Table Of ContentJUST A MINUTE, OR TWO… 017 140531 ESTHER
ESTHER (as allegory?)
Hello and welcome to the book of Esther! This book is found in the collection of Hebrew Scripture
(sometimes referred to as the “Old Testament”), and it’s a historical story that’s easy to understand.
In fact, you might want to read it yourself before you continue with the rest of this series. But don’t
worry if you haven’t read it. I’ll provide enough information to follow along. You don’t need to know
anything to take this journey…
Reading the text literally, the book of Esther is a historical record about Jewish people living in Persia
over 400 years before Christ, and the story takes place in the capital city of Susa. Esther is a young
Jewish woman who becomes its queen, and over a period of about twelve years the series of events
result in a celebration called The Feast of Purim which has been observed every year since then. The
Feast of Purim is still celebrated by Jews today.
Esther is an interesting historical record, but those facts have a limited value in my life. I think another
meaning could be hidden inside that is much more personal. There's a balance between reading the
text literally (assigning no meaning except the obvious one) and reading too much into the text (by
assigning a meaning that was never intended), but maybe there’s a middle ground that can teach us
something. Can it help illuminate my own spiritual life?
An allegory is a literary device that uses characters or events to represent ideas. Could Esther be
understood as an allegory? The purpose of this series is to explore that possibility. Now before you
start to worry, I assure you that what I won’t be trying to convince you of anything that you haven’t
already heard before. It’s the same Christian message that’s presented in different ways throughout
the bible. In fact, I’ll give the ending away right now, so you don’t even have to wonder about where
we’re heading. Here it is in one sentence: The extra layer of meaning that I see in the story of Esther is
the struggle in our lives between “The Spirit” and “The Flesh”. That’s it. And that’s something that
we’re ALL dealing with, so it’s worth thinking about, and praying about.
So if you want to go on this little adventure with me, the first thing we are going to do is assign
meanings to the different elements of the story. For example, we are going to use the Capital City to
represent YOU. Your actual physical body is the Capital, and the Castle inside the Capital City is Your
Personality, the “you” inside your body.
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The Empire is everything your life has influenced. Everything you’ve ever done, everyone you ever
met and any difference you’ve made since you’ve been here is your empire. ok? Easy…
So that leaves the King and Queen.
The King will represent your soul, or the three components that you will take with you to the next life.
1. Your mind, which is your ability to think,
2. Your Will, which is your ability to make decisions,
3. Your Emotions, which is your ability to experience feelings.
You may have never thought about it before, but what would heaven be like without any one of
these? Losing the capacity to think, or decide, or feel anything is almost inconceivable. So that’s what
the King represents.
The Queen represents your human spirit. The subconscious voice, or the conscience. The part of you
that enables communication, or communion, with God. The Queen is the spiritual component that
makes mankind unique among animals.
That’s all we need to know for now, so let’s jump into Chapter One!
(KS)
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Chapter 1
Hello and welcome to the book of Esther, Chapter One! Esther is a historical story, but we’re
wondering if it has any value looking at it as an allegory. So, we’re taking a little biblical adventure
here to see where it leads, exploring what Esther can teach us about our own Christian lives. Don’t
worry if you missed the introduction. We started the journey by assigning a meaning to the different
elements in the story. When you hear about the empire, try to think of the empire as everything your
life has touched so far. When you hear about the capital city, that’s your body. The castle is your
personality, and inside that is a King who is in charge of your thoughts, your decisions, and your
emotions. When you hear about a Queen, think about your conscience, or your human spirit. With
those labels in mind, we’re going to see how the story unfolds.
Ready?
Ok, for each chapter I’ll start with a summary of the historical events, and then describe what I think it
could mean in a spiritual sense. If you read Esther Chapter One, you are going to learn that:
The empire is celebrating prosperity with a long feast throughout the kingdom, and a shorter feast
inside the palace. On the last day, the king commands the queen's presence to show off her beauty to
his guests, but she refuses to appear. In anger, he consults advisors who fear that her failure to obey
his command will lead to strife throughout the kingdom, and they recommend that she be banished
from his presence forever. The king agreed, and sent his decree throughout the empire, hoping that
"wives shall give their husbands honor" and "every man shall rule his own house".
