#1
"Now
it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal
apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over
against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in
the royal house, over against the gate of the house." Esther 5:1
Esther
did not choose to clothe herself in her old apparel of a Jewish
maiden to show her humility and her gratefulness for the position
that King Ahasuerus had exalted her to. No, she selected the apparel
that was her's because she was queen. It was royal, costly, elegant,
and beautiful. The king had a right to enjoy her in the apparel he
had bestowed upon her because of her position. Just so with us. As
daughters of the King of all the earth, we who are in Christ, in God,
have been given new robes of righteousness and glory.
"I
will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my
God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath
covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh
himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her
jewels." Isaiah 61:10
And
earlier in the same chapter of Isaiah, speaking of Jesus Christ...
"...
to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be
called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he
might be glorified."
There
is a good and proper place to have a humble attitude before the Lord.
To remember where we were, broken sinners, unable to do anything to
earn our way to heaven, until the sacrifice of Jesus Christ's death
on the cross dawned upon our hearts and we were justified in the
sight of God by the acceptance of that sacrifice. However, we should
not live there! We have been made saints in Jesus (Ephesians 2:19)!
We are made holy, pure, sanctified, and justified in the sight of God
through Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:11), and we should revel in
that, take great joy in that, not still live in the "pig pen"
when we have been made daughters of the king! Humility, yes, but it
is the work of Christ done for us, not anything that we have done,
and in that we should take great joy and glory in. We can humbly walk
daily in the glorious garments of holiness and glorify the Giver by
appreciating the royal robes that He bestowed on us. The book of
Ephesians is a beautiful book to read, memorize, and meditate on for
reminders of what we have received in Jesus. And may the Lord grow in
all of us a humble glory for the holy and royal garments that we are
clothed in because of HIM!
#2
"And
it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court,
that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to
Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near,
and touched the top of the sceptre." Esther 5:2
Esther,
arrayed in her queenly, royal robes, stands in the outer court of the
king and receives the favor of King Ahaseurus, who extended the royal
sceptre towards her so that she was able to come near to him to
present her request. Just with us and God Almighty. We now have
constant and available access to God in Christ because of Christ.
Jesus is the "Sceptre", the sceptre of justification and
restoration of our relationship with God the Father.
"Wherefore
in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that
He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining
to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."
Hebrews 2:17
I
see that there are 2 points of application from this correlation.
First, the "sceptre" of the sacrifice of Jesus is
extended to us as guilty sinners as our access to a restored
relationship with the Father.
"But
now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both
one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us..."
Ephesians 2:13-14
When
we come near and touch the "sceptre" of Jesus Christ and
accept it as the full payment for our sin, then our relationship is
restored to the Father, and we have peace with God through Jesus
Christ (Romans 5:1-2).
Secondly,
because of the restored fellowship between us and God the Father
through Jesus Christ, we can come forward boldly, entering into the
privilege of fellowship with God. Through our "Sceptre",
our mediator, Jesus Christ, we draw near to God, and we are
welcomed by God because of the reconciliation that Jesus' death on
the cross obtained for us (1 Timothy 2:5). Beautiful truth! Enter
into a vulnerable and loving relationship with your Heavenly Father,
which is made available to you. Make Him your confidant, your best
and nearest friend. He desires such tender and close fellowship with
each of us. Will we stay afar off, still living in the shadow of the
law, or will we joyfully walk in the New Covenant and glorify Him by
enjoying the freedom and fellowship that His sacrifice purchased for
us?
"Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood
of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us,
through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having
an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with
a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled
from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
Hebrews 10:19-22
