If I Perish, I Perish –

Remembering Purim 

 On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar in the late winter, (early springtime), the Feast of Esther is celebrated as her amazing life is remembered. From evening of Feb 28^th to evening of March 2^nd on Western calendar, and  13^th 14^th 15^th of Adar on the Hebrew calendar.

The story of Purim is recorded in the Book of Esther (Megillat Esther).  There are three main characters: the heroes of the story Esther and her cousin Mordecai, and Haman, the villain who wickedly plots to destroy the Jewish People. This is an account of the Queen of Persia, (a Jewess) who was victorious over the evil intentions of Haman. It was Haman’s intentions to initiate a nation wide program of genocide against all the Jews in the Medo-Persian empire.  Haman was the chief Minister of the Persian emperor, Ahasuerus (Xerses), King (486-465 BC.)  There’s much that people didn’t know about Queen Esther. For one, her name wasn’t Esther. It was Hadassah, but she took the more Persian-sounding name for her public face. 

For more on this click on link https://www.minimannamoments.com/who-was-hadassah/Purim is the story of how God used the courage of Esther, a young girl, who was known for her engaging personality and surpassing beauty; to save “God’s chosen people”, at the time they were threatened by extermination.“Who know whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 

When Mordecai challenged her with the urgent truth, she demonstrates loyalty, to Mordecai her foster father who had raised her from a small child. (He was also her genetic cousin and some scholars maintain she was married to Mordecai).With faith filled prayer to God, together with fasting by her 7 handmaidens (2:10; 4:15) and all the Jews in Sushan fasting for 3 days, Esther risked her life. In order to save her people, scattered all over the empire, from death; she courageously sought the direct audience of the King without his invitation.Esther, an orphan who had been raised in Persia by her cousin Mordecai, is a beautiful, young Jewish woman. 

When Vashti, the Queen of Persia, falls out of favor with Ahasuerus, (King of Persia), Esther becomes part of his harem. The hidden hand of God is at work in her life in the king’s harem, and he falls head over heels in love with her. He loves her so much, in fact, that he singles her out to be his queen.

The king does not know, however, that Esther is a Jew, since Mordecai had advised her not to reveal her identity. The Story of Esther gives us an insight into the Jewish cultural identity at the time, and how it can sometimes be important to hide that identity to preserve social harmony, which can be engineered using official ignorance. It was a need to know basis! Her secret name was a Hebrew one.

There is a difference between hiding one’s identity and losing that identity altogether and the danger is in compromise.

Compromise is what happened when Babylon took the Jewish people into captivity, their Jewish identity disappeared going underground; they reappear in the Persian Empire not as people of a Jewish nation, but as a race.  This makes the Book of Esther distinctive.   Within the story, Esther, is fully a Persian (todays Iran), her life is surrounded by the culture of Persian life; and she lives a life without publically showing any cultural identity, either to the people, or to the God, in whom she believed.  The story concerns wicked Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, who was promoted to the role of viceroy or prime minister. The age old tension between the descendants of Esau is still going on, as the arch rivals of the Hebrews, through the Amalekites, from whom Agag was descended, (1 Samuel 15:8) in the 16^th generation. (Targum Sheni, Josephus Antiquities xi.6.5) Agag was the king that King Saul had refused to kill in 1Samuel 15:9. Although Samuel finally killed Agag, members of his family escaped and had children; so Haman was born due to Saul’s disobedience.

Disobedience always has consequences; for it is an outward show of pride, in that an individual thinks they know better than God and declares it by their following actions/decisions just as Saul did.

King Saul believed he was showing mercy to King Agag but it was based on human feelings. Gods Mercy is not based on feelings, He was seeing ahead to save His people from future destruction. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts not as ours. 

The Scriptures tell us clearly that, pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

James gives an explanation of human wisdom that can often be touted as common sense. This is why we need the Holy Spirit to teach us and to be led by Ruach HaKodesh; not simply by a need or by our feelings, emotions and five physical senses; but by His leading alone. None of us wants, or needs to miss Gods leading.

Sometimes there is a delay before consequences take effect and in such cases, people do not always make the connection. Esther 9:28.1Samuel 15:33, records the prophet Samuel being obedient when God told him to complete what Saul had not done.Haman, as a type of anti-Messiah, not only hates the Jewish people with a venomous passion, but all those who refuse to bow their knee to the kingdom of darkness.Because of petty pride, Haman is seeking revenge when he does not receive the respect he felt he deserved from Mordecai, who worked at the gate of the citadel. This escalates out of proportion when Haman decides that revenge is not just personal but is on a greater level, and involves a whole nation.  This ‘type’ was repeated in our modern generation in the WW2 Holocaust. 

 In a world where human life has little value, personal and petty whims can cause the massive annihilation of people.

