The book of Esther has been an enigma over the centuries, largely because it is the one book of scripture without any mention of God. Also, it concerns faithful Jews who remained in gentile lands after the captivity, a sojourn that was not compelled by God. The time period is probably during Xerxes’ rule as king of Persia, although there is some debate over the king’s identity; in Esther he is known as Ahasuerus. Xerxes was a successor to Cyrus the Great, emperor of Persia, who had conquered the Babylonian empire led by the heirs of Nebuchadnezzar II. This Nebuchadnezzar was the leader of the Neo-Babylonian empire at its height, 605-562 B.C.; he had conquered Judah, destroying Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple, and had taken the Jews into exile in Babylon. An understanding of Esther must be viewed against this backdrop.
The great Persian king Cyrus had begun his reign over Babylonia by making a decree allowing displaced peoples within the empire to return to their homelands, including the Jews. The first group of Jews to return to Judah did so in 535 B.C. The events of Esther likely occurred within the period of 485-465 B.C., in the Persian capital city of Susa, so had these Jews remained behind in Babylon, they’d moved even further away from Judah.
All of these events came about as part of the rise of gentile world power in the Middle East. In Luke 21:24 Jesus told His disciples, “They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the gentiles, until the times of the gentiles are fulfilled.” He is describing the end times, but putting it in terms of “the times of the gentiles.” The typical evangelical definition of this time is the era of gentile domination of the world, i.e., the value system of political machination, military might, economic power, etc., as opposed to the dominion of peace, grace and godliness as typified in Solomon’s reign over Israel. This is a correct description – Babylon throughout scripture stands in contrast to God’s kingdom, a reflection of the prince of this world rather than the Prince of Peace. But “the times of the gentiles” can also be taken as the time when God begins to open His program of grace not only to the Jews but also to gentiles; the era of exclusivity toward the Jews begins to change to the era of inclusivity toward gentiles. This development obviously found its fulfillment in the apostolic era, after the Cross.
But God’s promises were clear from His first contact with Abram: “Now the LORD said to Abram, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:2-3) This promise is made of the Christ: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all nations be blessed.’ So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. … Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, ‘Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree’: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. … Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He said not, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many; but as of one, ‘And to your seed,’ which is Christ.” (Gal. 3:8-16, NKJV) Through Christ God would bless all nations.
According to Paul, as he addressed the Athenian pagans, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’” (Acts 17:24-28)
So it is right to see the downfall of national Judah as the beginning of God’s demonstration to gentiles, an example of when God had “determined allotted periods” to reveal Himself to all, “for we are indeed his offspring.” As well, it was a time when the stone temple had been destroyed and demonstrated not to be the dwelling place of God, as shown to the captivity prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 10-11), and as such it is also important to view the period through the prism of the book of Hebrews, speaking of those in the wilderness who were afraid to enter the promised land:
“And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, ‘As I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest,”’ although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. … Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. Then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” (Heb. 3:18-4:10)
The identity of the Jews was intimately connected to the Promised Land, but as the author of Hebrews has testified, the rest of the land was only a foreshadowing of rest in Christ. The faithful Jews of the exile serve as a demonstration that rest is not to be in the land, it is to be belief in Christ; the stone temple is not to be the dwelling place of God, but rather His people will be that dwelling place. Peter tells us, “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4-5) The Jews’ experience of sojourning in a strange world serves as a window to revelation of the Church, and what the Church’s experience will be in our own Babylonian captivity.
The idea of believers’ lives as a sojourn in a world where we do not belong is nothing new. In Gen. 47:8-9 Jacob answers Pharaoh’s question about his age by describing his life, and the lives of his fathers, as a sojourn. David invokes the same idea in Ps. 39:12, which touches on the vanity of life. Jesus calls His own life a sojourn when He said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Mt. 8:20) He was at home here less so than we are, but He indicates our own lives also will be a time of separation and waiting, a sojourn in a place where we don’t belong, when He said, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast,” (Mt. 9:15) Our fasting is a physical reminder of what we are truly denied – dwelling with our Beloved. Christian scholars over the ages have recognized this truth as well, for instance Thomas à Kempis: “Sometimes it is to our advantage to endure misfortunes and adversities, for they make us enter into our inner selves and acknowledge that we are in a place of exile and that we ought not to rely on anything in this world.” (The Imitation of Christ, bk. 1, chap. 12.1). More so, it is only through reaping the bitter fruit of the world that we can really come to know we don’t belong here. We can understand this individually, and also corporately as the Church universal.
