The Celebration Of Purim

The Celebration Of Purim

Esther 9:18-22 NKJV

[18] But the Jews who were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day, as well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. [19] Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending presents to one another. [20] And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, [21] to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, [22] as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor. 

    Purim is a joyous Jewish holiday that commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people from a plot to annihilate them in ancient Persia. The story unfolds in the Persian Empire under King Ahasuerus. His chief minister, Haman, was a wicked man who sought to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom. Haman cast lots (purim in Hebrew) to determine the date of the massacre, which fell on the 13th of the Hebrew month of Adar. Purim is a festive and lively holiday, often compared to a carnival. The celebration is centered around four main activities:

    1 Reading the book of Esther 

    2 Sending food to families and friends 

    3 Giving charity to the poor 

    4 Wearing masks and costumes 

   Purim demonstrates the incredible human capacity for resilience and finding light in the darkest of times. It's a journey that many people have taken, transforming their deepest sorrow into a source of strength, purpose, and even profound happiness.

 This transformation may not mean you forget the process. Instead, it's about how that pain is re-contextualized. The tragedy becomes the very soil from which something beautiful can grow. May we have cause to celebrate any and every tragedy that the devil had intended to swallow us with. Purim mean the casting of lots. The devil has lost the game. We celebrate Purim today. Good morning.

The Thirteenth Of Adar: The Day Of Reversal

The Thirteenth Of Adar: The Day of Reversal

Esther 9:1-4 NKJV

[1] Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king’s command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. [2] The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. [3] And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king’s work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. [4] For Mordecai was great in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. 

      The 13th of Adar was the date chosen by the wicked Haman for the annihilation of the Jewish people throughout the Persian Empire. He had cast lots ("purim") to determine the most "auspicious" day for this plan, and it fell on the 13th of Adar. However, due to the courageous actions of Esther and Mordechai, the king issued a new decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves. As a result, the day that was meant for their destruction became a day of victory. The Jews were able to defeat those who sought to harm them, turning a day of darkness into a day of triumph. We call it the day of reversal.

    Reversal is a change to an opposite state, condition, decision. In a storyline, a reversal is a powerful narrative technique where the plot or a character's situation changes to its complete opposite. It's a dramatic turning point that upends the audience's expectations and shifts the story in a new and often surprising direction. This story has shifted unto the celebration for the Jews.

     The 13th is associated with misfortune in the occult.This fear is so common that it has its own name: "triskaidekaphobia". Many hotels and buildings in Western countries skip the 13th floor, and some airlines don't have a 13th row. A major source of this superstition is the story of the Last Supper, where 13 people were present: Jesus and his 12 apostles. The 13th to arrive at the table was Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus. This event has led to the superstition that having 13 people at a dinner table is a bad omen. Additionally, some biblical interpretations associate the number 13 with rebellion and apostasy, a departure from divine order. The 13th chapter of the Book of Revelation, for instance, speaks of the Antichrist and the "beast." Whatever the 13th represents, the authority of the name of Jesus can change things as it happened here. This was even in the old testament. It is better now with a new covenant.  From now on, we change all thirteenth to a day of reversal in your favour. No one can stop that. Good morning.

The Jews Had Joy, Gladness, A Feast And A Holiday

The Jews Had Joy, Gladness, A Feast And A Holiday 

Esther 8:15-17 NKJV

[15] So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. [16] The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. [17] And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.

      Mordecai played an indispensable and multifaceted role in the deliverance of the Jews in Shushan. He acted as a guardian, a moral compass, a strategist, and an agent of divine providence. His actions, both public and private, set in motion the chain of events that saved his people from annihilation. A similar person may be found in the pages of our contemporary history. One of the fitting contemporary equivalents is Raoul Wallenberg.

Wallenberg is a strong parallel to Mordecai As an "Insider" with access to power: Like Mordecai, who was in a position to communicate with the queen, Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat stationed in Budapest during World War II. This official position gave him access to powerful people and the authority to issue official documents. Wallenberg was not Jewish, but he was driven by a deep moral conviction to save the Jews of Hungary from the Holocaust. He saw the suffering and refused to stand by idly.

    Wallenberg's genius was in creating a new legal framework for survival. He issued thousands of "protective passports" (Schutz-Pässe) that falsely identified Jews as Swedish citizens awaiting repatriation. This was a brilliant, creative strategy to circumvent Nazi authority and provide a tangible, life-saving document. He also established "safe houses" that were technically Swedish territory, sheltering Jews from deportation. As a risk-taker: Wallenberg was not just a bureaucrat; he was a fearless and hands-on rescuer. He would personally intervene in deportations, pulling people off trains and confronting armed guards. He was putting his life at risk daily, much like Mordecai when he publicly mourned and called on Esther to act.

    A more well-known figure, Schindler was a German industrialist who, through his factory, provided "essential" work for over a thousand Jews, saving them from the concentration camps. While he was not an advocate from the inside in the same way, he used his position of power and wealth to devise a practical, life-saving strategy

    Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker, who worked with the Polish underground,  smuggled over 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. She was an "insider" to the ghetto, but more of a covert operative than a public official. She acted as a guardian and a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable, much like Mordecai's care for Esther. There are people around us in our communities whose heart beat like Mordecai or Esther. Whenever there's someone like this, there will be joy, Gladness and a feast.

