The Feast of Purim
Although the Feast of Purim is not one of the Feast of the Lord Yahweh as
mentioned in the book of Leviticus. This feast commemorates the deliverance of the
Jewish people from destruction by an evil scheme of the devil, using Haman.
Haman was a descendant of King Agag, King Agag was the king of Amelek, who
fought with Israel as they came out of Egypt, going through the wilderness (Exodus
17:8-16) “then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to
Joshua, choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on
the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. So Joshua did as Moses has said
to him, and fought with Amalek, and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the
hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and
when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy and thy
took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up
his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands
were steady until the going down of the sun, and Joshua discomfited Amalek and his
people with the edge of the sword. And the Lord Yahweh said to Moses, write this for
a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, for I will utterly put out
the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and
called the name of it Jehovah-nissi. For he said, because the Lord Yahweh has
sworn that the Lord Yahweh will have war with Amalek from generation to generation”.
Now, when Israel requested a king, and Samuel was told by God to anoint Saul the
king of Israel, Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin. God told king Saul to wipe our
Amalek, killing all the people, even the animals, but Saul disobeyed and kept the
choice animals and the king alive (I Samuel 15:1-9). And because king Saul kept the
king alive, he was able to leave a descendant. Many people think that this demand
was harse, but God knows the hearts mankind, and a thousand years later, Haman a
descendant of Agag, purposed to kill all the Jews in all of Persia.
The king of Persia had a banquet for his princes and his servants, and after 7 days
when he was drunk, he demanded that the queen would be called and displayed
before them, but she refused. The king in his anger asked counsel of what he
should do to the queen, and he was told to put away, and the king should choose
another queen.
The king made a command to bring all the virgins of his country before him, and he
would choose a queen from them. Now Esther was among the virgins and Esther
was chosen queen, her background was not revealed to the king, no one knew that
she was a Jew.
Haman was promoted by the king, and he requested all to bow down to him, but
Mordecai refused to bow down, because he was brought up knowing not to bow
down to any man or idol.
Haman got angry and put a plot in place to kill destroy all the Jews that were
throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. Haman
told the king that there was a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among
the people in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are diverse from all
people, neither keep they the king’s laws, therefore it is not for the king’s profit to
allow them.
And the king gave Haman permission to sign a decree with his signet ring and to do
what seems good to you. Now after Mordecai heard that the decree was signed
giving Haman permission to wipe out the Jews on the 14th day of Adar. Mordecai
went to queen Esther and persuaded her to seek mercy from the king, her husband.
Esther was afraid because their law was that no one came into the king’s court
without being summoned, and she had not been summoned. Mordecai then told her
“think not with our self that you shall escape in the king’s house; more than all the
Jews. For if you altogether hold your peace at this time, then shall there relief and
deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house
shall be destroyed, and who know whether you are come to the kingdom for such a
time as this?
Esther then asked Mordecai to gather together all the Jews that are present in
Shushan, and fast you for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day;
and I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in to the king, which is not
according to the law, and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:14-16).
The feast of Purim took place on the 14th and 15th day of Adar, which is the 27th
and 28th day of February this year. The king then made another decree that the
Jews was able to define them selves, and they defeated all who tried to wipe them
out.
All the feast are there for us to remember how God delivered His people. Many
people don’t think that the Old Testament has any thing to do with us today; but just
think if Haman’s plot had succeeded Christ would not have been born, because
Jesus was born a Jew and came from the line of king David.
You see, the devil was trying to cancel out what God told him in Genesis 3:14-15,
“And the Lord Yahweh said to the serpent; because you have don this, you are
cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon your belly shall you
go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you
and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and
you shall bruise his heel”.
Over and over throughout history, the devil has been trying to destroy the seed of
the woman; and without success. That only made him mad, because Jesus came
and Jesus defeated him and was able to redeem us back to God. Even though the
devil is defeated, he is trying to convince the world that he is in charge. From the
Crusaders, Hitler, and now the president of Arak says that he will wipe out the Jews,
pushing them into the sea. This is to prevent Jesus from returning, his second
coming.
As I was preparing this message, this question that Mordecai asked Esther came to
me, that this is a question that we all should ask our selves. God knowing all things,
has birthed us in this very age, for us to do His will. We have to ask ourselves, what
is it that we must do in this time? Jesus did tell us, that it is for us to know the things
of the kingdom of God.
When you think about the Holocaust which Hitler committed, and the fact that the
Arab world refuse to believe that it happened. Just think of the people who could
have done something about it, but kept silent.
Psalms 82:2-4 tells us “how long will you judge unjustly and accept the persons of
the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless, do justice to the afflicted and
needy. Deliver the poor and needy, rid them out of the hand of the wicked”.
