Called To Be His Bride
A People Who Show Forth His Glory
In the book of Esther we see a wonderful typology of God’s purpose for His children. King Ahasureus can be pictured in the likes of Almighty God because he was a great king who ruled over many, many nations.
“Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus which reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces): That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, in the third (year) of his reign he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants……When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and four score days.” (Esther 1:1-4).
King Ahasuerus held a feast to show forth all his glory and excellence. He wanted to show his glory and his riches to the subjects of his kingdom. When the Lord God called the Israelites out of Egypt, He said. “You shall be My people and I shall be a God in your midst. All other people shall see My excellence and My riches in you.” God’s desire hasn’t changed, beloved. He has the very same desire in the New Covenant age.
In Ephesians 3:8 we read that God wants to reveal His many-sided wisdom to the people, and to the powers and the principalities through His chosen ones. Beloved, God’s desire to show forth His glory unto the universe is an unchanging one.
In Ephesians Chapter 1 it is clear that God has chosen His people before the foundation of the world, so that He may dwell in their midst, so that through His people He may show forth His excellence, His glory, His majestic riches and His wonderful ways. We are called to testify of Him.
The Privilege of Knowing Him
King Ahasuerus had a queen whose name was Vashti (Esther 1:9). Queen Vashti had the privilege of knowing the king. She lived in the king’s palace along with the king. Vashti provides us on one hand a picture of the Israelites who had the privilege of knowing God as their Lord. She also typifies on the other hand, the modern day church that has the privilege of knowing the Lord.
Vashti didn’t appreciate the great privilege she had as the queen of the land. She neglected her great calling. She was not really living according to the King’s desires and will. We read, in Esther 1:9, that queen Vashti, had a great feast for the women of the palace. Although the king had prepared a feast for all the people (verse 5), yet Vashti decided to have a separate feast (verse 9) for the women. She wanted to walk in her own ways and do her own things. Queen Vashti didn’t do what was expected of her as the queen; she neglected her calling to be the queen; she made her calling to be of scant importance.
“On the seventh day of the feast when the heart of the king was merry he asked his chamberlains to fetch the queen to show the people and princes her beauty, for she was fair to look on. But queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamberlain~ therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.” (Esther 1:11, 12).
The king desired that the beauty of his queen be shown to the people; he was eager that princes and the people see him in all his glory. The queen was a part of his glory. But queen Vashti refused to come before the king at the feast. She disobeyed his orders and didn’t celebrate the king’s praise and glory before other people. She failed to respond to this calling upon her life. Here Vashti provides a picture of Israelites disobeying the commandments of God and walking in their own ways. Vashti also provides a picture of a believer in the church who desires not to walk in the ways of God, but prefers, instead, to walk in his own ways. In the Bible the church is always depicted as a woman. Vashti, therefore, gives us two fitting pictures for comparison. Even in this day, the King of kings desires that the glorious beauty of His church be seen by one and all. She is to worship Him and know Him as her Lord. Every believer needs to praise the King amidst all the people.
Psalm 45 depicts the great beauty of the children of God. The Lord desires to show forth His glory and His, beauty and majesty through His people.
“Hearken O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear, forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house. So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty; for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needle work; the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. I will make thy name to be remembered in all gener ations; therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.” (Psalms 45:10, 11, 14, and 17).
The Apostle Paul writes that a believer in Christ is called forth “to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). He adds that we should “be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ” (Ephesians 1:12). We are to show forth the glory and praise of our King.
There are many believers who have the privilege of knowing the Lord, but unfortunately, like Vashti, they are busy in various activities of there own making. They have forgotten the calling of God upon their lives. They have disregarded the commands of their King. They are not able to appreciate His high calling upon their lives, which is to bring forth His beauty, His excellence and His glory before all the people of this earth. Beloved, we are to be an obedi ent people, showing forth His praise.
A False Sense of Security
Vashti, along with her chambermaids, lived in the king’s palace in great comfort. She was happy and quite content with what she had. She had never imagined that the king would ever reject her. She enjoyed doing what she thought was right. She even had her own banquets and feasts. She was respected as a queen and she felt quite comfortable in the position she held. She was given many gifts and blessings. However, when the king told her to come forth before the people in all her beauty, she failed to respond to that calling. And so the king rejected her. We may say that whilst she lived in the palace, she had a false sense of comfort and security. She couldn’t appreciate the king’s desire to reveal his excellence and glory to his people through her. She had treated the king’s command in a light-hearted manner and so she had to pay the penalty.
