Esther and Mordecai as Types of Christ

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In what ways was Esther a type of Christ?

Esther	Jesus Christ
Esther grew up in obscurity.	Jesus grew up in obscurity.
Esther was loved by the king more than all the women.	Of Jesus, Heavenly Father said, “Behold my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Esther didn’t reveal her people or her family until the right time.	Christ didn’t reveal his divinity until his ministry.
Esther’s kinsman Mordecai transgressed the commandment of the king and put all his people in danger of being slain.	Christ’s kinsman, Adam, transgressed the commandment of Heavenly Father and the fall of man resulted.
Esther’s people were already sold to be slain, but she was in a position of safety.	All of us partook of the fall and would have been utterly lost unless something was done to reclaim us.  Christ, however, was safe from all that, being innocent of sin.
Esther’s women and her people fasted three days and three nights.	Christ’s disciples mourned during the time He was in the tomb.
None could come into the presence of the king without being sent for except for Esther.	None but Jesus could make it back to the presence of God.
Esther invited Haman to the banquets, yet eventually exposed him as the villain.	Christ suffers Satan to have ascendency in the world (as sometimes it appears that the wicked are favored), but will eventually cast him out.
Esther pled for her people at the risk of her own life.	Christ gave His life for us and intercedes to God for us.
Esther’s request was for the life of her people, which was granted.	Christ sacrifice makes it so that all men will be resurrected.
Esther’s intercession earned the Jews the right to fight those who would try to slay them.	Christ’s intercession gave us the ability to resist temptation and depend on the Atonement for salvation.
Esther says, “For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?” (Esther 8:6).	This is the same sentiment that would lead Christ to sacrifice Himself for us.

Above, we have pointed out that in some respects Mordecai was a type of Adam.  However, from other perspectives, he also was a type of Christ. 

Mordecai	Jesus Christ
Mordecai’s lack of respect for Haman was seen as disobedience and threatening to the king’s command.	Jesus’ birth was considered threatening by King Herod when the wise men asked “Where is he who is born king of the Jews?” Also, Jesus refused to worship Satan when tempted.
Mordecai’s humble role as gatekeeper	Jesus was a humble carpenter.
Mordecai was hated by Haman, who planned to kill him by hanging him on a very high gibbet.	Jesus was hated by the high-ranking Jews, who planned to kill him.  He was crucified by hanging on a tree up in the air.
Mordecai’s rode through the city as an honor from the king.	Jesus had a triumphant entry to Jerusalem on the final week of his life.
Mordecai triumphed over his enemies.	Jesus triumphed over the enemy death and hell through His resurrection and glorification.
Mordecai gained more authority than he had previously and sealed dispatches with the king’s signet ring.	Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, and uses “divine investiture of authority,” speaking as the Father.
Mordecai sent swift messengers to every part of the kingdom to deliver the proclamation about the Jews’ salvation.	Jesus Christ sends missionaries to every part of the world to deliver the message of the gospel of salvation.

Thoughts on the story of Esther

I just want to share a few observations I’ve had while I was reading the Book of Esther.

It is rather ironic that King Ahasuerus gets rid of Vashti for refusing to come to his banquet when he commanded, and then he comes to two of Esther’s banquets when she asks him and allows her to come even when he hasn’t called her.  It gives us the impression that with God on her side, Esther is more powerful than even Vashti was.  We see that God softened King Ahasuerus’ heart when he could have been offended at Esther.

It strikes me that Mordecai, by his omitting to bow to Haman, is the provoking factor for Haman’s attempt to kill the Jews, and Mordecai’s niece Esther is providentially positioned to clean up the mess that results from it.  I have to wonder, did Mordecai consider bowing an act of idolatrous worship that he had to refrain from in order to keep the commandment to not have any gods besides Jehovah, or did he know something of Haman’s background that made him think Haman unworthy of a bow?  Such a little thing that led to such danger! 

Now here’s something I noticed that I didn’t realize before.  For the longest time I’ve had the idea that Haman saw Mordecai not bowing down and that made Haman angry and led to his vendetta against the Jews.  However, that is a simplification.  The real story comes before that.

 1 After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.

 2 And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.

 3 Then the king’s servants, which were in the king’s gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king’s commandment?

 4 Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew.

