For Such A Time As This...
Part Two
The story of Esther holds tremendous prophetic implications for the future of Israel. The events portrayed in this beautiful story of God's providence behind the scenes even in a strange land are foreshadows of events coming upon Planet Earth very soon. The choices made by the main characters in this story may very well be the same choices facing you and I as well.
By Chris McDonald
Esther 4:14-17 - For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? [15] Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, [16] Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. [17] So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
Much of history throughout the centuries has a singular noteworthy characteristic, unnoticed by many along the way. The most significant historical events have most often coincided with feasts of the Lord and when looked at more closely, we see amazing and thought provoking relationships between the events and the feasts themselves. Such is the case of Purim.
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This current conflict in Iraq began on March 18, the night the Jewish Feast of Purim began in 2003. Purim is the annual celebration of the great deliverance of the Jewish people in the days of Queen Esther, as recorded in the Book of Esther in the Bible. Is it just a coincidence that Esther was queen in the very region where today Saddam Hussein rules? (As of the time of this writing that word “rules’ is in question and maybe past tense very soon)
Is it just a coincidence that the wicked Haman who sought to destroy the Jews in that day exhibits in the scriptures similar qualities to the Iraqi dictator today? And....after so many delays, was it a coincidence the war actually broke out at the Feast of Purim?
As we spoke of in part one of this journal it’s a sad indictment against history to witness the times the Jewish people have been delivered to the mercy of the merciless as they were in the days of Esther and Mordecai. With such hostile neighbors, Israel today sits in a neighborhood of Arab nations seeking her destruction. The Palestinian issue is not about land – it’s about the total annihilation of every single Jewish person on the face of the earth.
In reality, this issue over the West Bank hides an even greater war in the world today between the forces of Islam and those who know Jesus Christ as Lord. Islam means “submission,” however, it is not the type submission where the follower falls into the graces of the one he is submitting to. If the “convert” fails to submit, Islam calls for the convert’s death. As long as there are Christians in this world, there will be an eternal war between the lineage of Esau (the Arab, Muslim world) and the lineage of Jacob (Israel).
In this setting found in the book of Esther, Haman, an ancestor of the Islamic/Ishamael/Edomite line, had set a trap for the entire Jewish race. The gauntlet laid down by the king of Shushan was one that would mean the total annihilation of the Jewish race if Haman had been allowed to carry out his demonic plan.
When Kings And Captains Drink
Esther 3:14-15 - the copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day. [15] The posts went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed.
The last statement of verse 15 speaks of the utter tragedy that faced the Jewish people in Persia during the days of Esther and Mordecai. While a plan was at work to destroy the Jewish people the king and his chief advisor sat down to drink and play. That has been a sad footnote to the history of Jewish suffering throughout the ages.
I am an avid fan of history. In my study of the Holocaust between 1938 and 1945, one thing jumps out at you from every possible angle you can study this horrific event from. NOT ONE SINGLE SOLITARY NATION (INCLUDING THE USA) STEPPED FORWARD TO HELP THE JEWISH PEOPLE from destruction at the hands of the German Nazi rush across Europe into genocide.
A ship called the “St. Louis” bringing 930 Jewish people fleeing for their lives from Nazi Germany came to America and Cuba from Europe. When the ship reached the Atlantic waters a call for help came from the captain of that ship for asylum for its passengers. No one allowed the ship to even land or dock. NO ONE WANTED THE PASSENGERS – JEWS! Historical records indicate that a telegram to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt from affluent Jewish people in America, as well as the captain from the St. Louis, went unanswered. In fact, the captain tried to reach Roosevelt more than once and none of his calls were returned.
Weeks of negotiation went on with nation after nation to take the 930 Jewish people. Only one nation – Puerto Rico – which was not a US territory at the time – was the only one who said yes – but at a price. Each Jewish person who got off the boat in Puerto Rico would have to pay over $250,000 each to stay. That was nothing but blackmail. Once the ship docked in Havana, Cuba, both the captain of the ship and Jewish diplomats made a frantic effort to find a home for the St. Louis’s 930 passengers. After a little over a week, Cuba ordered the ship to leave. Upon leaving Cuba’s waters, the ship came into US territorial waters making one final plea to the White House to allow the ship to land in Miami for asylum for its inhabitants.