In the days of Jesus, the Jews, and especially the scribes and Pharisees, felt secure because they were of the seed of Abraham (Romans 11:1). The natural Jews lived under a false sense of security. The Apostle Paul argues brilliantly in Romans Chapters 2 and 3, that the Jews did not have any special privilege. God was no respecter of per sons (Romans 2:11); no one could be justified by the deeds of the law (Romans 3:20).
Jesus told the Jews that He knew whose children they were for they were pretenders and hypocrites. They were not the true sons of Abraham, they were the children of them who killed the prophets (Matthew 23:31).
The Jews thought they were the children of God but they didn’t walk according to God’s commandments and expectations. Hence, the children of natural Israel were rejected by God. They felt secure and comfortable by virtue of their heritage, but it proved to be a false sense of comfort. Many believers, today, have a false sense of security. They are content to be part of God’s kingdom; they feel secure in God’s house; they feel they cannot be removed from their place in Christ. They feel secure because of their past experiences, but they don’t see the need of having a living relationship with the Lord. They are quite content to be involved in church activities; they derive satisfaction from attending all the church events. They attend Bible studies regularly; they occupy their regular seat on Sundays; they tithe habitually; they even help needy souls occasionally. Yes, they are satisfied that they are able to maintain spiritual status-quo! However, the reality is that they have become complacent, self-satisfied and conceited. Every believer needs to examine himself carefully to guard against any attitude of self-satisfaction. Do you have a false sense of comfort and security in Christ Jesus?
Beloved, our security lies not in our activities, the songs of praise we sing or even the quality of our worship. Nor does our security rest in what we have experienced in the past (e.g. baptism). Our security lies in being counted in that bridal company; it lies in having a living and on going relationship with the King of kings. We should be having a throbbing, dynamic, vital relationship with Lord every day of our life.
Jesus said, “He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he is it that loveth Me (John 14:12), and again He said, “And why call ye Me Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say” (Luke 6:46).
Let us not take what the Lord has said lightly. Let us not be like those who have been hearing God’s Word and God’s calling upon their lives for several years, but have not yet been able to realize their place in Christ Jesus and in His Church. It is our responsibility to respond to God’s call. We are to reveal the excellence and glory of Him who has called us unto Himself. We are to respond to the command of our King in each and every situation and in all circumstances. Let us not become complacent this day, beloved, but let us heed His calling.
Let us Appreciate our High Calling
Esther 1:19 tells us what king Ahasuerus did when the queen failed to respond to his summons. “If it pleases the king let there be a royal command ment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes that it be not altered, that Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another who is better than she.”
The Scripture say that just because queen Vashti did not res pond to the king’s calling, nor appreciate his will for her, the place of her privi lege was given to another queen—one who would be better (more obedient) than her. Vashti forfeited her place (in the palace), her position (as one who was living with the king) and her possessions (her royal estate) due to her disobedience. She had lived under a false sense of security and hence the queen’s robe and estates were removed from her and given to someone who would be worthy of those privileges.
God has called us into a high calling in Christ Jesus. The Israelites and the Jews in not accepting Jesus, didn’t meet God’s desire. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans Chapter 11 that God rejected the Pharisees and Jews and instead called the Gentiles to be a people unto God. Similarly, Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:10, “Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God : which hadn’t o tamed mercy but row have obtained mercy.” The Scripture says that we were not a people (unto God) but now we have been called to be a people unto God. In a spiritual sense, we have been called to take the place of Vashti in the Kingdom of God.
After giving the example of natural Israel in Romans 11, Paul writes, “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” (Romans 11:17-21).
Paul makes the point that if God had cast aside and removed Israel (a chosen people), we the gentiles who were grafted into that vine of Israel could surely be removed and cast aside by God with greater ease. Jesus said, “Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” (Matthew 21:43). So beloved, there is no scope for us to be complacent about our position and place in the Lord. We have no reason, to possess feelings of security. We must check our lives again and again. We should examine our lives daily and see whether or not we are walking according to the King’s will for us.
