Ester 3

Ester 3

MacArthur notes that "In order to protect the king’s life from would-be assassins, this practice prevailed. Seemingly, the king would extend the scepter (a sign of kingly authority) only to those whom he knew and from whom he welcomed a visit (cf. Esther 5:2; 8:4)." The Greek historian Herodotus writes that Persian kings had such a law regarding the scepter, but he also noted that people could send a written message to the king requesting an audience. If this is indeed true, it is not clear why Esther did not do this. Mattoon has an interesting thought regarding how this section applies to New Testament believers... The throne room of the (Persian) king was 193 feet square which would make it 37,000 square feet. The roof was supported by six rows of six columns each. It was beautiful but access to the throne was limited. As Christians, we can come boldly unto Heaven's throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16, cf Ro 5:1-2). We have access to the King of all kings and Lord of all lords anytime of day wherever we are. May we not neglect this privilege. Another insight is found in the golden scepter of the king. It was a picture of Christ. Deliverance from death was in the scepter of the king. Salvation was in that sceptre. Without the king extending the sceptre to an intruder, the consequences would be death. The Hebrew word for scepter is shebit (Ed: Shebit is used for scepter in Balaam's remarkable prophecy in Nu 24:17 which anticipates, by over 1400 years, the coming of the Messiah Who would one day hold the scepter, symbolic of His royal rule over all men). Here in the book of Esther the Aramaic form of shebit is used (Ed: This information is from the Theological Wordbook of the OT, the TWOT. Scepter in Esther 4:11, 5:2, 8:4 is the Aramaic form sarbit) and is in the masculine gender. This word shebit was used to refer to the Messiah, the Savior, in Numbers 24:17 The sceptre was a symbol of rulership and authority. When Christ returns He will establish His kingdom, His rule, and His authority over the earth for 1000 years. Comment: While I think Mattoon's use of these OT facts to picture NT truth is a reasonable application, a word of caution is in order. We must always be very careful to rightly divide the Word of Truth and there can be danger in wandering too far away from the original meaning of the text in order to make a point of application. That said, Mattoon's insight on the meaning of scepter is most intriguing. (Related Resource: Typology - Study of Biblical types - see especially "cautions" regarding this genre of interpretation/application) He has but one law, that he be put to death - As Ironside relates "It has evidently not dawned upon her that the king’s proclamation, unwittingly, had included herself. She had kept her nationality a secret; therefore, unknown even to Haman, she had been included in the bloody edict so soon to take effect if a means of deliverance is not discovered. She therefore hesitates about risking her life, by going into the dread sovereign’s presence uncalled." I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days - Some have suggested that after 5 years of marriage the king's ardor for Esther had cooled but that is purely speculative. Why the mention of this time phrase? This suggest that she thinks it unlikely that she would speak to the king in the near future. Ferguson... Esther reminds Mordecai of the reality of life, as she has not been called into the presence of the king for 30 days. Doubtless he has not been without other company. This ungodly marriage is no partnership of equals or an eternal romance. Esther exists simply for the whims of her sensuous husband. Her first response is not outright refusal, but it is tied up more with the fear of man rather than God (Pr 29:25). The king has proven with Vashti that he is a capricious and ruthless man toward his leading lady for breaches of etiquette. Criswell... Such laws restricting audience with the king are confirmed by Herodotus, who claims that during the reign of Darius only the seven nobles could enter the king’s presence unannounced (cf. Esther 1:14). (Believer's Study Bible) Esther 4:12 They related Esther's words to Mordecai.: A STIRRING SPEECH: A HISTORICAL "TURNING POINT" Esther 4:13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews.: MORDECAI'S REPLY TO ESTHER'S RESISTANCE Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther - In Esther 4:11 we sense some resistance or "push back" by Queen Esther to make an uninvited entree into the capricious king's presence. From a human standpoint who could blame her? Mordecai senses her hesitancy to go into the king and risk her life. He puts a bit of pressure on her by (1) reminding her she will lose her life anyway, (2) explains that deliverance will come from some other source (Esther 4:14 - implying he understands that God has a long range plan for the Jewish people and Haman's evil plot will not foil God's plan - see discussion related to God's covenant promises to Israel under the notes for Esther 4:14) and (3) she may well have been crowned queen precisely for this purpose and time in history (Esther 4:14, cp Da 2:21). Mordecai's points make an excellent case and Queen Esther agrees (Esther 4:16) to Mordecai's original request (Esther 4:8) New Jerusalem Bible... who sent back the following reply, 'Do not suppose that, because you are in the king's palace, you are going to be the one Jew to escape. NLT Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: "Don't think for a moment that because you're in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed." Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape - This implies that somehow it would become known that Esther was also a Jew. Certainly the fact that Mordecai's ethnicity was now known, makes it plausible that those who knew Esther was his daughter would make (or had already made) the connection. We know for example that "Hathach (was) from the king's eunuchs" and was aware of Esther's ethnicity. Esther 4:14 "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?": MORDECAI'S TRUST IN GOD'S COVENANT COUNSELS Relief and deliverance - This is a hendiadys which is defined as the use of two separate words or phrases to describe one concept. Henry