Let us remember the schemes of the devil and keep watch when we see any one
persecuted. It is up to us to stand up for them.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: February 26, 2010
Although the Feast of Purim is not one of the Feast of the Lord Yahweh as
mentioned in the book of Leviticus. This feast commemorates the deliverance of the
Jewish people from destruction by an evil scheme of the devil, using Haman.
Haman was a descendant of King Agag, King Agag was the king of Amelek, who
fought with Israel as they came out of Egypt, going through the wilderness (Exodus
17:8-16) “then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to
Joshua, choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on
the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. So Joshua did as Moses has said
to him, and fought with Amalek, and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the
hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and
when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy and thy
took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up
his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands
were steady until the going down of the sun, and Joshua discomfited Amalek and his
people with the edge of the sword. And the Lord Yahweh said to Moses, write this for
a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, for I will utterly put out
the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and
called the name of it Jehovah-nissi. For he said, because the Lord Yahweh has
sworn that the Lord Yahweh will have war with Amalek from generation to generation”.
Now, when Israel requested a king, and Samuel was told by God to anoint Saul the
king of Israel, Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin. God told king Saul to wipe our
Amalek, killing all the people, even the animals, but Saul disobeyed and kept the
choice animals and the king alive (I Samuel 15:1-9). And because king Saul kept the
king alive, he was able to leave a descendant. Many people think that this demand
was harse, but God knows the hearts mankind, and a thousand years later, Haman a
descendant of Agag, purposed to kill all the Jews in all of Persia.
The king of Persia had a banquet for his princes and his servants, and after 7 days
when he was drunk, he demanded that the queen would be called and displayed
before them, but she refused. The king in his anger asked counsel of what he
should do to the queen, and he was told to put away, and the king should choose
another queen.
The king made a command to bring all the virgins of his country before him, and he
would choose a queen from them. Now Esther was among the virgins and Esther
was chosen queen, her background was not revealed to the king, no one knew that
she was a Jew.
Haman was promoted by the king, and he requested all to bow down to him, but
Mordecai refused to bow down, because he was brought up knowing not to bow
down to any man or idol.
Haman got angry and put a plot in place to kill destroy all the Jews that were
throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. Haman
told the king that there was a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among
the people in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are diverse from all
people, neither keep they the king’s laws, therefore it is not for the king’s profit to
allow them.
And the king gave Haman permission to sign a decree with his signet ring and to do
what seems good to you. Now after Mordecai heard that the decree was signed
giving Haman permission to wipe out the Jews on the 14th day of Adar. Mordecai
went to queen Esther and persuaded her to seek mercy from the king, her husband.
Esther was afraid because their law was that no one came into the king’s court
without being summoned, and she had not been summoned. Mordecai then told her
“think not with our self that you shall escape in the king’s house; more than all the
Jews. For if you altogether hold your peace at this time, then shall there relief and
deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house
shall be destroyed, and who know whether you are come to the kingdom for such a
time as this?
Esther then asked Mordecai to gather together all the Jews that are present in
Shushan, and fast you for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day;
and I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in to the king, which is not
according to the law, and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:14-16).
The feast of Purim took place on the 14th and 15th day of Adar, which is the 27th
and 28th day of February this year. The king then made another decree that the
Jews was able to define them selves, and they defeated all who tried to wipe them
out.
All the feast are there for us to remember how God delivered His people. Many
people don’t think that the Old Testament has any thing to do with us today; but just
think if Haman’s plot had succeeded Christ would not have been born, because
Jesus was born a Jew and came from the line of king David.
You see, the devil was trying to cancel out what God told him in Genesis 3:14-15,
“And the Lord Yahweh said to the serpent; because you have don this, you are
cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon your belly shall you
go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you
and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and
you shall bruise his heel”.
Over and over throughout history, the devil has been trying to destroy the seed of
the woman; and without success. That only made him mad, because Jesus came
and Jesus defeated him and was able to redeem us back to God. Even though the
devil is defeated, he is trying to convince the world that he is in charge. From the
Crusaders, Hitler, and now the president of Arak says that he will wipe out the Jews,
pushing them into the sea. This is to prevent Jesus from returning, his second
coming.
As I was preparing this message, this question that Mordecai asked Esther came to
me, that this is a question that we all should ask our selves. God knowing all things,
has birthed us in this very age, for us to do His will. We have to ask ourselves, what
is it that we must do in this time? Jesus did tell us, that it is for us to know the things
of the kingdom of God.
When you think about the Holocaust which Hitler committed, and the fact that the
Arab world refuse to believe that it happened. Just think of the people who could
have done something about it, but kept silent.
Psalms 82:2-4 tells us “how long will you judge unjustly and accept the persons of
the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless, do justice to the afflicted and
needy. Deliver the poor and needy, rid them out of the hand of the wicked”.
Let us remember the schemes of the devil and keep watch when we see any one
persecuted. It is up to us to stand up for them.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: February 26, 2010