The apostle Paul, despite being a true disciple of Jesus, was continuously engaged in judging his own life. In 1 Corinthians 9:26, he writes that he wouldn’t like to be one who is beating the air with his hands in futility. He wanted to examine himself in every detail, so that he wouldn’t be the one to lose the race.
The Amplified Bible explains verse 27 thus, “But (like a boxer) I buffet my body—handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships—and subdue it for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and other things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit—not stand the test and be unapproved—and rejected (as a counterfeit).”
Paul always guarded himself against the danger of becoming complacent and presumptuous. How much more should we be alert against just such a danger? Let us be careful that we don’t become like Vashti. May the Lord help us to have a greater appreciation of His calling upon our lives. And may we ever be mindful of the danger of taking our calling for granted.
There are many Christians who are caught up in various religious activities such as conferences, crusades and conventions. They are like Vashti—they are people who are engaged in activities of their own making. Although they are occupied in the activities of the church, yet they fail to respond to Gods high calling to show forth His glory and excellence and manifold wisdom.
There are others who listen to God’s Word, but they are unable to appreciate what God is telling them in this hour. Often, they hear His word clearly, but they fail to obey God. Hence there is no charge in their style of life. They continue to live exactly as they had been doing for many years! They don’t appreciate what God tells them because they live under a false sense of security. Further, they fail to scrutinize their lives.
When Paul preached at the Aeropagus upon Mars Hill (Acts 17:22), people reacted to his preaching in three different ways. One group of people scoffed and laughed at him (Acts 17:32). They rejected his message outright. Another group said that they would like to hear Paul speaking again. They needed to hear the same message, again and again. Amongst us also there are some who always want to have the same message preached to them repeatedly, be it about restoration, the Body of Christ or end-time truths. The messages are frequently repeated to them, but they fail to obey; and thus their lives don’t undergo any change. Then there was a third group. They agreed with what Paul said and believed. The King James’ Version says, “Howbeit some believed.” (Acts 17:34). They harboured no doubts. They were prepared to follow Paul and believe in Jesus. They appreciated the calling of the Lord upon their lives and responded to that call in obedience.
Beloved, we are privileged to know the King. Let us not be content with the blessings we have. Let us not take our calling for granted. Let us rather believe that we are called to express our faith in Christ and His kingdom.
The King is Searching the Earth for a Bride for His Son
The king told Vashti that she had had the privilege of living with the king for a season: she was fortunate that her name was linked with the king’s name for some time. However, now that she had been rejected, she needed to remove her jewels and give them to the new queen, for the king wanted to show forth his exceeding great beauty through his wife.
God is searching for the right kind of bride for His Son these days. Those who were once a privileged people (the Jews), do not qualify to be the bride for His Son, for they desired to walk in their own ways. Many are called but few are chosen. God’s Spirit is still looking for an appropriate bridal company for His Son. He is searching all the earth for a bridal people that would stand in the very likeness of the Bridegroom, in character, in holiness and in purity.
Beloved, the Spirit of God is really looking for an appropriate Bride these days just as Eliezer of God looked out for a bride (Genesis 24) for Isaac in the last days of Abraham. Some shall scoff at this; others will doubt this; but there will be some who will appreciate and understand the move of God in this hour.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians and told them that they hadn’t really appreciated God’s high calling in their lives. In II Corinthians 11:1-2 we read, “I wish you would bear with me while I indulge in a little (so-called) foolishness. Do bear with me. For I am zealous for you with a godly eagerness and a divine jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one Husband, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ.”
The Corinthians had been blessed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and hence they were a rich people, spiritually. Yet they didn’t appreciate the calling of God to be a virgin bride unto the Bridegroom. Paul says that he had espoused the Corinthians to one Husband, Jesus Christ, so that he (Paul) might present them as a pure virgin in marriage to Jesus Christ”. It is as if the “engagement” was over and a promise had been made for marriage.
Paul implores the Corinthians not to misunderstand him. He pleaded with them to put up with his foolishness for he had laboured among them. He asked them not to merely give tithes and offerings, but to bring them to Christ, their husband-to-be, in the light of their relationship with Christ.
