#prayerandfasting — Esther: The Story of Purim

Esther 5: 1-8 NLT

We are continuing with our series, “Esther: The Story of Purim”. Part 11 is called, “God Saves the Humble”, and we discuss how Esther obtains favor with King Xerxes. The question we will address today is, what happens when we humble ourselves before God?

Prayer and fasting:

Mordecai’s intercession opened up the door for God to soften the hearts of the Jewish population in all of the Persian empire. Many Jews turned to God and prayed in unity for their deliverance.

Mordecai’s intercession also allowed God to work on Esther’s heart. When Esther heard the cause of Mordecai’s mourning, she was deeply distressed. She struggled with her foster father’s command to go to the king and mediate on behalf of her people. But, she humbled herself before God and realized that she was crowned queen at this time and in this place, to save her people.

But she needed courage that could only come from God. At Esther’s command, Mordecai rounded up all the Jews of Susa and told them to fast for her. He revealed to them that their queen was a Jew and she will represent them to the king and plead for their lives. Many of the Jews were already in mourning and in prayer. When they combined those elements with fasting, they watched God perform miracle after miracle.

Esther 5:1

On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance.

On the third day:

Three is significant because it refers to the Trinity. Three also means resurrection. Jesus arose from the dead on the third day and reversed the situation that was meant to destroy His movement. On the third day, Esther marched into the inner court of the palace to reverse the decree that would annihilate her people.

Moving forward in God’s will:

Without an invitation from the king, and under the penalty of death, the time has come for Esther to move forward in God’s will. Using her authority as queen, she dressed in her royal robes because she was visiting the king in a business capacity and she entered the royal court. Robes also represent righteousness and justice in the Bible (Job 29:14 & Isaiah 61:10). Representing God’s people and His agenda, Esther entered the inner court of Persia to rectify an egregious wrong and to dispense justice.

Esther 5:2

When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.

The results of prayer and fasting:

I always heard that fasting is for the individual in order to amplify the voice of God in our own spirit. And certainly that is true. However, fasting combined with prayer also opens the spiritual door for God to work on the heart’s of others. The book of Esther is proof positive of this.

Prayer and fasting is the ultimate act of humility before God. It shows Him that there is nothing in this world that can change a heart or alter dire circumstances so we can only depend on Him for an answer. Esther just experienced a miracle! The 3 days of prayer and fasting softened the king’s heart.

Remember, if the king did not extend his scepter to someone who was not invited into the inner court, they would be put to death. Esther made a bold move by coming into the court without an invitation. But, Xerxes didn’t interpret her action as an act of defiance. His eyes were open to what a jewel he had in Esther. He didn’t want to repeat the same mistake he made with Vashti. Esther was warmly received into his presence and he immediately extended his golden scepter to preserve her life.

Esther 5:3

Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”

Favor brings salvation:

Humility produced the grace of God, His divine favor that enveloped Esther. Divine favor brings salvation, the deliverance of a person or an entire people from peril. Not only did Xerxes publicly honor her and preserve her life, but he was determined to fulfill her desire.

Titus 2:11

For the grace (divine favor) of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men...

Esther 5:4

And Esther replied, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.”

Esther believed God answers prayer:

Esther definitely believed that God would answer the prayers of His people and respond to their fast. Ready for the occasion, she entered the inner court in the capacity of queen, but appealed to Xerxes as a loving wife who respected her husband. She did not come empty handed but arranged for her servants to prepare all his favorite foods! Not only that, Esther invited his best friend, Haman, to the feast.

Esther 5:5

The king turned to his attendants and said, “Tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet, as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet.

Go get Haman!

Xerxes stopped all orders of business and responded to her request. Immediately, he dispatched his men to drive Haman over to Esther’s banquet. He probably thought that Esther was in need of his services to divine the future.

Esther 5:6

And while they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “Now tell me what you really want. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”

Wine:

Xerxes and his wine. Yep. He firmly believed that truth could only be revealed when wine was flowing in the veins. He appreciated Esther’s respectful and generous gesture. But he knew his wife had a very personal need that only he could meet. Filled with love towards his bride, he was determined to take care of her problem and was willing to give her half of his kingdom. He said it twice and he really meant it.

Esther 5: 7,8

Esther replied, “This is my request and deepest wish. If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request and do what I ask, please come with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for you. Then I will explain what this is all about.”

The number 2:

Twice, the king offered Esther half of his kingdom, and twice she requested that he attend her banquet. Esther’s response was revealing. In other words, she is about to tell him the entire truth and it wouldn’t require wine to do so.

The number 2 can mean division. In this case, Xerxes is certainly taking action against God’s will while Esther is in the process of reestablishing God’s will. Two can also mean that two become one physically, emotionally, in spirit, and in purpose.

It is my opinion that the Holy Spirit prompted Esther not to make her request the first time around, but to prepare another banquet the following day. Fasting and prayer does amplify the voice of God in our hearts and Esther was listening and submitting to her heavenly Father just as she has submitted to her earthly father all her life.