 5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. (Esther 3:1-5)

It seems Haman didn’t even notice Mordecai at first, and Mordecai’s coworkers are the ones who make Mordecai’s actions an issue.  They see him not bowing while everyone else is and they get after him about it.  They won’t let it go; they are after him every day about it.  He told them he was a Jew, and perhaps there was an explanation about the 10 commandments and not bowing down to anything but the true God, but they weren’t willing to let him get out of it.  This is peer pressure on the job, folks.  So, Mordecai’s coworkers are the ones who bring Mordecai’s actions to Haman’s attention, and when Haman notices, he gets really mad.

I think the conflict between Mordecai and Haman is very applicable for us because at bottom it is about how covenant people and their values clash with worldly priorities, but that the Lord prepares ways to protect His people when their zeal provokes opposition from others or when others make an issue of the standards He asks them to live.

Another thing I notice is that the king seem really comfortable with delegating his authority and approving new decrees, even when the real effects and implications are not known.  All Haman does to get the decree to kill the Jews passed is tell the king:

--There’s a people in your kingdom who have different laws from everybody else and don’t follow your laws.

--They don’t help you any.

--I’ll pay for it if you make a decree to destroy them.

The king doesn’t even know who these people are.  The information he is given is incredibly vague, while a critical thinker would start asking questions like, “Who are they?  What are their laws?  What laws of the king do they break?”  A critical thinker would also want to hear the accused people make a defense of their laws and justify their existence.  But then, I am judging by 21^st century standards.  King Ahasuerus no doubt made the assumption that since Haman was loyal to the king and a king favorite, he would bring up these concerns only if it were already demonstrated that the people in question were a problem.

The obstacles that Esther faces in pleading for herself and her people are significant.

·      To go see the king to make her petition she has to visit him without being called, which could lead to her death if the king didn’t hold out his scepter to her and pardon her life.

·      To reveal her nationality when the Jews had already been sentenced to destruction meant she could lose her life that way too, if her petition was unsuccessful.

·      She had to argue that the king’s favorite (Haman) had been behind this.  The king could easily take Haman’s side over hers.

·      To point out the king had been duped into making the law in the first place she would imply that the king’s judgment was bad, which would be a bit of a blow to a royal male ego.

·      She hadn’t been asked for by the king in 30 days, so her social currency wasn’t at the strongest right then.  She had to find a way to strengthen her ties to the king.

It must have made Esther very nervous to make such a big request after not having seen the king for 30 days.  I think she knew that one is not likely to grant large request even to family members one has not associated with for a while, but that one is more likely to do so after some quality family time.  Hence, requesting one banquet with the king and then another banquet before she brought up the topic, was an excellent tactic.   Dinner was important for families to bond even back in ancient times, yes?

It is interesting that when Esther comes into the king’s inner court, she just stands there waiting for him to notice.  She doesn’t go far in blatantly; she waits just inside.  It must have been a very tense moment for her.

When the king lowers his scepter to her, I just have to marvel at the two different views of the situation—Esther’s and the king’s.  The king may have thought, “Well, duh, I would definitely pardon my wife if she came to talk to me!” while Esther waited on pins and needles, as for her it was a matter of life and death.   It’s a pretty good lesson that we may see events one way, but to other people those events may have deadly significance and their whole lives hinge on the outcome.  It also makes me think it can’t be very healthy for a relationship if one partner has all the power like that.   Esther had to live in that and make it work.

She goes up and touches the scepter.  To me it is a playful gesture, like an attempt to try to maintain her human dignity and diffuse the tenseness in a situation where she had no control over the outcome.  It’s as if she says, “Yes, I pardon you too.  We will pardon each other and life will be beautiful.  Isn’t it rather silly that you have to pardon your own wife when she wants to talk to you?”

It is interesting to me that when Esther invites the king to come to her banquet she invites Haman too.  I don’t know how she was able to stand it.  If I had been her, I would not have wanted to invite an enemy to a dinner date with me and my husband.  But perhaps Esther is demonstrating greater forthrightness than Haman.  Haman accused the Jewish people without them there to defend themselves, but Esther will accuse Haman to his face.  And it could also be that she wanted to be able to judge whether her pull with the king could become greater than Haman’s.  If she could get the king more attentive to her than to Haman, she might feel more comfortable making her petition for herself and her people.   It may be that after the first banquet she saw she didn’t yet have it so she asked for another banquet so she could continue her bonding efforts.

