Where is it mentioned?
Esther 9:1 - The king's command and law went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. On the day when the Jews' enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them. 15 The Jews in Susa assembled again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed 300 men in Susa, but they did not seize any plunder. 18 But the Jews in Susa had assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. They rested on the fifteenth day of the month, and it became a day of feasting and rejoicing. Esther 9:19 - This explains why the rural Jews who live in villages observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a time of rejoicing and feasting. It is a holiday when they send gifts to one another. 21-22 He ordered them to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month Adar every year because during those days the Jews got rid of their enemies. That was the month that their sorrow was turned into rejoicing and their mourning into a holiday. They were to be days of feasting, rejoicing, and of sending gifts to one another and the poor. 26 For this reason, these days are called Purim, from the word Pur. 27-28 The Jews bound themselves, their descendants, and all who joined with them to a commitment that they would not fail to celebrate these two days each and every year according to the written instructions and according to the time appointed. These days are remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim will not lose their significance in Jewish life and their memory will not fade from their descendants.
Crescent roll hamantaschen!
Crescent roll hamantaschen!
Why should I care?
Being a day of deliverance and rest from one's problems, Purim is naturally related to the greater day of rest in the days of Messiah.
Purim is a grand reminder of God's plan for His people and how that plan will be implemented through the return of Messiah!
The day highlights the faithfulness of God towards His covenant people. In Genesis 12:3 we find that part of the promise to Abraham is divine protection: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." The simple but profound lesson of Purim is that God will be faithful to His promises. Anytime His people are threatened with destruction, God will intervene because His character is at stake. As Rabbi Saul of Tarsus put it, "God's free gifts and His calling are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29).
Yet the message of Purim is not to be limited to the ancient history of Israel. Every beliver in Yeshua has reason to celerbate. God's constant protection of the Jewish people should give all believers a sense of hope and security. God is a covenant-keeping God who is faithful to every generation.
A secondary yet important lesson of this holy day is the responsibility of man to accomplish God's will. Esther is the only book of the Bible with no clear reference to God; yet He can be seen working out His perfect plan behind the scenes. Also emphasized is that people have a responsibility to act if the will of God is to be carried out. When the evil plot of Haman became known to the community of Persia, there was a call to prayer and fasting. Ultimately, there was also a call to action as seen in the exhortation from Mordechai to Queen Esther.
"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows, but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this (Esther 4:14)?"
God's people today are facing another imminent danger. There may not be a threat of physical destruction as in the days of Haman, but there is an even more dangerous threat of spiritual catastrophe for many who are from the God of their fathers and the appointed Messiah. Undoubtedly, God is drawing many Jewish people to Yeshua in these latter days. But the laborers are too few. Purim should be a reminder to all believers that God desires to use people who are available to serve in the Kingdom. Who knows whether you have not been placed where you are for such a time as this? May we all be faithful ambassadors of Messiah bringing the message of spiritual redemption to those around us.
