Esther - The Enemy Unmasked

It is a hard thing to discover the treacheries of an intimate. To be informed that one we love has betrayed a sacred trust is agonizing. The sweet Psalmist of Israel expressed the pain of it:

"My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me." [Psa 55:4-5]
"For it is not an enemy who reviled me; then I could have borne it; it is not one who hates me who magnified himself against me; or I would hide myself from him; but it is you, a man my rank, my guide and my friend. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in company." [Psa 55:12-14]

How often is this same scenario played out in the lives of our race. Countless are the betrayals that mark our history. And how often is it those closest to us that are caused to suffer most. These real life experiences picture to us an inward reality designed to teach us about the character of the flesh.
When Father brings the Spirit into close proximity with self He is applying a poultice. A wound cannot heal until the infection has been withdrawn and the drawing out of poison is a painful process. Yet it is this very agony that signals the prospect of the cure. Not until one sees the true nature of self in the light of the Spirit can the balm begin its work.
Ahasueras does not yet know Haman. To the king, Haman is a benefactor, enriching and protecting the kingdom. Haman has the king's best interest at heart - or so the king believes. How could that be bad? Haman is the king's closest confidante, his best friend. But scripture paints a different picture of the type Haman portrays and the blindness we all suffer when it comes to our own Adamic nature.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is incurable; who can know it?" [Jer 17:9]
"A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?" [Pro 20:24]
"I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps." [Jer 10:23]
"They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand." [Isa 44:18]

To reveal to one of His children the true nature of their flesh requires great care and preparation. Father has lovingly orchestrated all the preceding events to bring the king and Haman to this point. Now we have the second revelation from Father. To draw the flesh out into the light of the Spirit. To give the king eyes to perceive the treachery of this familiar. To see self for what it really is and to have done with it.
And so Esther springs the trap and Haman is caught in his own snare. Ahasueras now sees Haman's true nature and the fiend's fate is fixed.
The king's antipathy is the purpose of the process. Father must allow us to experience the ravages of the rule of self to ratify in each of our minds the same animus. This marks a permanent turning point in the kingdom.
Swiftly now the king bequeaths Haman's house to Esther and the seal of the kingdom to Mordecai. The kingdom is infused with a new hope and new life.
So prospers the new life of the believer. Father enables in His child the recognition of His Son by the Spirit, and then sets about to draw out to us the true character of the Adamic nature. The first is a joyous encounter, the second is a painful necessity, which in the end, is no less joyful. The order is always the same. One cannot recognize Haman who has not first been smitten with Esther and Mordecai. The gift of the Spirit precedes belief in our Savior and the recognition of our true enemy.
Now, though the course has been set and great changes affected, the work is not quite finished. We have yet one more introduction and then on to the conclusion.

To be continued ...

Esther - Power and Worship

"So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?" [Est 6:6]

That the flesh cannot be satisfied we have established. A moment's reflection on this will inform our ruminations concerning governance, commerce, industry and in fact, all human intercourse, including religious inclinations. Those who reside at the pinnacles are loath to vacate them. Those who do not, harbor convictions that they could, no doubt, govern better.

Haman is a study in this. He is positioned near the pinnacle of power in the kingdom. Yet he cannot be satisfied, for Mordecai refuses to worship him. In his fury he plots to assasinate Mordecai ahead of schedule. Little does he know that he has been playing into Esther's hands.

Haman's response to the king's query is very telling. The first concern of flesh is to be front and center. To Haman, all others are subordinate. And so pomp, ceremony and identification with the throne are prescribed. To the flesh this is worship. The flashier the better - a big show. While Esther and Mordecai work behind the scenes, Haman prefers the spotlight.

Yet how often does Father foil the schemes of the flesh? How often do the plans of those who follow the flesh meet an untimely end? To his dismay, the king orders Haman to honor his mortal enemy. The tables have been turned. Though he is second in the kingdom, he humbles himself at the king's command and performs the loathsome duty. He will do anything in his efforts to retain position and power.

"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 is of the seed of the Jews, before whom you have begun to fall, you shall not prevail against him, but falling shall fall before him. And while they were still talking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived, and they hurried to bring Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared." [Est 6:13-14]

Haman's efforts will not avail. The flesh holds no power over the Spirit. Father's will cannot be resisted. The Divine arrangement cannot be thwarted. From this point forward Haman is unwillingly borne along to an end he had planned for another.