-=-=-=-
So those are the historical facts in chapter one. As the story opens, the whole empire is prosperous
and celebratory. Using the labels that we have assigned to the characters, we could say that the body,
the Soul and the Spirit are in a proper relationship. This time is similar to the Garden of Eden, where
all is well and right, or to the innocence of a child, beginning a new life. But eventually, every person
asserts their own free will, and through some selfish act, denies, turns away, or becomes separated
from the spirit. The communion or the relationship is damaged. Now removed from the Garden, no
longer innocent, each of us has experienced the fall. Each of us has sinned.
In the story of Esther, the king deliberately turned his back on his Queen. He banished her.
(Sins are the decisions we make that separate us from God)
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In the letter to the Romans, chapter 3 verse 23 it is written,
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
The way the events unfold in this story seem very similar to the way a Christian life develops, so we
have embarked on a courageous adventure, wondering if the book of Esther can be interpreted as an
allegory. We decided that the King would represent our mind and will and emotions, and that the
Queen would represent our human Spirit. The first chapter started with a celebration, but in a selfish
act the King damaged his relationship with the Queen, and now she has been banished from the
empire.
(fk)
Chapter 2
A lonely king begins searching for a new queen. Many young women are gathered at the palace and
are placed into the care of Hegai, the king's eunuch. Esther is a beautiful Jewish woman, and she’s an
orphan who was adopted and raised by her older cousin Mordecai. She pleases Hegai, and he moves
her into the best rooms. During a year of purification, Mordecai checks on her daily. Esther eventually
comes into the presence of the king, who falls in love with her and makes her his new queen. The
whole empire again celebrates with a feast. Esther obeys the command of Mordecai, and never
reveals the fact that she is Jewish. Mordecai learned of a plan to kill the king and he tells Esther.
Esther tells the king, the men are hanged, and Mordecai's name is written into the king's book of
records
‐=‐=‐=‐
The king can probably manage on his own for as long as he wants to, maybe forever. but He begins
searching for a new Queen. He probably wouldn't have searched for a new queen if her absence
hadn’t disturbed him.
As long as we think we are in control and doing fine, God will let us go our own way. When we realize
loneliness, or emptiness, or weakness enough to give up the reins, spiritual growth can begin. Once
we notice something missing in our life, we begin to look around. The realization that we're not
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"being all we can be" sets something free in us to change. When we move our new queen into the
castle, the restoration begins.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will
come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me. Rev 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to
sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with My Father in His throne.
Rev 3:22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
So Esther is our renewed spirit, who is able to communicate with Mordecai, the Holy Spirit. That’s two
new characters in the story. Through the baptism of the spirit, we are adopted into the body of the
true church. OUR SPIRIT is influenced by, and learns from THE HOLY SPIRIT
At the end of Chapter 2 the king is threatened by death, but with Mordecai and Esther working on his
behalf the death threat is removed and he continues to live. Could it be true? The human spirit and
the Holy Spirit working on our behalf can rescue us from death? Hmmm..?
hmmm…
(fks)
Chapter 3
The king promotes Haman, the son of an Agagite, above all others. Although the king commands it,
Mordecai does not bow to Haman. Haman is enraged, and casts lots to determine a date for
destroying Mordecai and all his people, the Jews. Haman convinces the king that the empire would be
better off without the Jews, and offers to finance the genocide. The king gives Haman his ring of
authority. Haman writes the decree and seals it with the ring. The decree is sent out to all the empire,
and the city becomes perplexed, confused.
-=-=-=-
Haman is an Agagite. Agag was the king of the Amalekites, which were descendants of Esau, unwisely
spared by Saul (1Sa_15:3‐11) The Amalekites are an enemy of God, a symbol of evil working in the
human heart and God has declared war.
Exo 17:16 And he said, A hand is on the throne of Jehovah;
war is to Jehovah with Amalek from generation to generation.
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HAMAN represents The Flesh, which opposes The Spirit. self‐ishness.
