In Esther, chapter three, verse seven, they cast “Pur,” similar to dice. Haman used it to determine the “lucky day” on which to destroy the people of God after nearly one year intervened between the casting of the lot and the execution of the plan. The period gave Mordecai and Esther, under the providence of God, time to encounter the evil plot of Haman. The month Nisan was later the name of the month known in the Pentateuch as Abib. In this month, the Passover had been first instituted when God smote the Egyptians with a terrible visitation, the death of the firstborn, and bade the destroying angel spare the houses with the blood-besprinkled doorposts. It was in the same month that the Passover received its final fulfillment, when “Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us,” when no mere earthly Egypt was embarrassed, but principalities and powers of evil.
“Pur” is a Persian word for “a lot,” for both here and in Esther nine, verse twenty-four. The people who cast Pur were seeking a lucky day, as indicated by the lots, for the purpose in hand. The selection of a lot for each day of the month and each month in the year, and in some way or other day and month are indicated as the most favorable. The notion of lucky and unlucky days seems to have been prevalent in the East in early times and found visibly in the West.
“Pur” is similar to dice and reminds us of gambling. The approach from Haman, in this fashion with a lot, explains how betting has become such a big business in our society where people would risk property and other things for gain, especially finances. Haman did “Pur” to determine the outcome of life, indicating how dangerous gambling can be for a person and others affected by such a one.