Mordecai is honored years after revealing an assassination plot against the king. He is given the king’s ring (Esther 8:2). “Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther (the queen). So Esther arose, and stood before the king” (8:4). The typology here has three purposes. Standing before the king is akin to coming into the presence of God, the King of kings. The scepter is a symbol of authority. The tribe of Judah is promised they would rule over the twelve tribes of Israel until the kingdom is split, and then they would rule over the kingdom of Judah: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh (Christ) come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 49:10). And the principle that we can only approach God on His terms is an act of mercy on His part rather than being restrictive. Numerous cases in the scriptures when God’s presence is breached without authority result in being consumed by His glory.
We see the bells on the bottom of the high priest’s robe as an alert to avoid approaching deity unawares. I just saw a documentary on one of the science channels where archaeologists claim to have recovered one of these bells in a cavern under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The case of Uzzah steadying the Ark is a prime example (2 Samuel 6:6-7). And the Lord’s warning of those unprepared for the Second Coming is instructive in D&C 5:19, as the unrepentant “are consumed away and utterly destroyed by the brightness of (His) coming.”
Esther becomes a type of Christ as she petitions the king as a mediator to reverse Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews. The king hands over his ring with the signet, giving Esther and Mordecai the authority to “Write for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.” (Esther 8:8). Mordecai “wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name and sealed it with the king’s ring” (8:10).
The signet ring featured a flat engraved surface traditionally used to stamp an impression into hot wax or clay. It acted as a legal signature, personal seal, and proof of authority for documents, letters, or locked property. It gave the recipient the authority to act in the name of the king. It symbolizes proper authority and priesthood keys to act in the name of God. This is the sealing power restored by Elijah in the Kirtland Temple on an Easter Sunday, April 3, 1836. (D&C 110:13-16). Like the signet ring that “no man may reverse,” it binds families together throughout the generations. It’s the “welding link” spoken of in D&C 128:9,18, which binds on earth and binds in heaven. It not only seals families together for eternity but also ratifies and seals ordinances performed for the living on earth and performed in temples for those who have passed into the Spirit World. Jesus said, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
Mordecai “wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring,” (Esther 8:10) making the ordinance just as binding as if the king had written it himself. Verse 11 states, “the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life.” Notice that this verdict is granted by the king and not Mordecai. When ordinances are performed under proper authority, they are just as valid as if the Lord Himself had performed them. I think this is very humbling and amazing that the Lord shares His power with mere mortals.
We see the ring as a symbol of authority as Pharoah “took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck” (Genesis 41:42). Symbolic kingly and queenly clothing seem to be a part of this. “Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple” (Esther 8:15). The colors are important too. Blue is the color of heaven, white is purity, and purple is royalty. The repentant prodigal son receives kingly attire with a ring, robe, and shoes, despite his running away in rebellion (Luke 15:22). This demonstrates the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Regardless of where we are or where we have been, He can make us kings and queens!
The circular shape of the ring represents the eternal sealing power. A circle has no beginning or ending point and is “one eternal round” (1 Nephi 10:19). The Lord likens the circle to the creation process:
“It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.” (Isaiah 40:22)
The square represents mortality, or earth with its four corners (or four cardinal directions), and the circle represents infinity, or heaven. The temple is that sacred space where heaven meets earth. In temple design, you often see a circle overlaid on a square.
Please see below for an image of an interesting signet ring showing a covenant gesture and a short video on the circle and the square.
