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March 10, 2023
Purim’s Lesson about Choice
To understand the feast of Purim and the story of Esther, we must first understand the story in Exodus of the unprovoked attack by Amalek upon the children of Israel. It helps to explain how, centuries later, a descendant of Amalek devises a plan to annihilate the Jewish people. The story outlines the choice facing all of us.
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Purim’s Lesson about Choice (Out of Zion Episode #168)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,880
To understand the Feast of Purim and the story of Esther, we must first understand the story
2
00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:14,560
found in Exodus of an unprovoked attack by Amalek upon the children of Israel.
3
00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:21,120
It helps to explain how centuries later a descendant of Amalek devises a very evil
4
00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,420
plan to annihilate the Jewish people.
5
00:00:24,420 --> 00:00:29,960
The story outlines the choice facing all of us.
6
00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:35,080
So I want to welcome you to this week's Shabbat Shalom devotional when I seek to share a
7
00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:41,320
little inspiration and bring a little peace to the close of your very busy week.
8
00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:48,040
Well, we are not discussing this week's Torah portion because it's the holiday or festival
9
00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:49,400
of Purim.
10
00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:55,480
So I want to talk about a few verses that we skipped over a few chapters back in Exodus
11
00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:59,200
17, verses 8 through 16.
12
00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,440
This is the story of Amalek.
13
00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:07,620
The children of Israel have come out of the Red Sea, the miraculous crossing of the Red
14
00:01:07,620 --> 00:01:08,620
Sea.
15
00:01:08,620 --> 00:01:17,000
They are in the wilderness and they are attacked without provocation by Amalek.
16
00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:23,600
And it says that Moses had to go up on a hill and raise his hands before the Lord for the
17
00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:29,080
children of Israel to actually have victory over this attack.
18
00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:35,440
And afterwards Moses builds an altar there and he calls it the Lord by banner.
19
00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:44,440
And he says this, the Lord has sworn the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation
20
00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:46,660
to generation.
21
00:01:46,660 --> 00:01:52,320
So this unprovoked attack against the children of Israel was met by the God of Israel.
22
00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,120
Yes, Joshua had to lead the battle.
23
00:01:55,120 --> 00:02:03,520
Yes, Moses stood on the hill and had his arms in the victorious position praising God.
24
00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:09,400
But at the end it was God who brought the victory and Moses declares that.
25
00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:16,040
But Moses also says that because of this there is going to be war with Amalek from generation
26
00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:17,040
to generation.
27
00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:24,600
Well, what's so interesting is that several hundred years later a descendant of Amalek
28
00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:30,560
comes up with this evil scheme to annihilate all the Jewish people.
29
00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:35,440
Now Haman hated the Jews because they would not bow down to him, something forbidden by
30
00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:36,440
their God.
31
00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,000
They are to worship God and God alone.
32
00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,960
They are not to worship man or pagan idols.
33
00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:46,840
So Haman comes up with this scheme.
34
00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:52,200
And he presents it to the king and gets the king's decree that all the Jewish people are
35
00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:56,120
to be annihilated, to be attacked and killed.
36
00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:02,040
Well little does he know that beautiful young queen Esther is Jewish.
37
00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:07,000
So she goes before the king, she risks her life and asks for him to intervene and to
38
00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,000
do something.
39
00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:15,960
Well, you know, this was not a threat to just a segment of the Jewish population in the
40
00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:21,320
world, the Jews of Persia, like the Jews of America or the Jews of France.
41
00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:29,040
No, the Persian Empire was so big it stretched all the way in the east from India to Ethiopia
42
00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:30,560
in the west.
43
00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:32,200
This was huge.
44
00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:38,480
Almost all the Jews, the vast majority of Jews of the world, lived in the Persian Empire.
45
00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:43,800
So had Haman succeeded, they would have all been wiped out.
46
00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:47,480
That would have been the end of the biblical story.
47
00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:54,400
There would have been no rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple and re-establishment of the
48
00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:56,320
Jewish people in their land.
49
00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:02,320
There would have been no birth of Jesus to Joseph and Mary, a Jewish young couple.
50
00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:07,080
So this is really a significant threat to the Jewish people.
51
00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:16,440
And if Haman had succeeded, you understand, you and I would be pagans today.
52
00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:17,920
Wow.
53
00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:22,880
The gospel would have never gone forth from the land of Israel.
54
00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:28,680
It would have never taken place because Jesus would have never been born.
55
00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:34,360
All of this because of the hatred and resentment of an Amalekite.
56
00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,920
Amalek was the grandson of Esau.
57
00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:42,600
And you know there was bitter rivalry between Esau and Jacob.
58
00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:50,120
But at the end of their life, Esau forgave Jacob and actually gave him the land of Canaan.
59
00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:55,080
The emotion of Esau in the story is genuine and heartfelt.
60
00:04:55,080 --> 00:05:00,840
But it seems that part of his offspring carried forth the resentment.
61
00:05:00,840 --> 00:05:08,560
You know, anti-Semitism is a reaction to the chosenness of the other, the Jewish people.
62
00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:14,600
Some choose to hate like Amalek and his descendants.
63
00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:23,880
Others choose to accept God's ways, his plan, his choice, and to actually bless the people
64
00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:28,240
of Israel as did Esau when he gave them the land.
