What Christians Should Know About "Purim" - Esther and the King

The Jewish people have been in captivity many times, and needed deliverance from many peoples and nations. Their situation in the days of King Ahaseurus (who is thought to be the same as Xerxes or Xerxes II) is not unlike Israel's modern-day struggle in the Middle East, and the recent resurgence of anti-Semitism in many countries.

Purim - translated Deliverance from Massacre - is one of their biblical and historical times of rescue. Purim has a special place in my heart as a Jewish believer in Jesus, and I suspect in the heart of many other Jewish people as well, perhaps especially women. For it is a great example of how a woman can be used by God to do great things, and earn the respect of those around her.

When I think of Purim, I think of being here "for such a time as this." In the Old Testament's Book of Esther, we see that Esther, an exceptionally beautiful commoner, was selected and crowned queen by King Ahaseurus when he banished his first queen, Vashti, for not respecting him. Ahaseurus ruled 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia, and commanded the armies of Persia and Media. It was not Esther's choice to become queen. He called for all the virgins in the land and, completely taken by her beauty, chose her for his next queen.

Unbeknown to the king, the beautiful Esther was also Jewish. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, and there is an organization named after her today. Esther's uncle Mordecai, who had raised her, found out about a plot by the evil commander of the king's army, Haman, to kill all the Jews in the country. Since the king loved Esther, Mordecai asked her to go and plead with the king to overturn this order.

To go before the king without being summoned could mean punishment by death, even to his own wife. She had many doubts about going. But Mordecai tells her that famous phrase: "Who knows but that you were born for such a time as this?" and so she answers: "...I will go to the king even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:14).

Esther was the only person God had placed in a position to bargain for this, and besides, if they did kill all the Jews, she would not be spared herself.

Before going into the throne room, Esther embarked on three days of fasting and prayer, and asked Mordecai to have all the Jews in the region do the same. In the end, Esther succeeded not only in convincing the King to spare the Jews, but to hang the scheming Haman on the scaffold he himself had prepared for Mordecai, to allow two days for the Jews to kill those who hated them, and to elevate Mordecai to a place of respect in the King's palace!

An edict was then issued that the Jewish people should from that day forth, every year at that time, celebrate with great feasts and joy. So it is still celebrated today.

How does one celebrate Purim, which generally falls in early March ("Adar")? By telling the story through festive, costumed reenactments - children especially enjoy this - by reading through the book of Esther (in Hebrew, "the Megillah") and blowing noisemakers to blot out Haman's name. Some fast for three days to commemorate Esther's fast, and many do a combination of all. Although a great triumph of good over evil, it should remind us of the seriousness of anti-Semitism, which we have not been able to eradicate to this day.

There is also a special treat to eat on Purim - tri-cornered pastries called "Hamentaschen" filled with a variety of goodies like poppy seeds or jams. Recognize anything in the name? They are symbolic of Haman, who supposedly wore a three-cornered hat. To eat hamentaschen is symbolic of Haman's destruction.

Can Christians celebrate and/or appreciate this day? Of course. I believe because Esther is a great example of a person of faith who was willing to risk everything, to the death, to stand up for her God and her people. We can share our appreciation for Esther with the Jewish people by relating to this story, because Christians and Jewish believers are called to be prepared to make the same sacrifice for God's Kingdom.

Jesus tells us:
"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost" (Luke 9:23-25, NKJV).

What would it have profited Esther to avoid going to the king? She would have been killed with all the other Jews. How many times do we all fast and pray for someone in need or in trouble, or do we just say "I'll pray for you" and then forget about it? When is the last time we stepped forward to take the fall?

Will we be ready when and if the time comes? When persecution of both Jews and Christians really starts in America? Just as Esther took the ultimate step forward to preserve life for those long-ago Jews, Jesus took the ultimate step forward to preserve life for us.

Another Jewish holiday is drawing near - Passover (Pay-sach) - April 9 - 15, 2009. See the article "How Christians Can Celebrate Passover".

The Jewish holidays are also covered in Sheryl's book, "What Every Christian Should Know about the Jewish People: Improving the Church's Relationship with God's Original Chosen Nation" - to see excerpts and how to order, go here. See a book review by AC Producer R.E. Norton here.