Jewish roots
Purim:
An Answer To A Promise
By
Lyn Rosen-Bond Jews For Jesus
CBN.com
-- Of all the happy holidays in the Jewish calendar, Purim, the Feast of
Esther, is a favorite. What makes it so popular? Is it the fragrant hamantashen,
with their sticky-sweet surprises of poppy seed or prune filling ? Is it the fun
of dressing up in costume to emulate king or queen, scholar or scoundrel? Or is
it the opportunity to enjoy a scenario and participate by hissing the villain
or cheering the hero? Yes, perhaps that's really it . . . the chance for
everyone to dig in and participate . . to relate to the ancient history of our
people in a more personal way. Still, that participation should be based on a
deeper understanding of the central theme and reason for the Purim celebration.
The story of Esther is more than just an exciting event in Jewish history.
It bears real relevance to modern Jewry through some striking parallels. The
Purim story took place in Persia at the pinnacle of that country's civilization.
Although King Cyrus had decreed earlier that the Jews could return to their homeland
from the Babylonian captivity, some had chosen not to return. Rather than face
the hardships of pioneer life, they had opted for the comfort and seeming security
of their Persian homes. They had become acculturated to Persian ways, even taking
pagan names, the name Esther being derived from the goddess Astarte or Ishtar,
and the name Mordecai probably being related to Marduk, Babylon's patron deity.
Similarly, today we have a Jewish homeland, the State of Israel, where
many Jewish pioneers have made the desert bloom. Yet, most of us elect to live
in other lands, where we are comfortable, rather than claim our birthright. Through
generations, we have become acculturated to our adopted homelands, taking on their
customs, language and names. In this way, we modern Jews share a similar situation
with Esther and Mordecai and the other Persian Jews of that time. From
only a perfunctory reading of the Book of Esther, one sees quite easily the surface
theme, the triumph of good over evil. And truly this, by itself, would
be enough basis for a joyful celebration such as Purim. Yet, the Purim story bears
a deeper significance, that of a promise fulfilled. In Genesis 12:3, God
promised Abram, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth
thee. . ." Haman, the villain of the Purim story, falls, of course, into the latter
category of God's promise. God promised in the Bible that there would always be
Jewish people, the seed of Abraham, on this earth; but old Haman thought otherwise.
Haman sealed his own doom when he challenged the promise of the Almighty by trying
to destroy the Jews. Not only did God judge Haman's life forfeit, but He required
exactly the same punishment that Haman had himself devised against Mordecai. And
thus God curses all those who dare to curse the Jews, the apple of His eye. That
promise of God to Abram was not meant only for Bible times. It still holds true.
In our own generation, another man came who dared to think he could annihilate
the Jewish people. He robbed us of our livelihoods, tried to strip away our dignity,
and eventually took many of our lives. This modern day Haman walled us up in ghettos
and behind barbed wire. The crimes she perpetrated are forever imprinted upon the pages of
history as an example of inhumanity.
The modern State of Israel is another
promise fulfilled. There are those who worry that Israel will be destroyed. This
cannot happen, for those who work for the deliverance of the Jewish people will
not be defeated. Instead, through belief in God's promise of preservation, they
will be blessed:
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber
nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve
thee from all evil; he shall preserve thy soul. (Psalm 121:4-7)
God's promises
are sure. He continues to protect and preserve our people against all odds, so
that the world may know that He is real and that He keeps His word.
Learn more at our Christianity's Jewish Roots feature
More about Purim at the Jews for Jesus web site.
This article was originally
published by Jews for Jesus. © Jews for Jesus. Used with permission.
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