On Self defense

Esther 9:1-16

GBCCR 9/14/25

Introduction

Catch- Ethical questions seem very hypothetical until you’re facing one

It’s too easy to think, I need some that will apply today, when we need to prepare in our hearts some clarity to guide those split second decisions.

Of course, the classic is: If you are a Christian in the Netherlands during the 1940s and your Jewish neighbors need a place to hide

Do you lie to the Nazis who come looking for them?

As chrsitians we don’t want to do just want seems right to us, but what does our king Jesus want us to do?

Or if you see someone being attacked by another person on a train, what would Jesus have you do?

Does scripture say thou shall not kill, and if it comes to that, what should I do?

Or do I need to speak up when someone I am being wrongly maligned by others or do I just need to take it?

How did Jesus respond to his accusers in a way that entrusted himself to him who judges justly?

We need biblical ethics to respond rightly in a world where wrong will continue to happen until Jesus brings the final victory

While I cannot answer every question, I want us to think about self-defense today

We’ve gotten to Act 4- The triumph of the nation of priests

Last week we saw the enemy of the Jews, Haman, die

He had built large stakes to hang Mordecai

But after Queen Esther revealed to the king that his insidious law would mean her death

He died instead on those very gallows he built

But while the villain is dead, everything was not fine

Instead, we saw that God had orchestrated this horrible threat to bring people to Himself

God used the threat on the jews to cause many people to become god fearers in 8:17

People were saved because for months the Jewish people suffered with a death sentence

Now Mordecai is the 2nd in command of Persia and he wrote a law

He couldn’t change the old law, which was stuck in rock

So he allowed the jews to attack back in force, ensuring mutually assured destruction

Hopefully, all the attackers would back off, right?

No, sinful evil doesn’t make sense, so today let’s see

2 truths to remember about those who attack you

You can defend yourself from evil doers (1-10)

Explanation

God flips the powerful (1-4)

Nine months have gone by since the new law was sent out and things look good for the Jewish people

The book has been about God using providence, His control over natural processes, to bring about a change

Notice the passive phrase, it was turned to the contrary

There is no subject of who did the turning because it is obviously a power bigger than just Esther and Mordecai

Like when a child says to mom… the vase was dropped, in a passive

We all know who did the dropping

And we all know the invisible God did the turning

The jews are now allowed to legally create militias to defend themselves

So, in anticipation of this March day they’ve been preparing throughout the whole kingdom to fight

“Those who sought them harm them” may sound minuscule

But the word sought is not just desired, but conspired/planned/attempted

It is the same word used in 2:21

Esther 2:21- two of the king’s officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

This

No attack strategy the attackers could think up in the 9 months of preparation could be successful

Verse 3 says even all the officials supported the jews

The satraps were the leaders of many provinces

The governors were those over a region, like Nehemiah was over Judah

And other officials for the king came to the jews’ aid

All because Mordecai was seen as being greater than all… they respected and indeed feared what he would do to them

All of this because God providentially placed Esther into the King’s Herem and Mordecai at his gate

I don’t know about you, but often I want people to respect or fear Christians like they feared the Israelites coming in from the Jordan river… terrified at the miracles, hiding behind the city gates in Jericho

Miracles of God that show there is no doubt of his power

And which people He support

That would be so uplifting, right?

But we are not in the era of God’s frequent and obvious miracles,

but instead the quiet time like Esther where providence reigns

We can earn respect through how we wisely and persuasively deal with accusations, attacks, and trials.

Isn’t it fascinating that Paul does tell the churches to miraculously heal the sick or part the waters but instead he says Christians persuade

2 Corinthians 5:11- Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men…

God uses your words, your proclamation of the good news of Jesus to bring about the fear of the Lord in others

Jesus is shown to be powerful by not using miracles, but ordinary people like us

He appeared defeated in his humble death on the cross

But in that moment, he didn’t die at the hands of men,But under the wrath of almighty God for the sins we’ve done

But under the wrath of almighty God for the sins we’ve done

We may never murder anyone, but Jesus said our anger with others murders them in our hearts

You and I need forgivness,

christians have been given forgivness

And we can say to those who feel defeated by their sins or those who feel like they’ve good enough

You can be forgiven by Jesus

This message of Jesus greatness in weakness overcomes the world

Trans: Now, lest we think the fear of Mordecai was enough to stop persecution

Hatred still fuels a power grab (5-10)

The jews kill those who attacked them with swords

They did all that they pleased cannot mean they gave full vent to all their desires

V12 only mentions men being killed, not the women and children they were permitted to

V10 makes clear that sthey refused to take any of the spoils

It has always been common to kill and take the your enemies goods, but they refused

Instead, since all the government supported them, they were allowed to fully defend themselves

Why are the 10 sons of Haman specifically mentioned n 6-10?

Because they are following the pattern of their fathers and attacked

These are not guys just fighting enemies, but wicked people descended from wicked

They are children of Amalekites

Amalekites specialized in attacking the weak

Moses reminds Israel that Amalek “attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary” (Deut. 25:18

Amalekite raiders attacked Ziklag when David and his mighty men were marching with the Philistines to fight Saul, when only women and children were present (1 Sam. 30:2–3).

