In the last week of February was the Jewish holiday called Purim. This is the celebration of the life of Queen Esther and the work God did through her for His people. As I studied the meanings of the names of Esther/Hadassah, Mordecai, Haman and his ten sons I was stunned by the realization that there is much that is similar in our own country.
Let's start with the negative side of the story. Haman, the chief villian, has the name meaning of Tumultuous Evil Inclination. We have seen much of this in the riotous demonstrators of last year up to now. His ten sons' names are significant:
Parshandatha- Distance From The Torah; We started distancing ourselves from the Word of God many years ago and now to try to live by the principles of God's word is considered to be hateful and unlawful in our country. Even religious leaders have left clear Biblical teaching.
Dalphon- To Rebuke With Wrong Reasons And Motives; There are many even in churches who are rebuking Biblical righteousness as too strict or unloving for the purpose of increasing the numbers and finances of their organization.
Aspatha-Tons Of Money/Greed; It seems that there have been many decisions made recently in our country on this basis.
Poratha- Pornography; In the past year the covering over the extent of pornography and sex trafficking in our country has begun to be pulled back. The depth and breadth of this evil in our country and its leadership is overwhelming.
Adalia - Pride; This evil seems to be at the center of everything that is going on right now. Everyone is their own authority and their opinion is to be bowed to whether it is based on truth and facts or not.
Aridatha - Distraction; With so much upheaval it is easy to become distracted from the necessary basics of focusing on God and His word and the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of our families and communities. We have become distracted from our God given responsibilities.
Parmashta- Rips Apart Fellowship; We have been seeing a major uptick of this in families, churches and communities let alone governmental parties.
Arisai- Bitter, Hatred; So much of this is spewing out of mouths all over the place.
Aridai- Worry About Threats To Security; We see this concerning Covid-19, Threats from other governments and financial instability in our country.
Vaizatha- Bitterly Judging Others; Again there is the prevalent belief that "my opinion is the only absolute truth." We see bitter judgment in racial issues and church issues between the brethren.
I believe these eleven names are representations of evil spirits that are running rampant through our country, churches and families. So what can be done about them?
Thankfully the Biblical account gives us two who stood up and won against these evil eleven.
Mordecai-Warrior; We first must understand that staying in our comfort zone is not a good answer. We must recognize that we are in a spiritual war for our families our churches and our nation. "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood" Ephesians 6:12 Our first step is to wake up, put on the armor of God given to us in Ephesians 6 and prepare to fight against Principalities and Powers in the strength of the Lord Jesus. It took a warrior who moved against the evil.
Esther- Star
Hadassah - Myrtle Tree/Recovery And Establishment Of God's Promises; This woman was a star. She laid down her life for the work of God. But she did so focusing on God's promise for the recovery of His people even though they were living in bondage in a foreign land. Hasn't it been a little difficult to recognize America as America lately?
Don't forget that though Esther was the chief actor in this play there were many in Susa, her city, who fasted and prayed with her for her success against the enemy.
It is our turn to decide whether God has called us to be Esther's or Mordecai's and prayer warriors. But be certain of this. God has called each of His children to fervent action against the evil work being done in this land. Stand in the Name and Blood of Jesus. The scripture says, "Quit ye like men" or get up on your hind feet and be the strong person you were created to be I Corinthians 16:13,14.