Holocaust: It’s An Old Story
The specter of the Holocaust has ranged across the face of the centuries in an unrelenting effort to destroy the nation of Israel and its people. But always, in spite of the worst that devils and men can do, Jewry has survived. Nowhere is this pattern more clearly seen than in the biblical Book of Esther. While the name of God is not mentioned in this account, His dedication to the survival of Abraham’s sons and daughters is deeply etched on every page.
Haman’s Hatred
“And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day” (Est. 3:13).
A Chosen Person
“Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther: Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place … And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Est. 4:13–14).
A Bold Commitment
“And so will I [Esther] go in unto the king [to intercede for my people], which is not according to the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Est. 4:16).
The Sword of Truth in the Hand of a Woman
“Then the king, Ahasuerus, said unto Esther, the queen, Who is he, and where is he, who would presume in his heart to do so [kill the Jews]?” (Est. 7:5).
In the End, Justice Was Done
“So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai” (Est. 7:10).
A Good Day for the Jewish People
“Therefore, the Jews of the villages, who dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another” (Est. 9:19).
A Celebration of Deliverance
“And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fall into disuse among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed” (Est. 9:28).
Today, appropriately, Jewish people the world over observe Holocaust Remembrance Day. As the story of Esther vividly displays, a day is coming when the nation will come together under the banner of the Messiah to celebrate Deliverance Day and begin to live out the glorious destiny God has promised His Chosen People: “And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto those who turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD” (Isa. 59:20).
“For he that toucheth you [Israel] toucheth the apple of his [God’s] eye” (Zech. 2:8).
