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Purim: The Sovereign Providence of God |
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| They tried to kill us. We won (by God’s grace). Let’s eat! This is sort of a short summary of most every Jewish Holiday. Well, at least it’s true for Purim. Every year on the 14th day of Adar (usually in March) Jewish people around the world celebrate the biblical holiday of Purim. Traditions include the public reading or chanting of the entire book of Esther; a Purim play or Purim
Shpiel, which tells the Esther story (See page 4 for HOI’s Purim celebration). Though the story itself is dramatic, the plays are usually quite comical. The audience participates by ‘booing’ at every mention of Haman the villain, and cheering our hero and heroine, Mordecai and Esther. Another tradition is baking and eating fruit filled, triangle shaped pastry called
“Hamantashen.” Hamantashen are shaped like Haman’s hat, but are also called Haman’s ears (Hebrew), or Haman’s pockets (German/Yiddish). Anyway, they’re quite tasty and not too fattening. So, on with the show! Haman the Horrible Haman thinks there are way too many Jews and decides to rid the empire of these sorts, especially Mordecai, who wouldn’t bow down to him! Mordecai tells Esther to intercede with the king on behalf of her people. Hesitant at first, Esther, after some coaxing and challenges from Morty, goes to the king and exposes Haman’s plot. Haman is hung on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, the Jews are saved (again), and Purim is established to remember this victorious event. Hurray! Now can
we eat? Slow down a minute, I have a question. One can only wonder what Haman must have been thinking, until you realize the background of these two foes, Mordecai and Haman, which gives insight into their struggle. In Esther 2:5 we read of Mordecai: “a Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite.” To the careful student of Scripture, the name “son of Kish” reminds us of King Saul, the immediate “son of Kish” and ancestor of Mordecai. Of Haman’s ancestry we read in Esther 3:1, “Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite.” Once more the student of Scripture (and also according to Jewish tradition) would recognize this family name “Agagite” as coming from the Amalekite king, Agag, an enemy of Israel during King Saul’s reign (see 1 Sam. 15). The book of Esther subtly informs us that Haman, a descendant of Agag, and Mordecai, a descendant of Saul, have inherited the ancient feud between the Amalekites and the Israelis.
God Really Is In Charge There’s a parallel spiritual principle in Mordecai’s own providential ancestry. This ancestor, Shimei, of Kish’s and Saul’s family was well known to David. During David’s flight from his son Absalom’s attempted coup, Shimei had cursed David. But upon David’s return to Jerusalem and to the throne, he pardoned Shimei and allowed him to live. This showed amazing patience for David, who was much better known for his severe reactions to such slights. David perceived that the Lord was involved in this matter. In later years when David was upon death’s door, he ordered his son Solomon to put Shimei to death; after Shimei was old and would have already had his children. Though Agag’s future seed, Haman, had meant to do evil, God had also providentially prepared a Shemei for good, through his future seed Mordecai. In the mercy of God, He graciously allowed Saul’s own weakness in failing to deal with Agag to be countered through Saul’s own seed in Mordecai. So in the providence of God even Saul would prove that through man’s weakness God’s grace is truly sufficient. For our lives, we can trust God to overrule our weaknesses, confident that His grace will show itself sufficient for us as well. Our boast is always in the Lord. Thus the Jewish people are delivered so that the promise of Messiah would be fulfilled. For if Haman the Gentile had his way the coming of Messiah, the Savior of Jew and Gentile alike, would never have happened. God is Bigger Than Your Problem In the book of Esther we are brought to realize that despite the size of the problem that confronts us, the sovereign God is the one in whom we are to trust. Though Saddam Hussein may act like a modern Haman, we can rest assured in the truth of God. Throughout this age there will be wars and rumors of wars, but the security of God’s people is in His eternal promises that are fulfilled forever in Messiah Yeshua. Like Esther, Mordecai, and all the people of God throughout history, God’s promises are the security of God’s people. Y |
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