Esther 2:7 – “Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother.  This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.”

Esther, the wife of King Xerxes of the Persian Empire, is a prophetic symbol of the bride of Christ.  The bride of Christ is the faithful church (See Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7; Revelation 21:2; Revelation 21:9; Revelation 22:17).

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Esther 1:10-11 - “On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas- to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at…”

The book of Esther is a prophetic illustration of the triumph of the faithful church, the Bride of Christ. The King represents Jesus, the King of Kings, Bridegroom of the faithful church. The first chapter lists seven eunuchs of King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes), mentioned in the verses above, as well as seven wise men (see Esther 1:14). This lesson focuses on the first group of seven.

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Esther 5:3-4 – Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”

“If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”

When the King offers Esther whatever she wants, up to an equal share with him in the kingdom, Esther does something unusual – she simply asks to have a private meal with the King, an intimate conversation with him and his second-in-command (Haman). This shows us the disposition of the faithful church in prayer. Even when there is a great crisis or need that prompts her to seek God’s deliverance, her first request is to be close to Him (Jesus is our King of Kings), to be with the Lord. The number one prayer request of the Bride of Christ is this: to have intimate fellowship with the living Jesus, to be in His presence, to hear His voice. This comes before all our needs, all the problems we have to lay before Him, all out items for intercession.

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Song of Songs 1:9-11 - “I liken you, my darling, to a mare harnessed to one of the chariots of Pharaoh.  Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels.  We will make you earrings of gold, studded with silver.”

The Song of Songs is more than just a love poem about Solomon and his wife. It is a prophecy about Christ and His Bride, the faithful church. The New Testament often refers to the true church as the Bride of Christ, and Jesus as the Bridegroom. “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband…Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb…” (Revelation 21:2, 9). “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her . . . to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless…” (Ephesians 5:25-32)

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Esther 4:14 – “…And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

Esther is a prophetic illustration or type of the faithful church, the Bride of Christ. Through her story, God shows how the faithful church should be. As members of the faithful church, we can also apply her lessons in our own lives.

One such lesson is that God put Esther in a special situation through a remarkable series of events. The timing was perfect for Esther to use her position of influence to help deliver God’s people in a moment of crisis. God put Esther in the queen’s position “for such a time as this” – a moment when the people of God needed a real victory.

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Ephesians 5:25-27 – “…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

The Bible teaches that Jesus gave his life on Calvary for the sake of a church that is “radiant” (NIV) or “glorious” (KJV). This church is not just a religious organization, or a Christian ministry. It is a living entity, holy, cleansed from sin and impurity. It is Jesus’ bride. Yet there are many “churches,” denominations, and Christian organizations that do not fit the description here. There is a difference between a “religion” (i.e., Christianity) and a radiant or glorious church.

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2 John 1:1 – “The elder to the elect lady and her children…”

It is possible that John addressed his letter to an individual woman in the church – someone like Nympha or Lydia, who hosted services in their homes (see Colossians 4:15; Acts 16:15).  More likely, however, is that this is a figurative reference to the faithful church itself, called a “lady” because it is the Bride of Christ (see Revelation 19:7; Revelation 21:9; Ephesians 5:23-32).  We are made children of God through our integration into the Body of Christ.

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Genesis 29:7-10 – “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

“We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”

While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep…

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Genesis 20:12-13 (KJV)

“And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.  And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, ‘This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.’”

Twice during his wanderings in Genesis, Abraham encounters situations where the local ruler takes Sarah into his harem (pagan kings back then had a large collection of wives, of course).  The first time was with Pharaoh in Genesis 12, and the second was with Abimelech in Genesis 20.  In each case, before any harm comes to Sarah at all, the Lord intervened and rebuked the ruler, so that Sarah came back to Abraham immediately.  Prophetically, this illustrates how we as believers are both Christ’s brothers, as well as the Bride of Christ collectively.   continue