Tomorrow evening (March 6) begins Purim (pronounced POOR-im). This annual event celebrates how Jewish people survived the planned annihilation of all Jews in the Persian Empire when Esther was the queen of Persia. It is a huge comfort to know our sovereign God works behind the scenes for us.
There are two interesting backstories to this victory.
Round #1: Israel vs. the Amalekites
Exodus 17 describes the ruthless Amalekites attacking the Israelites who have just fled from Egypt. The Hebrew fighters gain ground when Moses’ hands are up but fail when his arms fall. They beat the wicked warriors after they keep Moses’ hands held steady — the Hebrew word behind “steady” (emunah) is translated in other places as “faith” or “faithfulness.” The invisible God battles for the Israelites when Moses has faith.
God instructs the Israelites to write on a scroll that God would wipe out the memory of Amalek. However, he advises that “A hand upon the throne of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” (Exodus 17:16) This has been interpreted that each generation of Hebrews will have a type of Amalek fighting against them.
Curiously, the Septuagint’s Greek of this verse says “For by a secret (or hidden) hand the Lord is fighting against Amalek from generation to generation.” This translation may hint at God’s working behind the scenes. This is obvious in the scroll of Esther, despite no overt mention of God in the book.
Round #2: Saul vs. Agag and the Amalekites
Fast forward a few centuries from the Exodus to Israel being ruled by their first king, Saul. We read in 1 Samuel 15 how the prophet Samuel tells Saul of God’s orders to destroy the Amalekites along with their possessions. Saul does this only partially and spares Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and keeps some of the best booty. God is invisible to Saul, but Saul’s actions and attitude are not hidden from God. Partial obedience is disobedience and the consequence is God takes the kingdom from him.
Round #3: Esther and the Jews vs. Haman the Agagite
We jump ahead again a few centuries to the book of Esther. We find the villain in this book who tries to destroy all the Jews is Haman, the Agagite. Even though Samuel struck down Agag when Saul refused, obviously his line lived on. Our disobedience can have long-lasting consequences for others beyond ourselves.
The Bible is saturated with connections that may be hidden unless we know our Bibles very well. It is interesting to note some links between Esther and Saul. They are both Benjamites from the family of Kish. They are both described as attractive: he as a tall and impressive young man (1 Samuel 9:2) and she as lovely in form (Esther 2:7). Both are depicted as well-liked by others and obedient, at least Saul initially (he obeys his father to seek lost donkeys and she obeys her cousin). Saul conceals for a while that he has been anointed king and Esther for a while conceals being Jewish.
Despite these similarities, their differences set them apart. When confronted with trouble, one keeps silent and one does not.
Some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
1 Samuel 10:27, NIV
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” … Esther’s response: “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
Esther 4:14, 16, NIV
Ongoing Battles
Sadly, Amalekite types have continued for many generations. A major one in the past century was Hitler’s efforts for Jewish genocide. Antisemitism continues to raise its ugly head around the world.
Purim, the Annual Reminder of God’s Behind-the-Scenes Protection
Despite Haman’s scheming, an invisible Lord is obviously at work, despite not a single mention of “God” in the book. We see in the book of Esther that Round #3 was not a knock-out punch that killed all the Jews, but instead, they became the victors. Though Haman used the randomness of a casting lots (purim) to decide the date of the Jewish genocide, God’s dice were loaded and didn’t leave anything to chance. Purim is an annual reminder of God’s invisible rescue.
These days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.
Esther 9:28, NIV
A modern way to celebrate Purim is in costume because God was disguised in the book of Esther. Click here to see how Brian celebrated it in Jerusalem a few years ago.
Ponder
Consider reading the book of Esther for Purim — this is a great tradition. The ironic reversals are delightful and one knows through the suspenseful action that there will be a happy ending. We all need to be regularly reminded that God is at work behind the scenes even when it is not obvious to us. Savor this sweet victory by baking and eating the traditional hamantashen, “Haman’s ears”!
(A thank you to Sharon Alley for much of this background that she has taught at Narkis Congregation in Jerusalem).
Interesting connections with the Amalekites. I recently finished Lynn Austin’s book “Long Way Home” which has a lot of material about the Holocaust seen through the eyes of one of the liberators of Auschwitz. There was an interesting observation in the book about why God might have allowed this terrible thing to happen. The suggestion was that it helped pave the way for the founding of the state of Israel. I had never heard that expressed before and thought it was worth considering.