     We can make an attempt to find out ways Mordecai was an equivalent of Christ to us in contemporary times. Titus 2:13. He is the saviour whose mission was to "save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Today appropriate that opportunity and let joy and gladness flow in our hearts. Good morning.

Write a Decree As You Please

Write A Decree As You Please

Esther 8:8, 10-14 NKJV

[8] You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring no one can revoke.”....[10] And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal horses bred from swift steeds. [11] By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, [12] on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. [13] A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. [14] The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel.

      

    We are coming to the resolutions. Today's word is a command from the King. The King told Esther: Enough of crying; Write a new Decree as you please. Now pause. That's a blank cheque. When given a blank check, it implies you have been granted carte blanche, meaning complete freedom to act or spend as you see fit. In the context of a physical check, it's a check with a signature but without a specified amount. This can mean you have the authority to spend any amount or make any decision you deem necessary. That's what happened to Esther and Mordecai.

   Here are a few verses demonstrating God's blank cheque : immense generosity and willingness to provide and protect for His people. 

   John 14:13-14 (NIV): "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

​Psalm 37:4 (NIV): "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

​Ephesians 3:20 (NIV): "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..." ​These  are the promises of God for abundant provision and willingness to answer our prayers. When we pray, we write our own decrees. Today, write as it pleases you. Good morning.

Will He Also Assault The Queen

Will He Also Assault The Queen?

Esther 7:8-10 NKJV

[8] When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?” As the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. [9] Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look! The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king’s behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.” Then the king said, “Hang him on it!” [10] So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided.

     What has just happened deserves a deep spiritual, psychological and neurological explanations. King Ahasuerus didn't just change his mind concerning Haman. Haman's demonic influence over the  King had  just lifted. The prayers and fasting worked. When a satanic influence lifts, the person's mind is then opened to consider other options. The Kings State of confusion is demonstrated in his walk out into the garden. One of the most powerful drivers of a change of mind is cognitive dissonance. This is the mental discomfort experienced when a person holds two or more conflicting beliefs, ideas, or values, or when their actions don't align with their beliefs. So the walk out was to sort out his mind and what he should really believe about Haman. It must have been a real painful decision for the King.

From a neurological perspective, the decision-making and change of the King's mind may be explained as a process of "evidence accumulation." Our brains continuously gather information for or against a particular option. A choice is made when the accumulated evidence for one option reaches a certain threshold. This Haman thing had gone beyond the threshold.

    When the King returned, Haman had fallen across the couch. He was begging for his life, but the King saw a different picture. His eyes of understanding had a different perspective. His utterance brought the eunuchs. Harbonah told the King about the gallows, and that sealed the deal. "Whosoever diggeth a pit shall fall in it",  Proverbs 26:27 and Ecclesiastes 10:8. God knows how to handle your case. Call unto Him. Good morning.

The Parallel narrative

The Parallel Narrative 

Esther 6:4-10 NKJV

[4] So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. [5] The king’s servants said to him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” [6] So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would. the king delight to honor more than me?” [7] And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, [8] let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head. [9] Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’ ” [10] Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king’s gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.”

     You are a witness to the development of two stories. It's called  a parallel narrative in story telling. If there were two reporters on this they would, probably, have different headlines for the day's Newspaper. Perhaps one would focus on the near death experience awaiting Mordecai, the Jew, and the other would have been on the honour about to happen to Mordecai, the Jew on saving the king. The two stories are the realities of the two contrasting spiritual universe...one from God, the other from the devil. 

     Everyone operates in the dictates of one of those universes. The narrative may be parallel, but the authority of God's universe is more pervasive and powerful. So God flipped the coin on Haman. Read v 6 again. That's the flaw  of the enemy: " Now Haman thought in his heart.." His dirty heart thought wrong. His universe collapsed. Salvation came to Mordecai. God has not forgotten you. There's a parallel narrative about to spring on your case. God's in charge of the story. I know how this will end. God is about to change your story.

     The enemy thought it had Jesus, but there was another story developing from the throne. God has your back. Believe me. It's not a hoax. When the plots are disentangled, you're on the winning side. Don't give in. Hold on more. The Parallel narrative is in your favour. Good morning.

The Decree Written

The Decree Written 

Esther 4:5-9 NKJV

[5] Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was. [6] So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate. [7] And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews. [8] He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people. [9] So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

     Essentially, a decree is not just a verbal pronouncement, but a formal, documented act that is backed by the power and authority of the issuer and their established legal framework.  While a decree can be designed to be as permanent and unchangeable as possible, it is not always possible to guarantee that it will never be overturned. Even decrees that are considered unchangeable by human standards will be subject to God's ultimate authority and sovereignty. This one by Haman was subject to God's dealings. Your situation is subject to God.

      The decree may have gone forth, but you are  left with an intercession. Mordecai needed someone who would make intercession to the king. The irony is that our intercessor is a person in the King's blossom. Jesus Christ is God's beloved, so was Esther. Dont hive up, there's a eay when theres no way. Weve been there. God has shown up so thoroughly that everyone will know this was God. The decree might have been written against you and your community, that's alright. Things are about to change. Lets have at least one night of intercession and hear what God has to say. Your situation is going to change. Good morning.