Haman, the Nazis, and the roots of anti-Semitism

What it is, how it's celebrated and what it can mean for Christians.

Tomorrow at sundown (11 March 2017) marks the beginning of Purim, one of the most joyous and fun-filled celebrations on the Jewish calendar. Though not an ‘official’ feast of the Lord as laid out in the Torah, being based instead on the story of Esther, it is used annually by Jews worldwide as an opportunity to celebrate God’s faithfulness and deliverance.

For Christians, it can be an opportunity to show love to Jewish people and to the nation of Israel and to thank God for his unrelenting faithfulness toward them, as well as an occasion to celebrate God’s character and his victory over sin and evil through the death and resurrection of our Messiah, Jesus (Yeshua).

We’ve taken the opportunity to round up some good resources in case you would like to learn more about the festival from a Hebraic and a Messianic perspective.

Understanding Purim: biblical teaching on what it is and how it’s celebrated

• Purim – Feast of Lots. John J Parsons (Hebrew4Christians) looks at the story of Esther and the celebration of Purim, including Hebrew blessings and customs for the occasion, as well as its prophetic significance.
  
• Such a Curse: A Messianic Look at Purim. Mark Stover of Jews for Jesus discusses the curse of Amalek and the blotting out of Haman’s name.
  
• A Mystery in the Megillah. Why is the name of God nowhere to be found – seemingly – in the Book of Esther?
  
• Tribute to the Real Hero: Stephen Katz (Jews for Jesus) discusses the heroic characters of Esther and Mordecai.
  
• The Secrets of Esther the Intercessor: One for Israel looks at the Messianic overtones of the well-known story.
  

Joining in: what Purim means for Christians and how we can celebrate it

• The Scandal of Esther: John J Parsons (Hebrew4Christians) looks at Christian neglect of Esther, anti-Semitism in the Church and what Purim should mean to us.
  
• Chabad ideas: Purim stories, study resources and recipes, all from a Jewish perspective, from Chabad. Also see their resources for kids here.
  
• Purim devotional resources: Use the Messianic Jewish Bible Institution’s resources for your own Purim devotional here and here.
  
• Join a Purim party or event near you – such as Vision for Israel’s Purim celebration (11 March) at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster. Find out more and book tickets here.
  

Opponents of Israel are building their own gallows.

As Iran’s supreme leader calls for a ‘holy intifada’ to eradicate Israel, Jews everywhere can be encouraged that the tables were turned on a man from the same part of the world when he made a similar threat.

As we approach the annual Jewish feast of Purim, we recall the plot to destroy all Jews living in the ancient and far-reaching Persian Empire. The man behind it was Haman, political aide to King Xerxes, but thanks to the intervention of Queen Esther, his plan was ultimately foiled and the gallows he had constructed for his Jewish enemy Mordecai (cousin and guardian of the beautiful young Queen) was used for him instead.

In the same way today, those who side with the Islamic world in opposition to Israel are building their own gallows.

Heading for Confrontation

Describing Israel as a “cancerous tumour”, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei said the international community was heading toward confrontation with the “Zionist regime”.¹

But as Barry Segal of the Jerusalem News Network put it: “Actually, it is Iran that is heading towards a confrontation with the international community with its support of global terrorism, its nuclear ambitions, and its unrelenting hateful tirades against Israel and the USA.”²

Those who side with the Islamic world in opposition to Israel are building their own gallows.

Mordecai had learned of the 500 BC plot to destroy the Jews and managed to persuade Esther to approach the King on behalf of her people, even though it was against protocol to do so without being summoned.

'Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape,' Mordecai warned. 'For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?' (Est 4:13f)

So Esther resolved to risk her life for her fellow Jews, saying: “If I perish, I perish” (v16).

Modern Hamans, Modern Esthers

Modern-day Iran is part of ancient Persia and its threat against Israel bears all the hallmarks of the Haman spirit, with successive leaders promising to wipe the Jewish state off the map and underscoring their sabre-rattling by boasting of missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv in seven minutes. And all the time they continue to work towards nuclear capability.

But, as with Haman, their plans will ultimately be brought back on their own heads as the Bible makes clear that, in the last days, many nations will attack Israel and come under God’s judgment as a result (see Joel 3:2; Zech 14:2f).

Thankfully, some modern-day Esthers are standing up to the bully-boys. America’s new Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, speaking of that body’s Security Council, says its “double standards are breathtaking”. Declaring that the US was determined to stand up to the UN’s anti-Israel bias, she said the prejudiced approach to Israeli-Palestinian issues “bears no relationship to the reality of the world around us”³ (the Trump administration has indicated that it may pull America out of the UN Human Rights Council due to its Israel bias⁴, which even outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has admitted to have been the case⁵).