Sooner or later, there will be an event in our lives when we think we've been wronged, or our pride is
wounded, or we feel that our rights have been ignored. Maybe that we deserve something that we
didn't get, or we are feeling self‐pity or self‐righteousness. Something whispers to us that for the good
of the empire we should stand up for ourselves, grab for what we deserve, fight for our rights, defend
our honor. This whisper encourages us to promote our SELF, which the bible refers to as The Flesh.
The Spirit and The Flesh are opposed to one another
Spirit<>Flesh
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.
And these are contrary to one another;
Jews won't worship a king, Jews worship God. By removing the Jews, the king is convinced that he is
acting in the best interest of the empire. He doesn't know why he feels perplexed inside.
Something is bothering him, but he doesn't understand that his decree to destroy the Jews,
will also destroy his queen!
(Fk s)
Chapter 4
The whole empire mourns the king's decree, with "fasting and weeping and lamenting". Esther learns
of the plot from Mordecai who is mourning in sackcloth and ashes. Mordecai commands Esther to
approach the king. When Esther reminds Mordecai that approaching the king without his permission
risks death, Mordecai tells her that deliverance can come from another place, but her refusal will
result in her own destruction. Esther agrees to go, but only after a fast of three‐days and three‐nights.
-=-=-=-
While the ego is congratulating itself for making a decision toward self‐preservation, there is great
distress behind the scenes. The spiritual life is caught in the middle, If it does nothing, it could perish.
If it suddenly appears in the consciousness without being invited, unwanted, it runs the risk of being
obliterated.
God can stand at the door and knock, but it is our own free will that opens the door.
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Since we are the decision‐makers, any attempt by the spirit to appear before us is risking the
possibility of us slamming the door on it. We can kill it in an instant, perhaps never even realizing
what we have done.
Mordecai's only hope is to work through Esther. When she hears the news she is deeply distressed,
and asks for the truth through a messenger (Hathach) Notice that when directly asked for the truth
Est_4:6‐8 , the Holy Spirit (Mordecai) responds with complete details. He gives her the whole story,
including the price Haman was going to pay, and even a copy of the decree!
This implies that when we are troubled and desire the truth, we should simply ASK FOR IT.
(Fk sS)
Chapter 5
Esther appears before the king. The king grants permission for her to approach, and promises her
whatever she wishes up to "half the kingdom". She invites the king and Haman to a dinner. At dinner,
when the king asks for her wish, she requests a second dinner the following day with the king and
Haman. On his way home from the first dinner, Haman's good mood quickly turns to rage when
Mordecai does not honor him in the street. Haman shares the news with friends and family telling of
his promotion by the king, and of invitations by the queen to private royal dinners, but also of his
indignation that Mordecai will not honor him. Haman takes their advice and erects a tall gallows to
hang Mordecai from
-=-=-=-
There may come a time, when you see the need for a change in your life. The spirit inside you tells you
something or shows you something and in that moment you give it up. The king has granted up to half
his kingdom to his queen, what kind of sacrifice will this be?
At this point the queen has not asked for anything, but let's just stop right here and think for a
moment:
Is the king giving up his life? No, this is not a suicide.
Is the king giving up his kingdom? No, he will still rule over the empire.
Is the king giving up his soul? No, he still retains his abilities; to think, to feel, to make decisions.
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God doesn't ask for these things. He has given us a life and he wants us to live it. So what is Esther
asking for here? Her request is to have dinner.
Dinner? Such a simple request! Sitting together, sharing a meal.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Notice that she doesn't request anything from the king. She doesn't ask for any change in him first.
She sits right down alongside Haman; the self‐centered empire‐threatening influence who has been
controlling the king all along. She doesn't demand a private audience. She takes him just as he is,
Haman and all. so, What happens at the meal?
Nothing.
After the meal, the king asks her again what she wants. He repeats his offer, wanting to get to the
point, but Esther simply asks for his company (and Haman's as well) at another meal the following
day.
