Nathan Lewis - Class 2: The Maidens

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   So, in order to gain a few precious moments this morning, our brother Nathan has asked that we don't bother with the reading, as we'll be going through it throughout the class anyways. This is Winfield Bible School 2009. Our overall school theme is The Fall of Flesh to the Triumph of the Spirit. This is our brother Nathan Lewis's second class entitled The Maidens.

2. 0:38

   Well, good morning, brothers and sisters. I hope you slept well and it's another fabulous day. So now we come to the search for a new wife, for Ahasuerus. And in our last session, we left the then-known world shaking with excitement and, I guess, a fair degree of shock as the posts went out in Esther chapter 1 and verse 22. And all the world learnt that Vashti the queen was deposed. Deposed for disobedience. And now the king is searching for a new bride. And you can just imagine the excitement of all the world, let alone every teenage girl. And I hate to think the amount of excitement and giggling that would have gone through the empire at this message.

3. 1:34

   So now we come to chapter 2 and verse 1. And it says, After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti. Well, how long after was after these things? Well, we know from verse 16 of chapter 2 that we're going to be talking about today is in the seventh year of Ahasuerus' reign. And chapter 1 verse 3 tells us that Vashti was deposed in the third year of Ahasuerus' reign. So accounting for the 12 months that we're going to come to in verse 12, we're about three years on in time from the events of chapter 1.

4. 2:18

   And the suggestion is, and we're not, like I say, going to delve into the historical background of Ahasuerus, like I promised you, but if you do take it that Ahasuerus is Xerxes I, then historically, Xerxes I, after his feast with the nobles and princes in chapter 1, took off to fight the Greeks for about, why, three years, BC 483 to 480. And when he was defeated in the Battle of Salamis on September 29th, 480 BC, he came back to Persia to lick his wounds. And so really, if we were to ask ourselves, well, why is there this sort of three-year gap between the deposing of Vashti and now the searching for a new queen? Well, it's really because Xerxes was away fighting the Greeks.

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   But of course, it might not be Xerxes, so we're not going to be too concerned about that. So here we are, three years on in time, and we read in verse 2 that, and listen to these words, and see, because we've kind of examined the type now, now we're zoning in on what Esther is is perhaps a little bit more really about. And listen to these words in verse 2.

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   Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, let there be fair young virgins sought for the king. Who are these servants that minister to the king? Well, that's a classic description, isn't it, of the angels. Those who, Psalm 103 verse 21 say, are the ministers of his that do his pleasure. And who are the virgins, the young virgins that are going to be sought, if it isn't, brothers and sisters, the young virgins, the 144,000 of Revelation 14 in verse 4, that were redeemed from the earth, for they are virgins, they follow the Lamb, wither soever he goeth.

7. 4:22

   And so now we're really seeing the development of the type in the book of Esther. The angels are saying, now let's search the empire for a new bride. And it says in verse 3 that they were to be gathered into the house of the women. That's a classic description of the ecclesia. We are, if you like, the combined group of women who are going to make up the bride of Christ.

8. 4:53

   And this, the ecclesia, is our house. The house of the women. And it says that their things for purification were given them at the end of verse 3. You know, the Hebrew word for purification is an interesting word. It literally means rubbing ointment. Rubbing ointment. And the lesson is clear, isn't it? We have to take the word of God, which we know is like an ointment or a salve to us, and we have to rub it into our skin.

9. 5:26

   And you know, the Apostle John picks up on that idea. You remember in the first epistle of John when he talks about, we have an anointing. It's the same equivalent Greek word. We have an unction from God. And he defines for us what that anointing is. He says, the anointing is that we know the truth.

10. 5:49

    And all of these young virgins here, the prospective bride of the king, were all going to be given the truth, gathered into the house of the woman, the ecclesia, and they were all going to rub that precious ointment into every pore of their body. And that's what we do, don't we, brothers and sisters, day by day.

11. 6:08

    We take the word of God, and we have to rub it into the pores of our skin. It takes effort, and it takes time. But gradually, the word of God sinks into us and changes who we are. And so the decree goes out. The invitation to the world's first and greatest Miss Universe competition.