Instead of help, the US Coast Guard met the ship outside Miami with guns and orders for the ship to leave the U.S. territorial waters within 48 hours or face being shot out of the water. The ship was forced to return to Europe and out of the 930 Jewish people on board - less than 30 survived. Those sent back to Europe either died in German concentration camps or were shot by the Nazis. Many wound up in Nazi gas chambers scattered throughout Eastern Europe.
On the eve of Jewish genocide the United State’s attitude was no better than the King of Sushan in the days of Esther – not caring, happy go lucky, and callous – in light of one of history’s darkest hours. (THE BLOOD OF THOSE 930 PEOPLE WILL BE HELD IN ACCOUNT ON AMERICA’S HANDS ONE DAY!!!!!!!!)
I can’t help but wander that when the future attempted genocide and final holocaust begins under the carnage of the coming Antichrist, how many nations will once again turn their backs on the Jewish people? The only friend the Jewish people will soon have are the ones who TRULY KNOW JESUS (YESHUA) and will be willing to lay down their lives to protect God’s chosen and precious people. Neighbor, that is not a melodramatic prediction for a journal – it’s a sense that many in the Body of Christ have concerning future events upon Planet Earth.
This is the peril the Jewish people faced in Persia during the setting of this story. Despite the horrific circumstances, man’s extremity has always been God’s opportunity. The night is darkest just before the dawn. Upon hearing the decree, the first reaction of the Jewish people was to fast, pray and repent. Those are three things that have never failed to move the heart of God for it is He who promised:
2 Chron. 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Esther, The Main Player Of Purim
Up to this point, we have not mentioned Esther, the First Lady of the great Persian Empire, a humble Jewish maiden elevated to the position of queen by the strange workings of God’s design. Esther and Mordecai show indications of having tried very hard to obliterate their Jewish background. Their very presence in Persia suggests that they had chosen the comforts of that land rather than the hardships of Holy Land.
Significantly, their names are not Jewish, but rather of Babylonian origin. The name “Mordecai” is believed to be a variant of “Merodach” or “Marduk,” the name of the “Merodach” or “Marduk,” the name of the patron deity of Babylon, mentioned in Jeremiah 50:2.
Jeremiah 50:2
Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.
“Esther” is strangely reminiscent of the Babylonian goddess “Ishtar” or “Astarte.” Their effort to assimilate themselves into their environment has been often repeated in Jewish history. In speech, manner, dress, and by their very names, the Jewish people have often sought to take on the coloring of the people among whom they live, but in the final analysis, to little avail.
Whenever the hour has struck, God has repeatedly sent the Hamans and Hitlers to remind them through blood and tears of their origin and destiny.
There may have been much antagonism against the Jewish people in the Persian Empire at the time, for Esther’s close relative and adoptive father, Mordecai, cautiously advised her not to betray her Jewish nationality to the king or the court.
Latent Anti-Semitism probably was deep-seated among the people of the Persian Empire, so that Human found a ready and eager audience for his Jewish hatred. The Hamans and Hitlers of history are only possible where latent hatreds are already pent up in the hearts of the masses. So Esther guarded the secret of her Jewish descent well – too well.
Mordecai had to remind his exalted relative:
Esther 4:13
Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shall escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.
Beautiful Esther, queen of the royal household, was afraid to show her true colors while her people were in danger of perishing! What a striking picture of a child of God rejoicing in his own salvation, and at ease while men and women for whom we ought to be burdened and concerned perish. But when the midnight hour is about to strike, God always has a deliverer – a Moses in the wilderness; a Samson when the Philistines roam: a Judas Maccabees when the godless Syrians flood the land and threaten to destroy God’s people; and a MORDECAI and ESTHER when a sinister Amalekites-Persian seeks to exterminate the everlasting people.
And in these days of harvest, God is raising up more than just a man – He’s raising up a BODY – HIS BODY – THE CHURCH – who TOO has hid its Jewish descent for years but when it counts in the end times – we will reveal to the world that the same Messiah Israel seeks is the same Messiah we already serve! GLORY TO GOD. My Lord, don’t you feel that. Yeshua is LORD. Yeshua is LORD. Yeshua is LORD. Israel will be saved, Israel will be saved.
When the need arises, God has someone specially appointed to come into the kingdom to deal with the peril of the hour. And neighbor the peril of this hour will only get worse as the time draws closer to bring down the curtain on the current age we live in:
Esther 4:14 - For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this.
