THE PURIFICATION AND INTERCESSION OF THE BRIDE
Kay Keith Peebles 8/14/2020 20.30
This day and hour in which we are currently living has long since been prophesied throughout the history of the Bible. The fact that it may not appear as we had imagined does not diminish the seriousness, the holiness, or the power of this time of purification.
Looking back at the story of Esther, we can see a similarity to today. Ahasuerus (Xerxes) was king over the large province of Persia. He divorced his wife Vashti for disobedience and sought a new queen from among the virgins of his province. Hadassah (Esther) was a Jewish virgin who was one of the women placed in the harem of the king. Hiding her Jewish heritage from the king, Hadassah took the name of Esther and won the favor of the king’s eunuch who attended the virgins. Each of the virgins underwent a year long process of purification and training. There were months of beauty treatments, “six months with oil of Myrrh and six months of sweet spices and perfumes and the things for the purifying of the women.” See Esther 2:12. Emphasis mine.
Myrrh comes from a low, thick shrub grown in Arabia, Ethiopia and Somali. It has thorny branches that are thick and produces a pungent aromatic gum highly valued in perfumes. The ancient Egyptians applied Myrrh when embalming the dead.
Those who die to themselves in order to live in Christ produce a sweet aroma to the Lord. “For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ unto God, among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing: To the latter it is an aroma from death to death; to the former it is an aroma from life to life. And who is qualified for these things?” 2 Corinthians 2:15-16.
Myrrh was also highly valued as an astringent tonic made for medicinal healing. “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as living stones, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also as living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:1-5.
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless].” Ephesians 5:25-27.
When Esther’s night with the king came, she sought no riches to adorn herself, nor anything to enhance her appearance. She did not seek to draw attention to herself but humbly asked the advice of the head eunuch as to the king’s preferences. Esther approached her king in the simplicity of her beauty and purity. In that moment, king Xerxes sought no one but Esther to be his queen.
“Let us rejoice and shout for joy! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself.” Revelation 19:7
“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 as a chaste virgin to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2.
The story did not end when Esther became queen. She was made the queen for a monumental purpose. The Lord needed Esther to save His people at great personal risk. An Agagite man named Haman was put in power directly under king Xerxes. He hated the Jews and sought to destroy the entire Jewish population living in the province. Haman deceived the king by causing Him to make a decree guaranteeing their complete annihilation. Esther was the only one of her people who had the opportunity of the king’s attention to reveal the enemy’s plan to destroy them. Her time of preparation was not simply for Esther to become queen of Persia and to enjoy the riches of the kingdom. It was for her to intervene on behalf of her people helping to spare their lives at the risk of her own safety!
Mordecai was Esther’s older cousin who had adopted her when her mother and father died. He sent word to Esther about the decree against the Jews and called her to intervene on their behalf. He asked her to enter the king’s court without his summons risking her life in order to tell the king about the plot to kill her people and expose the evil man Haman. Esther feared for her life but Mordecai compelled her. “Do not flatter yourself that you shall escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” Esther 4:13-14.
Esther asked Mordecai to summon the people to fast for three days and nights and she would do the same. Esther then boldly went before king Xerxes and found favor with him. Haman became exposed and was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai and the Jews were spared. This is not simply a nice Old Testament story to be celebrated by the Jews at Purim each year. Esther is a type of the Bride of Christ.
“I will betroth you to me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will even betroth you to Me in stability and in faithfulness, and you shall know (recognize, be acquainted with, appreciate, give heed to, and cherish) the Lord.” Hosea 2:19-20.
We are in the season of the separation of the wheat and the tares. (See Matthew 3:12). The Lord is judging His church to see who will choose to be His spotless holy bride. Many are partying and making merry in the King’s palace with no regard to the seriousness of the hour. Like the 10 virgins in Matthew 25, only half are preparing their lamps for the night which is coming so that they are ready for the Bridegroom when He summons them.
“Our iniquities, our secret heart and its sins [which we would so like to conceal even from ourselves], have set in the [revealing] light of Your countenance.” Psalm 90:8.
The Christian faith is not about saying a one-time prayer of commitment that ushers someone into eternity. It is a life of self-sacrifice, dying to self in order to live in Christ Jesus. His call to discipleship demands making disciples of the nations. He did not make us to be party lights. He made us to be lights to the world! Israel failed (temporarily) but will rise up again during the Great Tribulation. Before that happens Jesus is calling forth His true Bride to make herself ready to bring in the harvest of souls before He calls her up. The night is coming. The time to prepare is now. The harvest is being ripened and made ready for the workers. Without a complete surrender to the refinement of the fire of God, which requires a death to everything in this world and total commitment to Jesus, we will forfeit our eternity with the King.
Jesus is calling His Bride to come with Him and walk upon the mountain of spice (purification and transformation). May His words of sweet love ring the alarm in our ears. May we hear the Spirit of God beckoning us to run to Him in this hour of testing and purification.
“Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy Place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him [who inquire of and for Him and of necessity require Him], who seek Your face, [O God of] Jacob. Psalm 24:3-5.
“As the hart pants and longs for the water brooks, so I pant and long for You, O God. My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” Psalm 42:1-2.
“I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my balsam and spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. O friends, [feast on O revelers of the palace; you can never make my lover disloyal to me]! Drink, yes, drink abundantly of love, O precious one [for now I know you are mine irrevocably mine!” Song of Solomon 5:1.
We have this window of time to lock in our commitment to the Lord, laying down everything before Him, taking nothing with us in our hands but our hearts. Can you hear His call to abandonment of all but Him? We must search our hearts to see what holds more of us than Him? He must be our first love or not at all.
“In the night I dreamed that I sought the one whom I love. I looked for him but could not find him. So I decided to go out into the city, into the streets and broad ways, and seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I could not find him. The watchmen who go about the city found me, to whom I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’ I had gone but a little way past them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her who conceived me.” Song of Solomon 3:1-4.
I close with this last scripture: “Set me like a seal upon your heart, like a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy is as hard and cruel as Sheol…Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it…[Joyfully the radiant bride turned to him the one altogether lovely, the chief among ten thousand to her soul and with unconcealed eagerness to begin her life of sweet companionship with him, she answered] Make haste my beloved, and come quickly, like a gazelle or a young hart upon the mountains of spices!” Song of Solomon 8:6-14. Selah.
