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Appointments With God Purim

Purim: God loads the dice for His glory

One common smear against God in recent times is that He is “an absentee landlord” or “a blind watchmaker” Who may have set everything in motion but now doesn’t care or doesn’t get involved. Many then blame Him for the evil and suffering that goes on in the world, particularly to those who it appears to us don’t deserve it, such as a dying family member or a starving child. A common slight against the book of Esther is that it doesn’t directly mention the name of the LORD, as the other books of the Bible do. However, the clear totality of the account is that He is very much at work in making evil plans turn back upon themselves to bring the promise of a blessing for the whole world — Messiah — through Abraham’s descendants. This would happen, even when the promise seemed to have been abandoned along with the people of Israel in Persia.

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Purim

Book of Esther dramatic reading for Purim available for download

Hallel Fellowship has been celebrating Purim, the Feast of Lots recorded at the end of the Bible book of Esther, with a dramatic reading of the book with pantomime. The fellowship has developed an hourlong version of the book.