Esther (Greek) 9:18-32: a reflection

18The Jews in the city of Susa assembled also on the fourteenth day and rested; and they also observed the fifteenth with joy and gladness. 19On this account then, the Jews dispersed in every foreign land keep the fourteenth of Adar as a holy day with joy, each sending gifts of food to his neighbor. 20Mordecai wrote these things in a book and sent them to the Jews, as many as were in the kingdom of Ahasuerus, both those who were near and those who were far away, 21to establish these as joyful days and to keep the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar; 22for on these days the Jews obtained rest from their enemies; and in that month, which was Adar, in which a change was made for them from mourning to joy, and from sorrow to a holiday, to spend the whole of it in good days of feasting and gladness, sending portions to their friends and to the poor. 23And the Jews consented to this as Mordecai wrote to them, 24showing how Haman the son of Hammedatha the Macedonian fought against them, how he made a decree and cast lots to destroy them utterly; 25also how he went in to the king, telling him to hang Mordecai; but all the calamities he tried to bring upon the Jews came upon himself, and he was hanged, along with his children. 26Therefore these days were called Purim, because of the lots (for in their language they are called Purim) because of the words of this letter, and because of all they suffered on this account, and all that happened to them. 27Mordecai established it, and the Jews took upon themselves, upon their offspring, and upon those who were joined to them to observe it, neither would they on any account behave differently; but these days were to be a memorial kept in every generation, city, family, and province. 28These days of Purim shall be kept forever, and their memorial shall not fail in any generation. 29Queen Esther the daughter of Aminadab and Mordecai the Jew wrote all that they had done, and gave the confirmation of the letter about Purim. 31Mordecai and Esther the queen established this decision on their own, pledging their own well-being to their plan. 32And Esther established it by a command forever, and it was written for a memorial.

After their deliverance from Haman's plot, Mordecai establishes the feast of Purim, so that the Jews would remember, every year and in every generation, how their mourning had been turned to joy and their sorrow to gladness. These were to be days of feasting and rejoicing, of sending portions to one another and gifts to the poor, a deliberate, recurring remembrance of what God had done, lest the deliverance be forgotten. They would not let the memory of God's rescue fade.

Notice the deliberate act of remembering. Mordecai did not leave it to chance whether the deliverance would be remembered; he established a recurring feast, a set time to recall, celebrate, and give thanks for what had happened. And the celebration included generosity, sending gifts to friends and to the poor, gratitude overflowing into giving. They built remembrance into their calendar, so that God's mercy would be recalled generation after generation.

That is a wise practice for us as well. We are prone to forget God's deliverances, to let the memory of his mercies fade as time passes and new concerns crowd in. But there is great value in deliberately remembering, in setting aside times to recall and give thanks for what God has done, so that his mercies are not forgotten. Build remembrance into your life. Recall God's past deliverances, celebrate them, give thanks, and let your gratitude overflow into generosity toward others, as Purim did. Do not let the memory of God's mercies fade; deliberately remember, and turn the remembering into thanksgiving and generosity.

Lord, after their deliverance, Mordecai established Purim so that your people would remember, in every generation, how their mourning was turned to joy, celebrating with thanksgiving and sharing gifts with the poor. Teach me to remember your deliverances deliberately. I am prone to forget your mercies, to let the memory of what you have done fade as time passes and new concerns crowd in. Help me build remembrance into my life, setting aside times to recall and give thanks for your past deliverances, so that they are not forgotten. And let my remembering overflow, as Purim did, into gratitude and generosity toward others. Do not let me forget your mercies; help me remember, and give thanks.