The demonstration of God’s program to benefit all of mankind is apparent in many books of the captivity: God disperses the Jews to begin the witness of His sovereignty and grace to the gentile world. In the book of Esther, Mordecai and Esther are portrayed as faithful Jews, and they are never condemned nor criticized for whatever reasons they had remained in Babylon. In fact, this exegesis holds that God had maintained them there for the very purpose of serving as a parable: As Mordecai tells Esther in 4:14, “If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” This is clearly messianic language, but God’s sovereignty does not relieve Esther of responsibility.
Consider Ps. 78:1-4 – “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.” From a spiritual perspective the history of Israel is a parable for the instruction of the Church, replete with types and symbols. As part of this pattern, for the sake of the book of Esther, God had made faithful Jews come to the kingdom of Persia to serve as a parable of the Church.
Beyond that, the Church will find it helpful to see its condition through the prism of Eph. 3:10: “Through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” “Heavenly places” is translated from the Greek epouranios, which is better translated as “heavenlies.” God uses the Church as a demonstration to His enemies in the heavenlies. This is what He did through Job, and in a very real spiritual sense Job is the story of all believers.
At this point we must take up briefly the Church’s differing views of the atonement. For its first 1,000 years, the main view included how it acted upon the physical creation (in particular humanity), the Ransom Theory, and how it acted upon the spiritual creation, Christus Victor. The Ransom Theory rests on Christ’s words that He was a ransom for many; Christus Victor focuses on His defeat of Satan and Death. Then St. Anselm developed what is known as the Satisfaction Theory, that Christ satisfied God’s requirement of judgment and righteousness for the sake of men. None of these views are wrong, but each emphasizes a different element of the atonement. But the Satisfaction Theory was taken up by the Church over the Ransom Theory, and at the same time Christus Victor was put on the shelf. The Reformers took up its themes again, but they were quickly stifled by the burgeoning Enlightenment. Now what Christ’s work on the Cross means within the spirit world is largely ignored, but it is central to the spiritual battle believers suffer daily. According to Gustaf Aulen, speaking of Irenaeus’ approach, “The Divine victory accomplished in Christ stands in the center of Irenaeus’ thought, and forms the central element in the recapitulatio, the restoring and the perfecting of the creation, which is his most comprehensive theological idea. The recapitulation does not end with the triumph of Christ over the enemies which had held man in bondage; it continues in the work of the Spirit in the church.” (Christus Victor, pp. 21-22) Therefore, the spiritual victories of Christus Victor continue to be demonstrated upon Earth through the Church until Christ returns (Eph. 3:10).
Suffering in the world is always a spiritual attack, whether it is directly from Satan or merely a result of his work in the Fall, which brought with it all the things that separate us from God – unbelief, sin, death, sickness, loneliness, and so on ad infinitum. These things are primarily an attack on our belief. When God’s people are faithful in their belief even in the face of suffering, Satan is humiliated and defeated before all the powers and principalities in the heavenlies. The book of Esther serves as an illustration of what continues to take place in the spiritual reality.
This article is an attempt to illuminate this thesis.
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By reading Esther with the Church’s sojourn in the world in mind, its standing as a parable of the Church age becomes clear. What better way to illustrate the Church’s captivity in the world than with faithful Jews caught in the machinations of gentile value and power systems? God demonstrates through Esther and her family what the Church age will look like some 500 years in the future.
To begin, here’s a synopsis of the book: Mordecai and Esther are Jews in Susa, the Persian capital, whose ancestors had been brought out of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. They are cousins, though Mordecai is much older and has raised Esther. The narrative opens with Ahasuerus taking part in a royal feast that lasts for seven days. On the last day, the king asks his queen, Vashti, to display her beauty before the royal guests. She refuses, which enrages the king, and he issues a decree that Vashti is rejected and a new queen shall take her place. To this end, he orders that all the beautiful maidens be brought to his court from all over his realm so one can be selected as queen. Accordingly, Mordecai presents Esther, taking care not to reveal that either of them is a Jew. Esther is taken under wing by some of the king’s servants, and eventually is made queen. Her cousin, who is elevated to the position of one of the king’s gatekeepers, learns of a plot made against the king’s life. He reports it to Esther, who in turn makes it known to the king, and the plotters are caught and executed.
