Studies In Intercession from the Book of Esther

"And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

The main application of this series is for prophetic intercession before the Lord's return. The coming end times will include a definite tribulation for God's people and the raising by God of a new generation in power.

Although the book of Esther is the only book in the bible not to specifically mention the name of the LORD, this does not take away from the Lord's message of a royal bride (the Church) threatened with extinction by Antichrist (Rev 12:17) and the ultimate victory through prayer over Satan, with a reign on earth of those who overcome. (Rev.17:14)

Background

Persia is an important country in Bible prophecy and the historical accuracy of this book has been backed by archeological excavations. These confirm that the layout of the palace conformed to the accounts in Esther. An inscription of Artaxerxes Mnemon found at Susa tells us that it was destroyed by fire in the days of Artaxerxes Longimanus, the son and successor of Xerxes. Within some 30 years, therefore, from the time of Esther, that palace passed from the knowledge of men.

Babylon is the first great empire seen in Daniel.

The capture of that City by Cyrus (graphically described in Daniel chapter 5 after the Lord's handwriting on the wall in tongues) marked the end of the Babylonian Empire. The Persian Empire, with Susa as capital, succeeded it. This is the silver breast and arms of the great statue seen by the King. (Daniel 2:32) "The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze."

Daniel 2:39 "After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth."

The Persian Empire was inferior in that it was not an absolute monarchy (as Babylon was). Scripture says of the Babylonian empire, in Daniel 5:19, "Because of the high position God gave him.... Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled." In contrast, the Persian monarch had to consult a council before acting against Vashti. Esther 1:13 "Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times."

At the same time, until the later arrival of the Greeks, the Persian Empire enjoyed a period of prosperity and its ruler, Cyrus, was later responsible for the return of the Jews under Ezra. (Ezra 1:1-8 and 4:3-24). God anointed him by the Spirit for this purpose, as revealed by the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 45:1
"This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:..."

Isaiah 45:13
"I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the LORD Almighty." NIV

Scripture gives pictures of the character of the Persian Empire. If we read Daniel for a spiritual description of this kingdom, we see imagery of great strength and ferocity.

First, as a bear in Daniel 7:5, and then as a ram in Dan 8:3-4 and Daniel 8:20. These pictures show the demon power in charge of this Empire, which directly opposed Daniel as he interceded for God's people. In fact, the angel who spoke to Daniel in Dan 10:30 commented on the enemy's power. He said, "But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia."

As Ephesians 6:12 points out, behind the events of history that we see around us, there lies a spiritual realm. Intercessors must expect satanic opposition by political demons before breakthrough occurs.

KEY LESSONS FROM ESTHER

When we look at Esther in the political and, more importantly, spiritual context we can see several key lessons...

Lesson 1. The Intercessor must know Bible prophecy

We seen Daniel studying scripture, particularly the book of Jeremiah in Daniel Chapter 9 (Dan 9:2). An understanding of this scripture is what led Daniel to fast and pray and repent on behalf of his nation. God answered Daniel's prayer by sending an angel to speak to Daniel. In other words, an understanding of scripture drove Daniel to anointed intercession that led to additional revelation.

Daniel sought God in prayer and fasting for three weeks (Daniel 10:2-3). God answered him immediately, but the warfare held back the manifestation of that answer for weeks. There was a real demonic attack, but in the midst of this, Daniel was able to wrest an answer from Heaven by fasting. Daniel 10:2-3 tells us that Daniel fasted and prayed and sought God for three weeks before he saw his breakthrough. But because he continued to fast and pray, the enemy could not prevail against him, and Daniel got his breakthrough.

God sent an angel to instruct Daniel and help him understand God's plan and strategy. In Dan 10:12-14 and in Daniel 10:20-21, the angel explains the spiritual battle that was taking place to Daniel. He says:

Then he continued, 'Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.'"

"So he said, 'Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.'"

Jesus also used scripture to win this victory. For instance, in Matt 4:4 "Jesus answered, "It is written:..." We see Jesus quoting scripture over and over during the period where He was involved in personal spiritual warfare as Satan himself appeared to Jesus to tempt Him to sin.