12. 6:32

    Except, brothers and sisters, it's not just this time about external beauty. It's not just to find the best-looking woman. Because verse 4 tells us that the purpose of this decree was to unearth a woman who might please the king. A woman who would possess, as well as fabulous looks, a character and a demeanor, an attitude and a disposition that was going to be pleasing to the king, right and fitting for a royal status, for the queen of all the world.

13. 7:12

    A woman who would obey and reverence her lord. Now, you know, brothers and sisters, I've heard some people say, talking about Esther, that Esther really was, well, she wasn't really a faithful woman. She was really a simple girl who was good, and she simply followed the clear and faithful instructions of Mordecai. But in herself, she was just, if you like, obedient as opposed to faithful.

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    But you know, brothers and sisters, I don't really think that that can be true. Because look at this. This is the new bride of faith. And if Vashti was going to be deposed, brothers and sisters, as a type of the natural nation of Israel because of their disobedience and unfaithfulness, surely this new bride in verse 4 was going to have to be faithful.

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    And it says in verse 4 that she was going to have to please the king. And listen to these words straight out of Hebrews 11. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Esther has to be a woman of faith. We are, after all, typed by Esther. And none of us would like to say that we are really just simple people just obeying the commandments of Mordecai unthinkingly in that sense.

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    We are people of faith. We are Abraham's seed. And Esther is going to type those people. And if Vashti was Israel after the flesh, well, Esther is going to be Israel after the spirit. Romans 8 verse 8. They that are in the flesh cannot please God. And that was Vashti. And now Esther is going to be found to please the king.

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    But before we meet this new bride-to-be, we are introduced to her cousin, Mordecai, in verse 5. And it says in verse 5, Now, in Shushan the palace, there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jer, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity, which had been carried away with Jeconiah, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away.

18. 9:37

    You know, verse 5 is a very interesting introduction to Mordecai. Because Mordecai means little man. Little man. And literally, the Hebrew word for the word man, when it says in verse 5, there was a, where does it say that? There was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai. The word for man, I just can't see it right there right now.

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    Oh, the word certain is the word ish. Is that right? The word certain is the word ish. So I got a little confused there. So the word ish in the Hebrew means mighty man. So verse 5 should really read, Now in Shushan the palace, there was a mighty man, a Jew, called a little man.

20. 10:41

    And here is, as we all know in type, our Lord Jesus Christ. He was mighty because he was little, because he was humble. And he was of the tribe of Benjamin, the son of the right hand. He was God's right hand man. So we're introduced in a very marvelous way to the type of our Lord Jesus Christ.

21. 11:05

    You know, just in passing while we're in this verse, some people have found difficulty with the time periods of Esther. And they say that if Mordecai was carried away captive around about 600 BC with Nebuchadnezzar, then he would be about 120 years old by now. And if Esther is his cousin, then Esther would be, even if she was a little younger, she's going to be about 90 to 100 years old.

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    Which, I'm sure most of you will agree, probably doesn't really fit the story. A 100-year-old beauty queen, well, we could maybe imagine it, but it's probably stretching, you know, even our own imaginations a little. So how would we answer this particular problem, that when we look at the genealogies, it doesn't seem likely that Mordecai could have been carried away captive?

23. 11:57

    Well, in actual fact, the answer probably lies in the fact that in the Hebrew, the word who, at the start of verse 6, can refer to Mordecai, or it can refer to Kish, the last person who's mentioned in verse 5. So in all likelihood, it was probably Kish who was carried away captive into Babylon, and three or four generations later, Mordecai is born in captivity.

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    So he'd be maybe 30 to 40, and Esther is maybe in her 20s. And that would fit a lot more with the time frame. Actually, in passing as well, you notice in verse 6, it says quite specifically, doesn't it, that Mordecai, or in this case Kish, was carried away with Jeconiah, king of Israel.

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    Now, there were a number of deportations by Nebuchadnezzar. Why do you think we're being told, brothers and sisters, that Kish was carried away with Jeconiah? Because Jeconiah is really Jehoiachin. Why do you think we're told that, brothers and sisters? Any ideas?

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    Gives us a time frame. That's certainly true. Sorry? Sorry? Yes, it gives us a profile. That is significantly closer. Well, do you remember the story in Jeremiah about the good and the naughty figs? Does everybody remember that story? The good and the naughty figs in Jeremiah 24? Well, at the start of Jeremiah 24, it says, in the time of the carrying away of captivity at the time of Jehoiachin.

