Joy Is the Key To Victory At Purim and All The Time!

Joy is a powerful emotion. The biblical definition of joy could be described as a deep-rooted feeling of contentment, delight and well-being.

Simcha, the Hebrew word for joy, refers to celebration, gladness and jubilation.

In the Jewish faith, the word simcha is associated with festivals and life-cycle events like a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a wedding, a Brit Milah (Circumcision) or a Simchat Bat (Baby Naming for a daughter).

This year, at Purim, as I’ve been re-reading through the book of Esther, an interesting point has stuck out to me, especially in light of the global political climate we find ourselves in today:

The JOY that the Jews experienced when Haman’s wicked plot for annihilation was turned on its head was a key factor in many Persians turning to the God of Israel.

Esther 8:16-17 says, “For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebration. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.”  

In addition to thanking God for his deliverance and salvation of our people, the biblical rejoicing we do at Purim is not just for the sake of consoling ourselves that the genocidal threat of the enemy has been defeated, but our rejoicing is also for the purpose of radically demonstrating God’s joy to a lost and confused onlooking world, in the hopes that they too will turn to the God of Israel. After all, the “fear of the Jews” the Persians were seized by was really the fear of the God of the Jews.

With the recent findings in January by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) that 46% of adults worldwide hold antisemitic beliefs, it might be tempting to lay low, pipe down, and not engage in so much rejoicing at Purim. 

But that would be antithetical to what Esther did when she faced the same spirit in her time. The act of rejoicing is a choice to be courageous and let the world see that light overcomes darkness. As believers, we also know Esther’s story is a prophetic picture of Yeshua and the ultimate sacrifice he would make for us. Rejoicing at Purim is another opportunity to draw close to the Lord and for many reasons, it’s an expression of living a spirit-filled life.

• Joy is one of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit and lives inside of us. “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
• Joy strengthens us. “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)
• Joy leads to hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)
• Joy builds our faith. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” (James 1:2)
• Joy is a gift Yeshua wants to give us. “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:24)
• Joy is medicine for our bodies and enhances our health. “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)
• Expressing Joy to the Lord is a sacrifice of worship and praise. “Then my head will be lifted up above my enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.” (Psalm 27:6)

Rejoicing in the Lord when we experience relief from our enemies strengthens our faith and refreshes our souls, especially when we know there will likely be more intense battles ahead.

“Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, near and far,to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” (Esther 9:20-22)

God promised in scripture that he would wage war against the Amalekites, (of which Haman was a descendant), from generation to generation.  ^“He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” (Exodus 17:16).

We know that as we get closer to the end, the spirit of Amalek will rise against God’s people (Jewish and Christian) more intensely, which is why we need to rejoice in God. When we do, we silence the voice of the enemy, just as we drown out Haman’s name with our groggers (noisemakers) during the reading of the Megillah (scroll of Esther). No matter what happens, no matter how the enemy threatens and taunts,we know how the story ends. The book of Esther is a revelatory picture of the final battle between Satan and God’s people. Because of Yeshua, who is both the intercessor and the King, the tables will be turned on the ruler of this world; he and his minions will be destroyed forever, and the people of God will rejoice, rule and reign in the eternal kingdom! That is something to rejoice about!!

At Purim, the Jewish people and all those grafted into the olive tree of Israel have an opportunity to enter God’s appointed time of rejoicing and receive strength and blessing, and shine the heavenly light of joy!

Chag Sameach! Happy Purim!

Now, for the celebration…

Gather some friends, have the kids dress up in whatever costumes you have on hand (the Bible story characters are always great but any costume will do), make some Hamantaschen (see recipe below) and share your favorite candies or sweets. And, most importantly, read the story of Esther readers’ theater style, booing when Haman’s name is read and cheering for Mordecai and Esther, the heroes of the story!

Last, but not least, find a local or national charity to donate to in honor of the holiday. Sharing resources with others is a perfect way to celebrate the joy of the holiday.

Happy Purim!

Here’s my grandmother Shoshana’s Hamantaschen Recipe with a bit of modern modification 🙂

Total Time: 2 hours,

Yields: 3 dozen pastries

FOR THE DOUGH, BEAT:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, 1 pkg. cream cheese, softened (8 oz.) 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. lemon zest, 1 tsp. vanilla, plus 1 Tbs. orange juice

ADD:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted ½ tsp. table salt, 1/2 tsp. baking powder

FOR THE FILLING:

¾ cup raspberry preserves, Nutella, 1 egg, beaten

note: you can also use apricot or prune preserves…whatever your favorite is!

INSTRUCTIONS

For the dough, beat butter, cream cheese, sugar, and zest with a mixer or in a food processor on medium speed until smooth.

Add flour and salt to the butter mixture and beat just until incorporated.

Divide dough in half and shape halves into disks

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll one dough disk on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thick. Cut dough into rounds with a 3-inch cutter. Transfer rounds to prepared baking sheets. Repeat rolling, cutting, and transferring of remaining dough disk; re-roll scraps once and repeat method.

For the filling, spoon 1/2 tsp. Nutella and 1 tsp. raspberry preserves in the center of each dough round; brush egg around edges. Form triangle shape by folding in edges, pinching into corners, and leaving an opening at the center of the filling. Brush exposed dough with egg.

Repeat filling, brushing, folding, pinching, and brushing with all remaining dough rounds and fruit butter. Freeze cookies 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bake cookies until golden, ⏰ 20–30 minutes; transfer baking sheets to racks and let cookies cool completely.

Grab one before they all disappear!