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| One of my hamantashen batches for Purim 2015 |
Last week was no exception. Thursday was Purim,* a festival celebrating the inspiring lives of Esther and Mordechai, as well as the hidden Hand of God that saved His people through Esther's famous "such a time as this."
I celebrated with a wonderful gathering of ladies, teaching them about Esther's moments in the presence of her king, and what they show us about entering the Presence of our Heavenly King.
I decided to bring a sweet treat to the event: hamantashen: triangle-shaped cookies bearing the villain's name. Literally "Haman pockets," these plain cookies with sweetness hidden inside are a portrayal of Haman, the king's right-hand man who sought to line his pockets with power by destroying Mordechai and all of God's people.
If you don't know the story, here it is in a nutshell - in a hamantashen , if you will...!
Persian king throws two decadent banquets totaling 187 days. Tipsy king asks queen to strut her stuff in front of guests. Queen refuses. Queen is banished. Beauty contest held to replace her. Jewish girl living in exile (Esther) wins crown. No one in palace knows she's Jewish. King's right-hand man feels threatened by Jewish man rising in ranks. Tricks king into ordering execution of the man and all Jews. Doesn't know queen is his nemesis' cousin. Queen breaks protocol and risks life to intervene. Bad guy exposed, executed. Queen's cousin promoted. Jewish people saved.
The life of Esther is like a drama written for the stage. There is love and hatred, loyalty and betrayal, condemnation and redemption. Yet it wasn't written for the stage, it was written in the king's annals. It's the dramatic account of two faithful Jews who God used to save His children in exile.
And we use hamantashen to help tell the story. Yes, the cookies remind us that seemingly ordinary Haman had hidden secrets and agendas.
But as I've studied Esther over the years, hamantashen have also reminded me of our heroine: an orphan girl living in exile, whose ordinary exterior concealed a treasure inside, the treasure of strong, determined faith.
But most of all, the sweet treat of Purim reminds me of the real hero of this rescue. The rescuer whose name is never mentioned in the entire Book of Esther. I'm talking about God Himself.
While His Name is remarkably absent, God's Presence is powerfully present throughout the account. His divine Hand aligned a succession of "ordinary" circumstances into a divine tapestry so that Esther was in the right place at the right time "for such a time as this." Sweet redemption framed up by plain human relationships.
But it's more than that. Hamantashen, that three-sided cookie, is a reminder to me of our three-in-one Redeemer. Who came to earth looking completely ordinary on the outside, but - when people choose to partake of Him - unleashes the sweet treasure of fellowship with the King Himself, and the fruit of the Spirit.
God is a hamantashen! My King who rules in righteousness and abounds in lovingkindness! The Spirit, who guides in all truth and comforts hurting hearts! And my Savior, the ordinary-on-the-outside-but-divine-on-the-inside god-man.
God is a hamantashen! Hmmm. I think I'm going to go bake another batch...
Lord, I praise you as the three-in-one God! My Father, the King, who rules in righteousness and abounds in lovingkindness. The Spirit, who guides in all truth and comforts my hurting heart. And my Savior, who came as a helpless baby, a humble carpenter, yet reveals sweet freedom. Help me to never be blinded by the ordinary so that I miss Your divine Presence. Amen
Purim means "lots," as in the lots Haman cast to determine the date of the Jews' annihilation.
Mordechai = more-deh-kye
Haman = hay-man
Hamantashen = hah-men-tah-shen
