Purim

On the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the Jewish month of Adar, about a month before Passover, devout Jews celebrate Purim. This holiday usually falls in March on our modern calendar. This joyous and sometimes even raucous holiday commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes) and his evil royal vizier, Haman, through the daring work of Esther and her relative Mordecai. Purim celebrates the fact that time and again people have risen up to destroy the Jews, but each time God has delivered them and triumphed over their enemies.

Purim is celebrated with gifts of food and drink, acts of charity to the poor, a celebratory meal, and public recitation of the scroll of Esther. As the story of Esther is read, listeners boo, hiss, and rattle noisemakers whenever evil Haman’s name is mentioned. This is a way to “blot out” his name. Celebrations include drinking wine and wearing masks and costumes. Purim was the one holiday that Jews predicted would be celebrated even in the Messianic age due to its joyful mood.

God’s Will

Purim is the Hebrew word for “lots.” The name comes from the point in the story of Esther when Haman selected the date for annihilation of the Jews by casting lots (Esther 3:7). That Haman used lots, which were used to determine God’s will, as a way to choose when to kill God’s people, is strikingly ironic. Solomon tells us, “The dice are thrown, but the LORD determines every outcome” (Prov. 16:33). The story of Haman illustrates God’s control over human affairs, even when all hope seems to be lost. The Jewish people were on the verge of being wiped out, but God saved them. And in the process, Haman met his demise.

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Throughout history God saved his people when all hope seemed lost.

God’s Faithfulness

Purim is not mentioned outside of the book of Esther, but it is a valuable symbol of God’s faithfulness no matter how dire our circumstances may be. This holiday instituted by God and celebrated by Jews throughout history commemorates the sovereignty of God to save his people even when it seems as though all hope is lost. It was particularly poignant at times throughout history when the Jews had been discriminated against, such as in World War II.

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The book of Esther is read at Purim.

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Purim is the Hebrew word for lots; casting lots was a method of discerning God’s will.

Key Verse

So the Jews called these days Purim, based on the word Pur. Therefore, because of everything that was said in this letter—both what they had seen and what had happened to them—the Jews established a tradition for themselves and their descendants and for anyone who would join them. The tradition was that a person should never fail to observe these two days every year, as they were described and at their appointed time. So these days must be remembered and observed in every age, family, province, and city. These days of Purim must not be ignored among the Jews, and the importance of these days must never be forgotten by the generations to come. (Esther 9:26–28)

Jewish commentators see [the story of Esther] not as a celebration of human power, but rather as an example of God’s subtle ways in working through people. Jewish tradition sees God as creating the miracle of Purim through the intervention of Esther, even though God is never mentioned. Just as people wear masks on Purim to look like someone else, so too, perhaps, does God wear a mask. The strange frivolity of Purim may be a hint to us to look for God in places where God is not evident.

Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky and Rabbi Daniel Judson, Jewish Holidays: A Brief Introduction for Christians (Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2007), 71