Chag Purim Sameach (KHAG poor-EEM sah-MAY-AKH), Happy Purim!

Favor: A Kingdom Principle

As we celebrate Purim, the Feast of Esther, this month, the Lord has put the topic of FAVOR on my heart. In these days of violence in Gaza, airplane tragedies, raging wildfires, and political upheaval, we need some good news. Favor is good news from God. It can be experienced in the midst of the most severe trials. I remember a time, after my first cancer diagnosis, when the surgeon explained to me that I would need to return to Florida until they could work me into the surgery schedule in Houston. To that I replied, “No. I’m sorry. That’s not possible. You see, I’ll be 65 on December 21st, and my husband is planning a birthday party for me at a Messiah Conference in Orlando. I need to be operated on this week so that I don’t miss my party!” The doctor looked at me amazed (as he held onto the sea- shell message I had given him) and left the room. He returned shortly, informing me that they would fit me in. That’s FAVOR.

What is God’s favor like? It is refreshing and life-giving according to two verses from Proverbs: “In the light of the king’s face is life, and his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain” (Prov. 16:15). “The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass” (Prov. 19:12). “Favor” and “king” usually go together.

Isaiah 61:1-2 in the ESV are familiar verses that take on new meaning when seen in the context of FAVOR: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.” An anointed king is being prophesied here as is the Evangel or Good News initiated by Yeshua HaMashiach, who said in Luke 4, upon reading the verses of Isaiah 61, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). With Yeshua comes favor. Could it be that 2025 is the year of God’s favor for those who believe? I believe it can be. In the midst of war, mourning, and crises worldwide, King Yeshua can crown your year with favor.

Favor with a King

There are many examples of individuals in the Bible who experienced favor with a king or ruler. Joseph stands out among them. “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority” (Gen. 39:2-4). And again, after Pharoah put Joseph into prison, “But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Gen. 39:21).

Daniel, as a captive in Babylon, had favor with the king and his staff. “Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs” (Dan. 1:9). When Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions, King Darius went to his palace and spent a sleepless night fasting out of his concern for Daniel. He rose early the next morning and went in haste to see if Daniel’s God had delivered him. He had, and the king was overjoyed. That was a king’s favor!

What about Queen Esther? Her entire life was marked by favor. Orphaned, without father or mother, her cousin Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter. A stranger and a Jew in a foreign land, Esther ascended to the throne of Persia. Esther found favor with all who saw her. She became so famous and esteemed that a book of the Bible bears her name.

When Esther was taken to the king’s palace and placed under the care of Hegai, the custodian of the woman, the Bible says, “Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance…” (Esth. 2:9). Again, favor followed Esther. “Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her” (Esth. 2:15). When Esther was taken to the king: “The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti” (Esth. 2:17).

The word favor appears seven times in the book of Esther. There was a time when Esther appeared before the king to plead for the lives of her people, destined for annihilation at the hands of the wicked Haman. Since she had not been summoned to the inner court for thirty days, her life was at risk. But God. “So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter” (Esth. 5:2).

Esther asked the king directly for favor when she invited him, along with Haman, to a banquet. Next, she asked for favor concerning her life and the lives of her people, the Jews. Each time, the king granted Esther favor. Final favor was requested when Esther asked the king to counteract the evil scheme against the Jews of Haman the Agagite by revoking the letters that he had devised (see Esth. 8:5).

Many people have seen Queen Esther as a picture of Yeshua’s end-time bride. We, like Esther, are the bride of a King. Our King is the King of kings. We, like Esther, were once orphans, but have been adopted into the family of God through faith in the Messiah. Like Esther, we have been called “to the Kingdom for such a time as this” (Esth. 4:14)—to take a stand on behalf of the Jewish people and Israel. Like Esther, we have authority to decree victory over our enemies. And we, like Esther, have a King who is holding out His scepter to us. (It helps to follow the advice of His Servant, the Ruach HaKodesh—our Hegai—since He knows what most pleases the King.)

The Enemy’s Weapons

If we know what HaSatan’s weapons are, if we are “not ignorant of his devices” (II Cor. 2:11), we can watch for him and defeat him with the help of our Faithful Father. First of all, we must be aware that Satan likes to work in secrecy and darkness. He doesn’t like light. He specializes in making evil look good and good evil, since he is a master deceiver. His contact with believers is through the OLD NATURE, especially the mind. He cannot touch the WILL of a child of God, but we can surrender to his influence. Pre-believers, on the other hand, are totally subject to Satan’s lies and manipulation. “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (I Jn 5:19). The devil has blinded their minds (II Cor. 4:4).

Our minds are also a battlefield. The devil wars against them. Rabbi Saul (Paul) said, “But I fear, lest somehow, as a serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Messiah.” (II Cor. 11:3). What is that simplicity? Pure devotion to Yeshua. Bride of Messiah, Watch: the enemy is after your thought life. Just as we have a personal Savior, we have a personal adversary, who knows our weaknesses and who lurks about looking for ways to stir up our old natures. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he…” (Prov. 23:7) is a truth which makes Satan desperate to control our minds. He whispers to us and plants thoughts in our minds, suggesting things that we often don’t realize are coming from him.