Watching an old Hollywood movie on the subject, One Night with the King, reminded me of how, just after retiring from full-time work in the newspaper industry, I felt the Lord say that I had been called to the Kingdom “for such a time as this”, confirming an earlier call to be a “helper of Israel” in these last days by writing the truth about Middle Eastern affairs.

Modern-day Iran is part of ancient Persia and its threat against Israel bears all the hallmarks of the Haman spirit.

In a different vein, England’s own Esther has emerged in the form of a beautiful young lady called Aisling Hubert, who is having to pay a heavy price for standing up for the unborn, eight million of whom have been killed since the UK Abortion Act was passed 50 years ago. Aisling launched a private prosecution against two doctors who had been secretly filmed offering gender abortion. But the Crown Prosecution Service ruled that pursuance of the case was not in the public interest, and the doctors were awarded costs. An undisclosed settlement has been reached, and it is “a large sum”.

Aisling has been supported throughout her ordeal by the Christian Legal Centre. Do get in touch with them if you wish to help by clicking here.

Jesus Our Rescue

Mary, the mother of Jesus, performed an Esther role in carrying the Messiah, whom the devil tried to destroy at birth as Herod ordered the killing of Bethlehem’s infant boys in a desperate bid to prevent his crown from passing to the new king (Rev 12:4; Matt 2:16).

In the end, her soul was pierced by a sword, in fulfilment of Simeon’s prophecy (Luke 2:35), as she watched her innocent young son being crucified, aged just 33.

Yet in the fulness of God’s perfect time, and just a generation before the Jews would be scattered abroad by Roman brutality, Jesus himself stepped forward to die on behalf of his people, and of all who would, metaphorically speaking, mark the doorposts of their hearts with the blood of the Lamb.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isa 53:5)

Truly, Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) is the Jewish Messiah who has come to the rescue of his people in these last days. Welcome him in advance of that great day when his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem (Zech 14:4).

Notes

1 Ahren, R. Iran’s supreme leader backs ‘holy intifada’ to destroy ‘cancer’ Israel. Times of Israel, 21 February 2017.

2 Jerusalem News Network (JNN), 23 February 2017.

3 David Soakell’s Christian Friends of Israel newsletter Watching over Zion, 23 February 2017.

4 JNN, quoting the Jerusalem Post, 27 February 2017.

5 Ban Ki-moon admits UN’s Israel bias. Ynetnews.com, 17 December 2016.

This coming Wednesday marks the start of Purim - the festival that celebrates the story of Esther and God's deliverance of Israel from destruction.

Purim is a minor biblical and Jewish festival which takes place in February/March in the Western calendar and begins on the 14^th of the month of Adar in the Hebrew calendar. Its theme is the deliverance from destruction of the Jewish people. This year the festival begins at sundown on Wednesday 23 March.

Purim: Instituted by Mordecai

Purim, meaning 'lots', was instituted during the Jewish exile in Persia in the 4^th century BC. Esther 9 explains its origins, from verse 20:

Mordecai recorded these events [i.e. the story about the attempted destruction of the Jews by Haman], and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, that they should celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote to them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. But when the plot came to the king's attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back on to his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles. (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.)

Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, the Jews took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews – nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants. (Est 9:20-28)

The Story of Esther

A young Jewish woman called Esther was chosen above all the other young women of the Persian kingdom to replace Queen Vashti, who had displeased King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes) by refusing to obey one of his commands. Under the guidance of her cousin Mordecai, who brought her up, Esther concealed her Jewish identity and became Queen.

Purim, meaning 'lots', was instituted during the Jewish exile in Persia in the 4^th Century BC.

In a separate instance of heroism, Mordecai found out about a plot against the king and this was recorded in the royal chronicles. However, Mordecai also made an enemy of Haman, the king's vizier, by refusing to bow down to him:

...having learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. (Est 3:6)

Haman cast the pur or lot (Est 7:3) to decide the day of annihilation of the Jews. Then he went to King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes) and asked for permission to issue an edict saying that on the day chosen by the lot, the Jews in all the provinces of the King's empire should be killed - young and old alike - and their goods should be plundered.

Mordecai asked Esther to approach the king to get him to withdraw the edict, even though she risked her life by doing so. To approach the king without being summoned meant certain death - unless the king extended his sceptre towards the person. Esther fasted three days and nights and then approached the king. He extended his sceptre and she asked permission to invite the king and Haman to a banquet.

At the banquet she invited them to another banquet on the following day. Haman went home in high spirits at the King's and Queen's favour to him, but was angered to see Mordecai still not bowing down to him. So, on the advice of his wife and friends, he built a gallows ready to ask the king's permission to hang Mordecai the following morning. That night, however, the king could not sleep and so he ordered the book of the chronicles of his reign to be read to him. The passage about Mordecai uncovering the plot against the King's life was read to him.