I really love the Esther asked people to pray and fast for her before she made the attempt to talk to the king.  And actually, it is possible to see that the prayer and fasting had the effect of softening the king’s heart so that he acted with more love and concern than he otherwise would have.  For instance, instead of getting miffed at Esther’s visit to the inner court without being requested, he pardoned her interruption.  Also, his unusually sleepless night just afterward led to a perusal of the records and chronicles, and he realized he had to reward Mordecai for the loyalty shown in revealing the plot against the kings life, when previously he seems to have taken Mordecai’s loyalty for granted.

When Ahasuerus asks Haman what should be done for the man who the king wanted to honor, Haman’s answer seems to be to be particularly lame.  Haman’s answer is:

--to wear the king’s old clothes

--to wear the king’s crown

--to ride the king’s horse through the streets

--to be led by a high-ranking courtier who would proclaim, “This is what is done for the person the king wants to honor.”

What seems lame about it is that it is only temporary, and it is all a show to other people.  And too, the reward is bestowed on Mordecai and it isn’t of any real benefit; Mordecai goes back to being a gatekeeper after his ride through the city.   So why did Haman want this reward for himself?  After all, he was already promoted above everyone else in the court.

I think Haman was still insecure and wanted to demonstrate his status to everyone in the city, just in case it wasn’t known already.  He wanted to make himself the object of others’ complete envy.  It was probably to salve an inner nagging feeling that he didn’t have belonging or acceptance or status.  Certain people can’t be happy with being favored and fortunate; they have to make sure that everyone else knows it too and envies them.

When it comes to the point that Esther reveals Haman’s perfidious plot, it is interesting to notice the factors that influence the king to take her part and turn against Haman.

--Esther reveals that the queen herself is affected by Haman’s plot to kill the Jews.  She spins it in such a way as to portray it as a personal attack on her (and her people too), rather than an unintended consequence of a blanket threat.

--Haman throws himself at Esther’s feet to beg for mercy and somehow it looks to the king as if Haman is about to try to rape her.

--Harbonah, a chamberlain, mentions that Haman had built a gallows for the purpose of hanging Mordecai, whom the king had most recently determined to reward for loyalty.   This makes Haman’s personal animosity toward Mordecai appear in a much more sinister light.  (The king would reason thus--If Haman is trying to destroy loyal friends of the king and destroy the queen, Haman is clearly an enemy to the king.)

Thus, Haman is condemned by his appearance of evil, even if he never meant to be disloyal.  Before we start to pity him, it is worth remembering that Haman had condemned the Jews for appearance of disloyalty from just one of them (Mordecai).  He was getting a dose of retribution equal to his own prejudice.   I have to wonder if Haman’s rise to power with the king was built on a foundation of such underhanded tactics as he tried to use against Mordecai.

The overall meaning I get from this story comes from examining both roles of Mordecai and Esther.  From Mordecai we learn that our zeal to keep the commandments gets us into trouble when it conflicts with the laws, but we are to stay true and trust God.   From Esther we learn that we have a responsibility to use our influence to support and advocate for those whose zeal puts them under fire and trust God to magnify our influence.

Exploring Isaiah 33

Isaiah 33 is a tricky chapter.  (I encourage you to go there and take a look through it to familiarize yourself before I start doing wacky things in this post.)  One of things that I found tricky about it when I was first reading it was that it is such a mix of good and bad things happening.  You think Isaiah is talking about wicked people and then suddenly it seems like he is talking about righteous people, and then he goes back again, so it is like spiritual whiplash. 

But take that thought--a mix of good and bad--and you'll see that will help you make sense of it.  When I was trying to make sense of it, I got the idea to try highlighting in one color the verses that seem to describe wickedness and destruction, then highlight in a different color the verses that seem to describe righteousness and trusting the Lord. 

The mix of good and bad is what it will be like before the Second Coming--Good people interspersed among bad people. They each will be reacting in very different ways to the dangerous events of that time, and we get a picture of their reactions in this chapter. 

Historically the things described in this chapter were fulfilled in Isaiah’s day when Jerusalem was miraculously delivered from the invading Assyrians, but we get hints from the chapter summary that it is a type of events before the Second Coming.

