Standing In Grace Series

2. Access to the King

In his short but valuable commentary on Romans, Ray C. Stedman illustrates the nature of our standing in grace by the Old Testament story of Queen Esther.

Esther was a young Jewish woman living in the days after the fall of Jerusalem, as a result of which the majority of the Jewish people had been carried off to Babylon. At the time of her story, the king was Xerxes and he was ruling at Susa.

Xerxes sought a bride to replace the deposed Queen Vashti and found one in Esther. She became his queen after being taken from the home of her cousin and guardian, Mordecai, to live in Xerxes’ palace.

A great enemy of the Jews named Haman was also living in the palace. Haman hatched a plot against the Jews in which Xerxes unwittingly signed a decree that would result in death for all the Jews in Persia. Mordecai got a message to Esther, telling her about the plot and saying that she must go to the king and tell him what was about to happen and prevent it.

But, Esther explained, there was a problem. It was a law of the Persians that no one could approach the king unbidden. If a person approached the king in the inner court without being summoned, there was only one result: death—unless the king held out his golden scepter to that person and thus spared his or her life. Although Queen Esther had not been summoned to the king for thirty days, even she could not approach him without danger of being put to death.

Mordecai explained to Esther that she had undoubtedly been brought to her position “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) and that there was no one else who could intervene to save her people.

Esther agreed to go to the king. She spent three days in prayer and fasting, asking the Jews through Mordecai also to fast and pray with and for her. Then, at the end of her period of preparation, she put on her most royal robes and stepped into the king’s inner hall. The king was sitting on his throne, facing the entrance. When he saw Esther he was so pleased with her beauty that he stretched out the scepter that was in his hand and thus accepted her. So Esther had access to the king, and through her the Jews were eventually spared.

This is what Paul says has happened to us through the work of Jesus Christ and the application of that work to us in our justification.

But the parallel is not exact, and for us the result is even more wonderful.

Esther was beautiful, and the king was pleased with her.

But, in our case, sin has made us highly offensive to God and we have not even tried to approach him. Still, God has loved us. He sought us when we were far from him. He sent his Son to die for us, taking the punishment for our sin upon himself. Now, because of Christ’s work, we have been brought into the palace where we enjoy God’s favor and have continuing access to him.

The author of Hebrews puts it this way: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus. . . let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. . . .” (Hebrews 10:19, 22).