Two Kinds of Favor

The Other Type of Favor

The second type of favor in the Holy Scriptures is CONDITIONAL or DESERVED FAVOR: ratzon רצון (rah-TZOHN) in Hebrew. This type of favor is seen 56 times in the Tanakh while khen is seen 69 times. Ratzon is translated as favor, goodwill, acceptance, pleasure, delight, or will. It is derived from the root ratzah רצה, which means “to be pleased with” or “to accept favorably.” This implies that favor as ratzon is given when someone is pleased or delighted with another. In ancient Israelite culture, the concept of favor was deeply intertwined with covenant relationships. Divine favor was seen as a sign of God’s blessing and approval, often linked to OBEDIENCE and FAITHFULNESS to the covenant. For the Israelites, the ratzon of the Lord was sought through worship, sacrifices, and obedience to His commandments. It was not only a personal blessing, but a communal or national one as well.

Ratzon favor, being associated with pleasure and delight, can be seen in the present-day context of family. I just wrote about this in the in-progress book of my God stories. As a young child, when my mother took me shopping for shoes, I would get really excited as I tried them on, profusely thanking her for getting me such pretty shoes. She was so delighted with my thankful attitude that I always left a store with more than one new pair of shoes. I believe that FAVOR of the ratzon-type accompanies thankful receivers. It works this way with God. He is the SUPREME GIVER and loves to pour out favor in grateful receivers with thankful hearts.

Some of my FAVORite verses in the Bible focus on ratzon/favor. “For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield” (Ps. 5:12)—the righteousness of God in Yeshua. Standing in Him by faith. “For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the LORD” (Prov. 8:35). “He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, but trouble will come to him who seeks evil” (Prov. 11:27). “A good man obtains favor from the LORD, but a man of wicked intentions He will condemn” (Prov. 12:2). “Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor” (Prov. 14:9). “The king’s favor is toward a wise servant, but his wrath is against him who causes shame” (Prov. 14:35). “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD” (Prov. 18:22). These verses show us that some of the CONDITIONS for having extra favor are: standing in righteousness, having wisdom, seeking good, being good, being upright, being a wise servant, and finding a wife!

Favor with God and Men

Favor as ratzon can be seen in those who walk closely with God. Out of a love relationship there is submission, surrender, obedience, and walking in humility. Consider Yeshua. After His parents found Him, as a twelve-year-old boy debating with the rabbis in the Temple in Jerusalem, the Bible says, “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:51-52). Yeshua, even though He was God in the flesh, submitted in love to the authority of His earthly parents. He was obedient and humble. Are these keys to His favor with God and men? Are they keys for us as well? Do we contribute to an increased favor in our lives by our obedience to God, doing His will, pleasing Him, and submitting to authority? By having a humble spirit? You judge.

In The Decree of Esther by Aaron Früh, the author talks about “Two-Dimensional Obedience,” focusing on Esther’s submission to her earthly custodians, Mordecai and Hegai, as well as her submission to the lordship of King Ahasuerus (as a representation, albeit incomplete, of God as King). Pastor Früh comments: “If we see him [the king] as representative of God the Father, then we see that Esther’s obedience is two-dimensional. She submits herself both to God, symbolically, and to men. So it is not a surprise that she obtains the favor of both God and man.” Früh continues expressing his opinion, as a pastor, that he has seen many people who never seem to obtain favor in their lives.

His conclusion: “They submit to God, but want no part of submission to any earthly authorities, such as parents or counselors or doctors or pastors. Their obedience is merely one-dimensional. And favor eludes them.” SELAH.

End-Time Esthers

Someone once said that favor is God stepping into one’s situation to make a worthwhile difference. Although the name of God never appears in the Book of Esther, His Presence and His Favor are obvious. Esther, as a type of the end-time Bride of Messiah, has “come to the kingdom for such a time as this” (Esth. 4:14b). Her love, intercession, and willingness to take a stand on behalf of the Jewish people on the verge of extermination certainly resonates with today’s lovers of Israel and God’s Chosen People.

Esther’s faith, that propelled her to call a community-wide fast, her wisdom, and bravery in the face of the wicked Haman (BOO!) are qualities that we, as Yeshua’s bride, want to cultivate. We also should be concerned with the process of becoming beautiful—to submit to the leading and directions of our Hegai (the Holy Spirit) and not skip the six months of bitter myrrh (the trials and suffering that are part of a disciple’s life). As Pastor Früh succinctly says, “And, like Esther, be prepared with the right appearance, the right spirit, the right timing, and the right approach.”

Favor in 2025

As I thought about all the wonderful, praise-worthy qualities that Esther exemplified, I confess that I don’t understand why khen, not ratzon, is used throughout her book for favor. Every time. UNCONDITIONAL, UNMERITED FAVOR. God’s Graciousness and Kindness turning toward someone; favor as a way in which God demonstrates His affection and love for us. My conclusion: The Favor of God is all about Him, not us (see Ex. 33:19). Like His love, therefore, God’s favor is unconditional. It is especially ours as we stand in the righteousness imputed to us through the Messiah Yeshua. Some may walk in more increased favor than others because of exercising more faith, gratitude, or obedience, but all God’s children can experience the favor of the King. The golden scepter is extended, but we have to reach out and accept it. I believe that we can see an increase of God’s favor in our lives by continually seeking the things that are on God’s heart.

Pray with me: “My Father, my King, I desire to experience more favor in my life. Thank You that when Yeshua died on the tree of sacrifice for my sin, He made that possible, and His grace shines upon me even now because I stand in His righteousness. I am awed that I have favor with You simply because I am Your child. You love me just as I am but see me as I will be. Thank You for giving me favor not only with You but with my family, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, even strangers. By faith, I believe that 2025 is the year of the Lord’s favor in my life…ever increasing as I walk in humility and purity, surrendering my will to my King, obeying His commands, and releasing favor to others. AMEN.”

You are God’s FAVORite!