To be continued ...

Esther - The Great Awakening

"But a natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to know them, because they are spiritually discerned." [1Co 2:14]
"And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul." [Act 16:14]

The magnitude of the miracle that is the opening of the human heart to spiritual sight cannot be overstated. It is the seminal event in the existence of each individual. To begin the journey from darkness to light, from death to life marks the entry of the Spirit's direct influence in the life of a child of God. Without the Spirit, man is incapable of knowing Father and Jesus, of comprehending the meaning of his own existence or interpreting the events of his life. This then is Father's gift to man. That gift always precedes belief. Belief is the inevitable consequence of the gift of the Spirit. And each in his own time will receive that gift.

Now Esther has prepared herself and her people and she defies the law of the kingdom and approaches the king in his throne room. The king's response is immediate. He is enamoured of her beauty and extends his scepter, signaling welcome. So is the universal response of man when Father sends His Spirit to impart spiritual sight.

The first task of the Spirit is to provide eyes to perceive Father through the Son. The night following the king's acceptance of Esther and her invitation, he falls victim to insomnia. He causes the annals of the kingdom to be rehearsed to him and makes a startling discovery. No honor has been paid to Mordecai for saving the king's life. This the king must rectify speedily. So the Son becomes the vehicle of the revelation of the Father by the Spirit to the king. The magnitude of Mardecai's action is no longer lost on the king.

The response of all hearts enabled by the Spirit to perceive Father's Love is expressed in Isa 25:9,

"And one shall say in that day, Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is Jehovah; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

This event marks a permanent change in the king. The Lover of our soul has made Himself known and all else pales. The work is not yet complete, but has begun for this one. So it will be true for all who have ever lived. The gift of the Spirit precipitates our belief in the One who made us. Once the Spirit is given the change is permanent. Where this one may have heard with the hearing of the ears, he has now seen with new eyes.

There remains however, one more revelation for the king.

To be continued ...

Believing

If the natural man cannot receive the things of God [1Cor 2:14] and is in fact hostile towards Father [Rom 8:7], and if the believing of Spiritual truth requires the Spirit of God [1Cor 2:14], does it not follow that the gift of the Spirit must PRECEDE believing and does in fact facilitate believing? Is it not then true that Father grants the Spirit to ENABLE believing rather than rewarding belief with the gift of the Spirit? Is it not impossible for man to believe unless Father enables by a prior giving of the Spirit? So then, it is not the choice of man, but rather Father's will, that determines who believes and when [Rom 9:16].

Esther - Open Warfare

"For the cravings of the lower nature are opposed to those of the Spirit, and the cravings of the Spirit are opposed to those of the lower nature; because these are antagonistic to each other, so that you cannot do everything to which you are inclined." [Gal 5:17]

The flesh, self, our Adamic nature, will suffer no rivals. It is megalomaniacal. Unchecked, self is capable of shocking things. It will go to any length to preserve its power. Self rightly perceives that Father is its mortal enemy. Father has wisely placed restraints upon the flesh. And so there is open warfare between flesh and Spirit.

Flesh desires to be worshipped. Have you noticed this? The drive for recognition is powerful. It may openly seek the praise of others, or it may mask its desire with deeds of charity.

In the end, self is bitterly hostile against any restraint or criticism. So we see that Mordecai's refusal to bow to Haman (at the king's command) has Haman enraged to the point of genocidal edict. Even the reminder of opposition is maddening. And so Haman elicits the utter destruction of the Jewish people.

In Mordecai's response we glimpse Father's most tender affection for His children. Though He has subjected us to these things in hope, and has already worked out the solution, the pain of the process is not lost on Him. Jesus was a man of sorrows and aquainted with grief. He suffered more than any man. He knows what we are facing.

When Father begins the process of opening a heart to believe there is much opposition. Yet He draws near, even unto the gates, setting in motion events that will change one's life permanently. The act of drawing near to an unbelieving child provokes this opposition. The flesh perceives the threat and reacts. How often the gift of believing is given in the midst of great crisis. Jesus is fully aware of the suffering that the process will require. This is expressed in Mordecai's mourning. The affinity between Esther and Mordecai (the Spirit and Jesus) can be seen in Esther's response to Mordecai's sorrowing. They are one.

