Purim: Hangovers and Heroes
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Unexpected Heroes
In the Purim story, one man would not bow down and one woman stood up. Thus, deliverance and justice prevailed. Such an event is worth remembering and celebrating!
Who doesn’t love a story with unexpected heroes? When the “little people” triumph over the high and mighty? When evil is vanquished and righteousness is exalted?
Over ensuing generations, God’s people have celebrated what He did in Esther’s day. We revel in retelling the story, blotting out Haman’s name with boos and graggers … cheering for Mordecai and Esther.
But when Purim ends, what then?
Persisting Hatred
We return to a world where “Hamans” have raged in every generation. Today Israel is faced with Hamas and Hezbollah, not to mention modern Persia – where Iran is about to “go nuclear.” And the recurring incidents of attacks on Jewish people and institutions in Europe and North America are chronicled weekly.
Everyone loves a great party. But who wants to wake up to the hangover of hatred, violence, and corruption that marks our world?
What About Our Hearts?
And when we’re honest, we acknowledge the shortcomings in our own hearts. Who hasn’t suffered the guilt of pride, like Haman? Or perhaps we are prey to deceit, jealousy, covetousness, lust …; the list of sins of which we are capable is long.
The prophet Jeremiah captured the human condition well. “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Still in need of deliverance
Are we satisfied with celebrating God’s deliverance in the past while remaining enslaved in our own sinful state?
And if not, what solution has God provided for our deliverance today?
Just as Mordecai and Esther were God’s instruments in their day, so we know of One whom He sent from heaven to deliver His people. But not just to redeem from a wicked man; rather, to free each of us from the evil within us so we might have peace with our Creator.
Flipping the Script
There is a person who unites the underlying storylines in Purim and fittingly “flips the script” in a way that only the Holy One of Israel could have designed. A person, unwavering like Mordecai in His faith, resolute in doing God’s will.
We admire heroes like Esther who was willing to risk her life for her people. But this One actually gave His life so others may live eternally.
This person is the Messiah, promised by God through His prophets. Messiah is described in much detail in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 as well as Psalm 2 and 22 and many other prophecies. He was sent down to lay down His life according to the scriptures, so that we could experience God’s forgiveness and peace in this life and eternal joy in the world to come.
Esther, Mordecai and the story of Purim is a beautiful story of deliverance and worthy of the celebration that comes from this historical reality. And just as Mordecai and Esther were “unexpected heroes,” so the Messiah came in unexpected fashion. So much so, the great majority did not recognize Him.
Perhaps this was because, just as in the days of Pharaoh and Haman, the Jewish people were looking for a deliverer from an oppressive government. But Messiah Jesus was sent to redeem us from our sinful condition. This is what humanity most needs – indeed, what each of us individually most needs.
Did you know that when the Messiah was still in His mother’s womb, an angelic messenger was sent to indicate what the baby should be named. “You shall call His name Yeshua (salvation) for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, say to the daughter of Zion, “Lo, your salvation comes; behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him” (Isaiah 62:11).
If you don’t know His story, we encourage you to begin reading here.
If you need more evidence of the Messiahship of Yeshua and His redemptive work, see here: