Purim

The Story of Esther

Purim is the story of how Haman (BOO) the Agagite, because of prejudice, pride and greed, almost succeeded in destroying the Jewish People from the face of the Earth.  Because of the intervention of G-d and the courage of a young Jewish woman, Haman was destroyed by the very method he intended to use against G-d’s people.  It is interesting that considering the importance of that moment in history and what almost occurred, there was no supernatural miracle of G-d that brought about the salvation of the Jews.  It was only a series of small “coincidences” that put the right people in the right place at the right  time.  They were not extraordinary people, but they had to rise to an extraordinary challenge to do G-d’s will.  They had simple faith and they knew the truth, but they still had to act on that truth, against the odds, knowing that they might die if they stood up for that truth.  Esther might have kept quiet and saved herself.  She probably could have helped her uncle hide or escape.  But if they had saved themselves G-d’s plan for the salvation of the world through the messiah of Israel would have been thwarted.  The Earth could have forever belonged to the kingdom of darkness.

When I went to Israel as a college student, I met extraordinary people.  They didn’t see themselves as extraordinary.  They were just people.  People who had fled from Germany and eastern Europe.  People who had entered Israel legally or illegally, in the midst of troubled times, who had to smuggle people, weapons, and food; fight in an underground army, build a life, a political structure, rise up to help themselves when noone else would.  People who took a stand against most of the world, who brought prophecy to life even when they didn’t necessarily even believe in G-d.  People who knew what they had to do, who had a unified goal: to survive, to beat an overwhelming enemy, to build a nation from the dust of the desert, from the dust of forgotten history, that would welcome and accept them when no place else would.

Every day the enemy of our soul calls upon us to compromise the truth.  Every day the Father gives us the opportunity to resist him.  Resistance builds strength just as exercise builds muscle.  G-d is our personal trainer.  He is building up His body as we exercise our spiritual muscle.  But it’s not an exercise of vanity so we can take pride ourselves and look down at others who are not as spiritual as we are.  The body of messiah is ONE body.  We must strengthen and encourage those who are weak, disciple those who are immature, be careful not to criticize and condemn those who have stumbled, and speak the truth to all who will listen.

“Salvation is of the Jews”.  It was true in ancient times and it is true today.  The attack against Israel and those who follow the G-d of Israel is increasing around the world.  Lies and distortions from the most obvious to the very subtle try to turn not only the world against us, but each other.  We allow real and imagined offenses to turn us against individuals or groups who are supposed to be our family in the L-rd.  This “offended spirit” can be seen in the world through the epidemic of racism, divorce, and lawsuits.  we must not only know the truth but act on it.  our enemy is trying to destroy our families, trying to bring an offended spirit between husband and wife, parents and children, race and race, denomination against denomination and especially Christian against Jew.

Once offenses get a foothold, they multiply upon each other until the offended person or group can’t bare to be in each others presence.  Rage, an evil spiritual principality, builds until war results.  Once peaceful neighbors, in Bosnia, have afflicted the most terrible atrocities on each other.  Husband and wives destroy each other with anger.  Persecutions are perpetrated on innocent people of one race or religion by another.

The holocaust may be the worst example of this, as a lawless gov’t manufactured offenses against G-d’s people. However those who knew the truth and were willing to act on that knowledge worked to save lives.  There were Christians who demonstrated their love for Messiah by protecting His people.  Some paid the price for that love.

We should be able to discern this spirit in ourselves and replace it  with forgiveness and understanding, knowing “love covers a multitude of sins”.  I have met believers who are filled with a raging hatred for Israel because of what they have heard in the media, as if they had personally harmed by them.  They have forgotten the truth.  The enemy of Israel is also the enemy of their soul.

Haman (BOO) wanted to destroy G-d’s people.  Of course he didn’t know they were G-d’s people, that their G-d was the REAL G-d.  I mean how could he.  He had never MET the real G-d.  He wouldn’t have known Him if he did because there wasn’t any room in his life for another god besides himself.  He wanted everyone to bow down to him.  He wanted his own way-his own will-to be done.  Well that’s understandable when you don’t know the real G-d.  I guess we were all that way at one time.  I’m sure I still am sometimes.  I know you aren’t that way anymore.  Pride.  It’s a powerful thing.  Like Haman we will let it take us to the gallows before we will admit that we were really wrong.  Haman’s pride was offended because the people wouldn’t do what HE thought was the right thing to do.

WHAT G-D USED

Distressing things have happened to Israel, but everything the enemy throws at us plays right into G-d’s hand.  When Constantine cut the gentile believers off from the feasts of Israel and the Law of Moses, they separated the Jewish People from Jewish and gentile believers as the rest of western civilization embraced a Christianized (Hellenized/Greek) form of worship.  This served to preserve Israel as a people by making them feel that followers of Messiah had created a separate foreign religion that was unfamiliar and pagan to them.