65
00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:30,240
It's our choice.
66
00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:36,440
I choose to bless and to accept God's will and get behind it.
67
00:05:36,440 --> 00:06:02,480
And with that, I wish you Shabbat Shalom.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,880
To understand the Feast of Purim and the story of Esther, we must first understand the story
2
00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:14,560
found in Exodus of an unprovoked attack by Amalek upon the children of Israel.
3
00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:21,120
It helps to explain how centuries later a descendant of Amalek devises a very evil
4
00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,420
plan to annihilate the Jewish people.
5
00:00:24,420 --> 00:00:29,960
The story outlines the choice facing all of us.
6
00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:35,080
So I want to welcome you to this week's Shabbat Shalom devotional when I seek to share a
7
00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:41,320
little inspiration and bring a little peace to the close of your very busy week.
8
00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:48,040
Well, we are not discussing this week's Torah portion because it's the holiday or festival
9
00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:49,400
of Purim.
10
00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:55,480
So I want to talk about a few verses that we skipped over a few chapters back in Exodus
11
00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:59,200
17, verses 8 through 16.
12
00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,440
This is the story of Amalek.
13
00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:07,620
The children of Israel have come out of the Red Sea, the miraculous crossing of the Red
14
00:01:07,620 --> 00:01:08,620
Sea.
15
00:01:08,620 --> 00:01:17,000
They are in the wilderness and they are attacked without provocation by Amalek.
16
00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:23,600
And it says that Moses had to go up on a hill and raise his hands before the Lord for the
17
00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:29,080
children of Israel to actually have victory over this attack.
18
00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:35,440
And afterwards Moses builds an altar there and he calls it the Lord by banner.
19
00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:44,440
And he says this, the Lord has sworn the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation
20
00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:46,660
to generation.
21
00:01:46,660 --> 00:01:52,320
So this unprovoked attack against the children of Israel was met by the God of Israel.
22
00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,120
Yes, Joshua had to lead the battle.
23
00:01:55,120 --> 00:02:03,520
Yes, Moses stood on the hill and had his arms in the victorious position praising God.
24
00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:09,400
But at the end it was God who brought the victory and Moses declares that.
25
00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:16,040
But Moses also says that because of this there is going to be war with Amalek from generation
26
00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:17,040
to generation.
27
00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:24,600
Well, what's so interesting is that several hundred years later a descendant of Amalek
28
00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:30,560
comes up with this evil scheme to annihilate all the Jewish people.
29
00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:35,440
Now Haman hated the Jews because they would not bow down to him, something forbidden by
30
00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:36,440
their God.
31
00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,000
They are to worship God and God alone.
32
00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,960
They are not to worship man or pagan idols.
33
00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:46,840
So Haman comes up with this scheme.
34
00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:52,200
And he presents it to the king and gets the king's decree that all the Jewish people are
35
00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:56,120
to be annihilated, to be attacked and killed.
36
00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:02,040
Well little does he know that beautiful young queen Esther is Jewish.
37
00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:07,000
So she goes before the king, she risks her life and asks for him to intervene and to
38
00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,000
do something.
39
00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:15,960
Well, you know, this was not a threat to just a segment of the Jewish population in the
40
00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:21,320
world, the Jews of Persia, like the Jews of America or the Jews of France.
41
00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:29,040
No, the Persian Empire was so big it stretched all the way in the east from India to Ethiopia
42
00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:30,560
in the west.
43
00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:32,200
This was huge.
44
00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:38,480
Almost all the Jews, the vast majority of Jews of the world, lived in the Persian Empire.
45
00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:43,800
So had Haman succeeded, they would have all been wiped out.
46
00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:47,480
That would have been the end of the biblical story.
47
00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:54,400
There would have been no rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple and re-establishment of the
48
00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:56,320
Jewish people in their land.
49
00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:02,320
There would have been no birth of Jesus to Joseph and Mary, a Jewish young couple.
50
00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:07,080
So this is really a significant threat to the Jewish people.
51
00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:16,440
And if Haman had succeeded, you understand, you and I would be pagans today.
52
00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:17,920
Wow.
53
00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:22,880
The gospel would have never gone forth from the land of Israel.
54
00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:28,680
It would have never taken place because Jesus would have never been born.
55
00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:34,360
All of this because of the hatred and resentment of an Amalekite.
56
00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,920
Amalek was the grandson of Esau.
57
00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:42,600
And you know there was bitter rivalry between Esau and Jacob.
58
00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:50,120
But at the end of their life, Esau forgave Jacob and actually gave him the land of Canaan.
59
00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:55,080
The emotion of Esau in the story is genuine and heartfelt.
60
00:04:55,080 --> 00:05:00,840
But it seems that part of his offspring carried forth the resentment.
61
00:05:00,840 --> 00:05:08,560
You know, anti-Semitism is a reaction to the chosenness of the other, the Jewish people.
62
00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:14,600
Some choose to hate like Amalek and his descendants.
63
00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:23,880
Others choose to accept God's ways, his plan, his choice, and to actually bless the people
64
00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:28,240
of Israel as did Esau when he gave them the land.
65
00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:30,240
It's our choice.
66
00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:36,440
I choose to bless and to accept God's will and get behind it.
67
00:05:36,440 --> 00:06:02,480
And with that, I wish you Shabbat Shalom.
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