Meanwhile, the king also has promoted a man named Haman to a high place in the government. As well, the king gives orders that whenever Haman passes by, people must bow to him. Mordecai, having maintained his Jewish scruples even in his exile, refuses to do so, which angers Haman to the point that he sets out to destroy Mordecai. Haman surreptitiously persuades the king to decree that on a certain day all Jews are to be slaughtered, a day he has determined through casting lots. Realizing the plight in which this decree puts his people, Mordecai impresses upon Esther that she must go before the king and intercede on the Jews’ behalf. Such a mission is dangerous for Esther as a Jew, but also because it is an offense to simply approach the king, but she willingly risks her life in order to carry it out. Meanwhile, Haman is delighted that the king has issued this decree, and in anticipation of the slaughter, and on the advice of his wife, he constructs a tall gallows on which to hang Mordecai.
One night, the king is unable to sleep, and he orders his servants to read to him from the official records. They read the account of the plot against the king’s life that was undermined by Mordecai, saving the life of the king. The king realizes that nothing has been done to repay Mordecai’s service, and he wonders out loud what would constitute an appropriate reward. Seeing Haman outside, the king asks his counsel about what should be done for one whom the king wants to honor. Haman thinks that he is the one to be honored and as a result suggests many elaborate things. The king follows his advice and orders that all these shall be done to honor Mordecai, with Haman himself acting as Mordecai’s herald around the city. Then during a royal dinner Esther reveals Haman’s scheme against her people to Ahasuerus, who in due course condemns him to hang on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Esther also succeeds in leading the king to add a new decree that Jews, on the day appointed for their slaughter, are permitted to take any means to defend themselves against anyone who attacks them.
In the book’s role as a parable. Ahasuerus (Xerxes) represents God or Christ, Vashti represents Israel, Esther and Mordecai both represent the Church in different forms, and Haman represents Satan.
Vashti and Esther
• “Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the capital, in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa, the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.” (1:1-5)
The book opens with King Ahasuerus in all his glory, and emphasizes feasting. This kind of celebration is, of course, not unusual in the ancient world, nor in the modern world, although the extent of this event is mind-boggling. But for the purposes of this study of the Church, the ritual feasting should bring to mind the Jewish calendar of feasts, which through much of Jewish history was left neglected, and ultimately the Eucharist, which was rejected by official Judaism when it rejected its Messiah.
• “On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.” (1:10-12)
Neither is it unusual for a spouse to be included in such a joyous celebration. But still the disobedient wife, Vashti, rebels against authority and is disowned, reflecting Israel’s long history of unbelief and rebellion against God. Eventually the king rejects her as queen. Likewise, the unbelieving Jewish nation’s rejection and betrayal of their Messiah finally leads God to reject their unbelief: “Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, ‘God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.’” (Rom. 11:7-8)
• “Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times … (And they said) ‘And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.’” (1:13-20)
Ahasuerus confers with wise men who “know the times,” about what to do with Vashti, and they also counsel him about selecting a new queen. Although the Hebrew equivalent of “magi” is not used here, “magi” is another word – in fact an ancient Persian word – for “wise men,” and such men obviously were involved in reading the times of the Incarnation, the moment in history that marks the blessing of Abraham upon all nations, the revealing of grace to Jew and gentile alike.
• “Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.” (2:5-7)
Esther at first is just an unremarkable member of a people sojourning in a strange land, just as the Church sojourns upon the Earth. Not unlike the multitude of believers that have walked the Earth over the centuries, Esther at this point is known only to her family and to God. With the Church in mind, there is role playing going on here: A) a group of faithful Jews in gentile lands are used to represent B) the gentiles of the Church being included within the Jews’ territory, that is, a privileged relationship with God.