Persecution forced the Jewish people into closed neighborhoods and ghettos. It kept them from fully entering into society and saved them from assimilation.

The Holocaust or Shoah forced large scale immigration to Israel without which there would not have been enough people to withstand the Arab armies that wanted to push them into the sea. There still weren’t, really.  They never could have fought to become a nation.  They couldn’t have taken their share of Jerusalem in 1948.

The false peace process will set up the conditions for the anti-messiah, who must come before Yeshua returns.

Who was this Haman the Agagite who almost destroyed Israel?  He was descended from Agag, a king of the Amalakites who were Israel’s very first and most ancient enemy.  His name is mentioned in Num. 24:7 where Balak, the Amalakite king tried to get the prophet Balaam to curse Israel, but he blessed them instead.  Israel still has an ancient enemy.  He wants Israel to be cursed not only by the nations of this world but even by the prophets and followers of G-d who should be her most ardent supporters.

We went into exile for our disobedience because Israel is held to a higher standard than the rest of the world, just as believers are.  We remain in exile for the sake of the gentiles, Until the fullness of the gentiles is come in, luke 21:24, so that everyone has the opportunity to hear the blessed news, that if they turn away from their own will to G-d’s will, from their own understanding to G-d’s understanding, they too can come into the commonwealth of Israel, the kingdom of G-d.

Just as we remained in severe bondage in Egypt for 400 years, we now remain in bondage in the world.  Israel has always been the intercessor for the world, stood in the gap.  Our festivals, traditions, prayers, and liturgy include intercession for the world.  They have been punished double for their sins Isa 40:2.  Yet still they are in the wilderness.  When they were in Egypt they had to wait until the Iniquity of the Amorites was fulfilled. When G-d had given them every opportunity to change and they wouldn’t, only then would He free Israel to destroy them and inherit the land.  Now He has allowed the world 2000 years to repent.  He will not save Israel, His own beloved, until every gentile has had the opportunity to love Him.

Have you heard a curse or criticism of Israel lately?  Have you seen a believer join in?  Every voice raised to condemn Israel shall be condemned, (Isa 54:17).  They are in danger, but we can help them be blessed.  In Num. 24:9 Balaam says: Blessed is he that blesses [Israel] and cursed is he that curses [Israel].  Can we afford to be silent?  Num. 23:25 says “Then Balak said to Balaam, ‘Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!’  but Balaam answered, ’…all that the L-rd speaks I must do.'”  These are extraordinary times.  We can’t be ordinary people.

 

*****  Now this is the story of Purim. The enemy Haman has unleash his attack upon us.  He coveted the authority of G-d and taken the ring of authority.  He has brought us under the Law of Sin and Death, but our Uncle Mordecai, the Messiah, was standing guard at the gate.  Although we can’t come into the presence of the king without risking death, Messiah has caused us to become the king’s bride, robed us in royal garb, and given us favor at the throne.  The king, by raising His scepter, recognizes and acknowledges the righteousness of our royal robes. The King says we are allowed to fight back. He has given us the AUTHORITY, by bringing us into His family and giving us the ring.  We are His bride and our word is as the king’s.  His DECREE is the law of the Real G-d which cannot be changed.  It Has opened the way for our salvation without canceling the previous decree, but by satisfying it through the sacrifice of the blood of the lamb of G-d, the Messiah of Israel.  On the day that Haman’s decree to destroy the Jews was to take effect, Israel destroyed their enemies, and many converted to Judaism in fear.  On the day our enemy intends to destroy Israel, Gog and Magog will come against Jerusalem, but they will be destroyed.  Many will see the hand of G-d and come to the L-rd.

We have a goal, but we often lose track of it.  We are in a battle but we often get distracted from it.  We have an enemy but we can’t see him.

The King says we are to fight.  The weapons of our warfare are mighty.  Prayer lays the foundation.  It is the artillery that bombards the enemy lines destroying their strongholds.  Praise goes before us to root them out of their hidden entrenchments.  Then we come in with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of G-d to do hand to hand combat, the Holy Spirit at our side as our intelligence officer to direct our attack.  We have a mighty champion, the Captain of the L-rd’s host, Messiah, savior of the world.  The Father, creator, faithful One of Israel (a prince with G-d, one who battles with G-d) Elohim-the strong one, Almighty G-d and His angels will sustain us, uphold us.  We are more than conquerors.  We are the CALLED, CHOSEN, ELECT.  We know we win.  HE IS OUR DEFENSE, our fortress, our strong tower, our mighty bulwark, our rearguard, FEAR NOT!