Purim - Book of Esther

Purim is a Jewish celebration, more like the Fourth of July or Mother’s Day, than a religious holiday like Passover. Purin is usually observed in February or March of each year. The word Purim means, “lots” as in a lottery, which was the means that the villainous Haman, an Amalekite, used to set the date for the massacre of Jews in Persia (previously Babylon).

These events in the Book of Esther take place between chapters six and seven of the Book of Ezra. The setting is Persia, seventy years after they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians.

Israel spent 70 years in captivity in Babylon, which was later taken over by the Persians in 539 B.C. Just a year later, the Persian King Cyrus decreed throughout his empire that any captive Jews in Babylonia who desired could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Cyrus even allowed the vessels of gold and silver stolen by Nebuchadnezzar’s troops to be returned. As we will read in Isaiah 48, they all should have left, but some stayed behind.

Let’s look at the cast of characters in this drama. The villain in the story was Haman, an Amalekite. The Amalekites were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. You might recall that these siblings had a long-standing conflict that revolved around the birthright. Esau, the firstborn, sold his birthright to his brother Jacob.  The hostility that Jacob and Esau had for one another carried on through the generations like a bad gene.

Esau had a grandson named Amalek, from which we get the name Amalekites. These cousins of the Israelites attacked them whenever they had the chance. When the Jews were led out of Egypt by Moses, the Amalekites attacked them in Rephidim, in the Sinai Desert. This unprovoked attack led God to promise to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven (Ex. 17:8-14). Forty years later, in his last major speech to his people, Moses reminded the Jews of the command to go after Amalek (Deut. 25:17-19).

Saul, the first King of Israel, was commanded to wipe out the Amalekites (I Sam. 15:2-3). But Saul disobeyed and spared the life of King Agag (I Sam 15:9). This led to the premature end of the reign of Saul (I Sam. 15:23). Saul, realizing his mistake, subsequently did kill Agag, but one of his sons survived. So not only was he disobedient, but he was also incompetent. Some 500 years later, one of his descendants was Haman.

Others in the cast of characters included the royal couple, King Xerxes (some think it was King Ahasuerus or perhaps both names refer to the same person), and Queen Vashti. Then there was Esther, the Jewish maiden, and her uncle Mordecai. And so, with the setting in place, the cast of characters on stage, let the drama that led to Purim begin.

Chapter 1

In chapter one of the book of Esther we find King Xerxes hosting a great leadership conference for all the nobles and officials of the kingdom. It culminated with a seven-day banquet (for men only) where “the royal wine was abundant.” When the king was “in high spirits,” King Xerxes commanded his wife, Queen Vashti, to come out and “entertain” the drunken guests. By entertain, it meant to engage in a degrading, erotic dance. She refused. Her refusal, in front of those leaders, put the king in a difficult position. He couldn’t let his wife refuse his order. That would make him look weak and would encourage other wives to disobey their husbands, also. The king had to show her and his guests who was in charge. King Xerxes removed her from her position as queen. Tradition says that he also had her head removed from her shoulders. Not entirely surprising behavior on the part of a king who was known for “vacillating moods.” Being governed by a bipolar dictator who is prone to bouts of drunkenness is not the type of leadership any of us would want.

Chapter 2

In chapter two, the king holds a beauty contest to find a new (and younger) queen (trophy wife) and Esther, a Jewish girl, was chosen. Meanwhile, her uncle Mordecai uncovers a plot to assassinate the King and he reports it to the authorities. The conspirators are caught and executed. But somehow Mordecai wasn’t rewarded for his role in saving the king. He wasn’t even given a Certificate of Appreciation, let alone a medal or cash award. Maybe the paperwork got lost in the bureaucracy or perhaps Haman, the antisemite, misplaced the paperwork.

Chapter 3

In chapter three, Haman (the villain), is elevated to the rank of prime minister and is offended when Mordecai, the Jew, would not kneel or pay him the honor he felt he deserved. To bow out of respect was not forbidden by Jewish Law, but it is thought by some scholars that Haman’s robe may have been decorated with images of idols. Haman, being a raving anti-Semite, is enraged by Mordecai’s disrespectful actions and decides to kill not only him, but all the Jews. I think he might have an “anger management” problem.



Haman goes to the king and tells him that these Jews were strange people who didn’t live like normal people or obey our laws. They should not be tolerated and “something should be done about them.” Haman suggests that a decree be issued to destroy them (verse 9). The King responds, “Do with the people as you please.” We’ll see later that the king had no recollection of giving Haman approval to do what he wanted with these Jews. Perhaps Haman approached him when he was distracted by some other crisis. However it happened, an order was issued that allowed the people to kill any Jews they wanted and as an incentive, they could plunder their property. Sort of a “KILL A JEW AND GET RICH” campaign. This sounds like Germany in the 1930’s.

About two hundred years earlier, the prophet Isaiah predicted trouble for those who remained in what would become known as Persia. He urged the Israelites to flee Babylon. Isa. 48:18-20, “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand. . . Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians!”

Chapter 4

In chapter four, Queen Esther’s Uncle Mordecai pleads with her to go to the king uninvited (which could lead to her death) and plead for mercy for her people. She hesitates. He then suggests (verse 14), “and who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.” OK, perhaps that’s true, but maybe not. But she does the right thing and says, “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish,” (verse 16). She probably figured that she would die either way, so why not give this idea a try.

