How do we celebrate and remember God’s victories? In the final installment of our series in Esther, Pastor Marty Baker shows us how the Jewish people celebrated the deliverance God brought them and challenges us to tell the story of God’s great work.
When you, like Esther, courageously step forward, divulge information that could potentially harm you but bless others, and then through various unforeseen circumstances, God miraculously turns the tables on the wicked and advances justice, righteousness, and life; what should you do? Should you tell the Lord, “Thank you,” and move on and forget about it? Or should you respond differently so you, along with many other believers in your life, never forget how great, powerful, and kind our sovereign Lord truly is? We need to answer this question because the Lord will reward you, in due time, with a righteous reversal when you choose to be a brave believer. The closing verses of the Book of Esther introduce us to this question and the much-needed answers.
How Should You Respond To Righteous Reversals? (Esther 9:17-10:3)
Four answers emerge from Esther 9:17 through 10:3. Listen, learn from, and apply them when God moves in your life in a providentially profound fashion.
Victories Over Evil Should Be Enjoyed (Esther 9:17-19)
As usual, we’ll start by reading the text in question and then offering some observations:
17 This was done on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth of the same month, and they rested on the fifteenth day and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. 19 Therefore the Jews of the rural areas, who live in the rural towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a holiday for rejoicing and feasting and sending portions of food to one another (Esther 9).
It took two days of brutal and horrible hand-to-hand combat to destroy all the Persians bent on killing all the Jews in their land. Once the Jews eradicated those bent on their annihilation, they naturally responded with feasting and rejoicing. You can readily see how this would occur. Suppose the IDF routs the last holdouts of Hamas in the dark, deadly tunnels of Rafah and just happens to free the remaining 130 hostages. Wouldn’t this be a day of individual and national celebration? Indeed. What occurred in Esther’s day was well beyond this; hence, rejoicing and feasting were in order.
Areas outside the capital started rejoicing and feasting first because the battles ended in their regions before those in the capital. As with Hamas in Rafah, the Haman holdouts embedded in the fortress structure of the city were harder to extract. So, they were defeated later, meaning the outlying areas feasted and rejoiced on the fourteenth of Adar, the last month in the Jewish calendar, and the city-dwelling Jews celebrated on the fifteenth. Either way, joy swept the land as bold and brave Jewish warriors averted genocide.
What should we learn from this as saints in a new age? Don’t be afraid to be excited and jubilant when God uses you or others to expose evil and advance holiness, righteousness, morality, and common-sense thinking. If you are a person who always thinks the glass is half full or who feels like the Sword of Damocles is hanging over their head (for more info on this interesting ancient Roman story, head to . . . (https://www.history.com/news/what-was-the-sword-of-damocles ), learn to relax in God’s sovereignty and to praise Him when He ironically moves in a fashion you didn’t anticipate to advance His kingdom. Will you? Do you?
Second, realize that . . .
Victories Over Evil Should Be Embedded (Esther 9:20-23, 27-32)
Once more, I invite you to consider the biblical text:
20 Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same month, annually, 22 because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor. 23 Thus the Jews undertook what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them (Esther 9).
Mordecai used his new power and position, which God had given him, to formalize the rejoicing and feasting that had naturally occurred. His decree called for an annual observance of remembrance. What God had providentially orchestrated was so off-the-charts, ironic, and breathtaking that Mordecai never wanted his people to forget the story. I guess Mordecai understood the human condition. We are so prone to quickly forget past victories God gives us and move on to worry about the following complex situation as if God had suddenly forgotten us. Can you relate? I can, unfortunately. Oh, how quickly we forget the great movements of God.
How many young people know what VE-Day is? People from my parents’ and grandparents’ days knew this day. It was May 7, 1945, when the Germans formally surrendered to the Allied Forces in Reims, France. I also think that anyone from that era remembered what happened next. On May 8th, politicians like Winston Churchill gave rousing speeches of how good had overcome evil at the cost of many lives: “My dear friends, this is your hour . . .” President Harry Truman also informed the American people of the victory. People worldwide danced in the streets, waved signs, kissed each other, and had feasts. Here are Jews who escaped the Holocaust celebrating with food in London. Life had replaced death. God had moved profoundly, so the day was set to be remembered. But as time passes, the significance of the day, coupled with all the sacrifices that made it possible, has faded from memory.
Realizing this weakness in our human character, Mordecai sought through his mandate to make sure no Jew ever forgot that God orchestrates righteous reversals through brave saints despite the odds stacked against Him and His people.
Skipping over verses 24 through 26, we gain more insight into how this festival mandate played out among the jubilant Jews.
27 the Jews established and made a custom for themselves, and for their descendants, and for all those who allied themselves with them, so that they should not fail to celebrate these two days according to their regulation, and according to their appointed time annually. 28 So these days were to be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and these days of Purim were not to fail from among the Jews, or their memory fade from their descendants.