I’m going to group all the verses together that seem to talk about the wicked and discuss some things, then I will group all the verses together that talk about the righteous and discuss more.

The Wicked

1 Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee….

3 At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered….

7 Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

8 The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

 9 The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits….

11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.

12 And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire….

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?....

23 Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.

Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled (v1) – These are people who loot others, although they’ve never been looted themselves.  They aren’t looting out of revenge; they are opportunists taking advantage of general disorder and chaos, which means they are fundamentally dishonest people.

Woe to thee that…dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! (v1) – These people betray trust, also opportunistically, not out of revenge. 

when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee (v1) -- Isaiah promises these people who loot and betray trust that there will come a time when they will experience everything they made others suffer, and it will happen when they think they are secure.

At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered (v3)—This speaks of people fleeing and nations scattering when there is a noise, a tumult, and when someone whom Isaiah simply refers to as “thyself” is lifted up.  I suspect this person may be the glorified Christ coming in the air.  It may be a noisy entrance.

Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly (v7) --  We get the sense here that the tough military men will be very distressed, as will all the diplomats and ambassadors.  This is notable because soldiers historically are known for a stiff-upper-lip, “tough guy” culture.  Cry among them now and you’ll be considered a pansy.  Likewise, one would think diplomats train themselves not to show their emotions in order to allow them to make negotiations skillfully.  So when ambassadors cry, you know the options are exhausted and have failed and there is nothing else to do.  The overall message for this line is that even the most emotionally reserved among the wicked will be absolutely distraught.

The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man. (v8) – We get the sense that travel has been totally disrupted if highways lie waste.  It could be that they are empty, or it could mean that they have been destroyed.  As a reader I get the sense that some destructive person(s) in charge have broken treaties and attacked cities, killing indiscriminately, not caring about what eminent men may be in their way.  Now, before we get alarmed, we need to remember that this is among the wicked. 

The earth mourneth and languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits (v9) – Lebanon was known for its forests.  To speak of Lebanon being ashamed and hewn down is to express an environmental catastrophe of wood waste.  If Sharon is spoken of as a wilderness, we can take a cue from the bad things happening that Sharon is supposed to be a garden spot, but that it has been made desolate.  Bashan and Carmel are fruitful places, so “shaking off their fruits” expresses a destroyed harvest and imminent famine to come.

Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble (v11) – The chaff and stubble is the waste part of the grain plant.  Isaiah is using this imagery of waste parts and the imagery of conceiving and bringing forth to express how the wicked only come up with terrible ideas that never have good results. 

your breath, as fire, shall devour you (v11) – Breath is supposed to give people life.  Here the idea is being used to express two possible principles.  1) The wicked were using the valuable breath the Lord had granted them, but using it to do evil things that would eventually bring destruction upon themselves.  2) Breath is sometimes used to express the life that comes from the Holy Ghost, and here we get the sense that if the Holy Ghost were to come upon these wicked people it would not purify them, only burn them up.

And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire (v12) – Pretty plain words here.  The wicked will be burned.

The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (v14) – The wicked will not be the only ones in distress.  There will be some sinners in Zion, hypocrites, who will also be terribly afraid and wonder if anyone can survive the burnings that come from God.

Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey. (v23) – Here the fate that comes upon the wicked is being compared to a warship that is very badly managed.  The tackling (ropes holding the sails) is loosed.  The mast is weak and the sails badly unfurled.  What happens to a ship that is badly run?  It doesn’t survive.  It gets captured, and easily too.  Evidently Isaiah wants to make the point that it will be really easy to bring the wicked down because of how badly they do things.  And all their ill-gotten gains will be divided.  (I don’t know if this means the wicked will destroy the wicked and loot them too, or whether the righteous will be given the spoil because none of the wicked are left.)

Now we move on to the good news.  What are the righteous doing at this time?

The Righteous

2 O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble….

4 And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.

5 The Lord is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure….

10 Now will I rise, saith the Lord; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.

13 ¶Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might….

[Who shall dwell with everlasting burnings?]

15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?

