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

Our Last lesson showed something of the background to this Beauty competition and the Bible teaching on the place of women. The time interval to this chapter may be as long as four years. For one reason, it took time to get the letters to all the provinces. The wrath of the king was assuaged, but the laws of Medes and Persians were not easily changed. Also in this period he may have attacked the Greeks who burned Sardis and defeated him at the Battle of Platea (479 BC) so that he returned in humiliation.

In chapter two, the king turns to a search for a new Queen. Esther 2:2 "Then the king's personal attendants proposed, 'Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king.'" This followed the decree (Esther 1:19) that somebody better than Vashti should replace her.

No reference is made here to training or education, but emphasis was on physical beauty. Officers were sent out to bring all the candidates for the "Miss Persia" competition to the palace, where Hegai gave them a sophisticated beauty treatment (Esther 2:3). This elderly Eunuch controlled the palace Harem, where favor was sought by the girls.

The bible teaches that marriage should not be on a purely physical basis, but done through prayer and based on godly character rather than mere physical appearance. The model wife is one who is morally good and of Godly character. Proverbs 31:10-11 says "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value." Ruth is an example of this. The bible says that she had noble character in Ruth 3:11. We saw this demonstrated by her reaction to her mother in law; she remained faithful even after her husband had died.

Some people think that God and the bible devalues women and puts them down. In fact, it does just the opposite. Here is what the Bible says about women. A godly woman should be trustworthy. Her husband has absolute confidence in her faithfulness. She is not a waster and she is capable of supporting him by her work. Proverbs 31:12 "She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." She brings him respect in his position as leader. Proverbs 31:23 "Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land." She is versatile and judicious in her shopping, and capable of sound business decisions. Proverbs 31:16 "She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard." She is loving and considerate for her household, starting the day early where needed. (Prov 31:15). She is not afraid to venture into new business to provide. (Prov 31:16). She gets public praise from her family for her activity and decisions (Prov 31:28). She attends the health and clothing of the family (Prov 31:17-21). She respects and loves both God and the poor and she helps others (Prov 31:20). She has coverings and furniture fit for her station and her husband is respected because of her backing of him (Prov 31:22). Her conversation is wise and intelligent, and she is graceful and even-tempered with her words (Prov 31:26). Her children are well trained and respect her, as does her husband (Prov 31:28). Physical beauty will fade over the years, but a woman who fears God is a real asset as a life partner (Prov 31:30).

The king (symbolic of the world system) devalued women and used the wrong criteria for judging them. But in God's economy, women are to be respected and valued as individuals because they are God's creation and He has placed His giftings and anointings on them. A woman's true worth is not measured by the worldly system of physical appearance, but by the standard of inner beauty and godly character. A godly woman is a highly capable woman, and is allowed to function in that capability. The world may take her for granted, but God can use her mightily as she yields to Him.

The king had all the wrong criteria for selecting his next queen. God met those criteria through Esther. But more important, God also worked a solid character and a capability and inner beauty in her as well. Not only did she have the traits the king was looking for, she also had the traits that truly mattered. God was behind the scenes preparing her character long before she was taken to the King's palace. Ever since she was a little girl, God began preparing her and working His character into her life.

The Jewish exiles Esther and Mordecai enter the story starting in Esther 2:5. Esther 2:7 says, "Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died."

Mordecai was a dedicated Jew from the Tribe of Benjamin. While Daniel and Ezekiel were in Babylon, Mordecai lived for and served God in Shushan. The Jews had been scattered all over the place after the fall of Jerusalem. Deportations of Jews from Jerusalem (described in 2 Chronicles chap 36) were during the reigns of Jehoikaim, Jehoichin (this is the one referred to here, 597 BC), and Zedekiah. Mordecai must have been a very old man of 120 years and a member of the Tribe of Kish from which King Saul had come. Esther thus had royal lineage!

Mordecai, living during that period of Jewish history, faced many hardships. These hardships may have served to help to mold his godly character. Senior citizens, be encouraged by his example, because it shows us that God is not a respecter of age. God even uses the elderly, and trusts them with critical tasks in building and furthering His kingdom plans.

Esther (hadassah = myrtle) was an orphan. Her father was dead and Mordecai was her uncle. She lived outside the palace with him, though he carried out his duties in the Palace. Mordecai looked after the widows and fatherless in the fear of God. Exodus 22:22 "Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan." He did more than the Law required by caring for her as his daughter. Psalms 146:9 "The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked."

Her name may have been Persian derived from Ishtar, the chief goddess of the Babylonians and Assyrians. Deilitch explains The name 'ec=AAteer (OT:635) is the Old-Persian stara with (OT:589) prosthetic, and corresponds with the Greek astee'r (NT:792), star, in modern Persian sitareh. She was bat-dodow, daughter of his father's brother, and adopted by Mordecai after the death of her parents; we are told, moreover, that she had a fine figure and beautiful countenance. Her father, whose name, according to v. 15, was Abihail, was uncle to Mordecai, and hence Esther was his cousin.