God had, through Moses, given Israel many feasts to observe annually:
- Passover on the 14th of Nisan (March/April), Exodus 12:11-30
- Unleavened Bread on the 15th (plus 7 days) of Nisan (March/April), Exodus 34:18-21; Lev. 23:6-8)
- Pentecost or First Fruits on the 6th of Sivan (May/June), Exodus 34:22; Lev. 23:15-21
- Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) on the 1st of Tishri (Sept./Oct.), Lev. 23:23-25
- Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) on the 10th of Tishri (Sept./Oct.), Lev. 16:29-34
- Tabernacles (Succoth or Booths) on the 15th (plus 7 days) of Tishri (Sept./Oct.), Ex. 34:22; Lev. 22:33-43
Based on how God had miraculously delivered the Jews again through meticulously orchestrated ironic reversals, as He had in the Exodus from Egypt, the Jews, under the leadership of Mordecai and Esther, devised another fast to celebrate the wonder of God’s providential protection and provision in wicked, complex times.
The Jews cleverly called it Purim. Why? You will recall how Haman used pur, or the Persian version of dice, to determine through this ancient form of divination (read sorcery) when the gods (read demons) thought it was the best day to bring genocide to the Jews (Esther 3:7, 13). Since probably more than one dice was used to secure the death day for Israel, the Jews added the Hebrew plural “im” ending (for instance, cherub denotes one angel in this class, while cherubim denotes many) to it and then called this their new annual day of remembering God’s deliverance from impending national death. Ironic. The bloodthirsty Haman-types, inspired by the demonic realm, no doubt, erroneously thought the 13th of Adar was the day to wipe out the Jews and ultimately keep God from fulfilling His promise to send the messianic Savior to the world through the Jews (Gen. 3:15; 49:8-12; Isa.7:14; 91-6; 53:1ff; Mic. 5:1-2).
God had other plans, as He always does. Solomon gives us how God views the throwing of dice:
33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD (Prov. 16).
I watched a bum walk into Caesar’s Casino years ago with a paper sack in his hand. He gave it to the pit boss at the craps table and said, “I want this $600 placed on snake eyes coming up for the next roll.” From the looks of this man, I think this was his last wad of cash. The pit boss placed the man’s chips on the next roll being two ones; a man tossed the dice around in his hand and then threw them on the table. The dice hit the back of the green felt table, rolled around for a moment, and then landed on . . . you guessed it . . . snake eyes. And you think that happened by mere chance? Not if there is a living God. He controls everything to accomplish His lofty purposes . . . even if it is the roll of the dice to determine when a genocide should occur. With this kind of providential power, no one or nothing can ever circumvent His will to provide and protect His people, be they Israel or the Church, or to thwart the advance of righteousness over wickedness.
At this juncture, Queen Esther enters the story.
29 Then Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter about Purim. 30 And he sent letters to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, namely, words of peace and truth, 31 to establish these days of Purim at their appointed times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established for them, and just as they had established for themselves and for their descendants with instructions for their times of fasting and their lamentations. 32 And the command of Esther established these customs for Purim, and it was written in the book (Esther 9).
Esther merely stepped in and threw her political weight behind the movement to create an annual festival to remember how God delivered His people from imminent death while blessing them in the process. Because she did this, she guaranteed her people would never forget how God overcame death with life, injustice with justice, and lies with truth. The story of God’s providential righteous reversals must always be remembered so God is praised, new generations are taught about God’s greatness, and hope prevails over despair.
What righteous reversals has God done in and through your life or the lives of saints around you? What jaw-dropping victories have you seen that you know are statistically impossible except for God’s presence?
- Maybe you became a whistleblower because you couldn’t live with what you know, and that moment of bravery has now resulted in truth overcoming lies.
- Maybe you broke free with God’s help from an addiction that debilitated you.
- Maybe you are an attorney who fought for the rights of Christians, and at the end of that ordeal, God permitted the case to be decided for your clients.
- Maybe you’re a parent who decided to speak up about the indoctrination of children in false thinking about sexuality, and God used you to halt the indoctrination.
- Maybe you are a librarian who couldn’t stand watching books about perversion line your library’s shelves, so you stepped up to the plate and protested. Because you did that, those books are no longer on the shelves.
The point is clear: God placed you in a situation where you knew you had to speak up, and you did, at significant personal risk. When you did, times became challenging, but God gave you a victory in the end. What should you do now? Celebrate the victory. Tell other believers about it so they can praise the Lord who set this victory in motion. Tell other believers so they can have hope in hopeless times. Write it on a calendar to recall what God did when that deliverance date rolls around next year.
Third,
Victories Over Evil Should Be Expounded (Esther 9:24-26)
What I mean by this is we should always be ready to explain the details God arranged to bring about the victory.
24 For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had schemed against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is the lot, to disturb them and destroy them. 25 But when it came to the king’s attention, he commanded by letter that his wicked scheme which he had devised against the Jews, should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. And because of the instructions in this letter, both what they had seen in this regard and what had happened to them (Esther 9).
