Playing Hide and Seek with God

Last week in our Scripture, the day of reckoning took place. The day that all Jews were to be killed had come and gone and the final death toll was 75,800. But it was 75,800 Gentiles and not Jews that were killed.

God, although He is never referred to nor mentioned in the book of Esther, was evidently working behind the scenes because there were simply just too many “just so happens” that can only be explained by God’s providence.

This week we will close out our study on the book of Esther. I’m going to cover only some of the verses of chapters 9 & 10.

Esther 9:18 ERV “¹⁸The Jews in Susa had met together on the 13th and 14th days of the month of Adar. And then on the 15th day they rested. So they made the 15th day a happy day of feasting. ¹⁹So those who live in the country and small villages celebrate Purim on the 14th day of Adar. They keep the 14th day as a happy day of feasting. On this day they have parties and give presents to each other.

²⁰Mordecai wrote everything down that had happened, and then he sent letters to all the Jews in all of King Xerxes’ provinces. He sent letters far and near. ²¹He did this to tell the Jews to celebrate Purim every year on the 14th and 15th days of the month of Adar. ²²They were to celebrate those days because on those days the Jews got rid of their enemies. And they were also to celebrate that month as the month when their sadness was turned into joy. It was a month when their crying was changed into a day of celebration. Mordecai wrote letters to all the Jews and told them to celebrate those days as a happy day of feasting. They should have parties, give gifts to each other, and give presents to the poor.

²³So the Jews agreed to do what Mordecai had written to them. And they agreed to continue the celebration they had begun.”

^26-27At this time lots were called “purim.” So this festival is called “Purim.” Mordecai wrote a letter and told the Jews to celebrate this festival. And so the Jews started the custom of celebrating these two days every year. ²⁸They do this to help them remember what they had seen happen to them. The Jews and all the people who join them celebrate these two days every year at the right time in just the right way. Every generation and every family remembers these two days. They celebrate this festival in each and every province and in each and every town. And the Jews will never stop celebrating the days of Purim. Their descendants will always remember this festival.”

Esther 10:3 ERV “³Mordecai the Jew was second in importance to King Xerxes. He was the most important man among the Jews. His fellow Jews respected him very much, because he worked hard for the good of his people and brought peace to all the Jews.”

Mordecai witnessed impromptu celebrations among the Jews and determined that this needed to be an annual event. He took what the Jews were already doing and organized it a bit. From this point on, the Jews were to celebrate on the 14^th & 15^th days of Adar and they were encouraged to have parties with large feasts, exchange presents, and give to the poor.

Do you remember when we first began on study on Esther and we discussed how it’s the only book of the Bible that wasn’t included in the Dead Sea Scrolls and that it’s also the only Old Testament book not referenced in the New Testament? Perhaps you’ll recall that Martin Luther was no fan of the book.

“Martin Luther was hostile to the Book of Esther. In his Table-Talk, he declared that he was so hostile “to the Book of Esther that I would it did not exist; for it Judaizes too much, and has in it a great deal of heathenish naughtiness”. He criticized the Book of Esther, accusing it of being too aggressively nationalistic and containing no gospel content¹.”[i]

And it could be that Martin Luther was basing his opinion on Purim celebrations of his time because this is how Purim is celebrated nowadays.

The book of Esther is read twice. Once on the eve of Purim and then again the next day. The book is read in its entirety.

Gifts of at least two kinds of food are given to at least one person, but most often, it’s many more than that.

At least two needy people are given monetary gifts.

A feast is held in which people eat great amounts of food and drink a lot of intoxicating beverages. In fact, the instructions are to “Make a daytime wine-fest on Purim and celebrate until—in the words of the Talmud—“you don’t know the difference between ‘blessed is Mordechai’ and ‘cursed is Haman.’”^[ii]

During the feast a particular pastry called hamantaschen is served. It’s a three-cornered pastry or cookie that traditionally was filled with poppy seeds. In modern times, almost any kind of sweet or savory filling can be used. There’s great symbolism in this one treat.

“Tash” in Hebrew means “weaken.” Thus, the hamantash celebrates the weakening of Haman and our wish that God always save us by weakening our enemies.[iii]

“While there is an old legend that Haman wore a three-cornered hat, and to commemorate his downfall, we eat a three-cornered pastry,¹⁴ there is a deeper significance as well.”

