The edict carried out
So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim. 30And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes—words of good will and assurance—31to 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 fasting and lamentation. 32Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records.
We do not know how readily religious Jews accepted a holiday ordered by secular leaders who were not priests or prophets of God. But Purim became established as a Jewish holiday and is still celebrated. It is not mentioned in the New Testament but is mentioned in the Apocrypha and by Josephus. Shortly after the time of Christ, a whole section of the worship regulations recorded in the Jewish traditions, the Mishnah, was devoted to this holiday.
Purim usually occurs during our month of February. Its celebration is somewhat like a combination of Halloween and New Year’s Eve. Children wear costumes and paint their faces. There is a great deal of merrymaking. A very important aspect of the holiday is the public reading of the book of Esther. This reading is interrupted with noisemakers and the singing of festive songs at every mention of Haman’s name. Gifts of food to friends and to the poor are another part of the holiday. One unique food of the festival is a cookie called Haman’s ears. The whole tone of the holiday is that of a victory celebration, like V-E (Victory in Europe) Day or V-J (Victory over Japan) Day or Armistice Day in modern times.
Recognizing and remembering God’s intervention in history to save his people is more important than celebrating the triumph of a people over its enemies. The real purpose of this story is not to boost the national pride of the Israelites but to proclaim the glory of the faithful God who sustained them. God gives relief to his persecuted people and trouble to those who trouble them. From time to time in history, he intervenes to deliver his people. On judgment day he will fully vindicate his persecuted remnant. The book of Esther is an outstanding example of such intervention, recalling the words of David: “He who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted” (Psalm 9:12).