Let’s pray:

Father,

Fasting with prayer amplifies Your voice in my spirit and softens the hearts of those I am praying for. I humble myself before You. Thank You for surrounding me with Your divine favor that brings salvation, my deliverance from danger. In Jesus name, Amen.

Esther 4:5-17 NLT

We are continuing with our series, “Esther: The Story of Purim”. Part 10 is called, “Facing the Truth”, and we discuss how Mordecai and Esther came to accept their responsibility to God and their people. The question we will address today is, why is truth so important?

Esther 4: 5-6

5 Then Esther sent for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant. She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was in mourning. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the square in front of the palace gate.

Finding the truth of the matter:

Esther couldn’t just send anyone to take care of this highly sensitive matter. It was vital that she knew what was happening to Mordecai. So, she sends her most trusted eunuch, Hathach, whose name actually means “verily” or “truth” (1). She depended on him to relay her message to Mordecai and to return with his response.

Esther 4: 7-9

7 Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people. 9 So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai’s message.

Sacks of silver, a copy of the decree, and the ultimate sacrifice:

Mordecai conveyed the entire story to Hathach and made emphasis on the exact amount of money Haman promised to pay for the destruction of the Jews. Esther would understand the symbolism concerning the 10,000 talents of silver. In essence, the king would be under his thumb and Haman would be in control of the kingdom of Persia . To verify what the decree read, he made a copy for Esther in his own handwriting so she would have in her possession all of the accurate information. Then Mordecai did the unthinkable. Just as Abraham willingly sacrificed Isaac on the altar, Mordecai willingly sacrificed Esther and demanded that she would go to the King and beg for the lives of her people.

Esther 4: 10-12

10 Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai: 11 “All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.” 12 So Hathach gave Esther’s message to Mordecai.

Thirty days:

And this is why Esther did not know what happened between her husband and Haman. Because of the unusual length of time, she’s been marking the x’s on her calendar and counting the days since her last meeting. Xerxes’ has been spending all of his time with his right hand man, Haman. And all this stuff happened within this 30 day time frame. Through Hathach, she reminded Mordecai of the Persian law that anyone who appears before the king without extending the golden scepter will die.

The king’s scepter:

A scepter is a staff and it indicates that the holder of the staff is supreme or sovereign. Gold symbolizes glory and divinity. When the scepter is extended to someone, they are accepted into the presence of a sovereign.

Esther 4: 13, 14

13 Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

Mordecai faces the truth:

Here is Mordecai’s moment of truth. He loved Esther more than his own life, In fact, he loved her more than he loved God. From the moment Mordecai took her in he had her deny her ethnicity, the public observance of her religion, and marry a Gentile in order to spare her persecution and to save her life. All these decisions were made against the teachings of the Scriptures. A repentant Mordecai knew by the Spirit of God that she would be killed with all of the other Jews if she did not fulfill her obligation to God and to her people.

Mordecai corrects his wrongs:

Mordecai knew the prophecies well and understood that the Jewish race would continue because the Messiah would come regardless of what would happen to them. But, they would be judged for not following the Scriptures and not speaking up for their people. Mordecai was telling his precious daughter that although he made many dire mistakes, that God in His bountiful mercy will use the situation for His glory.

Esther 4: 15, 16
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” 17 So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Unity is step #1:

The first observation made to Xerxes by Haman when he presented his case against the Jews was: There are a people group scattered throughout your empire...

The first thing Esther is inspired by the Holy Spirit to do is to reveal to her people that their queen is a Jew and to unite the Jews who are in her city so they can represent the rest of the Jewish population. After all, it would take days or even weeks to dispatch her request for all Jews to fast given the size of the empire.

A call to fast:

Again, Esther relies on Scripture as precedence for fasting and a victorious result. She requests that both Jews and Gentiles (as the Gentile people of Nineveh fasted and God forgave them) fast for her. This parallels Haman depending on the planetary movements and the casting of dice to guarantee a successful date.

The number 3:

The number three carries significance. Always, three is associated with the Trinity. The Jews knew God as Father, and they understood the working of the Holy Spirit. At this point in time, they were waiting for the Messiah to reveal Himself and be their deliverer.

Three also signifies resurrection, the dead being brought back to life. Jesus died and all of his life and ministry appeared to die with Him. But, on the third day this situation was reversed and He resurrected back to life and His movement powerfully advanced forward.

Esther faces the truth:

Esther realized that Mordecai had misplaced his love of God for her, and she repented of loving her own life above loving God. Like her foster father, her will and purpose became united with God’s will and purpose. She accepted her responsibility to God and to her people, even if it meant her death.

Esther 4:17

17 So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

True submission:

Mordecai submitted to her authority and complied with her request. This also parallels Esther submitting to his authority all of her life. It wasn’t a question of “who to submit to” it was a question of honesty and “doing the right thing.”

Let’s pray:

Father,

When my will is united with Your will, anything is possible! Open my eyes to see the truth of the matter. Bring to my attention those things that have replaced my love for You. I repent of it. Now, I am willing to take responsibility for Your purpose in my life. In Jesus name, Amen.

References:

1) https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2047&t=KJV

Part 11- God Saves the Humble

Part 10- Facing the Truth