Lessons From Purim

Today is the biblical, Jewish holiday of Purim.  Purim is a celebration of the deliverance of the Jews from the first attempted genocide against them by the wicked prime minister of ancient Persia, Haman.  Oddly enough today ancient Persia (Iran) again threatens to wipe out and destroy Israel and the Jews and is led by their current "Haman", Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Purim story is given to us in its entirety in the biblical book of Esther.  On this day, in synagogues around the world, the story of Esther is read by the reading of the entire Megillah (story) of Esther.  That's right - "the whole Megillah!"  For the sake of brevity I will assume that most of you reading this are already familiar with the story and will dispense with recounting the whole thing for you here.  One thing that should be pointed out and mentioned because of its striking nature is the fact that the book of Esther is the only book of the Bible that does not directly mention God.  The only book of the Bible where you will not find the name of God!  Yet perhaps also, as in no other book of the Bible, is the care, providence and protection of God for His people more striking and evident than in this account of the Jews in ancient Persia.

The purpose of this posting is to see what lessons (if any) the Purim story has to teach us.  I believe it teaches us some very needful and valuable lessons.  The key verses, in my thinking, in this book are verses 13 & 14 of chapter 4.  It is Mordecai's response to Esther when she expresses some misgivings of going before her husband, the King of Persia, to intercede for her people - the Jews.  Here is Mordecai's response to her:

 "Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews.  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

The portion of the response to focus on is the first half of v. 14 - "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place..."  So what lessons can we glean from these words and from the overall Purim story?

The first lesson is this, anti-semitism is as old as the Bible itself!  Why we think it's curable in our day is beyond me.  Biblically God has a very active enemy, Lucifer, who wants nothing more than to destroy the program and purposes of God.  As those purposes are directly linked to Israel, to the Jewish people, to the Jewish Messiah Yeshua and those who have attached themselves to the Messiah and His people through faith, we can expect anti-semitism and anti-God attitudes to not only be with us but to increase as we approach the end of time and the return of Yeshua.

The second lesson is the direct outflow of the first, i.e., that as a result of this ancient, prevalent and on-going anti-semitism in many generations there have been, are and will be "Hamans" on the scene who were and are more than happy and willing to destroy the Jewish people.  From the first Haman in the book of Esther, to the final and ultimate "Haman" at the end of days, the anti-Messiah (anti-Christ).

The third lesson is this, while millions of Jews have suffered and died at the hands and by the whims of these "Hamans," the annihilation of the Jews was and is impossible because, as Mordecai said, "...relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews..." every time!  Why?  Because God's gifts and callings of and to the Jewish people are irrevocable!  Because God, Who cannot lie, will forever be faithful to His covenants with the Patriarchs, with Israel and through Yeshua.  Never forget that the greatest proof of the existence of God is the existence of the Jews, even after centuries of attempts to make us extinct.

Lesson number four.  If we through fear and intimidation refuse to aid the Jewish people during their times of distress, God will raise up other helpers, intercessors and deliverers and rescue His people every time.  He will likewise judge and destroy those individuals AND THEIR FAMILIES who refused to come to the aid of the Jews and of Israel.  That is what makes Mordecai's statement to Esther so ominous.  It puts me in mind of a similar vein of thought expressed by the Messiah Yeshua that he said He will confront humanity with on the day of judgement.  He said in Matthew 25:31-46 -
 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;  for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;  I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’  Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’  Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’  These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

So Purim, as you can see, has many valuable and serious lessons to teach us.  Let's learn them!