The Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. Esther 9:23
In ad 525, a monk named Dionysius Exiguus implemented a system of dating based on the date of Christ’s birth. Although his calculations were off by several years, his calendar became the one we now use, dividing history into bc (Before Christ) and ad (anno Domini, or Year of our Lord).
A move to secularize this system has changed the labels to ce (Common Era) and bce (before the Common Era). Some people point to this as yet another example of how the world keeps God out.
But God hasn’t gone anywhere. Regardless of the name, our calendar still centers itself around the reality of Jesus’ life on earth.
In the Bible, the book of Esther is unusual in that it contains no specific mention of God. Yet the story it tells is one of God’s deliverance. Banished from their homeland, the Jewish people lived in a country indifferent to Him. A powerful government official wanted to kill them all (Esther 3:8–9, 12–14). Yet through Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai, God delivered His people, a story still celebrated to this day in the Jewish holiday of Purim (9:20–32).
Regardless of how the world chooses to respond to Him now, Jesus changed everything. He introduced us to an uncommon era—one full of genuine hope and promise. All we need to do is look around us. We’ll see Him.
Read:Esther 9:20-23,29-32 (NIV)
Purim Established
20 Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far,
21 to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar
22 as the time when the Jews got reliefk from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.l
He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of foodm to one another and gifts to the poor.n
23 So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them.
29 So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail,w along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.
30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provincesx of Xerxes’ kingdom—words of goodwill and assurance—
31 to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them,
and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fastingy and lamentation.z
32 Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records.
INSIGHT
- How do you react to instances where it seems like God is being “banished”?
- In what ways do you see Him today?
One of the unique characteristics of Israel’s history is how tragedy frequently produced celebration. The tragedy of four centuries of slavery in Egypt produced Passover. The desecration of Israel’s temple by the Seleucids in the second century bc led to the feast of Hanukkah, which commemorated the temple’s rededication. And the threat of genocide raised against the Jews in the book of Esther resulted in the Feast of Purim. In each case, tragedy or near tragedy was resolved and the celebration honored the God of rescue. In Israel today, one of the fascinating features of the celebration of Purim is how it includes children. They dress up in costumes and some as the characters in the Esther story. It’s a fun and interesting way to encourage the children to engage in the stories of rescue that mark their history.
PRAYER
Father, thank You for the history-changing reality of Your Son, Jesus. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Esther 9:20-23,29-32 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Proverbs 8-9; 2 Corinthians 3