God has always wanted His Church to be a beautiful Bride for His Son. Every time God revived His Church in the past, He was in a way beautifying His Church and preparing her to be the Bride. But the Church became occupied with denominational activities instead of wholeheartedly obeying God. And so God could not beautify His Church in the way He wanted to. Even to this day, the beauty of the Church has not been brought forth wholly.
Which father would like to see his grown-up son roam ing about in questionable places with unchaste women? So also, the heart of the Father would be grieved to see His Son in the company of a woman who is not pure and chaste. In the book of James Chapter 4, verse 4 we read, “You (are like) unfaithful wives (having illicit love affairs with the world) breaking your marriage vow to God. Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.” (Amplified Bible). The Living Bible puts it this way, “You are like unfaithful wives who love their husband’s enemy”.
Remember that the Church is normally depicted as a woman and a bride in the Bible. If we are friendly with the world then we could well be likened to unfaith ful wives who love their husband’s enemy. This is the condition of the Church today. She is friendly with world, the enemy of God, the Father.
What happens in the world under such conditions of disloyalty and infidelity? The husband would surely divorce his wife if she flirts with others or is a friend to his enemy. He would throw her out of his house. No father would willingly agree to give his son to such a woman. But when it comes to our life with God, believers say, “Lord, even if we behave in a friendly way towards the world, which is your enemy, we want to continue to be regarded as your own sweet virgin bride!” Oh, how believers deceive themselves. But God is not fooled, beloved. The Word of God says that God is looking for a people who have fully and wholeheartedly separated themselves unto Him.
Let us not imagine that God will accept any type of bride for His Son. He wants a bride-people who are separated unto God; He wants a Church with a virgin heart; He desires to have people who are totally sincere and who say, “Lord, we are wholly Thine.” Let our prayer therefore be, “Lord, we want to really press on unto the fullness of Thy purposes for us. We recognize and acknowledge Your high calling upon our lives. We revere everything that You have spoken to us through Christ, Your Son in redemption.”
Paul wept as he wrote to the Corinthian church because the people were always busy in various activities and works. He wept for the people because they had begun to look to the things and ways of the world. History records that at the end of the first century the Corinthian church was still a backward, backsliding church. And eventually it just fell away and disintegrated. Did this happen because Paul didn’t have a revelation about the Body of Christ? No, of course not! The church that doesn’t appreciate God’s calling upon her will surely dissolve and move away from His purpose, whether or not they have revelation of the functioning of the ‘body’.
Beloved, God is looking for souls who are thirsting for the reality of the Son in their lives. The Holy Spirit of God is searching for people who may be included in His bridal company. Let us turn from our ways and give ourselves wholeheartedly to God’s calling upon our lives. Let us walk in the relationship of a bride-to-be, obeying God and holding on to His precious Word. Beloved, if we be like queen Vashti and fail to hear and appreciate God’s call, then our ‘royal estate’ shall be given unto another – even one who is better than we are.
The Preparation of the Bride
“Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, ( for so were the days of their purification accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of women;)” (Esther 2:12).
This verse portrays the purifying of one who is to rule and reign along side the King. The bride is required to purify herself before she comes to the king. She has to prepare herself before she is clothed with the glory of God.
Many believers have an understanding that the Bride groom will come ‘any moment’. Hence, they do not pay much attention to getting ready for Him. However, it is necessary that the bride prepare herself thoroughly, beloved. It is through the process of ‘purifying’ that the bride of Christ will be prepared. She shall be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints (Revelations 19:8). She shall not come before the king without fulfilling the purifying periods.
It is interesting to note that the work of purification that Esther had to go through was divided into two halves—six months with the oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odors. The number six represents man in Biblical numerology. For six months the flesh was to be purified and then for another six months human spirit was to be cleansed. This means that we are to be purified first of the Adamic nature and then of the spirit of the first man.