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    And it specifically tells us that when the captivity went in the time of Jehoiachin, there were good figs which were carried away and bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten, left in the land. So verse 6 is telling us that when Kish came away with Jehoiachin, he was one of the good figs of Jeremiah chapter 24, carried away into Babylon for their own good.

28. 14:12

    He was a faithful man, a faithful man of the tribe of Benjamin. And so now we come to verse 7 and the introduction of our heroine. And we read in verse 7, Now, verse 7 has a lot of information in it, and it's a remarkable verse. The word Hadassah means myrtle, or myrtle tree.

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    And in itself, this simple word has very rich symbology, which I'm going to summarize for you on the screen very quickly. So let's just look at Hadassah very quickly. The word myrtle tree, or branches, only occurs a few times in the Bible, but it speaks volumes to us of what it's significant of.

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    In Nehemiah 8, in verse 15, they were told to go forth, fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, that's the word for Hadassah, and palm branches, branches of thick trees, and make booths. They were to keep, in the time of Nehemiah, the feast of tabernacles. So myrtle trees are associated very clearly with the feast of tabernacles, a time of rest and peace.

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    In Zechariah 1, in verses 8 to 12, in verse 17, there's a vision, a night vision in Zechariah. And Zechariah sees a man who's lurking under the myrtle trees. And that man promised that all the earth was going to be still and at rest. And lastly, in Isaiah 41, verse 19, and chapter 55, verse 13, the myrtle tree is mentioned as one of the trees which is going to flourish in the kingdom when Israel is at rest.

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    So if we were to summarize those three or four passages and say, well, what does the myrtle tree speak to us in the Bible of? Well, really it's this. It's going to be associated with the rest of the kingdom age. When Israel is going to be at peace and all the world is going to keep the feast of tabernacles as we read of in Zechariah 14.

33. 16:46

    So Hadassah speaks to us a lot, doesn't it, of the future of Israel, at peace in the land, the kingdom is here, the world is at rest and at peace with itself. So a very significant Hebrew word. And now we come to the word Esther. The name Esther is a little more difficult because it's a Persian name and authorities differ and I'm going to give you two suggestions as to what Esther might mean.

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    Firstly, it could mean a star. And like I say, authorities are sort of divided in a certain sense as to what this means. And one of the suggestions is that Esther comes from the word state or star. And in which case, if that is true, well, she's a very clear type, isn't she, of the seed of Abraham by faith.

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    They were going to be like the stars of heaven for multitude. And you know, interestingly enough, the phrase, Hadassah, that is Esther, has a very significant numeric value. And I'm not a big authority on numbers in the Bible, but here's, in the book of Esther, we're going to come across a few with Haman and here with Esther.

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    And look what Esther, Hadassah, that is Esther, has this numerical value. 1152. Now sometimes we can, we can say, well, this occurs five times and that's the number of grace or seven times and that's the number of covenant. And that's true. But you know, brothers and sisters, there's only one number that is the exact, what's the word, I've forgotten the mathematical term.

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    There's only one number that is made up of these numbers combined and that's 1152. 12 times 12, the 144,000, the redeemed of Israel, times the number of our Lord Jesus Christ, resurrected from the dead. That's not by chance, is it, brothers and sisters, that that little phrase, Hadassah, that is Esther, has that numerical value.

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    This is the bride of faith. Now, the second suggestion as to what Esther might mean is this, that it might mean hidden. And in which case, she clearly again types the true bride of Christ who really is going to be hidden amongst the nations until later she's going to be revealed. And look at these two references that kind of illustrate that for us.

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    First of John 3 and verse 2, Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, that when he comes we will see him as he is. And so we're kind of hidden, aren't we, brothers and sisters? Amongst all of the general populace of the world, the Christadelphians, the bride of Christ, are sprinkled here and there.

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    And when we're drawn out of the nations, we will be revealed. This is what Colossians 3 and verse 3 says, For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. And so it's fascinating really, isn't it, how this little girl is introduced. She's going to type the true bride by faith, spiritual Israel.

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    And look what verse 7 says. It says in verse 7, For she had neither father nor mother. You know what, brothers and sisters, that's not actually true. Because when we turn over the page and we come to verse 15, it says, Now, when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abahel, the uncle of Mordecai.

