Esther 9:28 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 fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.
Do you want a healthy home? Of course you do! But a lot of people when they say they want a healthy home are merely hoping to get lucky. They think that healthy homes are the result of good genetics, good kids, or living in the right place. When I say “healthy,” I am talking about a home’s spiritual temperament. But in many homes, nothing could be further from the truth.
Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.” This means that we can cast our dice, but God is in control. Healthy homes rely on God’s providence not their own luck. By providence I mean God’s provision, God’s “provide-ance,” God’s ability to look ahead and to provide today in light of what we will need tomorrow. What we need is grace and mercy, not luck.
God doesn’t respond to our virtue as parents or children, but to our trust in and obedience to Him. In other words, I need grace, not merit. I need grace and mercy, not to have some accident happen.
In the story of Esther, Haman, the Jew’s enemy, had rolled the dice. He had cast the Pur to determine what day he would destroy all the Jewish people. Esther 9:1, almost a summary of the entire story, says, “In the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary…)” In other words, everything that Haman had devised against God’s people was turned to the exact opposite. The Bible teaches that Haman was hung upon the gallows that he had made. The Bible tells us that the house, the ring, and the letter that had belonged to Haman had turned against him.
It is almost like God is using Jujitsu on Haman, using Haman’s own strength, speed, and power against himself. It is almost like God let Haman charge his own way right over the cliff. In a sense, Haman destroyed himself. The Bible tells us, “As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy.” It was turned to the contrary, from sorrow to joy. Those days were called the days of Purim, the Feast of Purim.
Purim became a day that was turned from the day intended for the Jew’s destruction to a good day, a day of joy. The Jewish people appointed Purim as a day to be remembered. They remembered the providence, the provision, the looking ahead of God.
So, if you want a healthy home today, God doesn’t respond to your virtue. God responds to your trusting and obeying Him. Healthy homes rely on God’s providence, not their own luck.