Having the correct scripture to use is a key weapon in our fight against the devil!

Lesson 2. Evil empires and places have spirit powers

Our real fighting is against these principalities in high places. We see this in Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

As we look at Esther, we see that behind Haman and his desire to exterminate Jews lay this working of the Prince of Persia. And behind him was the Satanic power that would later move Herod to destroy the babies at Bethlehem, as described in Matt 2:16. There was a spirit of murder and destruction that wanted to destroy the Jews, and it came up with elaborate and wicked plans to carry out it's purposes.

Within this context of spiritual warfare, it is important to know that: God is working these things for good. We know this from Romans 8:28, which says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

We do not have to be fearful in spiritual warfare because God has assured us that no principality can separate us from His love. For instance, Rom 8:37-39 says, "... In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God has given us a position as conquerers because Christ conquered the devil on Calvary. Colossians 2:15 gives us this assurance, it says "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." Because we carry the authority of Jesus, we can fight effectively through our prayers. Ephesians 1:21 says "(Christ is set) far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." This authority is given personally to us, His followers, as per Colossians 2:10 which says "... you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority."

Lesson 3. Fasting and prayer are needed

Esther was promoted to the Kingdom in the will of God, but still had to fast and pray in that position. Esther 4:15-16 "Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 'Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.'"

The Devil does not give us an easy time as we press for our rights, and real determination is needed to press through in faith. Hebrews 11:6 says "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

The Holy Spirit will help us in this process. Romans 8:26-27 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

Like Christ, we must be prepared to suffer and even die. Isaiah 53:12 "Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." And Rev 12:11 says, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."

Esther faced this decision in praying. She had to risk her life, unsure as to whether or not God would deliver her. There are times when we must be willing to lay down our lives for this Lord if this is what is needed. We see this determination in Queen Esther when she said, in Esther 4:16, "When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

We are not alone. Christ stands with us in intercession. Hebrews 7:25 "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."

Lesson 4 - God Can And Will Work Through Us To Further His Kingdom Purposes

God is looking for an intercessor for our present troubles. Esther brings us a challenge to pray, because the Lord seeks those who will pray and intercede. Isaiah 59:16 "He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him."

The book of Esther is remarkable for being the only one in Bible where the name of God is never mentioned! However, from scripture we see that it is inspired by the Lord to show an example to believers. Romans 15:4 says that "...everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." 1 Corinthians 10:11 "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come."

The book is probably based on Chronicles of the Medes and Persians. Its authenticity is shown by the Feast of Purim, celebrated by the Jews from then on.

Cyrus is supposed to be the son of Esther and Darius the Mede, to explain his returning of the Jews and anointing by God. If so, the book shows the importance of motherhood and the raising of a son for God.

This book has no explicit promises and no explicit prophecies but does show how the Jewish race was rescued from extermination and the failure of the enemies of God. As well as showing the care of God for His people, it shows the importance of individuals within His plan.

This book is the authentic record of how one praying man or woman can save a nation from destruction! Your prayers are important!

This is a pattern of God's working. God uses praying individuals to bring forth His kingdom purposes. Ezra, in fact, may have been inspired by this book to pray and save the nation from backsliding (Ezra 9:6) Moses stood in the gap and saved the nation (Exodus 32:32). Nehemiah was inspired to pray and act (Neh 1:6). Jesus in Gethsemane prayed through for Peter and for the world (Hebrews 5:7). Daniel confessed national sin and got the promise of a Messiah to come Daniel 9:5

God wants such intercessors. He says so in Ezekiel 22:30, "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none."

Will you be that person today?

Let us pray.

"Father, thank You for the tremendous privilege of serving You. We pray that You will impart a new anointing of Your Holy Spirit to Your people who are willing to stand in the gap this day and intercede before You on behalf of their families, their communities and their governments. We pray that You will lead us, Holy Spirit, to the scriptures to use as weapons in our fight.

We ask You for Your strength and guidance, Lord Jesus. We ask for boldness to pray as we ought and for Your power to move through us to change circumstances and see Your kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven.

Praise You Lord. Amen."