• “So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem.” (2:8-9)
Esther is a bride chosen by the king out of a multitude. Again, she represents the new bride, the bride of the King’s choosing out of all the people of all the nations. “And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. “ (Mk. 13:27)
• “(Mordecai) was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. …” (2:7) Esther’s Jewish name was Hadassah, which means “myrtle.” Isaiah’s prophecies mention the myrtle tree twice: 41:19 states, “I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. …” It is a prophecy of judgment, of casting out, but in the greater context of the passage one of comfort in those circumstances. Then again in 55:13, Isaiah says, “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Marry these verses with 5:6 – the worthless vineyard is replaced. Out of the suffering will come blessing.
Then Zechariah, as a post-captivity prophet, takes up the imagery in 1:8-11 – “‘I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel and white horses. … So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, “These are they whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.” And they answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.”‘” The Church fathers view the man as the glorified Christ, and the grove of myrtles He stands within as the Church.
However, in the book and the court she was known by the Persian name Esther. This name is based on the Persian goddess name Ishtar, which later was also adapted by the early Church into the word Easter. So Esther and the Church have an etymological relationship in both her names.
• “Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women … When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her.” (2:12, 15)
Esther undergoes a lengthy period of “beautifying,” just as individual believers and the Church corporately undergoes an extended time of discipleship and sanctification. This change comes at the hand of the king’s wise servant – who could be taken as the Holy Spirit, the apostles or scripture teachers – and results in her winning favor with the king.
• “And when 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, the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.” (2:16-18)
Esther’s elevation as queen, bride of the king, is celebrated with a great wedding feast. This practice too is not uncommon in the ancient or modern worlds, but regardless foreshadows the promise to the Church, as do all wedding celebrations. “And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’” (Rev. 19:9). Esther represents the Church in glory, the Church in its fullness as the bride of Christ. As well, through Esther everyone in the empire is blessed. “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory …” (Rom. 9:22-23) God endures the wicked patiently, continuing the common graces of His creation, for the sake of the elect.
Mordecai
• “In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai.” (2:21-22)
Meanwhile, Mordecai is portrayed as a faithful man just making his way in the life appointed to him. His situation is no different from that of most believers across time and space. While he is not seeking prominence, it is thrust upon him and he is not afraid to act. “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.” (Ps. 123:2) While Esther represents the glorified Church after her wedding to the King, Mordecai represents the waiting Church on Earth, waiting and prepared to receive direction, as we seek the arrival of our Beloved. This role will change and become more intense for Mordecai as the narrative progresses.
• “When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.” (2:23)
Mordecai’s name is written in a book. This book very literally becomes a book of life for Mordecai (6:1-4), just as the Lamb’s book of life will become the Church’s point of hope at the time of judgment – “And all that dwell on the earth shall worship (the beast), whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. … And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life.” (Rev. 13:8, 20:12, NKJV)
Haman
• “After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him.” (3:1)
Haman is given a position of high authority. To make the connection to Satan in this event, consider Ezek. 28:12-15. “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.”
Although on the face of it this statement is made to the king of Tyre, scholars all the way back to the Church fathers accept this passage as God addressing Satan. God placed Lucifer in a position of great honor and authority, just in the same way that Ahasuerus honored Haman. Based on this passage from Ezekiel, many interpreters go so far as to call Satan the guardian of Eden, the point here being that he rejected his guardianship over God’s creation and instead turned to destroying it. In the same way, when the king appointed Haman to authority, it was not for the purpose of picking out people to eliminate, but that’s what he did. Regardless, God has given Satan power for a time over the world, and thus the Church falls under his malevolent authority to some extent; in fact, Satan cares more about attacking the saved than the lost. So the type of Satan in the book of Esther uses his authority to target the type of the Church (Mordecai) and his people.
• “And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.” (3:2)
Mordecai refuses to do obeisance to Haman. Again, the Church does not do honor to Satan directly, and should not indirectly honor his work through the world system. We stand as a counter-culture – witnesses and servants of Christ, Satan’s great enemy – regardless of the consequences. This tension will become more intense as the end of the Church age approaches.
Having said that, within the context of the Earthly narrative, Mordecai does stand guilty. Though the law was wicked, still, he defied it. As Ahasuerus stands as a type of the Godhead, we all stand guilty. Mordecai could not plead innocence or ignorance, he could only seek mercy, based on his relationship with the king through Esther, typifying the glorified bride. That is the case with all believers.
