By Toni Ford
Have you ever heard of the book of Esther in the Bible? It is a short book with only 10 chapters and yet a very powerful book about God’s faithfulness to protect Israel and the Jewish people.
In the third chapter of Esther, we find Haman, the king’s second-in-command, casting lots in order to determine the day he would have the Jews exterminated. The lots were small white stones, called “pur.” In ancient days, the casting of lots was equivalent to rolling dice, which was done to make significant decisions on behalf of the people.
Esther 3:7-9 says, “In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar. Then Haman said to King Xerxes, ‘There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.’”
As much as Haman wanted to destroy the Jews, God wanted to save His people. When events seemed out of control to Esther, the Queen of Persia, and to Mordecai, when the king dictated ruin for their people, when evil was poised to triumph, God was at work. He worked through their dark days and used Esther to save the Jews and their land.
We read in Esther 9:1, “So on March 7 the two decrees of the king were put into effect. On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but quite the opposite happened. It was the Jews who overpowered their enemies.”
As a result of this victorious day, the Feast of Purim was established to commemorate the day in which the Jews survived Haman’s plot to have them exterminated. This joyous festival is still celebrated today among Jewish people and serves as a great reminder that God is sovereign even when life does not make sense. By the end of the story, every out-of-control event and every evil is turned around to accomplish the purposes of God and the salvation of His people. Every random event is turned to redemption.
In the days we are now living in, our world often seems out of control, and on many days, life just does not make sense. We know that Satan and his army would love to destroy us and have us as believers exterminated. However, be encouraged knowing that we too can celebrate the Feast of Purim just as the Jews do today, for it was Jesus’ death and resurrection that sealed the deal concerning eternity. Every person has been given the opportunity to choose God or choose Satan and the things of this world. As believers in the Lord Jesus, we can celebrate knowing that our Lord has already won the battle against Satan and one day very soon, our God will come and rescue His children from this world!
In the meantime, hold tight to Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Know that God is working and fighting the enemy on the behalf of His children. If you have not accepted the Lord as your personal Savior, please do so today, for the time of His arrival to take us home is near!
If you would like me to join you in prayer please email me at tonif77@gmail.com. I would love to pray for you!