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    So we're told Esther's father's name. That name means my father is might. So we're told that Esther had a father and her father was Abahel. It's not actually true, really, is it, that she neither had father nor mother. Why is that peculiar expression there, brothers and sisters, except it be that Esther is going to be introduced to us as a spiritual orphan.

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    A spiritual orphan. This is what Romans 8 verse 15 says, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage, again, none to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. And brothers and sisters, Esther is going to be put forward for us as someone who was adopted into the line, the faithful line, of Abraham.

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    And we would be remiss, wouldn't we, if we didn't notice that these particular words are really picked up for us in Hebrews 7 and verse 3 where it describes Melchizedek. He was without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. And Esther is going to be introduced for us right from the beginning of the record as one of the priests or priestesses, if you like, of the Melchizedekian priesthood.

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    Here is someone who's looking forward to the future, who has, as her high priest, a man also, without father and without mother in type. She was a true orphan. And you know, brothers and sisters, the priests who are after the order of Melchizedek are all called upon by our Lord Jesus Christ to sever all family ties.

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    You remember these words in Matthew 19 and verse 29. It says, Christ says to his disciples, everyone that forsakes houses, brethren, sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my sake, shall receive one hundredfold and inherit eternal life. And all of us, brothers and sisters, are called upon, aren't we, to sever our natural relationships with each other and become part of the family of God.

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    And that's really beautifully tight for us in this young, beautiful captive girl, Hadassah, that is Esther. Look how incredibly the Bible is written, brothers and sisters. There's all of that just hidden there, as it were, in verse 7. And verse 7 tells us that she was fair and beautiful, which of course she was.

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    The story wouldn't really be the same if she looked like us and she was wrinkly and warty and had gray hair or not so much hair. She had to be fair and beautiful. But brothers and sisters, we are Esther in the story. We are the bride of Christ. And you know how Christ describes us, or Paul at least describes the bride of Christ.

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    Paul says that Christ is going to present her to himself a glorious ecclesia, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. The ecclesia, the bride of Christ, brothers and sisters, ourselves, once we are perfected, we're going to be the most beautiful woman the world has ever seen. That's Ephesians 5 in verse 27.

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    Of course, this woman was beautiful. She was the most beautiful woman in the history of the world. Well, it came to pass in verse 8 that when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, that many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace to the custody of Hegai, and Esther was brought also unto the king's house to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the woman.

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    You know, probably, brothers and sisters, she didn't really have much choice. If she was anything like Daniel and his three friends, she was probably herded into this position, maybe even against her will. But certainly, providence was working, was it not, to get her to this particular position. And so from this moment on, all of the many maidens that we read of in verse 8, and tradition has it that there were about 300, I think, from memory, so quite a few, the many maidens that were gathered to Shushan from this moment on were all going to be the king's concubines.

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    They all became part of the king's harem for life. You couldn't escape. You couldn't go home and carry on normal life if you didn't make the cut, as it were. Because this king, well, he owns everybody. What a type of our heavenly father. He owns all of us. We are all God's property.

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    And in the type, he owns all of us. And so, Esther, whether by choice or maybe by Mordecai's suggestion, she was gathered into the custody of Hegai, the keeper of the women or the virgins. And you know, we're told back in verse 3 about this man, Hegai, it says that he was the king's chamberlain.

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    He was one of the king's chamberlains. And you know, in type, brothers and sisters, there is only one of the king's chamberlains, one of the angels, that is specifically in charge of the chosen ones of God, the nation of Israel, those who will be making up the bride of Christ. Michael, the archangel, Daniel 12, verse 1, says that he stands for the children of Israel.

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    And one of the king's chamberlains, this particular man, Hegai, Michael, the archangel by type, is going to specifically look after these group of young women. And so, into the herem, Esther went. And you know, it's not difficult, is it, brothers and sisters, to imagine what that particular place might have been like. Hundreds of gorgeous women solely intent on pluming their eyelashes and getting their hair done just right and fixing all the little blemishes in their skin, trying on all different kinds of clothes, polishing and painting their fingernails.

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    We can just kind of smell the hairspray and the perfume, can't we? And you know, brothers and sisters, in all of that, verse 9 tells us that the maiden pleased Hegai, and she obtained kindness of him, and he speedily gave her her things for purification with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens which were meet to be given her out of the king's house, and Hegai preferred her and her maidens unto the best place of the house of the woman.

