What significance do the "fourteenth and fifteenth days" hold in Esther 9:21? Setting the Scene • Haman’s decree scheduled Jewish annihilation for the 13th of Adar (Esther 3:13). • God’s providence turned the tables; the Jews fought back on that very day (Esther 9:1-5). • When the swords were sheathed, two different “rest days” emerged: – Provincial Jews rested on the 14th. – Jews in the royal city of Susa fought an extra day (by Esther’s request, Esther 9:13-15) and rested on the 15th. Text Spotlight “to establish among them that they should celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar” (Esther 9:21) Why Two Dates? 1. Literal historical record • Scripture records facts, not fables. Two separate rests actually happened. 2. Every Jew included • One unified feast could have excluded either group’s experience. Two dates ensured no one’s deliverance was minimized. 3. Public testimony of God’s timing • God’s hand was visible in matching each community’s rest to its specific deliverance. Practical Observance Instituted Mordecai prescribed: • “times of feasting and joy” (Esther 9:22) • sending “food portions to one another” • giving “gifts to the poor” These elements still shape Purim today. Symbolic Significance • Rest after warfare – Mirrors earlier redemptive rests (Exodus 14:30-31; Joshua 23:1). • Twofold celebration underscores completeness – As Passover spans both the 14th (slaughter) and 15th (first day of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:5-6, 39), so Purim covers successive days, marking total deliverance. • Generosity springs from salvation – Freed people naturally share (cf. 1 Samuel 25:8; Deuteronomy 16:11). • Foreshadowing ultimate victory – Just as God preserved His people then, He preserves them until Christ’s final triumph (Revelation 12:6, 17). Echoes Elsewhere in Scripture • Exodus 12:14 – a literal date becomes a perpetual memorial. • Joshua 10:12-14 – God lengthens a day for victory; here He lengthens celebration for victory. • Psalm 118:24 – “This is the day the LORD has made”; Purim extends that declaration to two days. Lessons for Today • God’s deliverance is detailed—He remembers place, time, and people. • Remembering salvation fuels worship; forgetting it breeds fear (Psalm 77:11-12). • Celebrations rooted in real history give concrete witness to God’s faithfulness. |
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