• “In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.” (3:7)
Haman casts lots – this is best seen as representing Satan’s acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty, in that God directs how the lot falls. There is one time that casting lots is prescribed in the law of Moses: “Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.” (Lev. 16:7-10) This is the scapegoat sacrifice, which occurred once a year at the Day of Atonement. The goat that is sacrificed and the goat that is rejected and cast outside the city walls both represent Christ in His suffering. Haman’s casting of lots meant suffering for the Jews.
After Haman decides upon a date to take his anger out on Mordecai, he gets approval from Ahasuerus and has to enter a period of waiting. Satan has been made specific promises (Gen. 3:15) and too is awaiting God’s appointed times. “Now to him who is able to strengthen you … according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God …” (Rom. 16:25-26) God made command within eternity, fulfilled only after long waiting by all creation. Haman illustrates this, waiting for a specific day that he thinks will see his vengeance, according to a promise from the king, when actually it will be the day of his defeat. Much time has passed since the curse upon Satan after the Fall, and since the Cross, and he has been left waiting – but the passage of time has not made his fate any less assured. The progression of the narrative in Esther shows that God is indeed in charge of the days.
• “Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, ‘There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them.’” (3:8)
Haman seeks condemnation of the Jews based on their behavior – this is the role of Satan, to accuse. “Then Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.’” (Job 1:9-11) God sees Job as faithful, but Satan accuses him as one who enjoys prosperity, a man who will abandon his faithfulness if his prosperity ends. In the same way he accuses us all the day long. And certainly, our behavior often deserves judgment, but Christ approaches His bride through grace. Mordecai’s behavior was an offense only to Haman, not to the king. As well, Haman’s example of evil should be an exhortation to the body of believers that we need to learn to love each other, to take the role of the Advocate, not the accuser.
• “If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, that they may put it into the king’s treasuries.” (3:9)
Haman’s work results in death for everyone. Not satisfied with killing just the man who offended him, Haman wants to wipe out the entire Jewish race within the empire, just as Satan’s work meant death for the whole human race. Though this narrative takes place in Persia, the massacre would have included Jews who had returned to Judah: “Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.” (3:6) This atrocity is the first recorded pogrom, an eerie reminder to anyone who knows 20th Century history. But Haman is not just a kindred spirit with Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin, he is a type of Satan in this story, not ruining one man’s life but the lives of all men, bringing death to all men through the Fall.
Mordecai and Esther
• “When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.“ (4:1-3)
Mordecai, who had been in a time of waiting since his service to the king, enters into a time of suffering, along with all his people. Again, this is characteristic of the Church’s waiting. “Jesus said, ‘Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.’” (Mk. 10:29-30)No matter what material blessings God sees fit to pour out upon us, we should count on persecutions and suffering, not the least of which is, we miss our Beloved. And beyond that, we should rejoice in no material blessing here in the world more than in our eternal life. “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Lk. 10:20)
The reaction of Mordecai and the Jews could also be considered to be repentance. Perhaps surprisingly, personal repentance is not a common occurrence in the Old Testament record. The Jews believed their redemption lay in simply descending from Abraham. But it is no mistake that the door opens to the Church age with a call upon Judah for personal repentance. “(John) said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, … ‘Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.’” (Lk. 3:7-8)The Baptist’s words are pointedly aimed at the Jewish officials, but Paul applies them to gentiles as well: “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” (Acts 17:30)
So Mordecai’s taking up of sackcloth and ashes signals a revelation of how God will approach Jews in the Church age: The Jews’ position before Him is no longer as a nation chosen through Abraham, but as individuals chosen through Christ; God does not reject the nation of Jews as a whole, only those who will not repent and believe.