57. 28:08

    You know, Hegai was looking, wasn't he, at 300 beautiful woman, and just like that, he could pick out Esther from the bunch. She must have been a marvelous, marvelous woman. woman. He was obviously an extremely shrewd judge of woman, and in Esther, he saw immediately, didn't he, the submissive qualities that were so absent in Vashti the queen.

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    He was a woman who could reverence her husband. Here was a woman who was humble, and gracious, elegant, whose meekness and loveliness was clear to see. And it says in verse 9 that she obtained kindness. You know, it's going to be a key in the record as we go on from here, that this particular girl was going to be the bride by grace.

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    She was going to obtain favor. She was going to obtain mercy and kindness and grace. You know, the word for kindness is the word kesed, covenant, loving kindness. And time and time and time again in the record, Esther is either asking for or obtaining favor and kindness and grace from the king. In fact, seven times it tells us, chapter 2, verse 9, chapter 2, verse 15, 2, verse 17, 5, verses 2 and 8, 7, verse 3, and 8, verse 5, Esther obtained kindness.

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    She obtained favor. Here is the woman who is the bride by grace. You know, it's interesting that this similar expression is found also with Joseph. It says in Genesis 39 that Yahweh was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of, well, not the herein this time, but the prison.

61. 30:05

    And it's not by chance, is it, that Joseph was another Hebrew exile, exiled in a strange land, about to spring from obscurity into prominence and sit at the Pharaoh's right hand, just like Esther, exiled, about to spring into prominence. And these two people, Joseph and Esther, I was talking to Sister Marg yesterday and I was thinking, you know what, really, in the whole of the Old Testament, you really don't have bigger types of the work of Christ than Esther and the story of Joseph.

62. 30:43

    They are remarkable stories and put together, both of these people find favor because of God being with them. Well, Hegai speedily gave her, in verse 9, four things. And look what Hegai, the king's chamberlain, gave Esther. It says that he speedily gave her, one, her things for purification. That is, all her oils and ointments and lotions and potions and all of those moisturizers and such things.

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    And then it says that He gave her her portions, such things as belonged to her. In the margin it says, her portions. He gave her her required diet. And then He gave her, thirdly, her seven maidens, her seven assistants. Literally, it means those that were selected from the king's house. They were especially chosen and trained by the king.

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    And Hegai gave her seven maidens or assistants. And lastly, it says that he preferred her and her maidens unto the best place of the house of the woman. She was given probably a private suite. She was given her own environment, her own place where she could develop her own spiritual atmosphere, separate from the rest of the raucous woman.

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    Look at those four things that Hegai gives to Esther. Nothing was spared, was it, brothers and sisters? She was given the best of everything that was possible. All of the lotions, all of the things that she needed to purify herself. She was given assistance. She was given brothers and sisters in the ecclesia, who might help her to the kingdom.

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    She was given a spiritual environment where she could nurture the things of the truth, like we have here this week. She could come apart and develop her own spiritual atmosphere. And what about her diet, brothers and sisters? Do any of us run out of food when we come to look at the Bible?

67. 32:54

    This woman has everything that she could possibly need, everything that she needs to make herself ready to meet the king. And you know, it's just the same for us, isn't it, brothers and sisters? You might want to take a note in 2 Peter 1 3, it says that God, through his divine power, has given unto us all things that belong to life and godliness.

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    There's nothing, brothers and sisters, that we need that we don't have. We have everything that we could possibly ask for to prepare ourselves to meet the king. Well, outside the palace was Esther's cousin, Mordecai, and verse 11 says that Mordecai walked every day before the court of the woman's house to know how Esther did and what should become of her.

69. 33:49

    It seems that Mordecai was already by this stage, he occupied some position of prominence. He's maybe a doorkeeper or a porter in the palace. He's part of the crowd of the servants who sit in the king's gate, we find in verse 21. And every day, brothers and sisters, without fail, Mordecai would walk before the court of the woman to check on Esther.

70. 34:20

    What a lovely, lovely type of our Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation chapter 2 and verse 1 says that our Lord Jesus Christ walks in the midst of the ecclesias, in the midst of the seven golden lamp stands. He walks amongst us every day, brothers and sisters. He's concerned about our welfare. He's concerned about our progress.