(from Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

Hegai (v.9), was keeper of the women and may have been given Esther this name as she pleased him. She was given promotion and favor. He changed her and her maids into the best of the house of the women, i.e., he took them out of the ordinary rooms and placed them in the best apartments. There were probably the staterooms, where those who were accustomed to be brought to the king used to dwell.

She had one maid for every day of the week because God worked it that she got promotion and favor. God loves to bless His people (Matthew 6:33 and 3 John 2).

Following Mordecai's advice, Esther kept her nationality a secret (v.10). Perhaps Mordecai sensed the anti-Semitism in the background as a danger. He kept a watch on her and may well have been one of the porters at the entrance to the palace. We can draw a spiritual principle from this...

We need to look after our converts as we present them to the Lord. This was Paul's attitude to his converts, and his desire to present them as a Chaste Virgin to Christ, as evidenced by 2 Cor 11:2-3, which says, "I am anxious for you with the deep concern of God himself -- anxious that your love should be for Christ alone, just as a pure maiden saves her love for one man only, for the one who will be her husband. But I am frightened, fearing that in some way you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to our Lord, just as Eve was deceived by Satan in the Garden of Eden."

Esther's preparation took a whole year and involved myrrh for six months and perfumes for six months. The myrrh brought fragrance and purity, such as was found in the holy anointing oil. This is symbolic of the Holy Ghost anointing. It is costly if maintained (Exodus 30:22,29-33).

Myrrh was mingled with the wine of the and offered to Jesus at the cross (Mark 15:23), and was also used at the BURIAL of Jesus (John 19:39). This type of myrrh was distilled in DROPS (unlike that in Genesis 37:25 where the brothers of Joseph saw a caravan of Ishmaelites with camels loaded with spices, balm and myrrh for trading in Egypt.)

This shows need of tears as well as prayers by pastors over their people! (Acts 20:31 says, "So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.)

When Christ will appear at His Great Wedding, all His garments will smell of myrrh and cassia. Psalms 45:8 says, "All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad."

Esther's preparation is a symbol of God preparing The Bride of Christ. This preparation will be based on the holy oil of Exodus 30.

The perfumes, or sweet odors in v.12 seem to have been scents used by the women. We too have be a sweet scent of Christ's life to others, as per 2 Corinthians 2:16 and Eph 5:2.

Esther was taken into the king on the tenth month, after a year of preparation. Esther 2:16 "She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign." Note that the tenth month was dated from Passover and so this is December or early January. Her modesty in not asking extra things and her humility were obvious to all.

Esther Obtained Favor

Esther had a humble spirit before God. And God poured out His favor on her, and caused her to have favor with those who she encountered. God particularly gave her favor with those who were key in helping her fulfill the role and destiny He had selected for her. Esther had favor with the Eunuch who had been put over the young women as they prepared to meet the king. And God caused her to have favor with the king, so that he selected her as his queen.

Esther 2:17
Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

God often uses grace and favor to show His attitude to His people. Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord in Genesis 6:8. Ruth trusted the Lord to give her favor with her kinsman in Ruth 2:3, and was not disappointed in her trust. Jesus Himself grew in favor with both man and God as He was a youth growing up (Luke 2:40). The apostles were given great grace in their early proclamation of the gospel when the Jewish religious authorities first began to resist them. (Acts 4:33). God also gave the apostles favor and grace with the gentiles that they might come to know Jesus (Romans 1:5). Paul was transformed from one who persecuted the early church to it's first and most effective foreign missionary through the grace of God (1 Corth 15:10 and 2 Corth 12:9)

It is God's please to bestow favor and honor on His dedicated servants. The Psalmist expresses this in Psalms 84:11, which says, "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

And as an intercessor, there will be times when God bestows grace and favor on you, to cause you to be where God wants you to be so are positioned to be His prayer warrior there.

The Marriage Feast

In the natural, the king held a great celebration to establish Esther as his queen. Esther 2:18 describes it this way: "And the king gave a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality."

This is a beautiful picture of the triumph of Christ when He ascended to Heaven. Ephesians 4:8 says, "When He ascended on high, He led captives in His train and gave gifts to men." Now the gifts that he gave were not what one might expect. These gifts were not material items, but spiritual giftings and anointings to help the body of Christ become all that He desires her to be. The gifts that Jesus gave His espoused bride, the church, were the spiritual leaders to help her become perfected in Him. Ephesians 4:11-13 says, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." This associates the marriage of the lamb with the giving of apostles and prophets to the church today!

Before we can intercede for others, we need to be sure of our own standing with God and His love for us. Abraham said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by" (Genesis 18:3). This favor was the basis of Abraham interceding for Sodom.

Allow the favor and grace gifts of God to bring you through in intercession.