The Midrash says that when Haman recognized (the merit of) our three forefathers, his strength immediately weakened. Because of this, we eat three-cornered pastries and call them “Haman weakeners (tashen).”[iv] The Midrash that is referred to is like a commentary or interpretation that Jews reference. And of course, the three forefathers would be Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So whether the three corners are symbolic of a hat or the three major patriarchs of the Old Testament, there’s meaning behind it.

If you don’t factor in the excessive drinking, Purim doesn’t sound much different than some of our holidays. We often read the story of Jesus’ birth at Christmas like they read the story of Esther and Mordecai. At Christmas, we also exchange gifts, give to the needy, and eat a lot. We have our symbolic Christmas food – candy canes, eggnog, fruitcake, etc.

But Purim has a few other elements that make it unique.

They wear costumes; as in what we would describe as Halloween costumes. They do this for a few reasons. One of those is what makes the Book of Esther unique. God is “hidden” throughout the story, although He really isn’t. The things that take place in Esther to set things up aren’t just coincidences. “Rather, the sequence of events is a string of “coincidences” that read much like a Shakespearean play, including a drunken king, a beautiful queen, an evil villain, a plot to destroy the Jewish people and, finally, a Jewish hero who saves the day. God is nowhere to be found. His name does not appear once in the Book of Esther. He is completely hidden in between the lines of these “coincidences” where everyone “coincidentally” appears at the right place at the right time.”^[v] In essence, costumes are worn to symbolize the behind-the-scenes acts of God.

Another reason for the costumes is to “to minimize the embarrassment of the poor who go around collecting charity on this day.”[vi]

Another different aspect of Purim is the loudness. The event is filled with noise makers and hollering but with a purpose. Anyone celebrating Purim will listen to the reading of Esther and respond to the mention of Haman and Mordecai. Whenever Haman’s name is read or his sons are mentioned, there will be yelling or “boisterous hissing, stamping, and rattling”[vii] in order to drown out the hearing of their names. Some will even write Haman’s name on the bottom of their shoes and stomp their feet as a symbolic means of contempt. But when Mordecai’s name is mentioned, Jews will whistle in celebration and appreciation.

The whole event is called the Jewish carnival. It’s a celebration. The Jews honor this event in history when they were saved from the hands of their enemy. And although the Jews acknowledge and recognize the importance of the specific occurrences that took place (i.e., Haman’s order that they be killed, the saving of Mordecai, the killing of Haman, Mordecai’s order that Jews be allowed to protect themselves, etc.) they celebrate more of the fact that they “took ownership of their Jewishness.” “That’s why one early halachic authority puts it like this: “Purim is greater than the day on which the Torah was given.”¹ It’s the day that we took the Torah. And when you take ownership, everything becomes different.^[viii]

Both Purim and Passover celebrate the deliverance of God’s people. And although both holidays involve storytelling and food, they are celebrated very differently. The mood and the atmosphere of the two are not at all alike.

I found an article in the Jewish Chronicle that gives a viewpoint from a Jew. “Passover and Purim are opposing ends of our story, a story of freedom and commitment. If we look at the counting of the months, Passover is the beginning of the new year and Purim is the completion of our journey.”[ix]

I’ll paraphrase what I discovered. Passover is about the beginning of their journey into the wilderness. They left because God told them to do so. They left all that they had known and set out to parts unknown. During their time of wandering, they became frustrated and unfaithful. They asked for something to worship because Moses was taking too long with God and they ended up with a golden calf. Moses comes back to them, reads off the Ten Commandments, and says this. “³²So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. ³³Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” (Exodus 5:32 NIV)

At this point, the Jews accepted the laws given to them because they were commanded to do so. In Exodus 12, the Jews are given detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to commemorate Passover.

Purim, however, is quite different. Although it too celebrates the deliverance of God’s people, Purim is more about their choice to accept and embrace their identity as God’s chosen people. It’s the celebration of their trials and their victories. Listen to verse 27 of Esther 9. “the Jews established and accepted as a custom for themselves and their descendants and all who joined them, that without fail they would continue to observe these two days every year, as it was written and at the time appointed.” (NRSV) No one told the Jews to celebrate. No one told them to hold a feast. They did it because they were overcome with joy and they were united as believers.