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    He's not going to leave us in someone else's hands. Our Lord Jesus Christ is our bridegroom. And look what it says in the margin in verse 11. It says that he walked before the court each day to know the peace of Esther. And it refers us, doesn't it, to Genesis 37 and verse 14, another reference back to Joseph in exile in a strange land.

72. 35:13

    And you remember that Joseph was seeking his brethren and it says that he wanted to know the peace of his brethren. And our Lord Jesus Christ, we know, is exactly like Joseph. He cares about our well-being, doesn't he, brothers and sisters? He's anxious to know about our lives. And so in verse 12, the preparation of all of these virgins begins.

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    And verse 12 to 14 describes the process of choosing the bride. And verse 12 tells us that there was a full 12 months involved in getting ready to meet the king. You know, as another historical aside, like we said, Esther, she finally is going to come before the king in his seventh year.

74. 36:05

    And one of the commentators, Davidson, says that Xerxes arrived back in Susa from fighting the Greeks in September BC 479. And so maybe this was why they had so long to prepare. It's quite a long time, isn't it? 12 months to get yourself ready. But probably it was because while the king simply wasn't quite home yet, he's still fighting the Greeks, we're going to get everyone ready, and when he arrives home from fighting the Greeks, we will hold the beauty pageant.

75. 36:39

    Well, the 12 months was divided into two halves. What do these two halves mean? These six months of myrrh, the oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odors and with other things for the purifying of the woman? Well, it's difficult to know, but I'm going to give you my suggestion as to what these two six-month periods really speak to us about.

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    Myrrh is an interesting thing, and myrrh is associated in Exodus 30 and verse 23 with the holy anointing oil of the priests. And the bride in the Song of Solomon rejoices at the myrrh that, she says, drips from the bridegroom's lips. Song of Solomon 5 verse 13. And that reminds us, doesn't it, of the law that should have been in the mouth of the priests and dripped from his lips like pearls of wisdom.

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    So myrrh really speaks to us, doesn't it, of a priestly role. It's associated with the anointing oil of the priests. It drips from the bridegroom's lips as the priest of his house. But you know, myrrh is also clearly associated with kings. We know that when Jesus Christ was born, he was given myrrh as one of the presents from the wise men.

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    In Psalm 45 and verses 7 to 8, which in actual fact is the only other time that oil and myrrh occur together, it talks about the fact that Jesus Christ the bridegroom was anointed with oil and his clothes smelt of myrrh as a king. And lastly, at the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, in John 19 and verse 39, he was wrapped in all those bandages and put in the tomb and one of the spices that Nicodemus used was myrrh.

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    So clearly, the oil of myrrh is associated with the role of the priest and the role of the king. Now let's look at the six months with sweet odors. And surprise, surprise, we find that sweet odors are associated with the incense, Exodus 30 verses 34 to 38, and that was symbolic of prayer, which was the role of the priest.

80. 39:03

    The priest would offer incense. He would offer prayer on behalf of the nation. Revelation 5 verse 8 says the sweet odors which are the prayers of the saints. So sweet odors are clearly associated with the role of the priest. And, well, they're also associated with the role of the king. 2 Chronicles 16 and verse 14 and Daniel 2 verse 46 says that kings were buried and were commemorated with sweet odors.

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    So what does that tell us, brothers and sisters? Well, this is what it tells me. The bridegroom is going to be associated clearly with both things. Because it says in Song of Solomon 5 verse 1, I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. And the word is odors. So the bridegroom has both myrrh and sweet odors because he is the king priest.

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    And now his bride is going to prepare herself with both the oil of myrrh and the sweet odors. Why would that be, brothers and sisters? Because she is going to be, after the order of Melchizedek, she is going to be a king and a priest in the age to come. Revelation 5 verse 10.

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    And she wants to be a perfect reflection of her Lord. So just as much as our Lord Jesus Christ is associated with both of those things as a king priest, now the bride is going to be prepared with half a year with one and half a year with the other. She's preparing herself for a life of a king priest.

84. 40:59

    And so all the women came before the king. And look what it says in verse 13. Then thus came every maiden unto the king. Whatsoever she desired was given unto her to go with her out of the house of the woman unto the king's house. You know, we have an amazing God, don't we, brothers and sisters?

