Purim - The Festival of Lots
Although there are only seven festivals given to us by Adonai, there are two others that are celebrated by Jews worldwide, Hanukkah and Purim. The name Hanukkah sounds familiar to most people, because of its relation to Christmas on the calendar, but most people have never heard of Purim. These same people may have heard of the story and hero behind this festival without even realizing it: the story of Queen Esther.
A wise man once said that all of the Jewish holidays could be summed up in one sentence: The enemy wanted to kill us, but with God’s help we survived; let’s eat! The festival, or feast, of Purim is no exception. In fact, that sums up the entire story quite nicely. The interesting thing about this tale of Adonai’s deliverance is that His name is never mentioned in the entire story. We hear of Mordecai and Esther, Ahasuerus and Haman, but never is God’s name mentioned. Yet it is quite obvious to the reader that His hand was present throughout the tale, guiding people into place for such a time as this.
So let’s now go back and fill in the details: who wanted us dead, whom did God use to save us and what were the results that caused us to celebrate year after year? We will also answer another question: what does this have to do with those of us who are not Jewish? Should those of us who are new covenant believers buy not Jews… what does all of this matter to us? These are the questions I hope to answer in this study.
One could easily say that Purim all began with a certain Jewish orphan named Hadassah, but it actually begins years before she is even born. The story of Purim begins with the Israelite king, named Saul. In the first book of Samuel, chapter 15, we read the story of the battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites. This is where the trouble began.
Samuel had instructed King Saul to totally wipe out the Amalekites, cattle and all. When Samuel arrived at the camp, not only did he find the cattle still lowing, but also Agag, king of the Amalekites, was captured alive. Although Samuel sent for the king and killed Agag himself, apparently the king’s wife, who was with child, was able to escape and survived.
When we read the book of Esther, we soon learn the name of the villain: Haman the Agagite, a descendant of King Agag. This man had a hatred of the Jews that went back for generations and he made it his goal to rid the entire Persian empire of all Jews. If King Saul had only followed the command of Adonai, Esther would never have had to face what she did. But I am getting ahead of myself.
The story of Esther takes place in the Persian Empire, in the capital city of Susa and it actually begins with a party. The Persian king, Ahasuerus, had been displaying the wealth of his majesty for 180 days, and at the end of those days he held a banquet for seven days. All were welcome at this banquet, from the greatest to the least of the kingdom. His queen, Vashti, also hosted a banquet for all of the ladies of the palace at Susa. On the last day of the banquet the king sent for his queen so that he might show her beauty off to the people. Some believe that what he had really requested was for her to appear before he and the entire banquet wearing nothing but her crown. If this were indeed the case, I don’t blame her for refusing him.
And refuse him she did, and the entire empire, it seems, was there to witness the event. Turning to his closest advisors, King Ahasuerus asked for their council. They advised him to send Vashti away for refusing to appear before the king because if he didn’t and the other women of the empire heard how Vashti treated the king, they would then follow suit, refusing their husbands as well. For the sake of the empire, she must be put away, and it was done so by royal edict.
“If it pleases the king, let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she. When the king’s edict which he will make is heard throughout all his kingdom, great as it is, then all women will give honor to their husbands, great and small.” (Esther 1:19-20)
Respect for the king was taken very seriously in ancient Persia. One could not even approach the king without being summoned; unless he showed favor and pointed his scepter, the offender was immediately killed. Some sages teach that Vashti was merely banished from the king’s presence, while others believe that she was killed for her insolence. We do not know for sure for she is never mentioned again.
It doesn’t take too long before King Ahasuerus begins to get lonely. One of his advisors suggests that it is time to find a new wife by bringing all of the eligible young women (virgins) from throughout the empire to the capital at Susa. There they would be brought into the harem and the king could then pick a new queen. It is at this point in the story that we are introduced to our hero, Mordecai, and our heroine, Hadassah, soon to be known as Esther.
Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled. He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form and face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. (Esther 2:5-7)
Mordecai and Hadassah were Jews in exile in the capital city of Susa. When the edict went forth regarding all of the young women of Persia, Hadassah was taken as well. It is at this point that her name is changed to Esther and her identity as a Jew is hidden following the advice of her dear cousin Mordecai. Although Esther is not being completely honest with those around her, she is very wise to obey her cousin’s request, as these were dangerous times for the Jews of Persia, as we will soon see.
It is said that not only was Esther fair of face, but she also had a beauty that came from within, and this would seem to be the case by how well she was received by the eunuch in charge of the king’s harem. Taking an instant liking to her, he gave her seven maids and put them in the best place in the harem. Each day Mordecai would wait outside of the harem court, hoping for news of his dear Esther.
To make a long story short, it didn’t take too long before the king noticed Esther and fell in love with her, choosing her for his new queen. She continued to hide the fact that she was Jewish, just as her cousin Mordecai had instructed her. Mordecai was a very wise man, and his wisdom will be rewarded.