Spiritual Hierarchy & Authority, Part 7

 

 

December 1, 2017

 

We barely got started last week with the picture of Haman as the last of the Amalekites and his finish.  We started the picture of his conspiracy in Esther 3, and we will pick that up again.  One of the things that is important for us to realize is that the Fear of Death absolutely thrives in conspiracies and conspiracy theories.  These conspiracies are an effort to ward off death and to attempt one's own protection and salvation by their own reasoning, thought processes and manipulation.

 

Conspiracy and conspiracies can NEVER be a part of the life of God's people!  If we are going to rule and reign with the authority that has been given to us in Christ Jesus, we never have to focus on the conspiracies of those who live their lives in utter fear.  Neither do we have to fear any conspiracy of the Enemy.  Holy Spirit always provides the intervention and destruction of the Enemy's conspiracies against us.

 

Esther 3:7-15:  In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.

 

And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy. And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. Then were the king’s scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king’s ring.

 

And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day. The posts went out, being hastened by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed.

 

Before we continue, let’s list these characteristics separately from the events as recorded in the book of Esther.  Also, remember that though we are describing Haman, we are actually describing the spirit of Agag, who was Haman’s ancestor.

 

1. Haman demanded the worship -- the reverence -- of all who saw him.

 

2. When that reverence was not given by one member of a nation or race, Haman adopted a racist spirit, targeting the whole nation with his wrath and hatred.

 

3. He took his anger and hatred a step farther by determining to kill off an entire nation of people.

 

4. Haman’s next step was to offer a huge bribe to the king for the privilege of killing off a supposedly “lawless people who neither keep the king’s laws” and choose to be “different” or “diverse” in their behavior.

 

5. Using deception, Haman succeeded in getting the king to give him his royal seal so as to make this genocide appear to be the decision of the king and draw attention away from himself.

 

6. Using that seal, Haman sent letters to the governors and satraps of all 128 provinces throughout the kingdom of Persia in order to advance his murderous agenda.

 

7. Haman wasn’t satisfied to simply kill off his targeted enemies: he now authorized the governors and satraps to take for themselves all of “the spoil of them for a prey.”

 

Let’s pause in this narrative to take particular notice of how Esther responded to the crisis and what she did to defeat the agenda of this wicked spirit and preserve the lives of her countrymen.

 

Once Mordecai became aware of Haman’s conspiracy, he sent word to Esther, requesting that she intervene with the king.  After some discussion with Mordecai, Esther immediately set aside three days for purposed and very intense fasting and prayer.  She also called on her handmaidens to join her as they pursued the heart of the Lord and His wisdom in how to proceed.

 

Finishing her fast, Esther knew exactly what to do.  She went before the king unannounced – under ordinary conditions, an absolute No-No with the potential of immediate death hanging over her head – whereupon he extended favor to her.  Esther then requested that the king – AND Haman – come to a specially-prepared feast of wine which she would prepare for him.

 

Again, we pick up the narrative in Esther 5.

 

Esther 5:6-14:  And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is;  If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king hath said.

 

Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.

 

Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife.  And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.  

 

Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and tomorrow am I invited unto her also with the king.  Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.

 

 Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and tomorrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.

 

It may seem to fly in the face of natural logic, but what Esther did was sheer genius!  It was the wisdom of God!

 

A feast of wine was a relatively rare event – even in royal circles.  It was as close to a wedding celebration as one could get in order to enjoy the kind of intimacies and fellowship around the table one would normally expect at a wedding.  There was wine-tasting of the latest wines produced by the finest vineyards as well as samples of the aged fine wines.  The best musicians, singers and entertainers would be brought in for this celebration and praises would be sung on behalf of the king or the governor of the feast.

 

Lastly, a feast of wine was the kind of celebration which marked the agreement and unity between a king and queen, between a husband and wife, or between the king and his nobles.  This feast was – more or less – the marking of a covenant between the one giving the feast and the invited attendees.  (Hence, you have a real picture of the Last Supper with Jesus!)

 

Xerxes, the king, was beside himself with joy over this feast of wine Esther had thrown on his behalf, and he wasn’t about to show anything less than his best loving generosity towards her.

 

It takes no great imagination to picture the look on his face when Esther says to him,

 

 “If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king hath said."

 

The request, however, was not designed to put off the king but to thoroughly take Haman off guard, so much so that his defenses were completely down.

 

Haman went home boasting to his wife of this phenomenal place of unity between he, the king and the queen.  In his arrogant boasting he says to his wife,

 

“All of this means nothing so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

 

His wife and friends were likewise caught up in the moment and recommended that Haman build a huge gallows – 50 cubits (75 feet) high – to hang Mordecai on.

Now the Enemy has been caught in his own trap!

 

Watch as the following events unfold!

 

Esther 6:1-14:  On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

 

And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.  So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour?

 

Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?  And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,  Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:  And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

 

Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.

 

Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

 

And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.  And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.  And while they were yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.

 

Esther’s fasting has paid dividends.  On this very night, the king is restless and cannot sleep so he commands that the records of the chronicles of his kingship be brought and read before him.  This, by the way, was roughly tantamount to counting sheep.  It was a means for him to be bored and put to sleep.

 

Instead, his ears perk up when he hears how Mordecai saved his life some years before, and he wonders what kind of reward Mordecai received since nothing is mentioned. Despite the early hour of the morning, he asks his servants who might be present in the court and finds out Haman has just arrived.  Haman thinks to ask the king permission to hang Mordecai, but God – and the king – have a VERY different plan!

 

 For those of you who’ve been participating in our Monday night Healing Prayer Conference Call, we just want to let you know that beginning with the month of July and continuing until the first Monday night in October, we will be taking a break for the summer.  We’ve found during the past three years of doing this call that participation during the summer months drops significantly because of folks taking their vacations, and being involved in other activities.  That said, we will resume our prayer calls on Monday night, October 2^nd.

 

At the same time, in case you are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, our Sunday worship gatherings are available by conference call – usually at about 10:45AM Pacific.  That conference number is (712) 770-4160, and the access code is 308640#.  We are now making these gatherings available by Skype.  If you wish to participate by video on Skype, my Skype ID is regner.capener.  If you miss the live voice call, you can dial (712) 770-4169, enter the same access code and listen in later.  The video call, of course, is not recorded – not yet, anyway.

 

Blessings on you!