Read:Esther 9:18-10:3  

What a great victory had been given to the Jews. Their enemies had been destroyed and they had great reason to rejoice. Their salvation was so beautiful that it needed to be celebrated, not just for one day but for two. How much joy there must have been.

Yet the people knew that they were sinful and so they knew that in the future they might slowly forget the work of the Lord in their lives, even though at the time it seemed impossible that they would ever forget this. We can sometimes be a bit like that. It’s so easy for us to forget things that have happened, even if they were very special at the time. Maybe that’s why we have birthdays and other anniversaries so that we don’t forget special events and blessings in our lives.

In the same way, the Jewish people always wanted to remember their salvation from the enemies at the time of Esther. And they wanted the future generations to remember it as well. So they established this feast of Purim. Purim comes from the word pur, which means “lot.” They wanted to remember the lot that Haman cast, by which God chose the day that the Jewish people would be saved.

Queen Esther added her part to the celebrations. She said that fasting and lamenting was to be added to the celebration. Fasting was a way to show humility, a way of acknowledging that it was not the Jews who had saved themselves, but God who had saved them.

What about us? Do we need feasts to celebrate and remember God’s work in saving us? We have been saved from eternal death in hell. We have been saved from our sins. And that certainly needs celebrating. That’s why every Sunday we can get together and sing praises to the Lord and listen to the preaching of his Word. That’s why we have the Bible, a whole book which calls us to remember God’s salvation. That’s also why we can celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. Our salvation is something to be remembered and celebrated.

Reflection with your child:

Why did the Jewish people celebrate the feast of Purim?

Source: Sermon by Rev. H. Alkema