Christian, the LORD has called you into His kingdom for a purpose. He has a special task for you, a precious privilege peculiarly your own. Esther’s determination and devotion are a beautiful testimony for all children of God to follow, “If I perish, I perish.”
There are many of you reading this right now that may very well be called to a true Esther in the rapidly increasing sentiment of Anti-Semitism just ahead. God is not looking for the most talented, most wealthy or most respected for this task ahead. He’s looking for one thing – yieldedness. He delights in a totally submitted heart to Him.
Modern Anti-Semitism
Haman basked in the honors bestowed upon him by his lord and master, Ahasuerus. He related to his wife and friends the dignities already bestowed upon him and gleefully anticipated honors yet to come. But the fly in Haman’s ointment was Mordecai, the Jew, the “obstinate” Jewish man with the unbending knee. The Jewish people have been rocked back and forth throughout the ages but they have never bowed the knee. Many will die in the purge of the coming Antichrist’s reign of terror – but they will not bow. One day they will bow the knee before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – Jesus Christ.
Mordecai, along with the entire Jewish race, became Haman’s obsession – an obsession not unlike that among many otherwise reasonable and intelligent people. When you speak to them they are rational, as long as you do not touch the subject of the Jewish race. But mention the Jewish people and they see red. One sign of protest against the war in Iraq reads “No blood for Israel.” Many see this conflict as a U.S. led attempt to give Israel a free reign in the Middle East which is not that bad an idea! Satan has festered this sentiment of Anti-Semitism throughout the ages and he will foster it again through the heart of the Antichrist.
The Gallows
He who schemes and plans the destruction of Jewish people invokes divine wrath against himself. Haman, in his blindness, and in pursuit of his own aggrandizement, unknowingly sets the stage for Mordecai’s promotion and his own humiliation and final destruction. Haman sought to hang Mordecai, but the very gallows he erected for Mordecai become the gallows Haman himself hangs from.
Haman was only one in the long procession of men whom God has raised up to confirm the truth of His Word:
Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
The Lot Of Adar
In commemoration of that great deliverance, Mordecai and Esther instituted the Feast of Purim, which means “lots.”
Esther 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,
The idolatrous and superstitious Haman decided to find out which would be the most propitious day to destroy the Jewish people so he cast lots. The lot fell upon the 13th day of Adar, the 12th month in God’s calendar.
The day appointed for the defeat and destruction of the Jewish people was turned into their day of deliverance. In the final analysis, their victory is the victory of God over Satan, the victory of prayer, the victory of prayer, fasting and FAITH over pagan wrath and blind hatred. It is the victory of the providence and loving-kindness of Jehovah, who neither slumbers or sleeps.
Purim, like the preceding Feast of Hanukkah, is a link in the chain of preservation and redemption which God Himself has forged for His people. Purim is a signpost on the road of salvation, ascending from physical deliverance to the perfect redemption which only the lord Jesus Christ can give to those who accept HIS FINAL REDEMPTION and SACRIFICE upon the cross of Calvary.
The partial, imperfect, deliverance which God wrought through Mordecai points to Christ – who is able to save to the uttermost! Mordecai’s deliverance was physical- Christ’s was spiritual. Mordecai saved a physical kingdom of people, Christ has saved a spiritual kingdom of priests. Praise God.
Purim is a wonderful
holiday, which deserves our attention. Purim is Judaism's most dramatic,
fun-filled holiday. Children dress up in colorful costumes and everyone enjoys
the cookies nicknamed 'Haman's Ears', doughy triangles filled with prunes and
poppy seeds. They're really very good!
The
main event is reading the Book of Esther. Set in Persia 2,300 years ago, the
"Megillah" (as it is commonly called) recounts how a seemingly unrelated series
of events spun together to save the Jewish people from annihilation. There are
four mitzvoth (good deeds) specific to the holiday of Purim:
1) the Reading the Megillah (Scroll of Esther) which I encourage you to do,
either personally or with your family
2) a Festive meal
3) Sharing special food with friends.
4) Giving gifts to the poor - either locally or giving an offering to help
someone in need in Israel.
The Book of Esther is read to recall the miracle of salvation of the Jews and to remind us that in any generation when a 'Haman' raises his hand against God's chosen people, we can expect another miracle. Those days are upon us child of God. It's time to make our choices NOW and make our calling and election SURE in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Praise God.