©Brett Dolezal
Chapter 9:20-32 (ESV) - And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.
Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim. Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth, that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their offspring, with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.
Question to consider: Why do you think they wrote a decree to establish the celebration of Purim?
What Haman had intended for evil, the Lord used for good. Rather than destroying the people of Israel, Haman only succeeded in his own destruction and that of his sons while uniting the people of Israel around the very act that he once used to measure their fate: Pur.
I know I have inserted the Lord in a book that doesn’t even mention Him, but whether or not they considered the Lord’s hand in all of this while these events were happening is irrelevant. If the Lord had not provided the way for Mordecai and Esther, the holy line of Christ would have been extinguished. The truth is that there are only hints and suggestions of their faith that I’ve pointed out along the way, but it reminds me of those rock bands over the last few decades who hint at being Christian with some of their lyrics but would never admit to it publicly.
Otherwise, if Mordecai was named for Marduk, the chief Babylonian god, his character was befitting one who had supreme authority. Esther was so-named for her goddess-like beauty, and even her Hebrew name, Hadassah (meaning myrtle), could just have been a description of her beauty like the flowering tree. I know I made references to Abraham with myrtle trees at the beginning of this study, but there’s nothing in this story to support that reason for her name.
I realize that there is a lot that can be assumed about their faith in calling themselves Jews, but they never once invoked the name of Israel (one who contends with God). This festival of remembrance would have been the perfect place for Esther and Mordecai to give praise and thanks to God for delivering them from the hands of Haman and profess that He determined the outcome of Pur rather than celebrating Purim itself.
We need to remember that the reason the Jews were captive in Babylon to begin with was for many years of breaking covenant with God. While there is no doubt Esther and Mordecai loved their people, I wish there was more in this book to suggest that they loved God.
Dear heavenly Father, as we navigate a world that is growing increasingly hostile toward You, we pray for the courage and clarity to proclaim the forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus. Amen.