Two of my favorite books of the Bible are Esther and Psalms, and I find it interesting that the Lord sandwiched Job right between two such glorious books. Though Job was written years before the other two, the Lord chose to insert Job’s account here. Why is that? I believe He had a divine reason. Perhaps it has something to do with the way that these two servants of God stood up to their accusers. I will write about David, the psalmist, and his confrontations with the Accuser later, but first let’s do a quick study on Esther. I believe we all can relate in some way to Esther’s suffering. As we observe how Esther contended with the Accuser, let’s also observe how God empowered her to defeat him.
A beautiful Jewish girl who rose from obscurity to prominence, Esther was chosen to become the new queen of Persia. As she went through this process, she endured her own season of testing and wondering why. As an adopted child, she may have felt unwanted. Then she was separated from her family and taken, perhaps forcibly, with many other young women to the palace to be considered as the king’s new queen. Esther had to contend with these other beautiful women in a type of beauty contest, enduring numerous inspections and a great deal of unpleasant female competition. Imagine the words spoken by other women about her to intimidate her (false accusations). Imagine the insecurity she must have felt. Esther may have felt as if at any moment she would crumble under such pressure to be and to perform. And then as if all that were not enough, she had to undergo 12 months of purification.
In one of my recent books, Destiny Thieves: Defeat Seducing Spirits and Achieve Your Purpose in God, I describe the 12-month purification process Esther was required to endure before she was chosen queen:
Esther did not suddenly arrive at destiny. The biblical account of Esther describes how she endured much preparation and then opposition as she pursued destiny. In preparation for marriage, Esther was anointed step by step. It was customary to deeply cleanse, purify and anoint the female body in preparation for her intimate intercession and relationship with her husband. Esther was bathed in exotic and expensive oils. . … Esther was purified with myrrh for six months. The number six is symbolic for flesh or for man. We can conclude that Esther was purified and cleansed from all fleshly desires and sinful nature. This was the process of perfection needed to empower her to become a queen who would shift governments and institute godly decrees. She [Esther] was not simply oiled down or sprayed with perfume like today. Rather myrrh was scrubbed into her skin to become a part of her—so that she herself became a sweet-smelling fragrance.
Esther was being positioned not by man but by God Himself. Though she may not have known it at the time, the Lord had future plans for her, her family and her Jewish nation. Esther was called to the kingdom (and the Kingdom) “for such a time as this,” as Mordecai said, to shift and reverse ungodly decrees of death. She was used by God to defeat Haman, the Amalekite (an ancient enemy of the Jews), who sought to destroy the entire Jewish race. She possibly did not even equate Haman with Satan, the Accuser. Yet it was Satan working through Haman to falsely accuse Mordecai and the Jews, even to the point of persuading King Artaxerxes to destroy all the Jews in Persia. Esther passed some of the most difficult tests in life: death, rejection, abandonment, fear, betrayal and false accusations. And eventually she was established in governmental authority to reverse death decrees against her people. Thank God for Esther.
And thank God for you. In the same way He empowered Esther, God desires to empower you to defeat your false Accuser.
The symbolism attached to myrrh is meaningful as we contend with the Accuser:
- Myrrh was sacred oil used to anoint the robes of the priesthood. The priests were set apart. Similarly, we too are “set apart” and anointed to serve as priests.
- Myrrh translates as “bitter.” Esther had been adopted by her cousin, Mordecai. Children with no parents often develop an orphan spirit that struggles with issues of rejection and abandonment. As Esther was scrubbed with myrrh, her bitterness was cleansed from her life. We cannot remain bitter and move forward into destiny.
- Myrrh was used in burial preparation. Esther had to die to self and selfish ambition to achieve the fullness of destiny. So must we.
The book of Esther empowers us with courage to face challenges and press through demonic forces that attempt to steal our future. As we face the same Accuser she faced, we must consider our own personal destinies and the ways in which we affect the lives of others. Knowing that the Accuser relentlessly seeks to defeat us also will empower us to go to the Lord for more cleansing. Dying to self and binding up all pride empowers us to defeat the Accuser.
Interestingly, God’s Name is not mentioned once in the account of Esther. Yet His hand is visible through all of her setbacks, challenges and circumstances. Nothing happens by accident when we love God and know Him intimately. As He did with Esther and with Job, God will use the Accuser to prove to us that there is more of Him within our innermost parts than we realize.
Dr. Sandie Freed and her husband, Mickey, are the founders and directors of Zion Ministries in North Richland Hills, Texas. She is an ordained prophetess with Christian International and travels extensively, ministering deliverance and life transformation to God’s people. She is the author of nine books, including Silencing the Accuser, from which this article is adapted, and Crushing the Spirits of Greed and Poverty, and has been a featured guest on James Robison’s Life Today and Daystar’s Celebration. For more information, visit zionministries.us.
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