Est 5:2 | KingComments | STEP | On the third day, after three days of fasting, Esther goes to the king. How will she be received by him? “As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable” ( ). But God turns the heart of a king “wherever He wishes” ( ). Life is not fatalism. God wants His own to cooperate in the execution of His purpose. They can do so by giving their lives in His hand, so that He can control it. “The third day” in Scripture refers to the day of Christ’s resurrection ( ; ; ; ). Christ was resurrected on the third day and we can approach God only on the basis of His resurrection ( ). We see this in picture with Esther. She does not go in her own clothing, but in “a royal robe”, that is, a robe that the king has given her. She goes, in picture, not in her own merit, but in the merit of God’s work in Christ. The place where she is going to stand is described in detail. The whole description is impressive. It draws an atmosphere of royal dignity and government, in which someone can only enter in a way that is appropriate for that purpose. Esther has the appropriate clothing. She is, in picture, “clothed … with garments of salvation”, “wrapped … with a robe of righteousness” ( ). She is wearing “the best robe” ( ), making her fit to appear in the presence of the king. The question now is how the king will react. This hardly seems to be a question anymore, because everything, including Esther, answers to his majesty. The king sees Esther standing in the court ( ). Remarkable is that we read that he sees “Esther the queen” standing there. This makes it clear once again that she not only has the appropriate clothing, but also the appropriate position. For the king, and for us, it is therefore no longer a question whether he will accept Esther. For Esther, that question is still there at that moment. The tension is already broken for us when we read that “she obtained favor in his sight”. That shows the king’s disposition. From that disposition the king then extends the golden scepter to Esther, breaking the tension for Esther as well. What now remains to be done is for Esther to accept the grace offered to her. She does this by coming forward and touching the top of the scepter. We see here in picture that someone who comes to God, not on the basis of the law, but on the basis of the finished work of Christ, can only be accepted by God in grace. Esther knows that she is dependent on grace, but now she is experiencing that grace because she actually went to the king and touched the scepter.

‏ Esther 5:2

The Golden Scepter

On the third day, after three days of fasting, Esther goes to the king. How will she be received by him? “As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,

So the heart of kings is unsearchable” (Pro 25:3). But God turns the heart of a king “wherever He wishes” (Pro 21:1). Life is not fatalism. God wants His own to cooperate in the execution of His purpose. They can do so by giving their lives in His hand, so that He can control it.

“The third day” in Scripture refers to the day of Christ’s resurrection (Mt 16:21; Lk 24:46; 1Cor 15:3-4; 1Pet 1:21). Christ was resurrected on the third day and we can approach God only on the basis of His resurrection (Rom 4:24-25 ; Rom 5:1-2). We see this in picture with Esther. She does not go in her own clothing, but in “a royal robe”, that is, a robe that the king has given her. She goes, in picture, not in her own merit, but in the merit of God’s work in Christ.

The place where she is going to stand is described in detail. The whole description is impressive. It draws an atmosphere of royal dignity and government, in which someone can only enter in a way that is appropriate for that purpose. Esther has the appropriate clothing. She is, in picture, “clothed … with garments of salvation”, “wrapped … with a robe of righteousness” (Isa 61:10). She is wearing “the best robe” (Lk 15:22), making her fit to appear in the presence of the king. The question now is how the king will react. This hardly seems to be a question anymore, because everything, including Esther, answers to his majesty.

The king sees Esther standing in the court (Est 5:2). Remarkable is that we read that he sees “Esther the queen” standing there. This makes it clear once again that she not only has the appropriate clothing, but also the appropriate position. For the king, and for us, it is therefore no longer a question whether he will accept Esther. For Esther, that question is still there at that moment. The tension is already broken for us when we read that “she obtained favor in his sight”. That shows the king’s disposition. From that disposition the king then extends the golden scepter to Esther, breaking the tension for Esther as well.

What now remains to be done is for Esther to accept the grace offered to her. She does this by coming forward and touching the top of the scepter. We see here in picture that someone who comes to God, not on the basis of the law, but on the basis of the finished work of Christ, can only be accepted by God in grace. Esther knows that she is dependent on grace, but now she is experiencing that grace because she actually went to the king and touched the scepter.