Do you see the difference? Passover is seen as a time of celebration due to obligation when God speaks. Whereas Purim is seen as a time of celebration due to choice when God is silent.

This is where we can learn something. The book of Esther is a great reminder of God’s love for His children, His providence for our lives, and His interest in what’s happening in our world. We love it when we experience God winks. Those times can only be explained as the handiwork of God. It gives us that reassurance that He is there, aware, and cares.

But we are going to experience some Esther moments in our life. Times in which God seems to be MIA; times in which we see no Holy Hands moving. Periods in which our prayers seem to get placed in a mountain of an in-box that we fear will never be acknowledged. Those are the times we need to encourage one another by reminding each other that even if God’s presence isn’t obvious, we know that God’s providence is always at work. Even if we can’t trace or see His hand, we can trust His heart. (credit: Babbie Mason lyrics)

Do you experience Esther moments? Times in which God seems to be MIA?

But let’s broaden our scope. We live in neighborhoods and communities, we work in offices and environments, and we are surrounded by people who don’t see God. They aren’t aware of His providence much less His presence. Much like the readers of the book of Esther, they never hear His name. He is not referred to, hinted at, or represented as far as they know.

The name Esther means “hidden”[x] and the word “scroll” means “reveal”.[xi]

“So the Hebrew translated as “The Scroll of Esther” possesses the double meaning “reveal what is hidden” – we have the opportunity to reveal God’s hidden work of redemption to those who do not see it.”[xii]

Isaiah 45:15 NIV “Truly you are a God who has been hiding himself, the God and Savior of Israel.”

Did you ever play hide and seek as a child? You know the concept. One or more people hide from one who has their eyes covered. This person is known as “it”. When the count reaches ten, the one who is it yells out, “Ready or not, here I come!” and goes to look for those who have found hopefully a successful hiding place. The first person discovered will be the next “it”; the last person found is considered the winner. Did you ever go hiding and no one came to look for you? My brother did this to me a few times. I’d beg him to play with me and he would only agree if he could be “it”. So I’d run to the backyard and find myself a good hiding spot. I’d hold my breath after he yelled “Ready or not, here I come!” Even though I was ready, he wouldn’t come. He didn’t search for me. He had no interest in looking behind trees or in a pile of leaves. He was only pretending to play the game.

Our lives are often like a game of hide and seek with God. We were once hiding ourselves from Him until He sought us out and found us and we accepted Him. And even many times afterward, we hide from Him because we are angry, frustrated, embarrassed, ashamed, or just because we’ve become lazy or indifferent to Him. God’s Word tells us that He will search for His sheep and will seek them out. He’ll never stop seeking us because He cares too much to leave us out there on our own. And aren’t we grateful for that?

But God too will seem to hide from us during those Esther periods. I think He does this so that we will earnestly seek Him. Not just call out His name when we want something. Not just go to Him in prayer when we’ve done everything else we can think to do. No, He wants us to pursue Him, go after Him with a humble and repentant heart. 2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”

“I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining.

I believe in love, even when I do not feel it.

I believe in God, even when He is silent.” (Author Unknown) (Credit to Beth Moore’s Esther: It’s Tough Being a Woman)

God knows when we are serious about seeking Him by choice and not by obligation. He knows when our hearts are in it and He knows when we are just pretending to play the game. God wants us to have a close enough relationship with Him so that even when He is silent, we know for a fact that He is working behind the scenes. He wants us to seek Him and He will be found!

In closing, I want to refer back to Esther 10:3 GNT “Mordecai the Jew was second in rank only to King Xerxes himself. He was honored and well-liked by his fellow Jews. He worked for the good of his people and for the security of all their descendants.” Mordecai ended up a hero simply because he cared for others. He was obedient to God and didn’t let any authority or accolades go to his head. He worked for his people and sought to honor God in all that he did. But I wouldn’t be an effective ladies’ Bible study leader if I didn’t point out that a strong and smart woman by the name of Queen Esther was right there in the trenches with him.