"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...
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