• “Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, ‘Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ‘Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.’” (4:13-16)
Mordecai reminds Esther of her heritage and that they, as God’s people, are all in this trouble together. As queen, Esther has it all, but she does not rely upon her material position, she does not sell herself to it – she sells herself to faithfulness, knowing that it puts her at odds with the system, and saying, “If I perish, I perish.” In this way Esther is being Christ-like, even to the point of death; this is God’s will for the Church, and should be the Church’s goal, to be conformed to the image of Christ. Esther, as the representative of the Church in glory, represents that completed Christ-likeness in her behavior. “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 Jn. 3:2)
As well, Esther is in double jeopardy: Not only does she fall under the edict against the Jews, but even to simply seek an audience with the king would put her life at risk. “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.” (4:11) To stand before any almighty is a fearsome thing, but Esther decides to go before the king boldly to find grace both in her petitioning and for her people – just as believers now can go before Christ’s throne boldly to intercede for ourselves and each other. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16) So Esther determines to go before Ahasuerus, but only after —
• She calls a three-day fast. “Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ‘Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.’” (4:15-16)
This and the previous point are so closely tied together in the scripture that we must consider them together here. The Church has the privilege of approaching the King when we rely upon the grace of our relationship with Him. Jesus says, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends …” (Jn. 15:15) The three-day fast is unmistakable on this side of the Cross. The three-day passage of death within the eternal life of the Christ is the door through which the Church enters relationship, it is the atonement. More so, as the Church identifies itself with the work of Christ’s death, we die with Him. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:3-4) Esther’s fast as she considers an imminent death foreshadows this identification with Christ. With Christ’s righteousness and life imputed upon the Church by grace, its authority and power declared through His resurrection, we can take any petition to Him without fear of angering Him.
So Esther approaches the king seeking grace, and she receives grace. “On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.” (5:1-2)
At this point I should point out that a definite reference to Christ is made in 4:14 – Mordecai tells Esther, “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Mordecai acknowledges that he and Esther may not be able to prevent atrocity against the Jews, but he allows that God’s program will not be thwarted. “Nor is (God) served by human hands, as though he needed anything. …” (Acts 17:25) Mordecai has faith that deliverance for God’s people will arise from “another place,” even if Esther fails. He knows a man exists who carries the Seed, the line to the promised Messiah, and no king’s edict will extinguish it. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Ps. 127:1) But Mordecai also recognizes that Esther has the opportunity to fulfill a physical manifestation of God’s work, that He may have installed Esther as queen for that very reason. This same situation comes up time and again in the narrative of scripture. The modern Church can appropriate this attitude as well, that while we as individuals and congregations have been put in place for definite reasons, our own failures or weaknesses cannot derail God’s purposes. Esther agrees to act on her responsibility, regardless of the apparent consequences of failure.
• “And Esther said, ‘If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.’ Then the king said, ‘Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.’ So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, ‘What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.’ Then Esther answered, ‘My wish and my request is: If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.’” (5:4-8)
Esther makes her petition to the king in terms of serving him, and demonstrates waiting. She not only waits in silence in the king’s courts until she is called upon (5:1), she prepares two feasts over the course of two days before bringing her petition to him. All believers should approach the Church age as a time of waiting and serving our Lord. Note too that the fasting is over when she is finally in the king’s presence. Again, Mt. 9:15 reports Jesus’ words, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
• “Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh. And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. Then Haman said, ‘Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king.’” (5:10-12)
Haman’s behavior stands in stark contrast to Esther’s. While Esther had approached the royal courts with fear and humility, Haman hastily schemes with his wife and friends to arrogantly serve himself. There is nothing more characteristic of Satan than to serve and seek honor for himself. As fallen and weak humans, we too are subject to this temptation: For the Church in a strange world, God’s will must be paramount for us, serving the Spirit our greatest concern, and we must resist letting even the good things of the material world own us.
• “Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” (5:13)
Quite the opposite of serving his lord, Haman feeds the wicked desires of his heart and increases his lot with Satan. In v. 13 he is seething, and it is clear he is driven by hatred more than anything else. Nothing drives Satan’s anger more than the people who, like Job, have received God’s grace through faith.
• “Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, ‘Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.’ This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.” (5:14)
Haman has a gallows built for Mordecai; though his designs were frustrated, the gallows still should be considered a type of the Cross. “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.” (Acts 5:30) Indeed, Haman’s intentions were thwarted and turned against him, and Satan also has found his own ultimate defeat in the Cross. More on that later.
The Church Age
• “On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.” (6:1-2)
The time for judgment comes, as the date of the holocaust begins to bear down on the faithful, and a book is opened. Again, this foreshadows the Lamb’s book of life, to which all judgment is given in Rev. 20:11-12, 27 – “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. … But nothing unclean will ever enter (the city), nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Mordecai’s name is found in the book, and he is thereby saved, even before the accusation against him reaches the king’s ears.
