Esther - Her Life And Times

Esther - Her Life And Times

THE FESTIVAL OF PURIM

When Haman threw the lot or the pur to discover what day would be the best day to annihilate the Jews in Xerxes’ kingdom, he unwittingly established a festival called Purim, when, instead of annihilation, the Jews celebrated their deliverance. Esther and her cousin Mordecai jointly worked to overturn Haman’s plot, and when they were successful, they sent out a proclamation to all the Jews living in Xerxes’ kingdom to “celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration” (Esther 9:21 – 22).

Adar 14 and 15. Adar was the last month in the Jewish calendar — our February/March. Josephus, the first-century Jewish general and historian, claimed that Jews all over the world celebrated the festival of Purim in his day, and it continues to be a popular festival for Jews today.

Worship and fasting typically make up the first day of the festival. The entire book of Esther is read aloud, and the congregation responds with “Let his name be blotted out” each time Haman’s name is read. The children in the group respond to Haman’s name with noisemakers and rattles. On the second day of the feast, rejoicing and celebration break out. Food, music, dramas and plays, special songs, and recitals all add to the festive mood. People give gifts to each other and also make sure they don’t forget to give gifts and food to the poor, as that was a special wish of Mordecai (Esther 9:22).

Like the Passover, the Feast of Purim celebrates divine deliverance. Saved from Pharaoh’s rule and slavery in Egypt and delivered from the destruction planned by Haman, the Jews celebrated a deliverance that only God could have orchestrated. Previously doomed, they were now delivered. As believers, we too have something to celebrate. Instead of a Moses or an Esther, God sent his own Son to deliver us, saving us from the terrible destruction of sin and death. Surely, that’s reason enough to celebrate!