Purim - The Festival of Lots
When King Ahasuerus asked Esther what she was talking about, she did not play any games but came right out and announced:
Esther said, “A foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman!” Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen. (Esther 7:6)
This so angered the king that he left the banquet and went out into the palace garden. At this point Haman begs Queen Esther for his life, for he has realized that the king would never allow him to live. When the king returns and finds Haman falling on the queen’s couch, he naturally believes that Haman is trying to assault the queen. It is at this point that the king finds out what has been going on all along.
Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king said, “Behold indeed, the gallows standing at Haman’s house fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai who spoke good on behalf of the king!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided. (Esther 7:9-10)
Because of her humility and hospitality, Esther’s testimony was beyond reproach. Haman didn’t even try to defend himself to the king. He knew it was hopeless. The only hope Haman had was to throw himself on the mercy of the very same woman he had inadvertently conspired to kill.
God’s promise to Abraham held true once again. Those who curse His people will be cursed themselves. Haman found this to be true the hard way and was the last lesson he ever learned. The Arabs would be wise to learn this lesson as well, before it is too late.
As a result of the death of Haman, the king gave Esther the house of Haman, which she gave to her cousin Mordecai. King Ahasuerus then gave Mordecai the signet ring formerly worn by Haman, indicating the king’s favor of Mordecai and his rights over the house of Haman. Even with all of this, the Jews were not out of danger yet, as the decree still existed.
Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept and implored him to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews. The king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king.
Then she said, “If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces. For how can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?” (Esther 8:3-6)
We need to remember that once a law has been made it could not be broken, in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians. The king could not simply say, “Never mind.” If that had been the case, he might have simply taken Vashti back and Esther never would have been in the position to save her people.
So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and him they have hanged on the gallows because he had stretched out his hands against the Jews. Now you write to the Jews as you see fit, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s signet ring may not be revoked.” (Esther 8:7-8)
When Haman sent word out to the empire regarding the annihilation of the Jews, he gave the people permission to loot the Jewish homes and this command had been sealed with the very same ring now given to Mordecai. Because of this, they could not simply revoke the decree. So, Mordecai did the next best thing; he added to it.
Calling in the king’s scribes, and edict was issued to the entire empire, from India to Ethiopia, that the Jews were permitted to assemble and defend themselves from any army or people who might attack them on the day prescribed by Haman. In fact, not only were the Jews permitted to defend themselves, but they could also plunder any who did attack them. And this decree was sealed with the king’s signet ring and delivered in the native tongues of each region of the empire.
Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a large crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. For the Jews there was light and gladness and joy and honor. In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree arrived, there was gladness and joy for the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the dread of the Jews had fallen on them. (Esther 8:15-17)
How very interesting. Many people of the land became Jews as a result of this event! Not quite the end that Haman had in mind, huh? This is what is meant by the phrase, “Your sorrow will turn into joy!” Prior to this the Jews were victims, but now they could fight back. In fact, because of their strength, many who would have attacked them probably chose not to do so. The fear of Mordecai especially fell upon the people of Persia because of how quickly he rose up and took Haman’s place.
When the fateful day arrived, the Jews arose and slaughtered all who attacked them. In the citadel of Susa, not only were many men killed, but also the ten sons of Haman were killed as well. Even though they had been given permission, the Jews of Susa did not plunder their enemies. I guess they felt that enough was enough.
On that day the number of those who were killed at the citadel in Susa was reported to the king. The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman at the citadel in Susa. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! Now what is your petition? It shall even be granted you. And what is your further request? It shall also be done.”
Then said Esther, “If it pleases the king, let tomorrow also be granted to the Jews who are in Susa to do according to the edict of today; and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.” So the king commanded that it should be done so; and an edict was issued in Susa, and Haman’s ten sons were hanged. (Esther 9:11-14)
According to tradition, the sons of Haman were hanged on the same gallows as their father… the one Haman had erected to hang Mordecai. Turn about is fair play? It would seem so. What Haman had planned for evil turned out to be for good, just as it should be. I really do think the Arabs of today could learn a lesson from Haman.
Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same month, annually, because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor. (Esther 9:20-22)
Thus began the celebration known today as Purim. It is simply a celebration to remind us of the days when all hope seemed lost and then God raised up one who was able to deliver us from evil. We are to be reminded that God our Father is the one who provides for our every need, before we even realize we need anything at all. He didn’t raise Esther up as a result of what Haman had done; she was already in place before Haman even came onto the scene.
