Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

When the Jews were in Persia, a wicked man, Haman, set out to destroy the entire nation. Actually, Haman was an “Aggagite,” meaning he was descendant of King Agag. This Canaanite king was ruling in the time of Saul and was the king of the Amalekites. Agag was slain by the prophet Samuel. Therefore, Haman was full of revenge and chose to destroy the Jews in Persia as a retaliation against them for the death of his ancestors. The plot would have succeeded, had not Esther the queen made a decision to appear before the king. This sounds simple. The queen always has access to the king —but not in Persia. The king had condemned his previous wife from his presence, had taken the royal position from her, and was prepared to give her royal position to another because she showed him disrespect, and a law had been passed concerning the wives in the kingdom (Esther 1:15–21). Esther could have been killed for coming into the king’s chamber without permission. Esther 5:2 says, “When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight.” Five times the Bible mentions how Esther received favor in the sight of the king. Esther had good looks going for her, and the Lord used this to get the king’s attention and his favor. We see this principle of favor at work also in the lives of Daniel and Peter. Daniel interpreted a king’s dream and saved the wise men in Babylon (Dan. 2:24). The church interceded for Peter, and God spared his life from death,