• “So Haman came in, and the king said to him, ‘What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?’ And Haman said to himself, ‘Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?’ And Haman said to the king, ‘For the man whom the king delights to honor, let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set. And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”’” (6:6-9)
Haman seeks public honor, which we can equate with worship. This is Satan’s highest goal, to be like God: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” (Is. 14:14) He will very nearly achieve his goal, but only at the end of the Church age, and only to be frustrated by the return of Christ. Here also Haman comes within reach of his goal, but is utterly defeated by the king’s sovereignty.
• “Then the king said to Haman, ‘Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.’ So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’ Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered.” (6:10)
The king robes and crowns Mordecai. The king wraps his royal garments around Mordecai, just as he already had done with Esther. This is the same honor to be bestowed upon the glorified Church. “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. … Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. … Then (the saints) were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer …” (Rev. 3:5, 4:4, 6:11) Throughout scripture garments signify righteousness, and here Ahasuerus signals his royal approval of Mordecai.
Beyond that, through the grace shown to Mordecai, Haman is humiliated and ends up having to serve Mordecai. This too is Job’s story: God offers up Job as an upright man, and Satan takes the bait; as Job faithfully clings to God through his suffering, Satan is humiliated. Job, and Mordecai, foreshadow the experience of all believers. “… So that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenlies.” (Eph. 3:10)Mordecai is a day away from being lifted high on a gallows, but the king snatches him out of the hand of his enemy at the last minute, and uses him to humiliate his enemy. At this point Haman can tell things are beginning to turn, but he has dug a pit and is about to fall into it himself. (Ps. 57:6)
When a believer faces any kind of suffering, whether it is a direct spiritual conflict or merely a result of living in a fallen world, it is a satanic attack, because all consequences of the Fall are the result of Satan’s work. When believers cling to their belief, particularly in a crisis of faith, they overcome Satan’s work and win a victory in the heavenlies. Our sufferings are not in vain, even though we can’t even see those who bring the battle against us.
• “While they were yet talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.” (6:14)
The developments concerning Mordecai take place even before Esther’s plans materialize and she makes her petition to the king. This course of events reflects Jesus’ promise to the Church, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Mt. 6:8) As well, the king’s sovereignty, and therefore God’s, is illustrated by Haman’s utter obedience to his orders and to Esther’s invitation.
• “And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, ‘If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.’” (6:13)
Haman gets a word of his sure demise from his wife, who had counseled him to build the gallows for Mordecai, and his own wise men who had helped him choose the date to exterminate the Jews. This represents a sudden change of tone for them all. Haman’s wife receives a word of prophecy and speaks it regardless of its meaning to her husband (or her – 9:14, “A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged.”)Unlike Haman’s accusations against the Jews, the word of grace given to her is based on who Mordecai is, not his behavior or anything else, but simply his inclusion within God’s people. This too is the Church’s defense against Satan’s accusations – we are with Christ.
• “And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, ‘Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?’ As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face.” (7:7-8)
Haman is condemned for a perceived assault on Esther. As stated before, Satan cares little about the lost, his main concern during the Church age is to attack and accuse believers. Even this mistaken attack on Esther is met with mighty, jealous vengeance from the king. Christ is jealous for His bride, and one day He will avenge what is done to us in the world. “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.” (Ps. 18:6-19)
A curious possibility arises from this event in Esther. As Paul says, “Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? … The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (1 Cor. 6:2, Rom. 16:20) So, divining from Esther, will Satan beg for mercy from the Church? Perhaps; but in the end it is God who will crush him, using our feet.
• “Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, ‘Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.’ And the king said, ‘Hang him on that.’ So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.” (7:9-10)
Haman is hanged on the very gallows he prepared for Mordecai. Satan’s great achievement, death, will one day itself see death, hanging on the cross the world prepared for Christ. “And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur … Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:10, 14) To the world, the crucifixion was the definite end to an obscure teacher; to Jesus’ disciples, it was the defeat of all their hopes. From God’s perspective, the Cross was the moment of utter defeat for Satan, and the defeat of his greatest work. Jesus used death to defeat death. The guilt of every believer of every generation was imputed upon the perfect God-Man, in Whom sin and death were judged and condemned, hanging upon a tree. Satan’s head was crushed in the work of the gospel; Haman’s death illustrates the reality of the matter.
