This month, we celebrate one of our most joyous Jewish holidays—Purim, the Festival of Lots. Every Jewish holiday has its unique traditions, and Purim is no different! One of the central customs of Purim is dressing up in costumes, which the children especially love! We also read the book of Esther and put on plays retelling the story. Purim is a family holiday viewed as a grand celebration of God’s goodness toward Jewish people.
The origin of Purim is found in the book of Esther, which recounts the story of how God worked behind the scenes to deliver His people from annihilation. This story focuses on Haman, a powerful Persian government official who convinced the Persian King Ahasuerus (possibly also called King Xerxes I, 486–465 BCE ) to exterminate all Jewish people. But God intervened through Esther and Mordecai. They turned the tables on Haman, and in the end, he and his co-conspirators were put to death while the Jewish community survived and prospered.
Haman was one of the most influential people in the empire. The king placed him “over all the princes who were with him” (Esth 3:1). His evil plot garnered support from the king himself. From a human standpoint, going against Haman was foolish and risky. Yet his position did not shield him from God’s justice. His plan fell back on his own head, and the king ordered Haman hanged on the very same gallows he had built for Mordecai (Esth 7:9–10).
Most importantly, Purim reminds us of God’s faithful love for Jewish people based upon His everlasting covenant with Abraham. The story of Esther is the perfect object lesson for understanding the Abrahamic Covenant. God told Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” God pledged blessing for those who bless His people—the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob—and curses upon those, like Haman, who seek the destruction of His chosen people.
There are many lessons we learn from the book of Esther. Allow me to discuss three of them: God’s faithfulness to His promises, His power to orchestrate life’s events, and His love for Jewish people.
GOD’S FAITHFULNESS TO HIS PROMISES
One of God’s most important—and encouraging—attributes depicted in the Bible is His faithfulness. People, even those closest to us, can sometimes let us down. God, however, is always true to His Word. The promises God made to Abraham were without conditions and founded upon His faithfulness, not Abraham’s obedience or ability.
The book of Esther tells the story of the survival of Jewish people—a story told repeatedly in Scripture. However, God pledged the nation of Israel would never be destroyed (Jeremiah 31:36). Haman’s plan was not only wicked but—even without his knowing—a threat to God’s plan for all humanity. Think about it. Suppose Haman had succeeded and destroyed all Jewish people. How could Jesus fulfill the promise of a Savior born to a Jewish virgin (Isaiah 7:14)? Thankfully, as the story of Esther teaches us, no human plot can jeopardize the plan of God. Though this book does not mention God by name, we can easily see His holy handprint in every detail of this grand story of Israel’s redemption. The evidence of His powerful presence seen in the lives of Esther and Mordecai brings us to the next major lesson found in the book of Esther.
HIS POWER TO ORCHESTRATE LIFE’S EVENTS
God’s choice of Esther is the first piece of the puzzle—of all the women, why her? The Lord often puts people in the right place to accomplish His plan at the right moment. Mordecai saved the king’s life by being in a timely place to hear the plot of the two guards (Esth 2:21–23). Of course, Esther was appropriately positioned to receive the information from Mordecai to save the king’s life. Even King Ahasuerus was the right leader for the right moment—another Persian monarch might not have listened to the impassioned pleas of his wife! This incredible story reveals a powerful and comforting spiritual principle: God positions the right people in the right place at the right time to ensure the fulfillment of His plans.
Many of us have stories about how the Lord put us in the right time and place for His service. Understanding and accepting His sovereignty in every detail of our lives helps us accept our circumstances! When we are tempted to say, “Lord, why am I here . . . why this place, why this job . . . why this challenge, opportunity, or hardship?” we can say with a full heart: He has situated us for “such a time as this” (Esth 4:14).
The story of Purim is an excellent example of the apostle Paul’s message centuries later: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
In this case, the plan is the deliverance of Jewish people. Haman had no idea, when he touched the children of Israel, he was, in reality, poking the apple of God’s eye (Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8)!
HIS LOVE FOR JEWISH PEOPLE
In Esther’s day, Jewish people were in exile. God allowed Assyria and Babylon to take His people captive for a time because of Israel’s disobedience to the Mosaic Law. Sin stirred God to discipline—but never to reject—His people. Even in this time of exile, God was watching over His chosen people. He rescued Jewish people from Haman’s intended genocide. As a result, the community also prospered, rising from near destruction to a position of honor in Persia, as shown in the elevation of Mordecai to Persian greatness in the book of Esther:
For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation. (Esth 10:3)
God’s faithful love for Jewish people endures, even when some are unfaithful (Romans 3:3). This truth is good news for us all, as no person can earn His love. This theme from Esther is so important today when most of the Jewish community has not yet trusted in Yeshua (Jesus). God remains as committed to His people as ever. Those who hate Israel, including Hamas and all who seek the destruction of Jewish people, will fail—just like their predecessors.
The following statistics tell us we are facing a new Haman in the form of Hamas, Hezbollah, and those in both Europe and North America who are perpetrating or supporting hate crimes toward Jewish people:
In the United States, 2,031 antisemitic incidents were reported between October 7 and December 7, 2023. This figure is the highest number ever reported (by far) in a two-month period since the Anti-Defamation League began measuring in 1979!1
In Canada, antisemitic crimes have increased 52 percent since 2020. Jewish Canadians make up about 1 percent of the country’s population but are the target of 67 percent of religiously motivated hate.2
In the United Kingdom, London police reported a 1,353 percent increase in antisemitic offenses from October 7 through October 20 compared to the same period the previous year.3
WHAT CAN WE DO TO BLESS JEWISH PEOPLE?
It is obvious October 7, 2023, was the beginning of a new wave of growing antisemitism. As followers of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, we need to pray and do what we can to bless and protect His people, as this pleases the heart of God, who promised to bless those who bless the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. I hope and pray this will be your commitment in these difficult and dark days for Israel.
Remember to pray for the safety and salvation of the Jewish community. What could be more important today than doing all we can to tell God’s chosen people about the Prince of Peace, Jesus the Messiah? Chosen People Ministries is actively reaching Jewish people for Messiah throughout North America and in twenty countries around the globe. Pray especially for our dozens of staff in Israel, who are faithfully serving the Lord among the largest Jewish population in the world.
Happy Purim, and remember, if God keeps His promises to Jewish people, then He will, of course, keep His promises to you!
1 “ADL Reports Unprecedented Rise in Antisemitic Incidents Post-Oct. 7,” Anti-Defamation League, December 11, 2023, https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/adlreports-unprecedented-rise-antisemitic-incidents-post-oct-7.
2 “Jews Remain Most Targeted Religious Group for Hate Crime in Canada, Second Overall,” CIJA, August 2, 2023, https://www.cija.ca/jews_remain_most_targeted_religious_group_for_hate_crime_in_canada_second_overall.
3 “Antisemitic, Islamophobic Offenses Soar in London after Israel Attacks,” Reuters, October 20, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/antisemitic-islamophobicoffences-soar-london-after-israel-attacks-2023-10-20/.
Dr. Mitch Glaser 