And isn’t that the way of our Elohim? Just when all hope seems lost He shows us that we can hope in Him. Adonai our Elohim, whose hand is not always seen, is there nonetheless. If we are willing to stand up and do what’s right, He will protect us and give us favor in our enemy’s sight. This message is found throughout the Scriptures, but we must remember the event that preceded Esther’s hospitality; we must remember the prayers and fasting of not only Esther, but of all the Jews of Susa as well. Their dedication not only benefited themselves, but the entire empire, from Ethiopia to India. That’s a lot of Jews!!
No, Adonai did not command us to celebrate Purim. The man who did command it was a simple man who stood up and did the right thing and saw God’s hand in his life. Do we have to keep his command? No, we do not. If we chose to ignore the story, not passing it on to our children and their children, are we in some way sinning? No, we are not. Do I think we should keep this festival anyway? Yes I do. Why? I’ll tell you why.
In this world that we live in we are constantly surrounded and bombarded by that which glorifies evil. Occult symbols are everywhere, and many of us are totally oblivious to their presence. From the logos of top selling products to the tattoos on people’s bodies, our subconscious mind picks these things up and stores them in our memory. It can be very hard to block these things out, but block them we must.
Even more than that, we need to replace these images with other images glorifying the Almighty God. I can see how the reminder of God’s provision would be glorifying Him. If celebrating the feast of Purim will bring glory to God, without a whole bunch of ‘pagan’ ways, I say, “Go for it!” According to the verses above we are to celebrate this festival with food and gifts for the poor. What could possibly be wrong with that? Doesn’t that follow Torah? Isn’t Adonai blessed when we give gifts to the poor?
Purim is meant to be a joyous celebration, recounting the story of Mordecai the righteous Jew and his dear cousin Hadassah, who married a king and saved a nation. Many focus on Mordecai and Queen Esther, having quite a bit of fun hissing at Haman, but we need to remember the hidden hand behind the scenes and the humble hearts those who went before Him. As long as we remember to recount the story, whether by reading it aloud or acting it out, we will remind all who come after us just Who is in control.
Indeed, there are many people who enjoy getting dressed up in their best king or queen costume and reenact the story, and that’s fine, but it’s not required. Nothing is really required… that is part of the fun! It allows us to decide how we want to celebrate, as long as we remember the one command Mordecai did give: bless Adonai by giving gifts to the poor. Personally I highly recommend it. It is not too hard to find someone to bless with the ever-growing poverty class in this world. Children of divorce can be easily seen as orphans, especially if the non-custodial parent has ignored them. A neighbor also can be going through some tough times and would be blessed by a pre-paid-for pizza delivery. Oprah would call them random acts of kindness; I call them blessings.
What about those of us who are not Jews? Should the non-Jew keep Purim as well? Of course! There is no distinction between Greek and Jew (Romans 10:12) and what is good for the Jew is good for the Christian too. After all, we all serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, right? Adonai treats all of His children the same, whether native born or grafted into the family tree, He loves us all equally and so we should serve Him equally.
We should make it part of our lives to bless others, and Esther reminds us of that. Her hospitality went a long way, but her humility went even further. Putting the needs of others above that of our own is the sign of a true disciple of Messiah Yeshua, for He demonstrated this love for all to see. His compassion for His fellow man went beyond that of any other human throughout history. If we focus on ourselves, we are blinded to the needs of those around us. If we focus on Adonai, especially through prayer and fasting, denying ourselves so that we can focus more on Him, is the sign of a humble man. Yeshua expected us to fast and pray while He was away; have we?
In the days between Purim and Passover, we find ourselves preparing our homes in the annual spring-cleaning. Let us also take this time to do another sort of spring-cleaning, and take the time to devote ourselves to Him once again. Let’s clear out the clutter and the dust and the cobwebs of our hearts, minds and lives by reevaluating where and how we spend our time. How much time do we give Him each day? Is it enough? When was the last time I spent a half hour alone with my Bible and my Elohim? As the old saying goes, “Who sits on the throne of your heart?”
Reminders of God’s faithfulness in the cycle of life are good things. Let us celebrate that which glorifies Him with all the silliness and gladness and joyfulness we can, for He has done great things and holy is HaShem!! Tell the world how Adonai provides for His people, raising up those who will save just in time. He is faithful and true and will bless those who humble themselves before Him. May His mighty deed be recounted forevermore!!