A Persisting Principle
Have you wondered about the reason for the ongoing antisemitic hatred of the Jewish people and yet their continual survival and contributions to mankind? Scripture gives us the answer as to how they have seemingly defied all odds.
Some words, written long ago, convey a truth which prove to be an enduring reality with the passage of time. The statement of Esther’s uncle, “a Jew whose name was Mordecai,”[1] contains such words:
13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”[2]
The above Old Testament quote is from the Book of Esther. As the Jewish holiday of Purim is upon us, we’re reminded of Mordecai’s words regarding God’s preserving the Jewish people which have proven true for centuries. They reflect the words of the prophet Jeremiah who wrote:
This is what the Lord says, He who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the Lord of armies is His name:36 “If this fixed order departs from Me,” declares the Lord, “Then the descendants of Israel also will cease to be a nation before Me forever.”[3]
The celebrations of Hanukkah[4] and Purim[5] remind the Jewish people (and the world around them) that though there are antisemitic governments and nations led by “Hamans[6] and Hitlers,”[7] the people of Israel will always endure. Despite numerous efforts in history to eradicate the Jewish people, they not only have survived, but thrived.
The enduring existence of the Jewish people did not go unnoticed by notable figures such as Swiss philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau[8] and American author Mark Twain.[9] A friend of mine, a guide with the Ministry of Tourism in Israel, gave me a t-shirt some years ago with the following: “Civilizations, nations, and empires that have tried to destroy the Jewish people” followed by a list spanning centuries, from the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Persians through the Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, and Nazis. To the right of each name is their status: “gone.”
Today – as has been the case for centuries – the slander and hatred of the Jewish people continues. The length, depth, and breadth of antisemitism historically serves as an inescapable sign that there must be an unseen reason explaining both their continuing persecution and survival.
The Purim narrative is a point-in-time story of heroism. But it also depicts an enduring truth of the persisting survival of the Jewish people: the God of Israel preserves His people. Though God’s name is never mentioned in the Book of Esther, His fingerprints are found everywhere in the “divine coincidences” throughout the story.
But God intended the Jewish people to do more than merely survive. They are to be a blessing to the families of the earth.[10]
Indeed, the Jewish people have contributed to the enrichment of the world in so many ways, including science, medicine, education, technology[11] and, most importantly, in being given a role as the people of the only God, through whom the prophets, the Scriptures, and the Messiah have come.[12]
Yes, the words of Mordecai to Queen Esther – “…who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” – spurred her to risk her life for the rescue of her people from a plot to destroy them.
The rescue and liberation of the Jewish people was an essential part of God’s ultimate purpose: the spiritual redemption of mankind through Israel’s promised Messiah.[13] Generations of people, both Jewish and from the nations, have needed this rescue from the power of sin as well as liberation from the penalty of sin – as do you and I. Messiah Jesus has made available this rescue through faith in Him alone.[14]
Saul of Tarsus[15] became known as the Apostle Paul[16] following his encounter with the resurrected Jesus.[17] A former religious leader in Judaism,[18] Paul recognized that through Israel’s national rejection of Jesus spiritual riches had come to the nations. Furthermore, he claimed that if this was true, how much greater blessing will result for Israel and the nations once the Jewish people embrace Jesus as the Messiah.[19]
The persisting principle of Purim is this: God’s purpose for His people cannot be thwarted, despite Satan’s efforts to destroy them.[20]
And here is the corollary: spiritual rescue, true liberation, and life eternal have been made available through faith in what the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, accomplished through His death and resurrection. This best-ever news is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Gentile).”[21]
Written by Jeff, LIFE Staff Member
During Purim, the “whole megillah” (scroll) of Esther is read in the synagogue. Each time Haman is mentioned, a chorus of “boos” accompanied by noisemakers drown out his name.
In addition to reading the Book of Esther, we encourage you to read passages of Scripture which directly attribute God’s hand in preserving His people from destruction. Examples include the Song of Moses in Exodus 15 and David’s Psalm 124.
For practical suggestions on combatting anti-Jewish attitudes and actions in your world, see https://lifeinmessiah.org/anti-semitism.
Footnotes:
[1] Esther 2:5; all Scripture quotes are from the New American Standard Bible.
[2] Esther 4:13-14.
[3] Jeremiah 31:35-36.
[4] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-maccabean-revolt.
[5] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-story-of-purim.
[6] Haman’s hatred for Mordecai extended to such lengths that he convinced Xerxes/Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to annihilate all the Jewish people in the kingdom’s 127 provinces. (See Esther 1:1; 3:8-14.)
[7] Hitler’s toxic antisemitism was infused into Germany’s Nazi Party, resulting in the deaths of six million Jewish people.
[8] “The Jews present us with an outstanding spectacle: the laws of Numa, Lycurgus and Solon are dead; the far more ancient ones of Moses are still alive. Athens, Sparta, and Rome have perished and all their people have vanished from the earth; though destroyed, Zion has not lost her children. They mingle with all nations but are never lost among them; they no longer have leaders, yet they are still a nation; they no longer have a country and yet they are still citizens….” https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rousseau-jean-jacquesdeg.
[9] “The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed; and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?” Mark Twain, “Concerning the Jews,” Harper Magazine, 1899.
[10] Genesis 12:3.
[11] For an excellent overview of Jewish contributions to civilization, see Jim Melnick’s book on Jewish giftedness: https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Giftedness-World-Redemption-Melnick/dp/1936716887/.
[12] Romans 9:1-5 highlights Israel’s rich spiritual heritage which has been a blessing to the world.
[13] Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “Salvation is from the Jews.”
[14] Romans 10:12-13.
[15] Acts 22:3.
[16] Acts 13:9.
[17] Acts 9.
[18] The New Testament never uses the term “rabbi” in connection with Saul/Paul, but we do read of his 1) training under the esteemed Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3; see also 5:34-39); 2) “advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries” (Galatians 1:13-14); 3) high level of commitment to the strict religious observance of the Pharisees (Philippians 3:5-6); and 4) voting status in capital cases.
[19] Romans 11:11-16.
[20] Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-26; Deuteronomy 30:6.
[21] Romans 1:16.