The great hope for mankind is that Jesus willingly suffered, tasting death for every man, that all His children might receive the gift of believing in their appointed time. The granting of sight to man is the process that now lies before us in this most precious book.

Mordecai's presence has provoked Haman, and the inexorable march to freedom has begun. As of yet the king is unaware of these things. But that will soon change.

To be continued ...

Questions Concerning Man's Will

Some would have us believe that Father will not violate man's will. It has been said the Father "loves" us so much that He will allow us to "choose hell". Following are a few questions that these ideas seems to beg:

If Father does not, in fact, will not, violate man's will ...

• How is it that Father "drove" Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden and then placed a sentry to guard against their return?
• Did Job ask Father to slay his family and destroy all his worldly possessions?
• Which group at the tower of Babel requested Latin?
• How many leadership conferences did Joseph attend preparing to rule Egypt?
• Did Father send Pharoah a questionaire asking him to list his ten favorite plagues?
• Was Jonah first in line for foreign missions to Nineveh?
• How excited do you suppose Nebuchadnezzar was to look and act like an ape and eat grass like a cow?
• Did Cyrus contemplate rebuilding the temple while still in his mother's womb?
• How many of the twelve camped out all night in front of Jesus' place to be the first to get the new discipleship?
• Did Paul abandon a dead-end job for a promising new career as a martyr (travel benefits included)?

Some things to think about ...

Esther - The Ascendency of Self

"After these things, did King Ahasuerus promote to power Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and exalted him,-and placed his seat above all the rulers who were with him." [Est 3:1]

"... But the Scripture locked up all under sin, ..." [Gal 3:22a]

"... because the carnal mind is enmity against God, ..." [Rom 8:7a]

You have no doubt seen the illustration. Dressed in a robe, Moses is seated on a flat rock flanked on either side by Aaron and Hur. They are holding up his arms so the army of Israel will prevail in the battle. It is Israel's first taste of war and it comes shortly after passing through the Red Sea. The Amalekites have been attacking Israel's rear, preying on the old and infirm, the women and children. There is much symbolism in this account, yet we must hasten on and so we will make a single observation: it is the Amalekites who become the archetypal enemy of Israel. They are despised for their cowardly and merciless tactics. Ever a thorn in Israel's flesh, Father eventually orders their extermination early in Saul's reign. In failing to complete the mission, Saul unwittingly sets the stage for the next event in our study.

At the outset of the third chapter of Esther we find the king has ceded authority within the kingdom to Haman. Haman is an 'Agagite', a descendant of Esau through Amalek. He owes his existence to Israel's disobedience. He is not ignorant of history and bears great malice toward the sons of Jacob.

In the wake of his banishing of Vashti, the king has elevated Haman to what amounts to the role of Prime Minister, the face of the government. Haman's counsel the king keeps. At this point the king has not a clue what he has done or the effect it will have on his kingdom.

So the types are coming into focus. Adam's decision has resulted in our race's loss of connection with Father and bondage to the rule of the flesh. Self replaced Father as the authority in our life. We have been indentured to a despot and short of Father opening our eyes, we are completely ignorant of the current state of affairs. The vast majority of mankind live their entire lives in this state. Controlled by the flesh, looking out for 'number one'. This is 'normal' for mankind and the basis for all conflict.

We are born to this, it is Adam's legacy and our present reality. We have been sold into the hands of a cunning regent. But Father has planned for this and the coming confrontation will perfectly serve His purposes. In the mean time, mankind is held under the sway of selfish flesh. Not even believers are free from its grip.

To be continued ...

Esther - A Fork in the Road

"All the watercourse are flowing to the sea, yet there is no filling the sea; to the place from which the watercourses are flowing, there they return to go forth again. All the words are weary,; a man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing." [Ecc 1:7-8]
"One who loves silver is never satisfied with his silver, and one who loves large amounts never has enough income; this too is vanity." [Ecc 5:10]

"The farmer did not want ALL the land ... he just wanted what was next to his." Unknown

"... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, ..." [1Pe 1:19-20]

There is something that drives us, an insatiable appetite that is hard to put a finger on. No matter what we do, something is missing. At times it drives us to great achievement, and at others, to acts of desperation. Success in satisfying it is fleeting. That new car just isn't the same after the first door ding. One need only turn on the television to see the enormous industry employed to cater to mankind's bottomless pit of desire. We are consumed with consumption. It may seem hard to believe, but this is just as Father designed us to be.