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    There was no effort spared, no detail forgotten. It's hard to imagine, isn't it, all those women just after 12 months of preparation. I have a wife and you know, half an hour is a long time when you're waiting in the morning for her to get ready. But a year? This is some serious preparation.

86. 41:39

    And these people had one chance to impress the king. We're really impressed, aren't we, by the sheer extravagance of this scene? It's difficult to comprehend, isn't it? You know, when Solomon entertained the queen of Sheba, it says in 1 Kings 10 and verse 13 that he gave her all her desire. Whatever she asked, he gave it to her.

87. 42:05

    Another king meeting another queen, and Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted. And you know, it's just the same for us, isn't it, brothers and sisters, because we're going to appear before the king one day, and 1 John 5 and verse 15 says, whatsoever we ask, we have the petitions that we desire of him.

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    We have a husband, brothers and sisters, who is prepared to go to any length to prepare his bride, to extraordinary lengths, to extravagant lengths, to lavish lengths, to get us, brothers and sisters, into the kingdom. We have all that we could possibly do, desire to prepare for him. And you know, when he comes, brothers and sisters, when that day comes and we come face to face with our Lord Jesus Christ, none of us are going to be able to say, you know what, I really, I just didn't have enough time.

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    I didn't have enough chances. No one gave me enough opportunities to prepare. I'm just not ready. No one is going to have that excuse because our Lord Jesus Christ has gone to extravagant lengths to give us all the time and all the resources to get ourselves ready, to prepare ourselves, to anoint ourselves, to purify ourselves, to wash ourselves clean.

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    so that when it says in Revelation 21 and verse 2 that the bride comes forth, that city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, she comes prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. Because the day is fast coming, isn't it, brothers and sisters, when we're going to be taken from the house of women, the ecclesia, and we're going to go into the king's house.

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    And we've got to be ready. We don't want to take from the house of the woman anything. None of the trinklets and charms, nothing. We want to take just one thing, and that is a character that looks just a little bit like our Lord Jesus Christ. And so in verse 14 we read that the woman one by one went before the king.

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    And after spending the night with the king, they would return to the custody of Sheesh Gaz. His name means the servant of the beautiful, the keeper of the house of the concubines. And this process is a type of the judgment seat where all the virgins who want to be the king's wife are going to present themselves.

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    And look what it says in verse 14. If she wasn't chosen, verse 14, then she came in no more unto the king except the king delight in her and called her by name. She couldn't remarry. She now lived a living death. She became unknown and uncalled. Because the king knows all of his who are his.

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    He knows them by name. But these he does not delight in. This is the judgment seat, the dividing of the sheep from the goats. And those who were not accepted, he says, depart from me. I never knew you. You know, it's a terrible thing to imagine. We don't want to linger here, do we, brothers and sisters, where we're told, depart from me.

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    I have no idea who you are. Well, that's what happened to these particular women. Well, in verse 15, Esther's turn comes to go before the king. And we're told that she required nothing but what Hegai appointed. You know, we can just imagine the other woman coming before the king, can't we? Layers of makeup plastered all over their faces.

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    The hair is done up in the latest French roll, or I suppose it would be a Persian roll. They would have the latest trinklets and necklaces and earrings and bracelets and charms. They would have provocative clothing on by which to seduce the king. And there's Esther, brothers and sisters, distinctly different. A natural beauty that couldn't be enhanced by cosmetics or makeup of any kind.

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    She was going to come, wasn't she, brothers and sisters, adorned with what Peter calls in 1 Peter 3 verses 3 and 4, a meek and quiet spirit. You know, you couldn't get two more vastly different pictures, could you, than those gaudy maidens in Esther. She required nothing but what Hegai appointed. And look at what, look at what the word Hegai means.

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    Hegai is actually closely related to the word hegeon. It means to meditate. And so what it's telling us is that Esther, when she came before the king, she found favor with him because she got her thinking right. She was meditating. She took just what Hegai appointed. She took to herself the wisdom of the truth.

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    And look what Proverbs 8, verse 35 says, For whoso findeth me, that is wisdom, findeth life, and shall obtain favor of Yahweh. Shall obtain favor. And lo and behold, verse 15, she obtained favor. All the other girls and maidens, even them, they were impressed. You know, it's a trademark, isn't it, of the upright spirit that you obtain favor with God and man.

