Victory Beyond Purim
By David T. E. S. Cooke
February 15, 2007
Purim (March 4, 2007) is a time of triumph for the Jewish people. It is a holiday for remembering the dramatic events of the Book of Esther. The sudden and unexpected victory of the Jews in Esther is a source of much joy and merry-making for all. But as you celebrate this special day, do you know the greater victory that Purim points us towards?
The year was 473 BC. King Ahasuerus of Persia was the most powerful man in the world. His right hand man, Haman, hated the Jews and sought their extermination. In a move akin to Hitler's "Final Solution," the king consented and issued a decree that all Jews everywhere be annihilated without mercy. Esther 3:13 records, "And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihiliate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions." The Jews' fate appeared to be sealed. The Jewish people seemed to be on the verge of total ruin. How could they be saved?
The answer to this threat lay in the astounding providence of God. Psalm 121:4 reminds us, "Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."
Behold, He who keeps Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
God had placed two Jews - Esther and Mordecai - in the right place at the right time. Through their intervention, Haman was hanged and a new decree was issued. And so, in a radical twist of fate, "On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them" (Esther 9:1). There was great joy and gladness as God delivered His people from their enemies, as He had so many times before.
Now as we remember Purim, we must not stop at 473 BC. God beckons us to look beyond that glorious, providential moment in time. Purim, like a telescope, points our vision ahead to a greater, harsher threat, as well as to a greater, more glorious victory.
The Jewish people have faced many Hamans throughout their long history. However, the greatest foe is not political. The greatest foe is spiritual.
The greatest foe is spiritual.
His name is Sin and Death.
His name is Sin and Death.
Messiah Yeshua came, in the providence of God, in the right place at the right time. He intervened for God's people as only God's Son could - by destroying the power of Sin and Death. This is what the Tanach had long ago predicted: "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him" (Isaiah 53:5). Also, "He will swallow up death forever" (Isaiah 25:8).
When Messiah Yeshua died and rose again nearly 2,000 years ago, He gained this greater victory: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). Because of His battle-front sacrifice we can now say, "O Death, where is your sting?...But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
This is God's providence at work. Like in Esther's day, it moves in unseen and unexpected ways. A spiritual victory is, by nature, hard for us to envision. However, we need to take our cue from Esther and Mordecai and trust in God's guiding hand.
By trusting in Messiah Yeshua, we will experience God's eternal deliverance. Yeshua bears our sins, removes our guilt, brings peace to our hearts, and leads us safely through the valley of death to the heights of heaven. However, He will not do this apart from faith!
Scripture tells us, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4,5). This Purim, may you not only celebrate the glorious triumph of the Book of Esther, but may God give you the faith to celebrate that greater, more glorious victory - the victory of God's believing people through Messiah Yeshua!
References
1 http://www.aish.com/purimbasics/purimbasicsdefault/The_ABCs_of_Purim.asp
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