Now some may protest that there are also countless examples of good things that man does. Look at Haiti. This is true. But, as we shall see in a later post, if those acts do not have Father as their source, they too are symptoms our disease. Our aim is not to assign motive but to point out what the scriptures teach about our nature apart from Father. Only Father knows the heart.

So the king must now find a remedy to the emptiness caused by Vashti's absence. We are now introduced to the namesake of the book. While the king's advisors set about a solution, we shall see that Father has been waiting in the wings, having already provided for the king's need.

Long before this king ascended the throne, Father had provided for the presence of Mordecai (humble, contrite) and Hadassah (hidden) or Esther (beautiful) in the kingdom. You see, all of this was designed by the Creator to fulfill His purposes. Before Jesus formed Adam, the entire plan was laid out and settled. In Mordecai's and Esther's names are revealed the types they answer to. Our porposal is that Mordecai is a type of the Savior (humble and contrite) and Hadassah or Esther (hidden beauty) the Holy Spirit. The fulfillment of those types will play out in the affect each has on the king and the kingdom.

So two parallel threads run through the story. A fork in the road so to speak. One represents the work of the flesh (the king's advisors, and one in particular), while the other pictures Father's grand design (Esther and Mordecai).

By the end of the second chapter Father has arranged for Esther's presence in the palace of the king (interestingly, using the agents of the flesh). Her eventual place is not fully realized yet. While she is present, she does not yet figure prominently in the business of the kingdom.

As for Mordecai, His presence has an immediate impact on the king himself. Foiling a plot by two of the kings confederates, Mordecai saves the king's life. This is little noted by the king. The event gets lost in the annals of the kingdom, all but forgotten. It will not surface again until Father deems it is the king's time. This is nothing short of our Savior's work on the cross. For the scriptures plainly tell us that Jesus is the savior of ALL mankind. But to the vast majority, it has been and remains unknown or deemed of little consequence. Its real significance is lost, until such a time as Father has designated for each, to be impacted and changed by its revelation.

So then, long before the anticipated (designed) sin of Adam and its consequences, Father, in His great Love and mercy, provided a Savior. While man seeks to save himself from the curse of sin, Father, having prepared THE solution in advance, waits until the appointed time for each to be healed and saved by the gift of faith through grace.

To be continued...

Esther - That Which Was Lost

"For this cause , even as by one man sin entered into the world, and by sin death; and thus death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: ..." [Rom 5:12]
"... for God is not a God of disorder but of peace." [1Co 14:33a]

Our world is an external reflection of an internal reality. As a race, we exhibit the physical symptoms of our spiritual deficiency. At first flush this may seem a tragedy. But the truth is, what appears to fleshly eyes as chaos, is purposeful, and ultimately for our good. Everything is unfolding just as planned.

The book of Esther is the story of us. That is, it accurately portrays man's inner history. It is the journey away from Eden and Father into self and ultimately back again, into a far more beautiful future.

At the outset we are introduced to a kingdom (a life) at peace and rest, in the midst of an opulent celebration. The king is liberal in his gifts which are offered without condition. Queen Vashti is hosting the women of the kingdom and all is well.

On the seventh day of this feast, under the influence of wine, the king makes a fateful decision. The results of that decision spell the end of the peace and celebration of the kingdom and the permanent banishment of Vashti. Her counterparts in the kingdom are subjected to control with fear by decree (law). The state of his empire immediately changes and the peace and celebration are replaced with consternation, uncertainty and turmoil. The king has lost his peace and is filled with anger and rage. Self has blossomed and the fruit is ugly.

Vashti is banished without remedy. We shall see through the role of her replacement that she represents the place of man's connection with his Maker. Sans Father's internal presence, self becomes the proprietor of the establishment. This, by Father's design, will contrast for all, good with evil, darkness with light. In the end there will be no doubt as to the reality of life apart from Father. This will be experienced by all in the most personal and real way.

This is our natural state. Adam was created in Father's image, but we have all been born in Adam's image [Gen 5:3]. We have inherited Adam's nature. Vashti is banished. We are without our internal connection with Father. We are born in a state of spiritual death (the rule of self).

The results of life apart from Father are writ large in our collective and individual histories. The most difficult may yet be ahead of us. But take courage, for the story is just beginning.

To be continued.