December 18

December 18

Ornament with the scepter (Esther)

The book of Esther is a small book of the Bible, and did you know that the name of God is never mentioned in it?! However, as we summarize and read from the book of Esther, let’s try to figure out why she would be included on the Jesse Tree!

Esther was a young Jewish lady living in the land of Persia.  When the king became angry with the queen, he decided to search for a new one.  Esther was in the group of ladies brought to the palace to be pampered, beautified, and considered.  

Esther 2:15b-18 says, “And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his princes and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts according to the king’s bounty.”

At this same time, Esther’s uncle Mordecai refused to bow down to a very proud advisor of the king named Haman.  Haman became angry and then convinced the king to decree all Jews should be destroyed.  Of course, the king did not know that Queen Esther was a Jew.  When Esther’s uncle Mordecai found out about the decree, he told Esther and asked her to plead for her people, the Jews.  

Esther responded, (Es. 4:11-17) 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.” 12 They related Esther’s words to Mordecai.

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. 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?”

15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.” 17 So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.

When God’s chosen people became in grave danger of being destroyed, Esther made a risky decision. After asking her people to fast and pray, she approached the king.  Although this king who banished his first wife might very well have put Esther to death for appearing without summons, he extended his scepter to her and heard her request. Haman’s evil plot was eventually uncovered, and the Jews were rescued from destruction.   

God used Esther as a means of preserving His chosen people. In the same way, Christ is God’s means of preserving His chosen people and making sinners right with Himself.  In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Esther pleaded with the king on behalf of God’s chosen people, the Jews.  The word for this is mediator. Christ is also our mediator. We hang the ornament with the scepter to remind us that just as Esther went to her king to plead for her people, Jesus intercedes on our behalf. We will conclude with Hebrews 7:24-27 and hang the scepter ornament:

24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.