Prayer Journal
Wednesday, October 11, 2000
Queen Vashti was a beautiful woman with a strong independent spirit. Her spirit, however resulted in her losing her position as queen. King Xerxes was angry when her when she would not appear before him when he called for her. It was law for anyone to appear before the king when summoned and unlawful to appear before his throne without being summoned. By seeking a queen to replace Vashti, he sent a message to those who would similarly disobey the law.
The Jews were in exile in Persia at that time and a Jew named Mordecai was raising an orphaned cousin named, Hadassah, also called Esther. The Bible says Esther was lovely in form and feature and went with other beautiful virgin girls to stand before the king. Mordedai instructed her to keep her Jewish heritage secret, and she was faithful to do so.
Esther won the king's favor and became his queen. Mordecai likewise gained favor later with Xerxes by informing him of a plot to assassinate him. However, Mordecai's refusal to bow before Haman, a noble in Xerxes court, made his destruction, and that of the Jewish people, a personal goal of Haman.
When Haman's plot to destroy the Jews was discovered by Mordecai, it didn't take long for Esther to find out. She told Mordecai and all the Jewish people to fast with her for three days before she appeared uninvited before the king on behalf of the Jewish people. Listen to her statement of faith recalling what happened to the last queen in a similar situation:
"Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai, '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. I and my maids 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.'" Esther 4:16
Well, Esther did go before the king unannounced and amazingly she was welcomed. As a result, Mordecai was honored, Esther was elevated in the king's eyes and given the conspirator Haman's property, the Jewish people were allowed to rise up and defend themselves against their enemy and Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.
The book of Esther never mentions God's name, but does mention the name of a heathen king over 150 times. There is no mention of prayer or spiritual service of any kind, with the exception of fasting. Yet, the book speaks of the bold witness of a Jewish girl who "for such a time such as this" (4:14) risked her life for her people without concern for her own personal safety.
Esther is an example of boldly going before the throne for the sake of those she served. Sounds like a good example of prayerful intercession, does it not? Just Thinkin' WebServant
(1) Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society
(2) The images used herein were obtained from the Learning Company's ClickArt Christian Graphics Deluxe product, (c)1999 The Learning Company, Inc and its subsidiaries, 88 Roland Way, Novato, CA 94945 USA. All Rights Reserved.
