Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Upon the reading of Heb 1:8 (with reference to Numbers 24:17), we come to see that Christ is typified by ‘a sceptre of righteousness.’ A sceptre is symbolic of the power of a king, the kind of sceptre it is, is dependent on that which the king wants to represent himself. In the case of Christ it is righteousness.
Est 4:11….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….
As it was in Esther, the terms of peace with a king come when the king extends his sceptre to you as you approach him. To approach a king without these terms of peace means automatic death, yet there is an amount of uncertainty that the terms of peace will be granted until the approach is made. This is that which makes fear ‘the beginning of knowledge’. Yet as we see in Esther this fear is the beginning of knowledge, yet it is only the beginning of knowledge. The person has been enlightened enough to come to the king for a request or a favour, but they have not yet tasted whether or not the king is gracious, they have not yet come to terms of peace with the king.
Back to Esther. Vashti was beautiful and had everything going for her, except she had not made it to the beginning of right relationship to the king, which was a proper fear. She recognized no personal need to approach the king, therefore she had no desire to approach nor fear of approaching. Whereas to Esther a dire need was made known which magnified her fear, yet it was this same need that caused her to overcome her fear of approaching Ahasuerus. Vashti didn’t fear and didn’t come, whereas Esther feared but came anyway, and that fear was overcome. Which of the two then tasted that the king was gracious to them? Esther! Why? Because the sceptre and terms of peace associated with it was only extended to her. Did her fear of the king remain the same after she tasted that the king was gracious? No. It was changed, and made perfect in love.
Likewise when coming to the King, we approach with great need and conviction upon a knowledge of our own need of righteousness, which causes a fear of approaching a perfectly righteous God. To those who have come this way of being humbled by their own need of righteousness, the Sceptre of righteousness as the terms of peace is extended to them, all that is left is for them to reach up and touch it. Christ is that sceptre, He is the bridge of peace between God and man and it is His righteousness which is extended to man as the terms of peace between God and man.
To those who fear not God as Vashti feared not, this Sceptre and the terms of peace that come with it will be withheld, but to those who only fear God, I tell you that I have tasted that the Lord is gracious, and that He will extend His righteousness to you. Don’t stand before the throne in abject fear, but reach out by faith and touch Christ, who Himself is the ‘Sceptre of Righteousness’ extended to you, and have your fear made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Dear Lee,
What a marvelous post. It seems a good reply to JD. (JD, I’m going to pray that you read this one)
Praying for you all,
white stone
AMEN!
To those who have come this way of being humbled by their own need of righteousness, the Sceptre of righteousness as the terms of peace is extended to them, all that is left is for them to reach up and touch it. Christ is that sceptre, He is the bridge of peace between God and man and it is His righteousness which is extended to man as the terms of peace between God and man.