Esther 9:20 And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,
21 To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,
22 As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
23 And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;
24 Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
Est 9:25 But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
Est 9:26 Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,
Est 9:27 The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;
Est 9:28 And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.
After the government-approved slaughter of Jew haters in the Persian empire, Mordecai was given authority to speak further to this matter. He sent letters to all the Jews that were in the Persian empire. He established a law that the Jews should keep a feast, a time of remembrance and of celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the month Adar, yearly. This was to be a constant reminder to the Jews of the victory they had gained over their enemies in a foreign land. It was not a remembrance of God’s power and His blessings to them. They did not recognize that because God was not part of their lives.
King Ahasuerus had become so accustomed to having the Jews in his kingdom, that he was not concerned about them trying to overthrow his government. He trusted them. He would protect their right to live in his empire because they were no threat to his way of life. They were not interested in holiness. Any Jewish customs they kept did not interfere with his ungodly plans.
Christians are not a threat to any country. However, ungodly people imagine that Christians are a threat. Our P.M. has stated that one of his biggest problems in Canada is ‘evangelical Christians’. He would not know a true Christian if he saw one. Anyone who speaks against him is his enemy. He is not open to debate. He is a self-made god and his ideas reign supreme in his mind.
True Christians are a threat in that we offer people truth. We offer people the only way to real peace and contentment and that is through repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no hope for man other than that.
In our text, Mordecai declared those two days as days of celebration and also of sending portions to one another and giving gifts to the poor. This was a major social event.
It is interesting to note that this celebration was never recorded in the New Testament time. Jesus certainly never recognized it. The apostles never recognized it either throughout the New Testament time.
It is still celebrated today by secular Jews. It is important to note that this was Mordecai’s idea, not God’s. It had no authority from God. It had no spiritual significance. In verse 23 we read that the Jews had no problem keeping these days. In verse 24 we read that they reminded themselves of the evil plot devised by Haman, the Agagite. He was the enemy of all the Jews. He had cast Pur, the lot, as to which day would be best for his evil plot. The Jews were able to turn that around and make it a day of celebration of their freedom to live in a pagan land in peace. As mentioned, the Jews were no threat to the paganism of the empire.
In verse 25 we see that Esther was credited to a large extent with changing the king’s mind on this whole matter. Esther had exposed Haman for who he was and what his plan would do to her. The king had already kicked out one wife. He did not want to lose a second wife. Polygamy was no problem in his empire. Who knows how many women he had at his disposal. An adulterer is someone who is unfaithful. He operates under his own lusts. They must be satisfied.
The Jews would be grateful to Esther for helping the king to see the evil of Haman’s plot. They would remember the gallows that he had ordered built to hang Mordecai on. They would remember that Haman was actually hanged on that very gallows.
Verse 26 tells us that this day became known as Purim, after the name Pur. The Jews were ready to keep this feast on a yearly basis. It became a custom for them to keep these days as days of celebration. It was to be kept from generation to generation. It is interesting how they have kept this feast unto this time in which we live, even though they have forgotten the importance of the feasts that God gave them to keep. Those feasts were designed by God to remind the nation of Israel of His law and His blessings. They have long ago lost their meaning. If they are kept at all, it is just in ritual fashion. The Passover has certainly lost its meaning, since most Jews do not accept Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. Most Jews are still looking for a Messiah. They will embrace the Antichrist when he arrives. They will regret that day, but they will blindly embrace him for a short time.
Since the 1800’s professing Christians in North America have been willing to embrace man-made traditions as well. They have changed the significance of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ into a time of giving gifts and special decorations, and throwing parties. They have changed the importance of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ into another time of giving gifts and having celebrations as well. Chocolates are very important for that secular event.
Just as Purim was never celebrated in the New Testament, neither was Christmas or Easter mentioned among God’s people. The birth of Jesus Christ is mentioned. It was a time to celebrate the promise of the Messiah. The gifts were given to the Saviour, not to one another. Easter was a pagan festival that was important to king Herod, but not to the born again Christians. They kept the Lord’s Supper which is a sober reminder of Jesus’ death until He comes again. We need to be reminded of how it is we can be forgiven and saved. We also need to be reminded that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again. Many will be ashamed at how they have accepted the frivolity of these two important events and allowed the world to take away from the importance of these two events.
There would be no salvation without the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not come to set up an earthly kingdom in His first coming. He came to teach the truth in a time of great spiritual corruption. He came to lay down His life for the sheep. He will come again and He will establish an earthly kingdom for a thousand years. There will be no corrupting of His Word during that time. The world of that time will be exposed to the holiness of God in a greater way then than any other time in history. Sadly, many will not appreciate that opportunity and their wicked hearts will keep them from submitting to the truth.
For those who are saved, we need to keep God’s holy days in a holy manner. Today is another opportunity for born again Christians to go to God’s house. If there is no true church in your community, you need to find out where there is one. If you are not able to travel to that place, God has given us the Internet to be able to reach into the homes of shut-ins. Those who are healthy and able need to see the importance of a true local church.
Mordecai wrote letters to remind the Jews of the significance of the days of Purim. For them it was all just a secular event where they remembered the names of a few ‘important’ people, but they did not remember the God Who set them apart as a special nation. For born again Christians, this is the day that God has established for New Testament saints to meet and worship and glorify Him. The world today needs to be reminded of the fact that there is still and always will be a true God. He never changes. Secular Christianity has changed and is presenting a false God and a false Jesus. True Christians serve the true God and the true Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. Be sure to honour Him today according to His Word.
Pastor Bartel