The oil of myrrh refers to the death of the flesh. When the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified He was embalmed with the oil of myrrh and spices, as was customary in those days. Oil represents the Holy Spirit. The oil of myrrh shall be used to cleanse us of every impurity and filth. We are to be soaked in the spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit. This is the way that we will be prepared to put on fine linen garments. Our lives are to be fully immersed and soaked in the wonderful life-giving oil of myrrh that we may be fully cleansed and purified. Thus, the purifying of our lives is spread over a period of time. In Romans 8: 13 and 14, the Apostle Paul writes,
“For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
The oil of myrrh, the Holy Spirit, shall mortify the deeds of our body and purify us of the flesh. He is the oil that shall soak us and enable us to put our flesh to death. This is the work of preparation that God’s Spirit is doing in His people, so that they may become a fitting and proper bride for His Son. And as many as are led by the Spirit to mortify the deeds of the flesh—they and they alone shall qualify to be the Sons of God.
Beloved, this is the preparation God wants us to do in our lives. He wants us to die to the flesh, to die to our self and to die to the ‘deeds of the flesh’. God wants to soak us in the oil of myrrh. God’s people have been living to themselves for too long. They have only been meeting their self-interests. Even when the children of God are engaged and occupied in missionary work or evangelical work, the self has been glorifying itself before God. But the Bible says that no flesh shall glorify itself before God (1 Corinthians 1:29). Let us give ourselves to God’s purifying Spirit. Let us show God that we appreciate His calling upon our lives by submitting to His cleansing. “Whoever has this hope purifies himself” (1 John 3:3).
We are to be Living Sacrifices
The second half of the purification process of the bride was carried out with sweet odours. The bride had to prepare herself for six months with sweet odors’. In the Old Testament times, when God accepted an offering made by the priest at the altar, a sweet smell arose to His nostrils. A sacrifice that has been accepted by God provides a sweet odour to His nostrils. It is sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God (Philippians 4:18, Leviticus 26:31). The last six months of the bride were spent in preparing herself to please the king in a manner that would be acceptable to Him. Romans 12:1 call us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable worship or service.
Our lives are to be a worship unto God. This is another form of preparation. The surrender of our bodies should be considered a reasonable service unto God and not an exceptional and unique act. Worship is not just a matter of singing hymns, clapping hands and raising one’s hands; we are to offer our lives as a living sacrifice. There is a purifying that shall take place as we offer our lives upon God’s altar.
In Romans 12:2 apostle Paul adds that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can prove what is acceptable to God. We are a peculiar people and our calling is strange and peculiar to the world. Beloved, conform not to the ways of the world. Let us be renewed in our understanding, knowing the perfect will of God in our lives.
“By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15).
There is another sacrifice that is a sweet odour to God. The sacrifice of our praise and worship to the Lord will purify us and give us the strength to bear up with the purifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
God wants to purify the bride. In God’s calendar we are living in the sunset of the sixth day. Every day is as a thousand years. The psalmist says, “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday” (Psalm 90:4). For the bride of Christ, the sixth month of purification is going to come to an end very shortly. God wants to purify us before the advent of the seventh day. He wants to raise up the ‘new man’ (the spiritual man) in His own likenesses and after His own image (Genesis 1:25) that He may rest on the seventh day.
Let us be serious about our calling at this time. We are called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices and to sacrifice our praise and worship unto the Lord, even though we may not be doing full time ministry work. We have to offer our selves to the purifying Spirit of God that we may be prepared as a bridal company. There is no place in our lives to make excuses. God requires and demands that all of the self be surrendered and laid at God’s feet – a hundred percent, not just partially.
Esther’s Choice
“Then thus came every maiden unto the king; whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king’s house.” (Esther 2:13)
The women could take anything they wanted before they went to the king. Esther could also have picked up any thing she thought would please the king.
“Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.” (Esther 2:15).
Esther decided to take that thing which would please the king the most. Hence, she went to the king’s chamberlain who was well acquainted with the king, and listened to what he had to say. Although she had a choice and could have exercised her own desires, yet she chose not to do anything of her own. The king’s chamberlain here is a ‘type’ of the Holy Spirit, our Helper.
In this verse we are exhorted to do those things that would mast please our King. What is important is not to satisfy our own desires but to please the Lord. When we have a choice before us, we should first do whatever would please our Master and King. To make the correct choice we need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Only after our renewal will we be able to take a right decision accord ing to the will of God. God is pleased only when His will is carried out.
