God's Name Despised

And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him [L'Paniv], but she came not. Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king's princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.

Esther 1:16ff (Spoke 17, Cycle 1)

A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person [Lit. Panikah, Thy Face]? saith the LORD of hosts.

Malachi 1:6ff (Spoke 17, Cycle 2)

But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

2 Peter 2:10 (Spoke 17, Cycle 3)

The polluted bread God speaks of above in Malachi is the Shewbread (KJV), also known as the Bread of the Presence (NASB). It was introduced in Exodus 25.30 with these words:

Literally, the Bread the Presence is the Bread of the Face. It is to be L'Pani - Before the LORD - forever (cf. Before the King). This representation of God's presence in the form of nourishing Bread is a beautiful pre-image of Christ Jesus the Bread of Life - born in Beyt Lechem, the House of Bread - who was yet to come when God gave this prophetic Type. These symbols are profoundly integrated with the message God gives through Malachi. The contempt for the bread of God's table is really a contempt for God Himself - they despise Him to His Face! Thus we find the Face of God hidden below the surface of Malachi on Spoke 17 of the bwheel. Beginning at Malachi 1:8 we read:

Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person [lit. lift up your face]? saith the LORD of hosts. And now, I pray you, beseech God [lit. beseech Pani El, the face of God] that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons [lit. lift up your face]? saith the LORD of hosts.

Malachi 1:8ff (Spoke 17, Cycle 2)

The highlighted phrases all use the fundamental Peh KeyWord פנים (panim, face). Most striking is verse 9 which contains the Hebrew Pani El. The Septuagint translates this verse literally as "intreat the face of your God." It is God's Face that is being despised by these priests! This completely coheres with the great Peh Themes that unite the Books of Esther, Malachi, and II Peter on Spoke 17.

The honour God speaks of here in Malachi is כבוד (kavod, glory), the word used in the Fifth Commandment. It corresponds to the Greek δοξα (doxa, glory) translated as the "dignities" that are being despised in II Peter above. It is the word Achashverosh used when he wanted to show the "the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty." This theme of the display of glory saturates Spoke 17. For example, the question posed above in Malachi on Cycle 2 is answered here in 2 Peter on Cycle 3:

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

2 Peter 1:16f

A similar "Question and Answer" between Malachi and II Peter - with the roles reversed - is seen in the Promise of His Coming:

This is the beauty and depth of God's Word - the Bible Wheel structure is not merely a collection of geometrically integrated themes and word distributions that simultaneously prove the divine origin of Scripture while integrating it with the Hebrew alphabet to form a perfect mnemonic structure for the incorporation of the Living Word into the heart, mind and soul of the Believer. No! Its much more than even that! In the fulness of God's Wisdom He reveals His Glory in the incomparable divine artwork of His radiant Word. He reveals Himself in the Holy Bible. Oh! What a endless delight it is to behold the Face of God in the infinite depths of this Divine Masterpiece!

Yet not all have this faith. The theme of contempt for God is found everywhere on Spoke 17 because it is the essence of what happens when God's Face is encountered by unbelievers. It is an unfortunate fact that fallen man is much more likely to despise God's Name and His Word than to honour Him with their mouths. We must never forget that these "scoffers" spat on the face of the Lord Jesus Christ - the perfection of revelation - when He walked upon this sin soaked sod. The Brazen Whore of Revelation 17 is the epitome of this, with names of blasphemy written on her forehead. Contempt for God doesn't get any plainer than that! This in your face attitude that runs throughout Spoke 17 is particularly clear in Esther where it caused Vashti's downfall and motivated Haman to destroy all the Jews. This is all part of the great mystery of why God's Face is hidden only in Esther on Spoke 17.

The word translated as despised in the quotes above from Esther and Malachi is from the root בזה (bazah, S# H0959). This word also appears three times on the Spoke 17 of the Inner Cycle of Ezekiel where the Lord God Almighty links it fundamental Peh KeyWord פרר (parar, to break) which also is the root of the word Purim, a primary KeyWord in the theme of Esther on Cycle 1. In Ezekiel 17 we read:

As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised [bazah], and whose covenant he brake [parar], even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. ... 18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking [parar] the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape. 19 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised [bazah], and my covenant that he hath broken [pur], even it will I recompense upon his own head.

Ezekiel 17:16-19 (Spoke 17 Inner Cycle)

Upon his own head? Now that sounds familiar. Turning to Esther on Cycle 1 we read:

Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them; But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

Esther 9:24 (Spoke 17, Cycle 1)

Thus we behold the supernatural integration of Ezekiel 17 with Esther via the ideas of parar (the root Purim), bazah (despised), and the reversal of intended evil that is recompensed upon the head of the perpetrator! Glory to God in the highest! If only I had ten thousand voices to declare the wonders of the Lord - we have such a superabundance of riches in His Holy Word.

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