( Also see our guide to the Lord’s appointed times.)
The providence of Almighty God is often most profound when His name is not spoken, yet His hand is clearly seen moving the pieces of history toward the preservation of His people. Such is the essence of Purim, a feast of deliverance established in the wake of a genocidal decree in the days of the Persian Empire. It is a testimony that the enemies of the truth may cast their lots, but the final verdict belongs to the Lord of Hosts. As it is written in the Book of Esther, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord” (Proverbs 16:33).
The origins of this observance are found in the account of a man named Haman, a descendant of Agag, who sought to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day. This Haman, filled with the pride of a fallen world, cast “Pur”—that is, the lot—to determine the day of their annihilation. Yet, he failed to account for the sovereign timing of the King of Kings. Through the courage of Queen Esther and the steadfastness of Mordecai, the snare set for the righteous became the instrument of the wicked man’s own end. The very gallows Haman had prepared for Mordecai became the place of his own execution, proving that “no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17).
Purim serves as a perpetual reminder of the Great Deliverance. It is a day when the mourning of a nation was turned into joy, and their fasting into a feast. It is observed with the reading of the Megillah, where the faithful cry out to drown out the memory of the adversary, affirming that truth shall outlive the lie. The distribution of gifts and the care for the poor during this season are not mere social customs; they are acts of horizontal obedience reflecting the vertical grace received from the Father of Lights. It is a season that cries out through the corridors of time: “And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).
In an age where the foundations are often shaken and the spirit of Haman periodically rises in new forms to challenge the heritage of the faithful, Purim stands as a fortress of hope. It teaches us that silence in the face of evil is a betrayal of our calling, and that the “Blessed Hope” we await is the ultimate fulfillment of every temporal deliverance recorded in the annals of faith. We do not wait in fear of the lot cast by men; we wait in the certainty of the promise kept by God. For the King is indeed at the door, and His triumphs are recorded in the stars and the scriptures alike.