He then found out that Mordecai was not rewarded for this and the next day when Haman came before the king, the king asked him "What should be done for the man the king delights to honour?" (Est 6:9). Haman assumed the king was referring to him and suggested that the king should put a royal robe on this man and have him led through the streets on the king's horse with the proclamation that "this is what is done for the man the king delights to honour".

In the story of Esther, Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai save the Jewish people from the retribution of powerful vizier Haman, by pleading their case before the king, Xerxes.

Then the king ordered Haman to do honour to Mordecai. Haman was commanded to lead the horse and make the proclamation. Mortified, he then attended the second banquet with the King and Queen. At the banquet, Esther asked the king to spare her life and the lives of her people and told the king that Haman was responsible for the decree for their annihilation.

The king flew into a rage and left the room. On his return, he found Haman appearing to molest Queen Esther as he fell towards her begging for his life. The king ordered that Haman be hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Haman's estate was given to Esther and the king issued another edict allowing the Jews to defend themselves against the attack of their enemies, which was still due to take place on the day arranged by Haman (this was because the king's edicts could not be repealed, so an opposing edict had to be issued instead, allowing the Jews to destroy their enemies).

In this way, all the enemies of the Jews were destroyed, including Haman's sons. In Esther 9:20, we read that Esther and Mordecai, who had assumed the position of influence that Haman had held, ordered that the Jews everywhere should celebrate annually for ever more with feasting and great joy the festival of lots, or Purim, and that they should give one another presents of food and give gifts to the poor.

Purim Today

Hamentashen, traditional biscuits eaten on Purim. See Photo Credits.

Today, Purim is celebrated by the Jewish people with a fast on the day before the festival, mirroring Esther's fast, and then a feast. There are five good deeds (or mitzvot) associated with the festival: first, reading the scroll of Esther, then reading a portion of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), third, sending gifts to friends and relatives, fourth, distribution of charity to the poor and finally, participation in a festive meal.

Purim plays are often put on and children (and sometimes adults!) dress up in fancy dress. People eat biscuits known as Hamantaschen (iHamantaschenn Yiddish) meaning Haman's ears (in Hebrew oznei Haman). This may refer to the practice of cutting off criminals' ears before they were hanged.

Purim is thought of as a minor feast, but it occupies a major place in the hearts of the Jewish people because its theme of deliverance from annihilation has had relevance throughout history. It is also popular because it is light-hearted and fun, a time of celebration rather than serious reflection.

Purim is a minor feast, but it occupies a major place in the hearts of the Jewish people because of its theme of deliverance from annihilation.

Blotting out the Amalekites

During the reading of the story of Esther, every time Haman's name is mentioned, everyone will make as much noise as possible. There is a special Purim noisemaker usually known by its Yiddish name, grogger, which makes a loud rattling sound. The idea is to blot out Haman's name.

A Purim 'grogger', for blotting out Haman's name. See Photo Credits.

Why? Well, Haman is referred to as 'the Agagite' in the book of Esther. Agag is from a Hebrew root from which come words to do with fire, flames, fury and anger (appropriate for one who seeks to destroy). Haman is therefore thought to have been a descendant of Agag, King of the Amalekites, who were the arch enemy of the Israelites. Haman the Agagite is said to be the 17^th generation descended from Amalek, son of Elifaz, who was the firstborn son of Esau.

In Deuteronomy 25:19, it is commanded to "blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven", and in Exodus 17:16, "The Lord's war with the Amalekites will continue generation after generation". This is echoed in the book of Esther with its command that the days of Purim should be remembered and kept generation after generation (9:28).

In 1 Samuel 15, we read that Saul disobeyed the Lord's instructions not to take plunder from the Amalekites. They were to be utterly destroyed including all their property. Saul disobeyed and took the plunder and because of this the Lord rejected him as king over Israel. So, in Esther, we read that the Jews are very careful not to lay their hands on the plunder of Haman and his sons (Est 9:10).

There is a further connection with the story of Saul here. Mordecai's grandfather was called Kish, as was Saul's father, so it seems that the author of the book of Esther had in mind the story of Saul and the Amalekites by hinting at it in mentioning Mordecai's descent (Est 2:5-6).

Why did Mordecai choose not to bow before Haman? One may infer that Mordecai knew Haman's origins, that he was descended from the Amalekites. Bowing indicates honour towards someone, or even worship - and Mordecai refused to do that to the son of the sworn enemy of the Jewish people. It also explains why Haman wished to destroy all Mordecai's people once he found out he was a Jew and therefore the sworn enemy of the Amalekites. Haman's ancestral line presumably explains his irrational hatred of Mordecai and the Jews. That same irrational and implacable hatred continued to feed anti-Semitism throughout history and continues today, making the story of Esther continually relevant.

