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Continuing our discussion from part one, and leaving behind that wicked Abimelech, let's move on to the story of Queen Esther. Regarding Esther -- whose Hebrew name was Hadassah, which actually means "myrtle" -- we discover that while a lot of Christians and Jews like to highly exalt this heroine of the ancient Israelites, and while the Lord did in fact greatly use her to save her people, the point still remains that even though she was queen over an empire, nevertheless, Esther was still required to be subservient to the Persian king, Ahasuerus. As I mention in a few other articles, some scholars believe that the Ahasuerus of the Scriptures was actually Xerxes.

At any rate, Queen Esther -- whose English name is derived from the false Babylonian goddess Ishtar, meaning "star", and from which we also get the name Easter -- risked being killed if she dared to enter into the presence of the king without his express permission, which was symbolized by his holding out the golden sceptre. Consider the following set of verses which verify this point:

"Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai; All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days."


"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. 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."


"And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,"


We need to remember that the primary reason why Esther was chosen to be the new queen, aside from the fact that it was obviously God's Will, was because the previous queen -- that is, Vashti -- had humiliated Ahasuerus by refusing to appear before him after she had been summoned. Greatly angered by Vashti's blatant rebellion, the king then passed an edict which was to be obeyed throughout his empire. That is to say, from India to Ethiopia. What were the terms of that particular edict? Consider the following group of verses:

"And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small. And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan: For he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and that it should be published according to the language of every people."


It becomes evident then that the story of Queen Esther is not just a lesson in bravery, love and self-sacrifice. It is likewise a lesson in humility, and it carries the strong message that all women are supposed to remain submissive to their husbands, in spite of whatever his lot may be in life. Please notice that we are told "both to great and small." In other words, a man's particular social status does not in any way diminish the requirement that his wife should remain submissive to him. Ladies, if you are with a husband, it is your duty to respect him, obey him, and submit to him. Some of you liberal-minded girls may find that hard to swallow. However, as we will see again in just a moment, this is in fact the Biblical mandate for Christian couples.

While this is personal speculation on my part, perhaps it was because of Esther's humility and obedience to her Uncle Mordecai, that the Lord knew that He could trust her. Thus, God honored Esther with the great responsibility of being queen over the entire Persian Empire. On the other hand, as I point out in a number of other articles, it is when we foolishly choose to yield to our sinful pride, that we may end up suffering a severe demotion. Such was the case with Queen Vashti. The Scriptures actually contain quite a few admonitions regarding the danger of pride, and the rewards of remaining humble. Consider the following sample verses:

"The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts."


"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."


"When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom."


"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom."


"In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them."


"The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility."


"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."


"A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit."


"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."


"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."


"And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."


"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble . . . Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."


"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:"


"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."


To reiterate a point I made in part one, the Bible makes it very clear that women are supposed to remain spiritually and physically submissive to their God-fearing husbands; because just as Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, the husband is likewise the spiritual head of his own family. Thus, in honoring her husband, a woman is likewise honoring Christ as well. Of course, at the same time, husbands are also to love their wives. Consider the following verses that are found in the writings of the Apostles:

"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."


"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them."


"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:"


"Have we not POWER TO LEAD about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?"


As I mentioned a moment ago, just as a husband is the head of a family and over his wife, Christ is the spiritual Head of His Church. As I point out in the article entitled "Are You Committing Adultery?", human marriage relationships are in fact a reflection of Christ's marriage to His spiritual bride, the Church. As a woman is to submit to her husband, so the Church is to submit to Christ. Consider this group of verses:

"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."


"Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,"


"But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:"


"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body."


"And he [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."


"And ye are complete in him [Jesus], which is the head of all principality and power:"


"Unto you therefore which believe he [Jesus] is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,"


For any Christian woman to deny the truth that is plainly revealed in the previous set of verses is to be in open rebellion against God's ordained plan for His Church. The previous verses serve as our outline and guide, and also guarantee harmony and unity in Christian relationships. It is only when these Scriptural mandates are not honored, and are in fact abrogated, that we find ourselves in the midst of a broken marriage relationship.

At the same time, it should be rather evident to you that it is by returning to, and abiding by, these very same Biblical admonitions and mandates, that a marriage relationship can be healed and fully restored. In short, we can thus say that pride divides and kills a marriage relationship, while on the other hand, humility can reunite and bring a marriage relationship back to life.

At this point in our discussion, we are going to dig deeper into the structure of ancient Israelite society during the Old Testament period. To begin with, as is well known, the twelve sons of Jacob -- who later became known as Israel -- became the heads of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Obviously, they were all men, as we see by the following set of verses:

"And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon. Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words. Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them."


When Moses first formed the Sanhedrin in order to lighten his burden of leadership, the Lord instructed him to select seventy men from amongst the tribes of Israel, as can be determined by the following group of verses. The Sanhedrin continued to exist through the New Testament period:

"And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness. And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone."


Furthermore, the ancient Israelite priesthood, which began withe Aaron and his sons, and then expanded to include other members of the tribe of Levi, consisted of all male members. They began serving at the age of twenty-five, and continued to serve until the age of fifty. Centuries later, King David rearranged the Levitical priesthood into twenty-four courses, or orders. Sixteen of the courses were assigned to Eleazar, while the other eight courses were assigned to Ithamar. You will find the details regarding the divisions in 1 Chronicles 24. David's son, Solomon, continued this arrangement, as did King Hezekiah, and then the Jews who returned from Babylonian captivity. Each priest served for a period of one week twice a year. Consider the following group of Bible verses:

"And take‭‭ thou unto thee Aaron‭ thy brother‭, and his sons‭ with him, from among‭ the children‭ of Israel‭, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office‭‭, ‭even‭ Aaron‭, Nadab‭ and Abihu‭, Eleazar‭ and Ithamar‭, Aaron's‭ sons‭.‭"


"And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy fathers house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness . . . And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever . . . This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:"


"And he [Solomon] appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded. And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures."


"And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, every man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the tents of the LORD . . . Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared them, And brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: over which Cononiah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was the next. And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God. And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter toward the east, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the LORD, and the most holy things. And next him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their set office, to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small: Beside their genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even unto every one that entereth into the house of the LORD, his daily portion for their service in their charges according to their courses; Both to the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges by their courses; And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their set office they sanctified themselves in holiness: Also of the sons of Aaron the priests, which were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every several city, the men that were expressed by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all that were reckoned by genealogies among the Levites. And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered." 2 Chronicles 31:2, 11-21. KJV

"And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses."


To continue, it is likewise quite evident that the Prophets of both the Old and the New Testament periods were almost without exception all men. This point is easily verifiable simply by looking at the names of all of the Books of the Prophets. In similar fashion, the kings of ancient Israel were also all males, although a few women did try to usurp authority through very unscrupulous means, including mass murder. Thus, as we have now seen, a few rare exceptions aside, the pages of the Old Testament plainly reveal that, for the most part, the leaders of ancient Israelite society -- both religious and political leaders -- were all men. It is an indisputable point.

Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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