Esther 9:20-32 – Remembrance Day

Every year many countries pause to reflect on the horrors of war and the sacrifices of the fallen. In the UK, this annual event is known as Remembrance Day – an apt name for a day that’s all about looking back.

Given our culture’s tendency to fixate on the here and now, this is seen as an increasingly important event. The theory is that those who forget the painful mistakes of the past are more likely to make the same mistakes in the future. Since those mistakes had such horrific consequences, Remembrance Day is a rather gloomy affair.

Today’s passage deals with a Jewish version of Remembrance Day. It performed much the same function: stopping painful lessons from being forgotten amidst the busyness of modern life. However, that’s where the similarities end: The Feast of Purim was an unashamedly celebratory event.

Does this passage still matter in the 21st Century? Yes it does. Believers today may not be called to celebrate Purim, but we’re still called to look back and learn the lessons of the past. Just like the Jews of centuries ago, it is good to reflect on God’s deliverance.

If anything, we should be even more enthusiastic than the Jews in this passage. After all, their rescue was a temporary one; it did not deal with the problems of sin, guilt, and judgement. By contrast, we look back to the final, perfect, once and for all deliverance won by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us learn from these verses. Would it not be helpful to regularly and deliberately remember your salvation? Is it not good to remember what you were before rescue, remember the doom that awaited you, and remember how Jesus Christ has turned the tables?

But more than that, is it not vital that we commit ourselves to the official Remembrance Day celebrations of God’s people? These aren’t an annual, but a weekly event. God has set aside one day per week to remember our salvation through Jesus Christ. Isn’t that something to cherish?

Questions
1. What happens when we forget the salvation we have received in Jesus Christ?
2. How can we get the most out of our weekly Remembrance Day?

Prayer Points
1. Confess the times you have forgotten the salvation you have received. Pray that God would help you to reflect on it more.
2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
3. Pray for family matters.