19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

21 But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

22 For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us….

24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble (v2) – This is the attitude of the righteous.  They ask for the Lord’s grace to give them the strength to make it through these very difficult times.  If you notice, this line is mostly a prayer.  This shows us how important prayer will be to the righteous.  “We have waited for thee” shows us that the righteous express their faith to the Lord that He will come eventually.  “Be thou their arm every morning” shows us the righteous will pray for their loved ones to have power to make it through the day.  “our salvation also in the time of trouble” shows us the righteous know the Lord can save them and they pray for it.

And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller (v4) – The righteous have their own spoil (loot or treasure) that they are gathering during this time, but it is not the kind of thing that the wicked are interested in. Think of that image of the caterpillar at work eating away at green things.  It’s a very gradual and slow process, right?  And just like the caterpillar eating green things, the righteous feast on the words of life.  Their spoil is what Jesus calls “treasure in heaven.” 

as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them (v4) – This perhaps should have been put in the section about the wicked because it testifies of how Christ will attack the wicked with an unstoppable force the magnitude of which Isaiah could only express with a comparison to a cloud of locusts invading.  But it will be such a relief to the righteous because all their hopes will finally be confirmed.

The Lord is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness (v5) – In Zion the righteous follow the Lord, even while the rest of the world destroys itself with wickedness.  Even during the winding-up days before the Second Coming, Zion will be a place of good judgment and righteous people.

And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation (v6) – Our wisdom (from experience) and knowledge of the gospel will give us stability as we go through those difficult times, as will our deep acquaintance of the power of the Atonement of Christ.

the fear of the Lord is his treasure (v6) – Plain words here.  The Lord treasures the people who fear (trust) Him.

Now will I rise, saith the Lord; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. (v10) – This is the Lord announcing it is time for Him to show forth even more power to the world than He has shown before.  It will become more and more obvious to everyone, especially the righteous.  (The wicked, of course, will close their eyes to it.)

Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might (v11) – The words of the Lord to the nations commanding them to hear what He has done should suggest even greater missionary efforts than we have seen thus far.  Even when the world gets more wicked, missionary work will accelerate.

While the hypocrites begin to wonder who will dwell with everlasting burnings, Isaiah answers the question firmly:  He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil (v15) – This gives us a laundry list of good things to do and particular evils to avoid in the last days.  Stopping ones ears and shutting one’s eyes to keep from hearing and seeing evil speaks of the importance of avoiding bad media influences. Despising the gain of oppressions suggests the importance of avoiding even distant associations with evil, such as profiting from vices or wars through business associations.  Avoiding taking bribes speaks of refusing to be diverted from rendering just judgments.  And of course, walking righteously and speaking uprightly should be obvious.

He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. (v16) – In ancient Israel at times of upheaval and danger, people would hide out in caves high in cliffs where they stockpiled supplies.  Isaiah uses this imagery to teach that the righteous will be in a position of safety in the last days and their source of nourishment will be uninterrupted.

Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off. (v17) – Some of the Saints may have personal visitations with Christ or have visions of the celestial kingdom to comfort them when things get particularly desperate.

Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers? (v18) – The Saints who have inner peace will ponder the terror that the wicked are in.  They will also find that the officials who previously oppressed and threatened them will be swept away.

Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand (v19) – It may look like a foreign invader (with foreign language) is coming to wipe out the righteous, but they won’t get very far and Zion’s inhabitants won’t see them after all.

Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities (v20) – This is one of the things that makes Zion special—its solemnity about the things of eternity. (Contrast that with the wicked, who don’t take those things seriously at all.)

thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; (v20) – This is truly a promise for Zion of the latter-days, since in the former days Jerusalem was destroyed, along with its temple.  Now, seeing the modern Jerusalem become a quiet habitation would be pretty miraculous, considering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has continued.  And we know that Isaiah means the temples will be safe places.

not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. (v20) – Zion’s stakes are established for good.

But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. (v21) – This is kind of a complex image.  For some reason I always think of nice, broad, calm rivers leading to a rich land and Viking longboats that could easily attack by rowing up that river if they decided to, but they never do.  It’s an image of obvious vulnerability that somehow is never taken advantage of by the wicked.

For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us (v22) – This is the faith of the righteous; depending on the Lord for deliverance in all cases.

And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity. (v23) – The righteous will find both temporal and spiritual healing, even in those tough times before the Second Coming.

I hope that helps you make more sense of this chapter.  There are some pretty neat promises in it that should give us hope as we move closer to the Second Coming.