Chapter 5

In chapter five, Esther invited the King and Haman for dinner at her house. Haman added (verse 12), “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she is giving. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.” Seems as if Haman’s love of power is matched only by his hate for the Jews.

Chapter 6

In chapter six, King Xerxes was having some difficulty sleeping. He could have read the genealogies found in the Book of Deuteronomy, or a technical manual for an Abrams tank, but instead he chose to read some government report on that thwarted assassination attempt mentioned in chapter two. He wondered if the person who exposed the conspirators (Mordecai) was rewarded for his actions. He asks Haman what he thought would be an appropriate way to honor someone very special. Well, of course, Haman thought the king was referring to him. So Haman suggested something that was a bit over the top, in keeping with his huge ego. It included a royal robe, a horse from the royal stable, being led through the streets by someone declaring (verse 9), “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”

The King responded to these suggestions by saying, (verse 10), “Go at once. Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew.” Are there any photos of Haman’s facial expression when he is told this?

Esther 6:11, “So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’” Do you think Haman gave a convincing performance as he led Mordecai on the royal horse?

Needless to say, this didn’t help the relationship between Haman and Mordecai. Haman’s hate for Mordecai only increased. Haman rushed home “covered in grief.” His wife told him that since Mordecai was Jewish, (verse 13), “you cannot stand against him-you will surely come to ruin!”

Chapter 7

In chapter seven, the King, with Haman in tow, attends a dinner hosted by Queen Esther. Esther used this social gathering to explain the edict that was issued in the name of the King to exterminate the Jews. The King was shocked and asked, “Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?” If you recall, the King gave Haman a blank check, saying in Esther 3:11, “Do with the people as you please.” Esther glares and points her finger at Haman and says, “The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman” (Esther 7:6). The king was apoplectic with rage. He steps out onto the patio to regain his composure, before he has a massive stroke. Meanwhile, Haman was in a panic, knowing that an enraged king, prone to mood swings, can be quite dangerous. To make matters worse, as he approaches Queen Esther to ask for mercy, Haman stumbles over an ottoman, coffee table or something and falls onto the queen who is on a couch. And he falls on her right as the King was returning to the room. The king goes into another rage and accuses Haman of assaulting his Queen right in front of him (verse 8).

Very conveniently there was one of the king’s eunuch’s in attendance who leaned over and whispered in the King’s ear, “A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman’s house. He had it made for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king” (verse 9). The king needed little convincing. He said, “Hang him on it!” Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.

Chapter 8

In chapter eight, the king gave the estate of Haman to Queen Esther and the position held by Haman was given to Mordecai. The “KILL A JEW AND GET RICH” campaign had inadvertently turned into “SAVE THE JEWS AND GET PROMOTED” campaign. Or, as we will see, “CURSE A JEW AND GET CURSED” campaign turned into a “BLESS THE JEWS AND BE BLESSED” campaign. The edict to kill the Jews was in effect nullified by the issuance of another decree that authorized the Jews to use deadly force to protect themselves. and the Jews held a celebration, which we call Purim. And that is what Purim is about, it’s a celebration of God’s deliverance from a vicious enemy.

This story is an example of the principle found in the Abrahamic Covenant. This unconditional covenant that God gave to Abraham and his descendants, “go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen 12:2-3). Haman chose to curse the Jews rather than bless them. A very bad, career and life ending choice.

To celebrate their deliverance from genocide by the Amalekite Haman, Purim was inaugurated. It is not considered a religious holy day. It is more of a national holiday, like our 4th of July. Purim’s main activity is feasting and rejoicing, a Jewish Mardi Gras of sorts. It includes the custom of reading the Book of Esther and whenever Haman’s name is mentioned, everyone boos, hisses, and stomps their feet. They also give gifts to the poor, usually food items.

Strangely, the name of God does not appear in this book. But God was at work in ways that were not immediately apparent, in ways that might appear to be coincidence or just good luck.

The Israelites have faced many Amalekites like Haman over the centuries. Some consider Nazi war criminals as modern-day Amalekites. One such war criminal who was tried and sentenced to death at the Nuremburg Trial was Julius Streicher. He was the publisher of Der Sturmer (The Attacker), the Nazi weekly newspaper. Every issue contained stories about how Jews had attacked and stolen from Germans, killed Jesus, and raped young girls. As Streicher was about to be hanged on October 16, 1946, he shouted out the words "Heil Hitler" and "Purim fest 1946." Why would he shout “Purim fest 1946” as he was about to be executed? In May of 1924 Streicher wrote and published an article on Purim. He must have been aware of the striking parallels between the hanging of Haman and his own execution by hanging.



Both men, Haman and Streicher, were anti-Semites and planned on killing all the Jews. Both men promoted hatred for the Jews. Both men were executed by hanging.

Did Jesus celebrate Purim?

In John 5:1,9 we find him in Jerusalem for an unnamed feast. He did observe Hanukkah, another minor feast (John 10:22) so perhaps he celebrated Purim in John 5:9.

Are there modern-day Amalekites intent on destroying the Jews?

Before dying of a stroke, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was planning another genocide of Jews. This time his target would be Jewish doctors. Other philosophical Amalekites might include middle eastern leaders who call for the destruction of the State of Israel.

If you want to be blessed, don’t be like an Amalekite. Remember Gen. 12:2-3, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.”