Esther: Silent but Sovereignনমুনা

The book of Esther starts and ends with a feast of celebration. The first is a celebration of a proud king’s wealth and majesty. The final feast is a celebration of God’s faithfulness and mercy to His people. 

In chapter 3 we read that Haman cast a pur, that is a lot, to select the day and month on which the Jews would be destroyed (3:7). The plural of the word pur is purim. This became the name for the feast of celebration that the Jews would observe every year to remind them of their deliverance from Haman’s plot. 

Haman’s pur fell on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. That was the day chosen for the destruction of God’s people across the province. But the Jews were not destroyed on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. They were saved as they defended themselves from their enemies. Then they were able to rest and enjoy a day of feasting and joy (vv. 17–18). 

The Jews had great cause to celebrate Purim annually (vv. 20–21, 27–32). The day that would have marked their death and annihilation became a day of hope for future life. The day that would have been marked by mourning and sadness was now characterized by rejoicing and celebrating. God’s people had been delivered from death by the hand of God, intervening in a hidden but nonetheless powerful and sovereign way. An appropriate response to their salvation was to celebrate with joy (v. 22). 

We have been saved from death in a no less dramatic way than the Jews in Persia. When we were lost in our sin, heading hopelessly towards a dreadful and eternal punishment in hell, God intervened and provided a Savior, His son Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are eternally saved from destruction. We are free from the threat of death. It no longer hangs over us, clouding our days with despair and fear. 

We have every reason to celebrate God’s saving work in our lives. So we need to regularly spend time rejoicing in the gospel and praising God for His wonderful salvation. C.J. Mahaney writes, 

Reminding ourselves of the gospel is the most important daily habit we can establish. If the gospel is the most vital news in the world, and if salvation by grace is the defining truth of our existence, we should create ways to immerse ourselves in these truths every day. No days off allowed. (C.J. Mahaney, Living the Cross Centered Life)

Reflection

How do you celebrate your salvation? Are you so weighed down with the cares and worries of life that you’ve forgotten to rejoice in all that God has done for you in Jesus? Pray for a renewed perspective.