The Great Mystery Concerning Christ and His Church

[Mr. M]

What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs? And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For the queen’s behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come. This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media will say to all the king’s officials that they have heard of the behavior of the queen. Thus there will be excessive contempt and wrath. If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. When the king’s decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small. And the reply pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan. Then he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province in its own script, and to every people in their own language, that each man should be master in his own house, and speak in the language of his own people. Esther chapter one.

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Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular, so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.                        Ephesians chapter 5

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The hand of fate meets the hand of faith

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Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the Lord. So he said to them, Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace to you! Then He said to Thomas, Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be faithless, be faithful. And Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. John chapter 20

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Consider how every action of the Church, as the Bride of Christ, reflects upon the King of the Universe, and consider your ways

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Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: This people says, The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins? Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways! You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes. (Spiritually Bankrupt!!!) Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him; and the people feared the presence of the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s message to the people, saying, I am with you, says the Lord. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God. Haggai chapter one

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Whose house are we pre-occupied with building??! What house do you plan on living in for eternity?!!

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Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know. Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?

Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.            John chapter 14

Edited April 7, 2023 by Mr. M

[JustClay]

Hi @Mr. M… Indeed, what shall we do with Queen Vashti?  I’m not sure her husband was loving her as much as his own body when he demanded she appear in front of a bunch of drunken men just to show off her beauty.  Also, I have a bit of a problem with a man-made decree (such as the one made by King Ahasuerus) than every man should be the master of his own house, no matter the circumstance.  Not all men are spiritually fit to be “masters,” even when their wives are desiring to be submissive.  However, regarding Queen Vashti…. I believe divine intervention had a huge role in her decision to disobey her husband so that a door would open to Esther, who not only spoke respectfully to the king, but also saved her people.  God’s hand was in every aspect of the plan to save the Jewish people; Esther’s fate as well as that of her people was in the hand of our ever-faithful Father!  

I agree that we should be mindful of our ways and make very certain that we are holding the hand of the One who has the power to save.  The world is filled with too many material distractions, and deceptions abound.  Jesus instructs us in Matthew 6:19-21:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

There are, however, many jewels we can and should acquire while we inhabit this earthly tent!  

Proverbs 3:13-18  NKJV

13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;
14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who retain her.

Proverbs 8:11  NKJV

11 For wisdom is better than rubies,
And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

[Mr. M]

2 minutes ago, JustClay said:

Hi @Mr. M… Indeed, what shall we do with Queen Vashti?  I’m not sure her husband was loving her as much as his own body when he demanded she appear in front of a bunch of drunken men just to show off her beauty.  Also, I have a bit of a problem with a man-made decree (such as the one made by King Ahasuerus) than every man should be the master of his own house, no matter the circumstance.  Not all men are spiritually fit to be “masters,” even when their wives are desiring to be submissive.  However, regarding Queen Vashti…. I believe divine intervention had a huge role in her decision to disobey her husband so that a door would open to Esther, who not only spoke respectfully to the king, but also saved her people.  God’s hand was in every aspect of the plan to save the Jewish people; Esther’s fate as well as that of her people was in the hand of our ever-faithful Father!  

Hey JustClay, Let me first say that I always appreciate your responses. On this occasion you may have sold the lesson a bit short. What you fail to mention, or  observe was that I posted a pagan response to a marital situation that was far from common and therefore atypical for people of the time, and then followed that immediately with Ephesians 5 instructions for husbands and wives, not only to show a greater wisdom, because at certain levels, Memucan's advice made much sense, as the example to a nation was being sent from the King and his Queen. More importantly, Ephesians 5 displays the true spiritual wisdom as a revelation to the mystery of Christ's relationship with the Church. After a brief look back at Thomas, and his need to see and feel the Messiah, you reach the actual heart of the lesson, which is how the Church, as a bride, can reflect poorly on the King of the Universe. Then re-think the position on Vashti. This must be balanced with the Church as a Temple under construction, finishing with John 14, and another encounter of the Messiah with the apostle Thomas. Anyway, the reason I took the time to write this synopsis is because I am to blame for putting so much in a thread. Just trying to serve up the Prime Rib.

Blessings, and shabbat shalom,

James the less than lesser

[Mr. M]

22 minutes ago, JustClay said:

I agree that we should be mindful of our ways and make very certain that we are holding the hand of the One who has the power to save.  The world is filled with too many material distractions, and deceptions abound.  Jesus instructs us in Matthew 6:19-21:

I changed the title to avoid directing people to that narrative.

I see that my choice of title was most responsible for misdirection

and any shortcomings were my own.

[JustClay]

57 minutes ago, Mr. M said:

I see that my choice of title was most responsible for misdirection

and any shortcomings were my own.

Kind of you to say, but I’m sure I can miss a puzzle piece now and then.  My mind just gravitated toward the contrast between man’s wisdom and God’s.  Man’s wisdom always misses the mark.  Our Father, on the other hand, had a truly wise and perfect plan, even before the beginning of time, to create a forever family.  That plan remained a mystery until it was revealed through Christ.  All doubt should have been erased when He was resurrected, but sadly, even with eye-witness testimony and the written story from beginning to triumphant end, many who are too distracted by the inventions of man and the lies of the enemy will be deceived.  You’re correct in pointing out that even “the church can reflect poorly on the King of the Universe” if we don’t consider our way—singular because there is only one Way.  

Hebrews 2:1-4

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.