To sacrifice an entire race in genocide on the whims of one individual in not uncommon in ancient history. It is one of the most nefarious in the devils arsenal of tactics to eliminate God’s chosen.Darius I

A few years prior to this, the father of Ahasuerus (Xerxes), Darius I, massacred the entire class of Magi.  Fifty years before that, there was a general massacre of the Scythians in the North Lands. 

NOTHING JUST HAPPENS…

In a world where there is plurality and tolerance, acceptance is assured unless one chooses to be different.  That difference may be either too good or too bad.  Even if we are too good, being different will eventually trigger animosity and hatred, this has been the reason for anti-Semitism throughout the ages.  

For Esther to remain silent, during the first five years of her being queen is commendable.  However there comes a time when we are called to testify and become transparent before the world and Esther’s time had come. 

And it was a time of miracles…

God always puts people in places to be agents of His deliverance, yet sometimes He has to act beyond the assistance of willing human agents.

This was the idea that triggered Mordecai to say, “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from anther place, but you and your father’s house will perish.  Yet who know whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (4:14)Esther appealing to the King.

For those with eyes to see, and ears to hear, the hand of God was unmistakably working with His people, the providence of God stands supreme everywhere in this book. 

“Esther ‘happens’ to be chosen queen;

Mordecai ‘happens’ to be in a position to thwart a palace coup and to get his name recorded in the king’s chronicles;

the king  ‘happens’ to be unable to sleep, so as to call for the chronicles to be read to him;

it ‘happens’ that the account of Mordecai’s actions should be read at that time.

The book seems to say that none of this is happenstance.  Esther denouncing Haman.

Many times when God appears to be silent, He is at work to keep His covenant promises with Abraham’s seed.Of all the books of the Old Testament The Book of Esther is unique.  The New Testament does not contain quotes from it and among the Dead Sea Scrolls no fragments of it were found.  Scholars have noted the lack of religious overtones, as there is no mention of the Torah or the covenant. 

However as the Bibles central theme is about the revelation of God,

He is revealed here as being hidden in the heart. 

Both the people and the days of Esther could be considered a reflection of Gods people in the End Times who, though sealed (6^th Seal), by Him, they still remain hidden and dispersed throughout the whole world.  The remnant church, which will only be known to God, will no longer exist as an institutional hierarchy.

Remnant, meaning faithful believers.

 Many question are posed by the events recorded in Esther.

What if Esther did not exist, or she did not respond to the calling of God and be willing to give up her life for her people? 

Within eight years, Ahasuerus was assassinated by a courtier, Artabanus.  Esther before King Ahasueras.

No doubt, Ezra, the lawyer and scribe, was alive at the time of Esther.  Fifteen years later, under the rule of Artaxerxes I, Ezra leads the second group of Jews back to the Holy Land in 458 BC. 

Was Artaxerxes I, the son of Esther and Ahasueras (Xerxes I)? 

Without Esther, would Ezra have been killed in the genocide?

Without Ezra, would the compilation of the Tanach, the Old Testament, been completed? 

Without Esther, would Nehemiah, the governor, have been killed?

Would the third migration back to Israel have never occurred? 

Maybe there would not have been enough Jews to migrate back to the Land of Israel. Esther was important to the redemption of God’s chosen people and without Esther, we would not have a clear picture of how the hand of God works in a pluralistic, segregated and subjugated society as will exist in the End Times. 

It shows that for those who humble themselves in fasting and in prayer God lifts them over the demonic forces, which oppress them. 

Could the book of Esther be a prophetic book? 

These End Days may still have further revelations from God as type meets anti-type.The sages say that the very SECRETS OF REDEMPTION are found in the Megillah of Esther. It is an extremely deep book:

E.g. “What happened to Mordecai?” Why is he not mentioned elsewhere? Well in fact he is!! In the Mishna Sh’kalim 5 (Historical commentary), it records that he became an officer in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) when it was rebuilt and he was in charge of overseeing the “bird” offerings. His name was changed to P’sakia, because he P’SAK could “open up” the understanding of WORDS.** The P’siska Niddah says the bird offerings are the most difficult job in the Temple.

** https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-rules-of-pardes/

One of the sages pointed out that Mordecai is also mystically hidden in the Torah in the reference to one of the types of incense!!! “Pure myrh” is literally in ARAMAIC  “MOR DACHAI”.What we are left with in remembering Esther is …Gods timing is perfect.

God humbles the proud and exalts the lowly who trust in Him. He knows everything that is happening and we are to trust Him completely with our lives and everything and everybody in them.

One person can change everything.

One person’s actions or non-actions can influence the outcome of critical decision-making.

Here in this instance, one woman’s obedience and courage led to a whole nation of people being saved from extinction.

And more importantly by their continued presence on this earth, they gave birth to descendants who in turn produced the line from which Messiah Yeshua was born.

