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"That they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor."
(Esther 9:22b)
This week, we have seen the Lord's providence throughout the book of Esther, even though His name is never directly mentioned. The story of Esther ends with the establishment of the Jewish festival of Purim, designed to serve as a remembrance of what God did. Here is how the author describes the origin of Purim:
"And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor." (Esther 9:20-22)
The Lord did a great thing in rescuing His people amidst a very dire-looking situation. He orchestrated many events, from the crowning of Esther as queen, to the way that Mordecai's help in saving the king was recorded, so that it would lead to the king honoring him much later and foiling Haman's plot, to strengthening the Jewish people as they fought against those seeking to kill them, and many more instances in between and beyond. We have done well to sleuth out the ways that God is at work throughout the book of Esther. Purim was then set up so that the descendants of these Jews would never forget God's faithfulness to them in this time.
This is a great reminder for us when we are facing times where we struggle to see how God is working. I think the greatest danger that we face in seasons like this is to give in to discouragement and doubt, questioning if God is even there or if He cares. One of the biggest mistakes we can make in these times is to mistake God's silence for His absence. Perhaps you have been praying for something and you have yet to see God move in this area. I remember some of the most frustrating times I've had while praying for something were when God didn't say "yes" or even "no" but just "wait". But just because God hasn't spoken directly on a matter does not mean that He isn't at work.
So how then is Purim an example to us when we are unable to discern God's activity? How then do we stay encouraged while waiting on the Lord? The establishment of this festival holds a key in keeping the faith when we struggle to understand how and if God is present: we remember. We remember how God has been faithful. We remember the ways that God has always come through. We remember who our God is and all that He has done.
Esther gives us hope that God can turn our sorrow into gladness as well. He can indeed turn our mourning into celebration. He has done it before, and He is still able, and as we see in Esther, the Lord's timing to bring about these things is always perfect and just in time.
Lamentations 3:22-23: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
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