It’s always been about the government.
After Esther became the queen of Persia, married to King Xerxes, by divine order and orchestration, in Esther 2:22, we see Mordecai discover a plot by Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, to assassinate the king.
Mordecai then informs Queen Esther, his cousin, who, in turn, informs the king, giving credit to Mordecai.
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“When the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.” — Esther 2:23
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It is no coincidence that this spirit that is anti-God’s government is exposed in Esther chapter 2:22, with the number 22 representing God’s government, as it is in Isaiah 22:22.
The war has always been about God’s government, and its establishment on earth, as it is in heaven. The enemy, knowing things in the spiritual realm, obviously knew that Esther was a Jew and that one day the people of God will be entrusted by the King (Jesus) to release decrees that would never be revoked.
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Hence he used Bigthana and Teresh in the plan to assassinate the king. However, that plan was thwarted, as the people of God came out unharmed, and received governmental authority.
Haman was even willing to pay the price in order to achieve his evil plan.
“After these events, King Xerxes honoured Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honour higher than that of all the other nobles. 2 All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honour to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honour. 3 Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” 4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honour, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.
7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.”
10 So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.” — Esther 3: 1 – 11
From the above passage we see the contention on worship. Haman, the chief minister of the king, is enraged that Mordecai would not bow to him, directly contending with worship that is given unto God, which ushers God’s government. He wants to divert this true and Spirit-filled worship from Mordecai to God, unto himself. When he could not have this, he resorted to a plan to kill the true worshippers, and even pay a price, an offering (10 000 talents) for it (verse 9).
Upon hearing of Haman’s plan, Mordecai again approaches Esther, and asks her to inform the king. Esther first refuses Mordecai’s request, fearing what the king might say or do. Mordecai then alerts Esther to the fact that, this whole thing of her becoming the queen in the first place, must have been the plan of God, calling her and positioning her in that office, for such a time as this.
Motivated by the fear of the Lord, total obedience, humility and surrender, as well as the love for her people, Esther then resorts to fast and pray for three days, together with other maidens and Mordecai (Esther 4).
Then she makes the biggest decision of her life — to approach the king.
The King’s sceptre has been extended
Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, the prayers of the righteous avail much. Never, ever, cease to pray. The blood of Jesus Christ has made a way.
As we were praying, petitioning the Lord, repenting on behalf of the Church and nation, the Lord said: “The enemy, Haman has been hanged on his 22m-high gallows that he had prepared to hang the chosen of the Lord.”
At first I saw how scared this Haman was, as the people of God approached their king, and exposed his (Haman’s) plans. I saw how much he fears the people of God. And as we spent time on repentance, leaving no stone unturned, Haman seemed to lose even more power. His plans were exposed and thwarted. The King of Kings released His verdict, and Haman was hanged.
The Church in South Africa has been praying, and as she continues to, faithfully and obediently do so, more ground is being taken for the Lord. His Kingdom is advancing. We need to look not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, where everything begins before it can manifest in the natural realm.
The Lord again brought our attention to the height of the gallows that Haman built. It was 50 cubits (22.86 metres) high, with the number 22, here counterfeiting God’s government. Haman built a 22m=high anti-God’s government strategy. However, he fell on the same trap and into the same grave he had dug for the people of God.
The Lord then said to me: “I have heard the prayers and the cries of my faithful ones, and as I did with Esther, I have extended my sceptre, and I have judged the enemy. I am now entrusting my people to release decrees that can never be revoked, and seal them with my signet ring.”
The Church as the Lord’s signet ring
“Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring — for any document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can never be revoked.” — Esther 8:8
And again the word of the LORD came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: ‘I will shake heaven and earth. 22 I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots And those who ride in them;
The horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the sword of his brother. 23 ‘In that day, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the LORD of hosts.” — Haggai 2:20-23 (God’s government)
In the book of Haggai, we see Zerubbabel given a place of honour and authority. God is reinstating the Davidic line and renewing His covenant with David. Judah still has a future as they look forward to the coming Son of David, the Messiah, who would one day “overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms” (Haggai 2:22).
Zerubbabel is also called “my servant.” As God’s “signet ring” Zerubbabel becomes a picture of the future Messiah, Jesus Christ, who will establish His people in the Promised Land, constructing an even grander temple (Zechariah 6:12-13), and lead the righteous in never-ending worship.
Today, we, the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own special people that we may proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light — we are the Lord’s signet ring, expected to resemble Jesus Christ himself in every way. We should reflect His every manner, His image, His thoughts, His actions. We are meant to be like the dried wax on a sealed document that looks exactly like the ring of the King. We are entrusted to make decrees, laws and commandments, as Jesus would, on behalf of the people. As kings and priests to serve our God, we need to resemble Jesus Christ himself, the king of kings and the high priest in the order of Melchizidek. We are entrusted to pray and to rule. We are the instruments or reconciliation. God has given us His Spirit as a seal of approval. We need to come up higher, moving from sword to sceptre.
Moving from sword to sceptre
In her blog on prophetic perspective for the Kingdom, Wanda Alger summarises this more clearly:
“I was in prayer recently concerning the battles at hand in this nation and how to effectively intercede when I heard in my spirit, “It is time to move from the SWORD to the SCEPTER.” As I continued to pray into this, I sensed the Lord calling intercessors to consider another strategy in dealing with the demonic forces coming against believers in this hour. I believe the prayer movement is transitioning from the position of being WARRIORS to a position of being RULERS.
A familiar weapon of our warfare has been the sword of the Lord, the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12).
However, the word of the Lord can be wielded not only with a sword in battle, but with a scepter from the throne. A scepter symbolizes a king’s judicial authority and is usually given as an inheritance, handed from father to son. We are shifting into a time of kingdom rule where the primary tool in establishing His kingdom will be the scepter.”
“Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.” (Psalm 45:6)
“As we recognize who we are as sons and daughters of the King and lay claim to the promised land that is ours on the earth (Psalm 115:16), we can take our place seated with Him (Ephesians 2:6). Even as enemy forces are being displaced and dethroned across the globe, the focus must shift from the battlefield into the throne room where kingly rule takes place.
A warrior tends to focus on the battle and the strength needed to defeat an enemy. In a spiritual confrontation, much time and energy can be expended in assuming the posture of a warrior instead of a ruler. Even in current prophetic intercession, there is the temptation to believe the volume of our prayers, the passion of our cries, or the force of our delivery will somehow defeat the devil. If we believe our victory is secured because of our own merits as a warrior, our identity and call is misplaced. Our spiritual adversary is determined to wear out many intercessors through needless battles unless we change our strategy. We can begin to defeat the enemy through executing righteous judgments from the throne room instead of fighting with him on the battlefield.
It is a shift in the posture of our hearts. It is a shift in the attitude of our prayers. It is a shift in our identities as we secure our inheritance, not because we have fought for it or earned it, but because He has given it to us (Colossians 1:12). We take our position, not with a sword in hand ready to do battle, but with a scepter in hand, ready to render decisions.” — https://wandaalger.me/2018/02/27/moving-from-the-sword-to-the-scepter/
