The Hebrew Calendar and Adar's Place
Adar represents the final month of the Hebrew religious year, typically falling between February and March in our modern calendar. In Scripture, this month is primarily mentioned in the book of Esther, where it becomes the backdrop for one of the most dramatic displays of God's providence in protecting His covenant people.
The month of Adar holds special significance because it was during this time that Haman's evil plot against the Jewish people was scheduled to be carried out. Esther 3:7 tells us that lots were cast to determine the month for the destruction of the Jews, and "the lot fell on the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar." What Satan intended for evil, God sovereignly used for the ultimate deliverance and exaltation of His people.
God's Providence in Adar
The events surrounding Adar demonstrate beautifully how our sovereign God works behind the scenes to accomplish His purposes. Though God's name is never explicitly mentioned in the book of Esther, His providential hand is evident throughout the narrative that unfolds in this month. Esther 9:1 records the remarkable reversal: "On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, when the king's command and his edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them."
This stunning reversal established the feast of Purim, celebrated on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar. Esther 9:21-22 explains that Mordecai "ordered them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday."
Lessons for Today's Believers
The month of Adar reminds us that no situation is beyond God's ability to redeem and transform. When circumstances seem darkest and the enemy's plans appear certain to succeed, our faithful God can turn mourning into dancing and sorrow into joy. Just as He positioned Esther "for such a time as this," He places each of us strategically in His kingdom purposes.
As we reflect on the events of Adar, we're encouraged to trust in God's perfect timing and sovereignty, even when we cannot see His hand at work. The transformation of Adar from a month of intended destruction to a time of celebration teaches us that our God specializes in impossible situations and delights in confounding the wisdom of this world.
For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)