This paragraph is a quick recap of Esther’s story. The storyteller wants to make sure no one ever forgets the significant details of how God sovereignly set up the deliverance of the Jews from impending death. As you can see, the whole story drips with divine irony. Haman used the Pur (dice) to divine the day for the death of Jews, and that concept became the name of the festival to recount how God orchestrated Haman’s death and the giving of life to His people. How ironic. Haman built gallows to eliminate Mordecai, but those gallows became his gallows. How ironic. Based on all this, plus much more irony, how could anyone ever doubt that God has set this great deliverance up? This is why it was recounted during this first observance of Purim and in all subsequent observances.
Concerning the modern-day Jewish observance of Purim, Warren Wiersbe observes:
Today, the Jews begin their celebration with a fast on the thirteenth day of the month (v. 31), commemorating the date on which Haman’s evil decree was issued (3:12). They go to the synagogue and hear the Book of Esther publicly read; and whenever the name of Haman is mentioned, they cry out, “May he be accursed!” or “May his name perish!” Children bring a special Purim rattle called a “gregar” and use it to make noise every time they hear Haman’s name read. On the morning of the fourteenth day of the month, the Jews again go to the synagogue, where the Esther story is read again and the congregation engages in prayer. The story about Moses and the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8–16) is also read. Then the celebrants go home to a festive holiday meal with gifts and special foods, and the celebrating continues on the next day. They also send gifts and food to the poor and needy so that everybody can rejoice together.[1]
Note to self. The Jews read the story of Esther several times, so no one ever forgets how God quietly worked behind the scenes to position two of His people courageously to stand up against outright evil. They stood up, and God blessed them and the people they represented. This is always how God rolls.
What about you? When God has used you when you stood up for Him, have you gone on to tell others the details? Have you told your children? What about your grandchildren? Do they know what happened? Do they understand how costly it was for you to take action?
On December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a massive assault on American forces in the forest near Belgium. The attack became known as the Battle of the Bulge. Some 19,000 American soldiers died, and 15,000 became prisoners of war. One of those prisoners was Sergeant Lester Tanner, a Protestant Christian. The Germans escorted Lester and his unit to a prison camp called Stalag IX A.
Listen to what Lester did when he realized the Germans were going to go after American Jewish soldiers:
When the Germans came at us in force, I threw away my dog tags, which had my religion on it. The (Germans) announced that the Jews had to form up in front of the barracks the next morning, and those who did not would be shot.
Smart.
In the PBS documentary titled GI Jews: Jewish Americans In World War II, listen to what happened next:
Narrator:
Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds, a Protestant from Knoxville, Tennessee, was known for his strong leadership and deep moral conviction. He was the commanding officer in charge of the 1,275 American prisoners.
Tanner continues:
Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds said, “We will all be there in the morning in formation, and I will be at the head.” The next morning, we were lined up. German Major Siegmann marched over. “Roddie said to him, ‘We’re all Jews here. Siegmann said, ‘You can’t all be Jews.’”
The German took out his Luger, pointed it at Roddie’s forehead, and said, “You will order the Jewish-American soldiers to step forward, or I will shoot you right now.”
Edmonds replied “Major, you can shoot me, but if you do, you’re going to have to shoot all of us. We know who you are, and this war is almost over, and you will be a war criminal.” The major spun around and went back to his barracks, and Roddie dismissed the men.[2]
That one brave action saved 200 Jewish-American soldiers that day. I’m sure no soldier, Jew or Gentile, present that day ever forgot how God rewarded their bravery with life.
Take note of all of this. When God gives you an incredible story of how He providentially placed you to do courageous work for Him, make sure others know about it. Why? So they can have hope in evil times, be empowered to be brave when the moment arrives, and give God the glory for what He did to push back evil and replace it with holiness and justice.
Fourth,
Victories Over Evil Should Be Encouraging (Esther 10:1-3)
The tenth and final chapter of Esther is short but powerful:
1 Now King Ahasuerus laid a tribute on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. 2 And all the accomplishments of his authority and strength, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus and great among the Jews, and in favor with the multitude of his kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation (Esther 10).
From a literary perspective, this is called inclusio. What is this? It is when a story closes with how it started. The book begins with King Xerxes doing quite well as the leader of a superpower nation called Persia. Sure, things went south for him in the rest of the book; however, God brought two amazing, God-fearing people into his life, and their presence, in turn, blessed him greatly. That’s one message we glean from these verses. When you are courageous like Esther and Mordecai, God gives you righteous reveals, and the unbelievers around you get blessed by God in unforeseen ways.
In addition, these verses remind us of how God took a no-name, obscure Jewish man and, through much adversity and sadness, positioned him to save his people in a way he never saw coming. Further, his divinely ordained deliverance based on his newfound political elevation helped his people not only on Adar 13, 14, and 15, but he went on to impact his people, along with Queen Esther, for many years beyond this. That is encouraging. It’s also instructive. When, not if, God works a righteous reversal through you, you have a divine duty to continue to protect others and promote all that is holy, righteous, and just.
Now, there is only one question left to ask: Can the Lord count on you to be courageous for the sake of righteousness and holiness?
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Committed, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993), 160–161.
[2] PBS Video, “GI Jews — Jewish Americans In World War II,” PBS (Accessed 3/29/21).
