Purim - - a Story of Surrender

Tonight at sundown, the Jewish feast of Purim begins world-wide.  Purim is always the 14th and 15th of the 12th Hebrew month, Nisan.  This year, curiously, it falls very "late", straddling the Spring equinox.

The biblical story on which the feast is based is the Old Testament book of Esther, most likely written by either Mordecai, one of its central characters, or by the prophet Nehemiah, who would have been a young man when these events transpired.  The date of the book is somewhere between 464-415 B.C.

If you are unfamiliar with the story of Esther, go read the short Old Testament book.  It is fascinating to read about how God physically delivered His people from extermination by an anti-Semitic prime minister of the Persian Empire.  My commentary today will make more sense of you are familiar with the story.

This feast of Purim (which means 'lots' as in "casting lots") is a time of physical celebration.  The day before Purim, itself a one-day feast, is spent fasting from before daylight until dusk.  This year, that fast day would have been today, March 20th.  Then, from sundown on March 20th to sundown on March 21st this year, Jews (including Messianic Jews) participate in a variety of celebratory activities:

• synagogue services in which the story of Esther is read
• special prayers (such as Exodus 17:8-16) to celebrate God's deliverance in Jewish history
• special feasts/recipes
• giving to the needy
• giving food gifts to friends (delivering it to their homes)
• much alcoholic beverage
• dancing
• masquerade (to symbolize Esther hiding her Jewish identity and Haman keeping his motives for the Jews hidden)

Ultimately, the Jews celebrate their rescue, how God used one, surrendered young woman, to deliver the nation from the brink of extinction (Haman's goal).

So, yes, one of the central themes of the book is "surrender".  Esther, like all women of her day, had no power that accrued to her, simply because of her personhood.  Theirs was an extremely patriarchal society.  The best that a woman could hope for was to marry a powerful man.  In God's sovereignty, He appointed Esther to the position of Artaxerxes' (Ahasuerus') queen.  This made her the most powerful woman in that empire.
Even so, her predecessor, Vashti, had been killed due to her disobedience to the king.  It was a sobering lesson, a "cautionary tale".  Esther had good reason to fear standing up for the lives of her people.  She had every expectation that she, too, would be killed for daring to petition the king.  In the passage above, while she is pondering the implications of her task, her uncle reminds her that nothing happens by accident with God - - - that she had been uniquely placed into her position of influence so that she could be used by God to accomplish His purposes.

We are faced with this same challenge.  Each Christian is uniquely created and gifted to serve the Savior.  Each of us must decide every day whether or not we will allow our will to be submitted to His, whether we will allow our bodies, minds, souls and spirits to be used by Him to advance His kingdom.  I thank God I've never had to lay my life on the line for His sake.  But, that day may come. In the interim, in the little surrenders to His will, am I proving myself faithful?  That is the question each of us must answer every, single day.

But, why did the story of Esther even occur?  Why is it even in the Bible?  Is it really that important?  I mean, it is the only book of the Bible in which God's name is not even mentioned.  (Isn't that something?!)

I wonder if God allowed Esther's story to be told in order to show the long-range consequences of disobedience?

Did you notice in Esther 2:5 that Mordecai was a Benjaminite, and that his ancestor was Kish (also a Benjaminite)? This means Mordecai was of the tribe of Benjamin, and that Esther was also, as she and Mordecai were first cousins.  Equally important, Haman was a Agagite (Esther 3:1).  I know you are thinking, "Big deal...yawn..."

Take a look with me back at 1 Samuel 9:1-2.  Who was Kish's son?  That's right, Saul, the first king of Israel.  By all appearances, Saul would have made a fine king.  Unfortunately, he turned to disobedience, and his disobedience to God figures into the Esther story.  Now, let's look at 1 Samuel 15:1-11.  Of particular interest is verse 9.

9Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calvesb and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to destroy them ...

Do you see it?  God had commanded Saul to destroy utterly all of the Amalekites, including Agag, their king.  When Haman is called an Agagite in Esther 3:1, it means he was a descendant of Agag.
Once again, history repeats.  In the Esther story, we have an Agagite trying to destroy the Jews.
HAD SAUL DONE AS GOD COMMANDED HIM, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO AGAGITES, meaning, no Haman, no crisis, no pending extermination of the Jewish people, hundreds of years after Saul, in the 5th century B.C.
Boom.

When we consciously disobey God, thinking we know better than He (or for whatever god-forsaken justification) we rarely can foresee the long-range consequences of our disobedience.  Thankfully, He allowed descendants of Kish to redeem that family name through their obedience, because both Mordecai and Esther surrendered to His leading at this critical point in Jewish history.

As Mordecai pointed out to Esther (Esther 4:13-14), if she had said, "No!", God would have raised up someone else to deliver His chosen people.  Both Mordecai and Esther were devout Jews, who were well aware of the covenants which God had made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. They knew He would keep His word, which declared He would not allow His chosen ones to be utterly destroyed.  The question was, "Would Esther and Mordecai fulfill the purpose to which God had called them, in this cosmic battle?"  Would they embrace the task, risking their very lives for Him? Or, would they decline, and miss the blessing God had for them, even if that blessing was in the form of death?

Here is something that Christian martyrs have understood for two milennia, whether you are talking about first century Christian martyrs or those ruthless killed by Muslims in Nigeria just a few short weeks ago.  ( https://www.christianpost.com/news/fifty-christians-burned-alive-in-pastors-home-in-nigeria-78303/ ). If they are living in the center of God's will, fulfilling His purpose for them, then death is not a punishment.  They understand that following hard after Jesus Christ, their Savior, is better than physical life and that, in the end, physical death is ... irrelevant.

At Purim, followers of Jesus can celebrate this:
that He has delivered His chosen people from extermination and that He has, through His earthly redemptive work, His perfect sacrifice for our sins, delivered us from the penalty of sin and eternal death.  Our Savior is our Deliverer.  Hallelujah!  Although orthodox Jews still look for a Messiah, we have this treasure, this gospel of Jesus Christ - - - that He, the Son of God, has come that we might have (eternal) life, and that we might have life here on earth more abundantly. (John 10:10)  Now, THAT is a great reason to celebrate!

Happy Purim!