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     You remember Samuel, the child Samuel grew on and was in favor with Yahweh and also with men. First of Samuel 2 in verse 26. And of course, our Lord in Luke chapter 2 in verse 52, Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. It's very unique, isn't it, to obtain favor of God and man.

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     And so it was in the 17th year, we read in verse 16, the year of release, the seventh year, the year of liberation, the year of redemption. And in the tenth month, the month Tebeth, that means goodness, that Esther came before the king. Redemption, goodness. And the tenth month was the end of winter.

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     It's now spring, brothers and sisters, and there are blossoms everywhere. And we read in verse 17 that the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

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     The king was smitten, brothers and sisters. He was instantly attracted to Esther, captivated not just by her extraordinary beauty, but by her demeanor, her composure, the way she walked, the way she held herself, her regal bearing. Here was Adam meeting Eve. They couldn't help but fall in love. These two were made for each other.

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     And you know, it's an extraordinary expression, isn't it, there in verse 17, that the king loved Esther above all the women. You know, I can't help but be reminded of the words of Deuteronomy, chapter 10 and verse 15, where it says that Yahweh had a delight in the fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to love them and he chose their seed after them above all the people as it is this day.

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     And Israel was chosen, Deuteronomy 10 verse 15, above all people. And now Esther, the spiritual bride by faith, is that seed chosen above all other people because she has Abraham's faith. And it says that she obtained grace and favor. We don't have time to look at this in a lot of detail because our time is gone, but we know that this is really the doctrine of election by grace.

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     Look at these quotes very quickly. Many are called, but few are chosen. Mark says, for the elect's sake whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the times. Romans 9 says, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.

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     And lastly, Revelation 17, those that are with the lamb are called and chosen and faithful. It's all about, brothers and sisters, what God chooses, is it not? And it's difficult to comprehend that sometimes, isn't it? That God is in control and that he will choose who he will. There were many maidens, verse 8, but only one was chosen.

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     And so the royal crown that was taken off the head of Vashti is now ceremonially placed on the head of Esther. And we want to conclude in verse 18, and the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast. And he made a release to the provinces and gave gifts according to the state of the king.

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     This is the marriage supper of the lamb described in Revelation 19. And look what the king does. He does two very special things. He makes a release to the provinces. You know, the margin says that he makes a rest. Really, it means that he gave them an exemption from taxes and military service.

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     The king decided this is a time for joy and for rejoicing. We're going to abolish taxes for a period of time. And that's just what our Lord Jesus Christ is going to do when he comes to the throne. Abolish. He's going to abolish sin and make a release from sin in the seventh year for us.

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     And look what it says. He gave gifts. He gave gifts according to the state of the king. You know, this is one of the very special little points that I found in the study. You know, the historian Xenophon tells us that the most common oriental gift was robes of honor. robes of honor.

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     And think about the type, brothers and sisters. We're all going to be given, aren't we? Robes of immortality and righteousness to all those in the kingdom who have been faithful. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 4, we're going to be clothed upon with immortality. The robe of honor that God will give all those who have been faithful.

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     It's an extraordinary type of the kingdom here in Esther chapter 2. And so the marriage of the lamb had come. Twelve months of intense preparation was over. So our lesson from today is the importance of preparation. And we've looked at these two references already, but just look at the screen and see how simple but how profound this lesson is.

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     If we want to be part of the bride of the lamb, Revelation 19 says, the marriage of the lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready. Revelation 21 says, and I, John, saw the holy city coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Now, brothers and sisters, is the day of opportunity.

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     Now is the time to prepare ourselves, to focus on our readings, our prayers, our spiritual environment, our spiritual diet, to reinvigorate our vision of the kingdom, to purify ourselves. Because, brothers and sisters, when he comes, we don't want to say, I didn't have enough time, I didn't have enough opportunities, I didn't have enough chances.

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     We have to be ready, don't we, brothers and sisters, when we're called from the house of the woman to go into the king's house, to take with us just that one special thing, a small reflection of the king himself, that he might delight in us, that he might see us as part of his priesthood, kings and priests, who have made themselves ready.

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     Amen.