THE KING LOVED HER ABOVE ALL
Lately I was pondering on the book of Esther after Father pointed it out for me last week. This well know book in the Old Testament is a story many of us already read. For me personally I love the story of Hadassah (Esther’s Hebrew name) who went “undercover” into an unknown territory with a plan to rescue her people.
While I was reading through the chapters, wondering what Abba wants to show me, I realized that this story of Hadassah who was chosen by the King above all others, and the story Yahshua told in Matthew 22 has a lot in common.
TWO KINGS PLANNING EVENTS – THE FIRST INVITATION
The first connection I could make was that in both these stories, the Kings were planning an event. In the book of Esther King Ahasuerus (sounds like a dinosaur’s name) planned a banquet for seven days for all his rulers and his servants in the third year of his reign. (Esther 1:5) On the 7th day King Ahasuerus called Vashti, his queen, to join them but she refused to join him, and she had no desire to come to his event and the king became very angry. (Esther 1:12)
In Matthew 22 we read about the parable where Yahshua talked about the kingdom of Heaven is compared to a man, a king, who made a wedding feast for his son. This king also invited the elite guests, and they also did not desire to come and hearing this the king also became angry. (Matt 22:1-7)
THE PROPHETIC GOLDEN THREAD
In both these Bible stories the kings invited first the elite and when they refusing to come, both these kings got angry. Prophetically we can already see how the golden thread runs from the start through these beautiful stories, and we can learn a lot through it. Just like our King, the King of all kings – Yahshua our Messiah, invited the nation born out of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to worship Him as their Saviour, they rejected Him and had no desire to proclaim Him as King and the Son of Yahweh. I do think that this rejection of the “chosen nation” of Yahweh made Him also angry and just like these two stories, He also made another invite.
TWO KINGS GIVING THEIR KINGSDOM TO SOMEONE ELSE – THE SECOND INVITE
Because of Vashti’s choice to ignore King Ahasuerus’s invite, she lost her royal estate, and the king was prepared to give it to another one, who is better than she was. (Esther 1:19) He decided to invite young virgins from all over his kingdom so that he can choose one and let that one who pleases him, rule instead of Queen Vasti. (Ester 2:1-4)
In the Matthew 22 parable the King’s fury was even worse because he sent in his armies to kill all of those who rejected His invite and to burn their cities (v7) and said those who were invited first were not worthy to come to the wedding (v9). Wow just look how serious this King was. He even destroyed those who rejected His first invite. Can this maybe also be the fury Yahweh has for Israel, rejecting His Son? Although they are a nation that survived through the generations and ages, they are always under attack, killed, tortured, bombed, burned and slaughtered.
After killing and destroyed the cities of the first invited guests, the King in the book of Matthew 22 then made a second invite and said to His slaves to go onto the exits of the highways and call to the wedding guests as many as they may find. And as they went in the highways, they did exactly as the King ordered (v8-10).
THE PROPHETIC GOLDEN THREAD
“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree were grafted in among them and become a sharer of the root and the fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you boast, it is not you that bears the root, but the root bears you.” (Rom 11:17-18)
Some of the original tree’s branches were broken off as we read in both these stories of Esther and Matthew 22. Because of their ignorance and stubbornness, they lost what they had and was removed. But both these kings had a “back-up” plan with their second invites. Queen Vasti probably had royal blood, and the Abraham-Isaac-Jacob tribes was also from one bloodline that made them “royal” because out of their bloodline the Messiah, our King, was born. But because of both these first invited guests’ stubbornness and ignorance, their inheritance was handed over to someone else who were more worthy of receiving it.
This points to us. We are grafted in. We also have no “royal” bloodline that makes us the rightful owners as firstborns or royal kings and queens. But because we made a choice to worship Yahshua and proclaim that He is our Saviour and the Son of Yahweh and sitting on the right hand of His Father, we are now also royal (1 Pet 2:9). We become sharers of the root and the fatness of the Olive Tree (Yahshua) and we are ambassadors of His Kingdom. Israel still needs to be restored spiritually.
ROYAL GIFTS
In Esther 2:17 we read that the king made his choice, and Esther was taken by him in his royal house in his SEVENTH YEAR of reign. And the king loved Esther above all, and she rose in grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins. And he set the royal crown on her head and made her to rule instead of Vashti.
Meanwhile in the New Testament parable in Matthew 22, the king also gave his guests gifts. Just think about it. You are walking in the street and all of a sudden someone tells you that you are invited to a wedding, what is the first thing in your mind? “What do I wear?!” This king gave all his guests wedding garments.
Isn’t this just fascinating? Just as Yahshua will also crown us with many crowns and the crown of life (Jacob 1:12) He is also giving us new mantles and garments (Matt 22:11). Yahshua has all the rewards with Him (Rev 22:12) and just like king Ahasuerus gave Esther her royal crown and rules with him, so will we also receive our royal crowns one day and rule and reign with Yahshua forever (2 Tim 2:12).
ESTHER SAVED THE JEWS BUT YAHSHUA CAME TO SAVE US
Yahshua also came “undercover”, like Esther did, when He became flesh on earth. None of the Jews thought He was their Messiah. Even king Ahasuerus didn’t suspect Esther to be Hadassah the Jewish virgin. But Yahshua came in with one commission, to be the Last Sacrifice so that He could save everyone who will believe He is Yahweh’s Son and believe that He is the Messiah and that He is their Saviour. He came to save, just like Esther wanted to save her people.
AND THE KING LOVED HER ABOVE ALL
“And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she rose in grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins. And he set the royal crown on her head and made her to rule instead of Vashti.” (Esther 2:17)
“And it happened, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she was lighted up in grace in his eyes. And the king held out the golden scepter that was in his hand to Esther. And Esther drew near and touched the top of the scepter. And the king said to Eshter at the banquet of wine, what is your petition, and it shall be granted to you? And what is your wish? And it will be done, even up to half of the kingdom.” (Esther 5:2&6)
This is probably the most beautiful part of the story for me of Esther and her king. He truly loved her above all and let her touch his scepter and he granted her request. She didn’t request wealth, gold, money or part of his kingdom, as he was prepared to give it to her. Her request was to save her people. May our request to our King also be humble and not full of pride and our own desires. As Esther requested this from her king and not only did he granted her request, but he also added everything else she even didn’t ask for.
Yahshua loves us and He wants to grant our requests. But look at Esther, she needed to be very close to her king to be able to touch his scepter. We need to be in an intimate relationship with our King to be able to touch His scepter too. Esther also went through a purifying period of 12 months (Esther 2:12) before she could stand before her king. That is why we need to repent of all our fleshly and worldly manners and also go through a purifying period to be able to stand in front of our King, worthy in His presence.
AND THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY COME! (Rev 22:17)
HaRuach v’hakala omrim bo!
Shalom, Mattaniah
