The holy day of Purim is not directly mentioned in the New Covenant, but the lessons of this feast permeate it. The main lesson is found in the faithfulness of God towards his covenant people. In Genesis 12:3 we find that part of the promise to Abraham is divine protection: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” The simple but profound lesson of Purim is that God will be faithful to his promises. Anytime his people are threatened with destruction, God will intervene because his character is at stake. As Rabbi Saul of Tarsus put it, “for God’s free gifts and his calling are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). Perhaps the best one-word summary of all this is found in the word “protection.”

Yet the message of Purim is not to be limited to the ancient history of Israel. Every believer in Yeshua has reason to celebrate. God’s consistent protection of the Jewish people should give all believers a sense of hope and security. God is a covenant-keeping God who is faithful to every generation.

A secondary yet important lesson of this holy day is the responsibility of man to accomplish God’s will. Esther is the only book of the Bible with no clear reference to God; yet he can be seen working out his perfect plan behind the scenes. Also emphasized is that people have a responsibility to act if the will of God is to be carried out. When the evil plot of Haman became known to the Jewish community of Persia, there was a call to prayer and fasting. Ultimately, there was also a call to action as seen in the exhortation from Mordechai to Queen Esther:

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this (Esther 4:14)?