The holiday of Purim is based on the Biblical book of Esther, and the miracle that happened for the Jews who were forced into exile.
Esther’s Hebrew name was Hadassah. She was an orphan adopted by her uncle, a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin who had been taken from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (Est. 2:6-7). Esther, through no choice of her own, ascended to royalty and became the wife of the Persian King Ahasuerus (Heb: Ahashverosh).
Although it seemed like her physical beauty was the reason, we soon learn that the LORD of all the earth, the GOD of the Jews, was the Instigator. Mordechai informed her that she had been placed in this position in order to change the fate and future of the Jewish people (Est. 4:14). He commanded Esther to go to Ahasuerus and plead with him to revoke the genocidal decree he had allowed his vizier Haman to make.
That obligation rested heavily on the young girl, who knew the obstacles better than her uncle did.
The entire empire of Persia was ruled with an ironclad list of laws. They were all made by one man, the king (or anyone who was given permission to speak for him). Ahasuerus was accustomed to using this absolute power to gratify extreme whims. He had a standing law forbidding anyone to even approach him unless they were summoned, with a death penalty for violators (Est. 4:11). He had already banished his first queen for refusing to obey his drunken command to show off her beauty for his guests (Est. 1:10-21); apparently it was the public embarrassment that provoked him. How could Esther then disobey him in a public setting without punishment? And even if she did manage to approach him and stay alive, once a law was authorized by the king’s signet ring, it could not be changed (Est. 1:19). Last but not least, the evil initiator of that murderous plan, Haman, was still a personal favourite of the king (Est. 5:11).
Esther’s royalty did not affect her humility. She knew that her faith needed reinforcement in order to face possible death. She also knew that she needed wisdom beyond her own for a subtle approach to the problem, as well as power beyond her own to make her plans work. She appealed to the One who had placed her in this position for this hour of need.
Esther’s resolve to plead for her people, or die in the attempt, came with a command of her own: the Jews of the city were told to fast and pray with her for three days (Est. 4:16).
There are many miracles recorded in the Scriptures, some obvious and some partly hidden. Many have commented on the peculiar fact that the book of Esther never mentions GOD at all.
There are attempts to rectify this by finding Him disguised in references to “the king” which don’t mention Ahasuerus (Est. 5:1-8), and/or by splicing together the Holy Name from the Hebrew text by letter-hopping through one of those verses. But in the plain Scriptural account, the agreement of all the Jews to “fast and pray” is the closest we get to any explicit mention of His presence.
Yet the hints of GOD’s involvement are everywhere! His hand is evident in the chain of events, even before the Jews knew of the threat to their lives. “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen.” (Isa. 65:24)
The great inversion that enabled the Jews to kill their would-be killers, known in the Hebrew Purim expression, “v’nahafoch hu” (Est. 9:1 – “it turned out to the contrary”), was preceded by several smaller inversions. Mordechai saved the life of Ahasuerus, and the deed was officially recorded for the king, before Haman acquired his grudge against Mordechai and sought revenge by killing all the Jews (Est. 2:21–3:6). Ahasuerus was reminded that Mordechai deserved a reward for this, just at the moment when Haman arrived with his request to hang the hero (Est. 6:1-11). That in turn forced a role reversal that even Haman’s family saw as prophetic (v. 13). We can assume that this was overheard by Esther’s eunuchs (v. 14) and was relayed to her – all in order to give her the sign that it was time to close the trap on Haman.
In fact, we can speculate that GOD had targeted Haman from the beginning, for His own reasons. He was descended from the royal line of Amalek, against whom GOD had declared His own continuing war (Exod. 17:16). King Saul had disobeyed GOD by sparing Agag (1 Sam. 15:8-9). Samuel executed Agag, but not before he had fathered more children, which in time produced Haman “the Agagite” (Est. 3:1). Since Saul was the son of Kish from Benjamin (1 Sam. 9:3), it was fitting to allow Mordechai “the son of Kish, a Benjamite” (Est. 2:5) to undo the sin.
So, the LORD planted Mordechai at the king’s gate, in order to keep in touch with his niece who was now in the palace. The LORD created friction with Haman’s right to expect bows at the king’s gate – “for so the king had commanded” (Est. 3:2), knowing that Mordechai would refuse because of his Jewish faith. The LORD made sure that Haman heard of it (v. 4), and that he was provoked to rage at the sight (v. 5). And then He caused Ahasuerus to give Haman free reign to show himself “the enemy of the Jews” (v. 10).
The trap was already set behind the scenes by an unseen Hand.
The people of faith had to make difficult decisions to overcome fear and intimidation, and to play the role set for them. But GOD’s unseen Hand upheld them too. “Do not be afraid of sudden danger, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes. For the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.” (Prov. 3:25-26)
In modern times, we tend to see few obvious miracles, where GOD’s action is as plain as day and cannot be denied. We long to see a “splitting of the sea” that causes the LORD’s enemies to “tremble” at His power (Exod. 15:14). Instead, we live in a kind of spiritual night, where many of His works are hidden or hard to distinguish as such. They seem (almost) natural; people call them “remarkable coincidences” or “lucky breaks”. Believers in GOD recognize His involvement, while sceptics only admit to something extraordinary, putting their “faith” in a future explanation that won’t require the Creator.
Advice for this situation is found in the verse: “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, Most High; to declare Your goodness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night.” (Ps. 92:1-2) When the LORD’s goodness is disguised by human circumstances, as they were in the book of Esther, we do well to point out His faithfulness behind the seemingly natural “good fortune” – and celebrate what we see.
We can also ask the Holy One to intervene with those with us whose lack of faith is blinding them to His activity: “Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘LORD, please, open his eyes so that he may see.’ And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17)
Both strategies will strengthen our faith together as a congregation of the LORD’s people. We must grow beyond spiritual infancy, where we cry for the loving Hand hovering over our cradle until we feel relief, and yet we cannot look up to see our Father’s face or hear His voice.
When we are faced with threats from enemies who seem to hold all the power, we can respond with the faith of Esther and Mordechai. They may have even used these words from the Prophet: “Devise a plan, but it will fail. State a proposal, but it will not stand, for GOD is with us.” (Isa. 8:10)
We the children of GOD have a firm promise from our Father: “You who have been carried by Me from birth and have been carried from the womb: Even to your old age I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will carry you! I have done it, and I will bear you; and I will carry you and I will save you.” (Isa. 46:3-4)
That promise is primarily for “the house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel” (v. 3). Although the people of Israel have fallen repeatedly into sin, and have abandoned the LORD, He Himself will never abandon them. “For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.” (1 Sam. 12:22)
His program for the Jewish people continues according to His plan. And yes, there are disguised miracles in our days that remind us of Purim.
Consider the reborn nation of Israel, which has thrived in spite of repeated attempts to snuff it out, or strangle its economy, or slander its reputation. Most of the world denies anything miraculous about this. They proclaim that it’s a political achievement, a coincidence of history, a result of Israel’s military skill, or the product of “Jewish brainpower”. When these fail to completely explain the outcome (think about the Six-Day War), they fall back on “luck” as an explanation.
But those are mumblings of the wilfully blind. Long ago, we were told: “The Glory of Israel will not lie nor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He would change His mind.” (1 Sam. 15:29)
Someday, there will be no more doubts or disbelief, for “the LORD will rise” in His glory over the earth (Isa. 60:1-3). May it come speedily, in our days! Until then, let’s celebrate all the Purim-style miracles, as we declare “His faithfulness in the night” (Ps. 92:2).
Be blessed by the Most High from Zion and Jerusalem and from the house of good deeds, Sabra house
