Favor – from a message by Bill Winston
“I decree and declare that I walk in favor, my petitions
will be granted, any hindrance will be cast aside.”
-A moment of favor is worth a lifetime of labor – Bill
Winston
Favour in the
Life of Esther. Est_2:15 Now when the turn of Esther,
the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his
daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai
the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained
favour in the sight
of all them that looked upon her.
Est_2:17 And the king loved Esther above all the
women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set
the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Est_5:2 And it was so, when the king saw Esther the
queen standing in the court, that she
obtained favour in
his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched
the top of the sceptre.
Est_5:8 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 to
morrow as the king hath said.
Est_7:3 Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I
have found favour
in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my
petition, and my people at my request:
Est_8:5 And said, If it please the king, and if I
have found favour
in his sight, and the thing seem right
before the king, and I be pleasing in
his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of
Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces:
Mordecai the Agagite: possibly a descendant of
Agag the Amelikite king slain at the word of Samuel. which was the final act of
betrayal in Saul’s reign. 1Sa 15:32 Then Samuel shouted, "Bring me King Agag
of Amalek!" Agag came in chains, and he was saying to himself,
"Surely they won't kill me now."
1Sa 15:33 But Samuel said, "Agag,
you have snatched children from their mothers' arms and killed them. Now your
mother will be without children." Then Samuel chopped Agag to pieces at
the place of worship in Gilgal.
-From these
words of Samuel, it is very evident that Agag had carried on his wars with
great cruelty, and had therefore forfeited his life according to the lex
talionis. Samuel then hewed him in pieces “before the Lord at Gilgal,”
i.e., before the altar of Jehovah there; for the slaying of Agag being the
execution of the ban, was an act performed for the glory of God.
1Sa 15:34 Samuel went home to Ramah, and
Saul returned to his home in Gibeah.
1Sa 15:35 Even though Samuel felt sad
about Saul, Samuel never saw him again. The LORD was sorry he had made Saul the
king of Israel.
-
In this final episode b/w Samuel and Saul it must
have grieved Samuel that things had turned as they did. Samuel had been God’s instrument to elevate
Saul to such a position…. He had released God’s Favor into his life… and Saul
had abused and despised that favour.
1 Samuel 15:34-35 [K & D]
After the prophet had thus maintained the rights
of Jehovah in the presence of Saul, and carried out the ban upon Agag, he
returned to his own home at Ramah; and Saul went to his house at Gibeah. From
that time forward Samuel broke off all intercourse with the king whom Jehovah
had rejected. “For Samuel was grieved for Saul, and it repented the Lord that
he had made Saul king,” i.e., because Samuel had
loved Saul on account of his previous election; and yet, as Jehovah had
rejected him unconditionally, he felt that he was precluded from doing anything
to effect a change of heart in Saul, and his reinstatement as king.
-
Saul was elected and anointed by God, but once
secure he ‘went to his own home’. David by contrast, never relented in showing
his thanksgiving to Jehovah, going as far as preparing the Temple.
Favour depends entirely upon God. Job 10:12
You, the source of my life, showered me with kindness and watched over
me.
-
Isa 65:16 I am God! I can be trusted. Your
past troubles are gone; I no longer think of them. When
you pray for someone to receive a blessing, or when you make a promise, you must
do it in my name. I alone am the God who can be trusted.
-
Does the concept
of ‘trusted’ here encompass the release of favour into one’s life? The Hebrew word here is ‘amen’=so be it, this
is truth, the matter is settled…. “God said it and I believe it!”
-
Isa 65:17 I am creating new heavens and
a new earth; everything of the past will be forgotten. 18 Celebrate and be glad forever! I am creating
a Jerusalem, full of happy people. 19 I will celebrate with Jerusalem and all of
its people; there will be no more crying or sorrow in that city. [AND in your
city and situation!!]
-
Isa 65:20 No child will die in infancy;
everyone will live to a ripe old age. Anyone a hundred years old will be considered
young, and to die younger than that will be considered a curse. 21 My people
will live in the houses they build; they will enjoy grapes from their own
vineyards. 22
No one will take away their homes or vineyards. My chosen people will
live to be as old as trees, and they will enjoy what they have earned.
Isaiah was given revelation on this at several points, but reminding
the people of it in a time of adversity [ie post Uzziah Is 6:1, where people
had come to rely on a stable government]
-
Isa 32:15 When the Spirit is given to us
from heaven, deserts will become orchards thick as fertile forests.
-
Isa 32:16 Honesty and justice will
prosper there, 17 and justice will produce lasting peace and
security.
-
Isa 32:18 You, the LORD's people, will live
in peace, calm and secure, 19 even if hailstones flatten forests and
cities.
-
Isa 32:20 You will have God's blessing, as you
plant your crops beside streams, while your donkeys and cattle roam freely
about.
-
God will bless/prosper/favour all of your activities.
This is not just the promise to God’s chosen but
even to the empires that have oppressed them: Isa
19:22 After the LORD has punished
Egypt, the people will turn to him. Then he will answer their prayers, and the
Egyptians will be healed.
Isa 19:23 At that time a good road will
run from Egypt to Assyria. The Egyptians and the Assyrians will travel back and
forth from Egypt to Assyria, and they will worship together. 24
Israel will join with these two countries. They will be a blessing to
everyone on earth, 25 then the LORD All-Powerful will bless them by
saying, "The Egyptians are my people. I created the Assyrians and chose
the Israelites."
-
Here, the nation of Israel is receiving
God’s favour, not only within itself but as an equal partner w the great
empires of the day.
[Keil & Deilitsch] Israel is added to the
covenant between Egypt and Asshur, so that it becomes a tripartite covenant in
which Israel forms the “third part” (sheilshiyyâh, tertia pars, like ‛ası̄ryyâh, decima pars,
in Isa_6:13). Israel has now reached
the great end of its calling - to be a blessing in “the
midst of the earth” (b'kereb hâ'âretz, in the
whole circuit of the earth), all nations being here
represented by Egypt and Assyria. Hitherto it had been only to the disadvantage
of Israel to be situated between Egypt and Assyria. The history of the
Ephraimitish kingdom, as well as that of Judah, clearly proves this. If Israel
relied upon Egypt, it deceived itself, and was deceived; and if it relied on
Assyria, it only became the slave of Assyria, and had Egypt for a foe. Thus
Israel was in a most painful vise between the two great powers of the earth,
the western and the eastern powers. But how will all this be altered now! Egypt
and Assyria become one in Jehovah, and Israel the third in the covenant. Israel
is lo longer the only nation of God, the creation of God, the heir of God; but
all this applies to Egypt and Assyria now, as well as to Israel. To give full
expression to this, Israel's three titles of honour are mixed together, and
each of the three nations receives one of the choice names - nachali, “my inheritance,”
being reserved for Israel, as pointing back to its earliest history. This
essential equalization of the heathen nations and Israel is no degradation to
the latter. For although from this time forward there is to be no essential
difference between the nations in their relation to God, it is still the God of
Israel who obtains this universal recognition, and the nation of Israel that
has become, according to the promise, the medium of blessing to the world.
Yes, I know, my posts tend to be rambling and lots of cut n paste scriptures... I must say, I feel like I preach better than I blog... but read it w 'eyes and ears open' to receive the revelation that God has for you.
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