an extraordinary position set the stage for a lesson about the coming Messiah. God again used a “crooked stick” to straighten out the people. The non-descript King Ahasuerus is a type of King (Yahweh) in this story. The name Ahasuerus means, “'king of all male; Hero among Kings.” [1] It seems that he was known as “king of Kings.” Of course, THE king of Kings is God!
Ahasuerus, in the story, is always gracious to Queen Esther. She is his star. Stars in scripture are angels of God. The name, “Esther,” means “star.” This particular “angel”, or “Messenger,” perhaps represents the Holy Spirit of God. In fact, Esther is the spiritual and moral guide to King Ahasuerus who provides the grace for Esther to do her holy work.
That work is persuading the pagans to be like the Jews, and protecting the Jews from their adversaries. The Holy Spirit does the same for Christians. Esther is the “Comforter” of the Jews. Don’t let her gender be of concern. As was discussed yesterday, it is possible that Vashti’s gender was of no consequence in the story, and neither is Esther’s. Again, this is not really about Esther, but about the Holy Trinity and salvation, or at least safety. That Esther disappeared corresponds with the Holy Spirit being invisible. I hope that’s not stretching the analogy too far!
As the conscience of the king, examine what Esther told the him: “’The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman.’ Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.” The “Satan” Haman was revealed for who he is – another beast. He was symbolic of the Serpent, Judas Iscariot, and THE Beast - the Antichrist. Like Satan, Haman knew the king, did not love him, but did fear the king and his “spirit,” Esther.
Esther had not revealed her identity to any of the people. She remained an unknown and unseen Jewess (Esth 2:10). However, the king appreciated her beauty. That strikes of the identity of the Holy Spirit. The King made Esther Queen and granted her petition:
And it was so,
when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained
favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that
was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. Then
said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request?
it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom. (Esth 5:2-3)
The king and Esther became one by marriage and position.
They, together, surely represent 2/3 of the godhead – the Father and Holy
Spirit. Who, then, represents Jesus? Mordecai – “the chief God” who made
himself known by standing at the Gate at the King’s Palace continually. He took
on the role that Jesus did. This is so obvious that it should require no
explanation, but below it is:
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. (Esth 6:6-9)
Those verses describe Jesus’s future entry into Jerusalem on his own equestrian ride. Mordecai became vizer, and was second only to the king. Just as with Jesus, when the people saw Mordecai, they saw King Ahasuerus. Hence, all three “persons” of the Holy Trinity have been typed.
Haman issued the decree to kill all the Jews in the known world at that time. The bad news was spread by Haman’s evil “demons’ much like an early pony express. They went to and fro throughout the world wreaking havoc on the Jews. The analogy there is “the law of sin” which is mentioned several times in the New Testament. Once Esther did her “comforting,” Mordecai issued the good news that Jews all over the land would be saved; they would not perish as the adversary had endeavored to do (ala John 3:16). The safety of the Jews in an evil land is a foreshadowing of what Jesus would do years later.
Under Haman, the people tormented the Jews, and Haman tormented Mordecai, just as Satan would torment Jesus with the temptations of Christ, and Judas would torment Jesus unto death. Under Mordecai, the tormentors suffered destruction by the tormented. It is believed (see yesterday’s commentary) that the saints in Heaven will either direct the dead to Heaven, or by default, leave them for Hell to swallow. The Jews who were saved are representative of God’s peculiar chosen people who are the saints.
After the Jewish people were saved, the Earth became a type of Heaven for them, as is written:
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. (Esth 8:15-17)
Their peril in the Earth was as bliss in Heaven. Jesus said to pray for that, did he not? “In Earth as in Heaven.” Mordecai became the king’s most noble “prince” just as the Jesus was the Father’s “Prince” who would become King at the transfiguration.
Whereas Haman decreed the law of sin as the adversary of Mordecai, Mordecai decreed the Law of God to the world. Then good messengers, representative of angels, spread the good news all over the land, and the people were joyous, and even Gentiles were added to their numbers. The story ended correctly: The good “guy” won and saved the day. Mordecai and Esther knew who did that. Mordecai died but his spirit lived on in Esther. She is no longer with him, but “Esther” is always there!
Right now, if it is convenient, I suggest reading the short Book of Esther, and ask yourself, “What has this got to do with Jesus?” I merely skimmed over the many messages which I discerned from the Holy Spirit about salvation. You see, Esther is still with us, and speaks volumes if we only listen to “her” words. Nowhere in that Book is God mentioned, but as the reader should understand, the Book is all about the three “persons” of God! As one of the least read books of the Bible, the message from Esther is one of the most profound.
[1]
All the name meanings are from Etymology Online and Wikipedia for those names. Picture from pininterest posted by Jeanne M.
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