No Esther, would have meant no Israel….

and therefore no Savior

with no redemption for anyone!

We owe so much to certain individuals whose faith and commitment has been pivotal in forming the future in which we now live.

Lets remember those whose lives really mattered and learn from their sacrifices and emulate their faith and courage as if the lives of our nation depended on it.

For in truth – they do!

It is often a date on the calendar that slips by unnoticed, however, when we see a reference to Purim or Esther, there’s a whole lot more going on.

And who knows that whoever is reading this today…“Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 

As Mordechai implored Queen Esther to plead for the Jewish People before King Ahasuerus, the Ruach HaKodesh is calling to those who follow Yeshua (Jesus) to plead with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to save Israel from those with murderous agendas against her. We must remember, however, that the battle is ultimately not with flesh and blood, but with principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness—spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.  (Ephesians 5:12)

Yeshua called us to pray for our enemies and, therefore, even as we seek God’s deliverance of Israel, we also pray for the salvation of those who are now enemies of the Jewish People, of Israel, and even of God Himself.

 This is not a time for true Believers, the Bride of Messiah, to remain silent. 

Time is quickly running out…

We cannot be complacent and think that we are safe simply because we are in the King’s house.

The same forces that seek to destroy Israel, also have in their evil plans to annihilate all of God’s people, including Christian believers.

Mordechai: A Picture of the Holy Spirit

Mordecai Writing The First Purim Letter

Many other parallels can be drawn in the Book of Esther between the Ruach HaKodesh and Mordechai.

For instance, Mordechai seems to have one real task and that is to raise Esther to maturity.

 He instructs, teaches, leads, and guides her, directing her when to speak and when to remain silent (Esther 2:10; 4:14).

Similarly, it is Holy Spirit/ Ruach HaKodesh, that faithfully continues the work that has begun in us, leading and guiding us, bringing us to maturity and preparing us to be a beautiful Bride without spot or blemish, whom Messiah will soon be returning for.

 Mordechai faithfully watches over Esther,

THE BRIDE OF THE KING.

He stands outside the gate; hovering over her to make sure she is kept safe. (Esther 2:11)

Likewise, the Ruach (Spirit) of God hovered over the waters at creation, and He hovers over each of us keeping a protective watch.

Mordechai is privy to secret information, such as the plot against the king, just as the Ruach knows all deep and secret things of the hearts of men. 

Mordechai intercedes for God’s people with cries and groaning (Esther 4:1).  The Ruach also intercedes for us, even when we don’t know what to pray.

“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”  (Romans 8:26–27)

Like the partnership between the Holy Spirit and the Body of Messiah, Mordechai partners with Esther to carry out the authority of the King in saving the Jewish people from destruction.

As Purim is kept with great joy, remember Esther’s bravery in rising up and speaking out on behalf of the Jewish People.It takes courage to resist the “Hamans” of this world and stand firm against popular opinion in our culture, which is most often opposed to God and righteousness.

Purim is Hebrew for, ‘the lots that were cast.’

Pur means Lot.

The lots that were cast, Esther 3:7, determined the fate of the Jewish people so the story appears to be about the law of lots and chance.

Mathematicians and scientists call it the ‘P’ factor and they insert it into all equations and formulas. It is the ‘P’ of Probability.

In the story, everything seems to be out-of-control, the wicked and ungodly prosper and the righteous who love God are cast down.

As the book comes towards his conclusion those seemingly circumstances of chance start coming together and everything begins to turn around for good. The hand of God is evident and He turns the outcome to His Plans and Purposes.

The same can be said of our lives, which often emulate the book of Esther, with events seemingly happening by chance or for no reason. (Many name it luck.)

It is the Purim of life.

However as we follow Him in obedience and not going our own ways and decisions, then He will work for good, all the things we don’t understand, that don’t make sense.

Even though sometimes it is hard to see when they are happening right in front of us. As we stay close to Him, nothing in our lives will ever happen for no reason, when we love God and are called according to His Purpose.

It is conditional of course to that fact as all His Promises are.

So when we don’t understand, just trust on Press on, for in the end we will always have more than enough reason to celebrate his love.

In these end times, it will take great courage, infused by Holy Spirit, to count the cost and say with Esther, “If I Perish, I Perish.”

Shalom and Happy Purim!

ARE WE REALLY READY FOR THE RETURN OF THE KING?

Its very reminiscent of the ‘hide and seek’ game we played as children.. and the cry, ‘I’m coming ready or not’! .. and He is..

Please don’t leave this site without knowing you are saved and assured that you belong to Him; with a deep conviction that you know where you will go, when your body can no longer sustain you in this realm. 

Make certain Jesus is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him. 

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship not Religion.

NOT SURE?

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/welcome-come-taste-some-bread-of-life-bread-from-heaven/life-changing-information-guaranteed/