• “And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king’s service, bred from the royal stud, saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods, on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.” (8:10-12)
The officially decreed death of the righteous is overruled. God has not ended death, the punishment He decreed for sin, during the Church age, but through the resurrection He has shown death to be a lie. In the work of the gospel, by the might of His own personal righteousness, He has overruled our sin and His own prescribed judgment of it, and our sojourn ends with eternal life with our Beloved. In the end Jesus will overturn the death of the race, just as Ahasuerus overturns his official massacre of the Jewish people.
• “Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.” (8:15)
Mordecai is given great authority to judge. Believers are also given remarkable authority even in this time of exile in the world. “If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.” (Jn. 20:23)And again, in the end God promises us judgment over Satan himself.
• “The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them.” (9:5)
In the end all the nations in the Persian empire are judged according to their hatred for the Jews, or for our purposes, the Church. As Jesus said, “I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’” (Mt. 25:43-45)By this measure the nations will be judged, and in Esther those who hated the Jews came under the judgment of the Jews.
This scene of vengeance in Esther, which is much more involved that just this one verse, is fairly abhorrent to modern sensibilities, but we can get a perspective on this through the key captivity psalm, Ps. 137.
“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
“We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
“For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’
“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
“If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
“Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who said, ‘Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof.’
“O daughter of Babylon, who is to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewards you as you have served us.
“Happy shall he be, that takes and dashes your little ones against the stones.”
This psalm of Judah’s suffering and waiting in Babylonian exile perfectly foreshadows the Church’s captivity in the world. As we long to be conformed to and united with our Beloved, the world expects us as individuals to sing and dance according to its desires, and as a body to conform to its value system. Again, at the end we see a desire for bloody retribution against Babylon, specifically against her helpless children. Western culture, for all its degradation, still finds this barbaric and chilling. But let’s take a quick look at scripture’s view of Babylon’s end:
“And behold, here come riders, horsemen in pairs! And he answered, ‘Fallen, Fallen is Babylon; and all the carved images of her gods he has shattered to the ground.’” (Is. 21:9)
“And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and take out of his mouth what he has swallowed. The nations shall no longer flow to him; the wall of Babylon has fallen.” (Jer. 51:44)
“Another angel, a second, followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.’ And he called out with a mighty voice, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.’” (Rev. 14:8, 18:2)
These are the children of Babylon – carved images, false gods, demons, unclean spirits, sexual immorality, unclean lives. These are the children of Babylon doomed to have their heads crushed, just as Satan’s head has been crushed under Christ’s heel. There can be no greater goal for the Church than to see not our own judgment, but God’s judgment exercised perfectly against His enemies, foremost of whom is Satan.
• “For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.” (10:3)
Finally, it is said that Mordecai spoke peace to all his people. Again, it was absolutely central to the Jews’ sense of identity to be in the land, with the stone temple. But rest in the land was only a foreshadowing of Christ (Heb. 3:18-4:10, quoted above). Mordecai spoke not of the peace of the land, because his voice reached only his people still in Persia, in exile like the Church; the peace he spoke of represents the peace of Christ, which is not bound to any geographical location or material situation, it is the fullness of peace that the Church enjoys. “God has called you to peace.” (1 Cor. 7:15)
To conclude, it is worth noting that the suffering, waiting Church is portrayed at the same time as the glorified Church, in Mordecai and Esther, respectively (Mordecai being the elder of the two), closely related to each other as cousins. Each generation of the Church during this age can perceive its situation only moment-by-moment; in fact, we are encouraged to do so – “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” (Ja. 4:13-15) We are appointed to a certain time and space and are not likely to experience anything beyond that. But God exists wholly outside of the confines of time – from His perspective, where past is present is future, He sees all things complete. Believers can see their salvation and sanctification only as an ongoing process, a long trudge – “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil. 2:12) But God sees it as a done deal through the work of the gospel – “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Heb. 10:10) The better we can latch on to God’s perspective, the better we will be able to withstand Babylon and experience our peace in Christ.
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Acknowledgement must be made of the works of Rabanus Maurus, Explanation on the Book of Esther, c. A.D. 800. All scripture references are from the English Standard Version, copyright 2000, 2001 by Crossway Bibles, unless otherwise noted.
Craig Davis Archive 