I think this might be an illustration of a common experience; that when you are ready to hear what
the spirit has to say, when you feel you are primed, and open to anything perfectly ready for
whatever the Lord has prepared for you, nothing happens. The Lord has his own timing, His own
agenda, His own way of working out the revelations in our lives. Maybe we shouldn't push it. Maybe
we shouldn't be so anxious. I've heard stories of people being led in a certain direction (towards a
specific ministry, for example) and coming to a point where they give in to it, they accept it, they take
up the calling, and quite often, nothing immediately happens.
We think we’re ready for a change, but no change presents itself. There’s a waiting period.
If we can step back and let the spirit work, without any pushing from our own will, events unfold in
the most unexpected ways. but I'm getting ahead of myself....
What happens HERE, at THIS dinner?
Well, nothing. They agree to have another dinner.
In the meantime, although Haman and Mordecai have just shared a nice meal together, when they
see each other on the street afterwards, Mordecai does not give Haman the honor he feels he
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deserves. Haman is enraged. Haman is so full of wrath he plans the execution of Mordecai, and
constructs a tall gallows before the next dinner begins.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
The flesh and the spirit will never peacefully co‐exist. I can't see this as anything other than what the
allegory suggests. When the spirit begins working in a person's life, the selfish nature becomes
desperate, renewing its efforts, working in devious ways to maintain control.
(FksS)
Chapter 6
The king is reading the book of records because he cannot sleep, and realizes that he has not
rewarded Mordecai for saving his life. The king asks Haman what he should do to honor a man.
Haman thinks the king is referring to him, so he recommends dressing him in royal robes, putting him
on a royal horse, and parading him through the city streets. The king tells Haman to do these things
for Mordecai, proclaiming "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor."
Haman does these things, and returns home humiliated. Haman's fall is predicted by his wife and
friends. The king's eunuchs escort him to Esther's second banquet.
-=-=-=-
When Mordecai learned of a plot against the king, he told Esther, and Esther informed the king. The
plot was thwarted, and Mordecai's name was recorded in the book of chronicles in the presence of
the king.
Now the king realizes that he never thanked Mordecai, and he has no knowledge of the fact that
Mordecai has been working behind the scenes ever since. He wants to honor Mordecai for his debt, so
he is now conscious of the good influence, but he is not yet aware of the bad influence of Haman. I
think he has some idea that SOMETHING is going on behind the scenes (hence is insomnia), but he has
no idea that Haman and Mordecai are enemies.
But we can tell that events are converging towards some kind of major confrontation. Unknown to
him, the king escalates the situation by asking Haman to honor Mordecai. This seems like particularly
unfortunate timing, because Haman has just recently been congratulating himself on his good fortune,
and has prepared a gallows to rid the empire of his enemy once and for all.
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There’s a battle brewing behind the scenes, and the king is oblivious.
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the world's rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
The soul has promoted the spirit into a position of honor. The flesh is highly agitated, wanting to
extinguish the spirit, and at that critical moment in history, it was time to sit down together to share
another dinner.
(FkS)
Chapter 7
Esther informs the king that their enemy is Haman, and pleads for her own life and for her people. The
king is angry, and goes into the garden alone. When he returns, Haman is begging Esther for mercy.
Haman is hanged on the gallows prepared for Mordecai
-=-=-=-
Esther has waited until this moment; a moment where she knows the king is receptive and the time is
right. When we want to know the truth, the spirit will show it to us.
Joh 6:63 It is the Spirit that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are
spirit and are life.
Have you ever been surprised by a thought coming into your awareness, seemingly from nowhere,
and suddenly you see something for what it really is? Have you ever been shown something in your
life that shouldn't be there? or clearly seen something you know you would be better off without? but
you have been courting it, entertaining it, enjoying a selfish pleasure.
Or maybe you have hurt someone; denied them love or mercy or kindness, and you suddenly see your
own weakness for what it is? Maybe your reaction is embarrassment, or shame or a new resolve, or
even anger.
When the king realizes the true nature of Haman, and what his plans mean for the health of the
empire, he is upset and wants to be alone. He has to withdraw; to remove himself for a moment. I
can see him pacing, lost in furious thought, searching his soul for what to do next.
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Description:Reading the text literally, the book of Esther is a historical record about An allegory is a literary device that uses characters or events to represent