The same irrational and implacable hatred of Jews expressed by Haman has continued throughout history and continues today – making the story of Esther ever-relevant.

God Implicitly Present

Purim, like Passover, is a celebration of deliverance from evil, of the redemption of God for his people. Interestingly, however, the book of Esther is unique among the books of the Bible in that nowhere is the name of God mentioned. Similarly, it can sometimes appear to us as though our enemy is all too real and present in our lives and the lives of those around us and that God is nowhere to be found - but God always has his plan of deliverance ready.

There is also no mention of the Jews' religion or religious practices at all in Esther. Yet the presence of God is implied throughout the story by the way co-incidences (or God-incidences) happen to favour Mordecai and Esther. Esther happened to be beautiful and so rise to a position of power. Mordecai happened to hear of the plot against the king and the king happened to awaken one night and be read the exact section from the chronicles which told of this.

Divine destiny surfaces nowhere more clearly than in Mordecai's charged statement to Esther that if she does not help the Jewish people in their hour of need, deliverance will arise from another place. She can use her position to help save her people or she can draw back, but she and her father's family would perish.

Thus the importance of human obedience within the context of divine sovereignty becomes clear. God prepares us, he places us in certain positions, in his perfect timing, then he gives us the opportunity to serve him to accomplish his purposes. This is always the choice: to serve the Lord and prosper, or to disobey him, ignore his call and perish. His will always be done, with or without us. Esther heeds Mordecai's words that she has been placed in her royal position "for such as time as this" (Est 4:14), risking her life to do it but saving the lives of many.

The book of Esther is unique in that it does not mention the name of God – and yet God's presence is implied throughout the story.

Esther and Joseph

The story of Esther is often compared to the story of Joseph. Both rise to positions of influence within the court of a foreign power which holds sway over the Jewish people. Both save their people from death - in Joseph's case from famine - and in doing so risk their own lives. Similar to the story of Esther, the disruption of the king's sleep leads to the release of Joseph from prison (Pharaoh's dream), just as the king's wakefulness in the book of Esther causes Mordecai to be rewarded.

Both conceal their Jewish identity to accomplish the redemption of the Jewish people. Joseph, in particular, is often referred to as a type of the Messiah. Like Joseph, Jesus appears before his Jewish brethren today with Gentile appearance. He has been adopted by the Gentiles and presented in Gentile garb. We look forward to the day when Jesus will thoroughly reveal his Jewish identity and Messiahship to the Jewish people and there will be great weeping and mourning, as the prophet Zechariah indicates, "They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son" (Zech 12:10), just as Joseph and his brothers wept together as they met for the first time in years.

Purim and the Church

Throughout history, God has brought deliverance to the Jewish people from the plans of the enemy. Haman in the story of Esther can be seen as representing the enemy of God's people, the Adversary satan.

The Jewish people have designated many days as Purims, occasions on which the Jewish people were delivered from annihilation in their history. Many such Purims are associated sadly with the Church, particularly with the Christian blood-libel accusation (the totally unfounded accusation that the Jews need the blood of a Christian child for their Passover rites, an abominable and tragic lie which has caused persecution and suffering to Jews over centuries).

The Jewish people have designated many days as Purims over the years, because of repeated attempts through history to annihilate them – many, sadly, associated with the Church.

Purim also caused anti-Semitic feeling historically. A custom in a number of Jewish communities was to burn an effigy of Haman. Christians said that the Jews used this to represent the death of Jesus and that they were killing him all over again. The Christian reformer Martin Luther wrote about Esther that she was a typical despicable Jew, eager to shed Gentile blood. He also wrote:

Do you know, Jew, that Jerusalem and your kingdom, together with the Temple and the priesthood, were destroyed over a thousand years ago?...The exile shows that God is not their God and they are not his people.¹

Luther's anti-Semitism was seized on by Hitler who used Luther's writings (such as his notorious work On the Jews and their Lies) as support for his own programme of destruction. The celebration of Purim today always carries the shadow of the Holocaust, the 20^th Century Haman being Hitler. Sadly, the long shadow of Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism remains.

Today, the celebration of Purim carries the shadow of the Holocaust, the 20^th Century Haman being Hitler.

Most Christians are aware that we are called to watch the signs of the times and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Let us also remember God's sovereign and unchangeable choice of a people and a land for his possession: Israel. It is "for such a time as this" that we must be ready to stand up with the Jewish people against today's Hamans.

References

1 Kaufmann, Y, 1929-30. Exile and the Alien Land, Vol 1, p299.