It was during the week of the Fast and Feast of Purim that the Spirit gave me so much revelation about the book of Esther. I had been asked to speak at Beit Messiah congregation in Denver last Shabbat (a week ago) and give a Purim message. All the deeper understandings that Holy Spirit gave to me from Esther chapter 2 really inspired me and I want to share some of them with you.
In Esther 2:3 we are told that all the virgins who were to be presented before the king were placed "under the care of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen." I began to understand that Hegai is actually a type of the Ruach (Holy Spirit), whose care we must come under before we are ready to meet our King! Just as Hegai intimately knew King Xerxes and what would please him, so
the Ruach intimately knows Yeshua, our King, and knows just what would please
Him! Whereas most of the world’s population is seeking to live for their own
pleasure, we are to be like Esther and want to do ONLY what will please our
King! We don’t really know how to obtain His favor,
and so we must go to Ruach and ask for His counsel and advice.
We
are told that Esther was first soaked in Myrrh oil for six months. Myrrh is the oil that was used to anoint the
dead for burial. Do we have to be DEAD to meet the King? Yes!
Gal
2:20: I have been crucified with Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but
Messiah lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Romans
8:6, 10: To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life
and peace. If Messiah is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the
Spirit is life because of righteousness.
We
are told in Esther 2:8-9 that she was given EXTRA BEAUTY PREPARATIONS
BESIDES HER ALLOWANCE. Did you ever
think about that? What does that mean?
The Spirit took me to the story in Matt 25 of the 10 virgins – 5 HAD EXTRA OIL
IN THEIR LAMPS! This was an overflow of the Ruach! It was an
increase of the Word in their hearts! Esther had extra oil in her lamp and she
was ready. We
are also told that she was given SEVEN maidservants. Who are these? I believe this is
representative of the SEVEN SPIRTS OF GOD, which we find in John’s description
of heaven, Revelation 4:5: “And from the throne proceeded lightnings,
thundering, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne,
which are the SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD.” This pictures the FULLNESS OF THE RUACH IN
HIS MANIFOLD AND PERFECT DYNAMIC ACTIVITY!
Go
to Isa. 11:2 and find the list of the full, dynamic working of the Ruach, and
glean understanding of the “Extra beauty preparations” Esther was given!
The
young virgins went into the king, but could never appear before Him again
unless he called them by name. Will our
King return one day and call you by name?
Rev.
3:18: I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be
rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your
nakedness may not be revealed…
Esther
took no thought for worldly wealth. When
she found favor with the King and became his queen, he offered her half his
kingdom (Esther 5:3) - half the wealth and treasure of all that he owned – but she was not
interested. She wanted only to buy gold
refined in the fire, which in this case was to save her people from being
killed. She was far more concerned about all the people than about her own
wealth or advancement.
Esther
has caught the eye of the king; she is beautiful to Him because of her heart,
her attitude, her humility and selflessness.
She and her SEVEN maidservants have been MOVED UP to the highest place
in the house (as Yeshua tells us not to take the best seat, but let HIM promote
us. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself
will be exalted!” Luke 14:11) Then,
when Esther is promoted and made Queen, her King gives a great feast. Your King
is preparing such a banquet for you too: Rev
19:9: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!
The days between Purim and Passover are days of great testing. We will be tried in many ways so that the motives of our hearts will be revealed. Here is my prayer for these days:
Ruach
haKodesh, speak to each of us and give us your Godly wisdom to make us ready to
meet our King. Refine us in your fire
that burns up our flesh and our selfish ambitions. Soak us in your oil that
purifies and removes the stain of sin.
Keep us in the mikveh of repentance, that we would humble ourselves.
Clothe us in the white linen of righteousness, that we would desire to keep
the commands of our Messiah and not stray from His paths. We need You, Holy Spirit. We need your power and your counsel. We will not be prepared if we try to do it in
our own might. We pray that with your
help we will have the courage, boldness, and humility to come before the throne
of our King and find grace and favor in His sight. We don’t want to be dismissed! With all our
hearts we pray that King Yeshua will know us and call us by name because we
have spent time with you, Holy Spirit, and You have given us the white garments
of salvation. Amen.