Paul said that if any man uses gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, (that is, the things of the world and the choice of man) to build upon the foundations laid by Christ, then that building would fall and come to naught (1 Corinthians 3:12). The work and effort done by man can never have any lasting value because it would not please the King. The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthian church to take heed how they build for they can either build their house with man’s precious stones or they could build their house with foundation stones provided by God. There is a choice that needs to be exercised in the things we do. We are to choose to do that which would please God.
Some people think that since the Son of Man has set them free, they are free to do whatever they like! They argue that at one time they were undoubtedly under the law, but now they have been set free from bondage, and hence they are free as birds to do exactly as they wish. Beloved, such as they, deceive themselves. They live under a misconception. Our Savior has freed us from the bondage of sin that we may become servants of God (Romans 6:22). We have been delivered from the law that we may serve the Lord in newness of Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter (Romans 7:6).
Beloved, we are to exercise our freedom, liberty and free will to determine what would please the King and not to indulge in our self-centred desires. As the proverb says, “Be not wise in thine own eyes.” (Proverbs 3:7). Let us instead be like Esther who consulted the King’s chamber lain (that is, the Holy Spirit). Esther, of her own free will, chose to consult the king’s chamberlain. She depended upon the counsel of one who knew the king intimately.
Many believers are like pieces of driftwood that float aimlessly in the river according to the direction of the prevailing current. They are not clear about what God is calling them to do. If one realizes that if one is not in God’s appointed place then it is imperative that one should sit at His feet and ask for God’s grace to know the place of His choosing. The Holy Spirit will lead us to the place of His desire—a place that shall please the King. Jesus said, “But when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you unto all truth:” (John 16:13).
The Holy Ghost is preparing the Esther’s of today. Reject not the counsel of the Holy Ghost. Beloved, let us not run our lives according to our own carnal desires. Let us go to the Chamberlain of God. He shall counsel and advice us. Let us not attempt to be like many other Christians who live according to the dictates of their own will. We are a peculiar people and we must rely on the Spirit of God for guidance in every situation of our life.
Our friends, neighbours and acquaintances may want to give us their own advice in the practical situations of our life. When we tell them that the Word of God says, they may scoff at us and give us their own interpret ations. But we need to step away from human reasoning, from vain justifications and from the advice of well-meaning relatives and friends. Let the Holy Spirit minister to us. Beware of popular statements that sound convincing. Let people not psyche us into taking an easy course. Rather, let us please the King, beloved. Let God be true and every man a liar. The righteous will not beg, but they will eat dry food in peace with the Holy Spirit.
The Peculiar Calling of the Esther Company
Not only are we a peculiar people, but we also have a peculiar calling in the eyes of the world for we are called to please the King. Let us appreciate our high calling unto God and not be like Vashti who lost her calling.
“And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her. So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. (Esther 2:15c, 16, 17).
Esther was privileged to become the queen. God gave her grace that was needed. She didn’t receive the grace of God in vain. She gave herself to the preparation of her life and chose to do whatever would be pleasing to the King. She appreciated her calling and looked to the king’s chamberlain for counsel.
Esther repeatedly reminds us of the Church—the bride of Christ. The quality of the glorious Church of God is that she will not do things in her own way but according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Chamberlain of God will prepare this Bride. Our security lies in being the anointed Body of Christ, the Esther Company.
Let us not ape other people, other churches or other nations. The Lord says that we are a holy nation; we are a peculiar people unto the Lord. He has chosen us. He is well able to keep us. We are a ‘called out’ people; a people separated unto God. Paul says, “Do not fashion yourselves according to the people of this world.” (Romans 12:2).
Many Christians in this day and age, are looking to their neighbours as did the Israelites in the days of Samuel. They don’t appreciate what Jesus said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33); and “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your own life, what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.” (Matthew 6:25).
The Lord shall provide food of life to those who hunger for His Kingdom. Who among us has seen the seed of the righteous beg? In the eyes of the world, this is foolishness. That is why the Lord says that ‘ye are a peculiar people’. We are not to be like others around us whose security lies in their possessions, money, and fame, or in their own strength, intelligence and cleverness.
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17).
Let us purify ourselves in this hour and choose to do what is pleasing to the King. The sixth day is coming to an end, and the seventh day is fast approaching, when the bride shall sit down with the Bridegroom in all her beauty and glory.
He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying.