Esther 9:22
In Esther chapter 1, the celebration was rather worldly, carnal, remarkably wild, and ostentatious. In Esther chapters 8 and 9, the celebration was quite different. It was a celebration of deliverance. It was a celebration with deep significance and relevance. It was not so much contrived as it was spontaneous and in celebration of the fact that instead of being senselessly massacred and annihilated, God miraculously turned the tables on the behalf of His people.
This is how it is recorded in Esther 9:1 – “On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the King was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them.” Slated for destruction, by divine intervention, through intense praying and fasting, the Almighty completely turned the situation around for His people, bringing complete ruin and destruction to their enemies instead. Indeed what a cause for celebration! It is beyond fascinating how swiftly the tables were turned. At one instant the Jews were to be fully exterminated, in the next, they were taking vengeance on their enemies. God gave them relief from their enemies. God supernaturally turned it around for them. He completely reversed their fortunes.
No wonder the Jews rejoiced, and still rejoice about this deliverance up until today (Esther 9:18-22). It is called Purim (9:31). This was no ordinary deliverance! No ordinary deliverance demands no ordinary praise! The church must learn to praise and celebrate in proportion to her deliverance. I contend today that we cannot praise and celebrate Him enough. That we are still here today after this great pandemic, which took so many millions of lives, is cause enough for celebrations of the greatest magnitude. May the Almighty help us not to take Him or our spared lives for granted. Indeed our celebrations should be loud, excessive, and more than deliberate. It should be contrived and spontaneous! As we were given directives as to how to conduct ourselves during Covid-19, may we feel just as mandated to meticulously and graciously celebrate God’s goodness to us today!
This time the celebration was not in honor of the king’s wealth and possessions as in Esther 1, but it was truly a religious celebration in honor of the King of kings for His divine providence and supernatural deliverance from their foes. It brought about genuine joy and gladness, feasting and celebrating (Esther 8:15,16). We are insightfully informed, “As the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote unto them to observe the days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food one to another and gifts to the poor” (Esther 9:22). They were called upon to remember to rejoice and celebrate but as they celebrated they were called upon to remember the poor. May we also in all our sessions and seasons of rejoicing and celebrating as his church – also Remember the Poor!
Leroy V. Greenaway
Presiding Bishop – Northeast Region
