May the blessings of divine grace and supernatural peace that flow from God our wonderful Father, and our Messiah, the Lord Jesus, be upon your lives.
I continue to pray for your love to grow and increase beyond measure, bringing you into the rich revelation of spiritual insight in all things. This will enable you to choose the most excellent way of all —becoming pure and without offense until the unveiling of Christ. And you will be filled completely with the fruits of righteousness found in Jesus, the Anointed One—bringing great praise and glory to God!
Philippians 1: 9-11
Today is the first day of Purim. This is a joyous celebration by the children of God and Israelites recorded in the Book of Esther. God used a beautiful young Jewish orphan living in Persia, Esther, to stop a madman’s plot to destroy the lives of every Jew in the kingdom. The heroes of the story are Esther and her cousin Mordecai, who raised Esther as if she were his own daughter.
King Xerxes of Persia banished his first wife, Queen Vashti, for not obeying his order to come to his lavish banquet so all the men could gaze on her beauty. His advisors later recommended the king gather all the beautiful young maidens to the royal harem to be considered as the new queen. Esther was one of the young women. She was immediately set apart for special treatment because God gave her favor in the eyes of the eunuch in charge of the haram.
Mordecai was a Jew who was divinely chosen to be one of the king’s advisors, giving him access to the palace. He instructed Esther and advised her to keep her true identity as a Jew hidden. When it was time for Esther to be brought to King Xerxes, the king loved her and made her his queen.
Haman, another of the king’s top advisors, was an evil man. He was promoted over all the other nobles and demanded everyone bow before him whenever he passed by. While the king’s other officials bowed to Haman in respect, Mordecai refused to do so because he bowed only before God.
This infuriated Haman, so he plotted to destroy all the Jewish people in revenge. He went to the king and accused the Jews of not obeying the king’s laws and advised it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. King Xerxes handed over the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, who planned to kill them all.
Purim means “lots” in Hebrew. The holiday gets its name from the lots cast by Haman to determine the month the Jews were to be annihilated. Haman had letters sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the Jewish month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions. Purim is celebrated on the fourteenth and fifteenth day. It is always about a month before Passover.
When Mordecai learned of Haman’s intentions, he persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. Esther had not been called in by the king in thirty days. This was a dangerous thing for her to do, because anyone who came into the king’s presence without being summoned could be put to death.
Mordecai urged Esther, “Do not think in your heart you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4: 13-14
Esther told Mordecai to tell all the Jews to fast for her for three days as she prepared herself to meet the king. She and her maids did the same. She promised to then go to the king, even if it meant she would perish.
God went before Esther and King Xerxes welcomed her. She invited the king and Haman to a banquet. The king promised to give Esther anything she desired up to half the kingdom. She invited the king and Haman to a second banquet the next day. After they dined, the king again asked Esther what she wanted. She told him about the evil plot against her people and begged for their salvation. Her faith in God and because of her bravery, saved the Jewish people.
Haman was hanged on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai. His hatred of God’s people led to his own death and destruction. Mordecai was promoted to Haman’s vacated position. The king could not rescind his edict, but he gave his signet ring to Mordecai to issue another edict allowing all the Jews in Persia to defend themselves from their enemies. The Jewish community was not only saved from destruction, Jews were now respected and honored in Persia as everyone feared and respected Mordecai.
Esther and Mordecai inaugurated the festival of Purim as a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor to commemorate this miraculous turn of events. Mordecai decreed Jews were to always observe Purim as days of feasting and joy, giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
God goes before us today even as He went before
Mordecai and Esther. We may not call ourselves Jews, but as members of God’s
family we too can celebrate this beautiful holiday. Take time today to thank
God for all His blessings and for saving our very lives from destruction from
the enemy. If you can, share food or a gift with someone in need in honor of
Purim. God bless you.