And their father used the power of the state to kill women and children because one man disrespected him

We are not told their motivation

But we know their whole home is owned by the Jew Mordecai right now

While he is very powerful, perhaps they considered that it is still legal to attack the man who took everything from them… maybe they can kill him and take it back?!

Have you ever noticed how movies sometimes add scenes that are in books?

Especially scenes that involve lots of intense action?

Can you allow me to pretend to be a screenwriter for a second to give a fuller sense of what these men are doing?

The scene opens before sunrise as see mobs getting together to fight against the jews…

At sunrise they start smashing their businesses and homes

The 10 sons head for the royal palace, getting their friends to let them in

They rush to kill Mordecai in his room

There are some screams

But then the Jewish militias start running towards them… you hear the yell, swords clash, blood is split

And by the mercy of God, the jews come out victorious

The hatred of God’s people was so strong that even though the deck is stacked against them at this point, they still fight

Trans: And while we may wonder if anyone can be this foolish… this is what eschatology or the study of the end times, tells us will happen

This hatred will be seen in the last battle (Revelation 20)

Let’s read

Revelation 20:2–10- And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

verses two, four, five, and seven

John mentions a thousand year timeframe for the imprisonment of Satan in the pit,

the time of the first resurrection, and the period before nations come out for battle

Many of my favorite preachers and teachers have different views on this subject,

and it is a controversial one within churches.

That being said, I think a literally 1000 year kingdom helps us understand human nature

We believe that there will be a seven year tribulation period,

which is Daniel’s prophesied 70th week,

where the antichrist will come to power over the entire earth, and God will pour out his wrath upon the world in judgment

Christ returns in ch 19 and does what to his enemies?

1-3 you have the binding of Satan in the abyss

V4-5 we have the reign of the saints and two resurrections

All people of the church and those killed during the tribulation will be resurrected!

They will have the new bodies like Jesus that are not married or given in marriage (matt 22:30)

But there will also be people who make it through the tribulation without dying and thus will live 100s of years and then die… because they don’t have a resurrected body

They will have kids who are not believers

This will be a time when Jesus fulfills his role of sitting on the throne of his father David

It will be a perfect society, with amazing health so that

Isaiah 65:20- “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed.

There will be perfect peace

Isaiah 65:25- “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.

But then V7-10 Satan is released

And the nations gather to him to fight against God

They will surround the city of God in an attempt to fight against him

And the result of this uprising is prophetically told… their destruction

One Reason the millennium exists in God’s plan is to disprove the philosopher John Locke

he thought that people are good and society

The millennium shows that it’s never about rules or society… it’s always about the need to change the heart

Illustration point- There will be evil attackers that godly people will need to defend themselves from now until the end

It can look different ways

For example Martin Luther

The lowly bible professor in Germany was summoned to appear before Emperor Charles V at his imperial court in the city of Worms in 1521

When ordered by the pope’s representative to repent of his heretical views he declared

“My conscience is captive to the Word of God. This I cannot and will not recant, for going against my conscience is neither safe nor salutary. I can do no other, here I stand, God help me. Amen.”

Luther was declared an outlaw by the emperor

But praise God, he was defend by prince Frederick “The Wise” of Saxony

For a time his supporters secretly had him placed in a castle in Wartburg. He stayed there for a year disguised as “Knight George.

The protestant reformation took place by God’s providence using Luther’s defense of his beliefs and those who defended him

Application

The bilble teaches Self-defense is good thing

Let’s talk about a controversial teaching of Jesus:

Luke 6:29- “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

What this strike entails is often debated

The blow on the right cheek was the most grievous insult in the ancient Near East

OR The cheek is rather the jaw. Jesus is speaking of a punch to the side of the jaw rather than a light slap in the face.

Either way, The natural reaction to such a blow is to strike back hard. Jesus tells his follower to offer the other side

CS Lewis wrote about pacifism and said there are 3 ways to take this command

Pacifist interpretation; it imposes a duty of nonresistance on all men in all circumstances

There is the minimizing interpretation;

it does not mean what it says but is merely an orientally hyperbolical way of saying that you should put up with a lot

the third one is to understand it says only what is says

If it involves merely an injury to myself,

I should never retaliate by hiting back

Some Christians write

The point of Matthew 5:11–12 is that Christians are freed to rejoice in persecution because our hearts have been so changed that we are more satisfied in the hope of heaven than in the hope of self-defense. This is the root of turning the other cheek and loving the enemy. The steadfast love of the Lord is better than life (Psalm 63:3).

And there is something good about that because we do love our lives a lot

But Jesus didn’t ignore any of the OT Law so we can learn from them

Exodus 22:2–3- If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

if a Israelite found someone in his house in the middle of the night and the homeowner kills the thief, the homeowner is innocent.

But if the homeowner kills the thief during daylight, when the homeowner can see that the burglar is a thief and not attempting homicide, the homeowner is guilty.

Christians have understood the command you shall not murder to include protecting your own life

The argument goes a step forward when you talk about people hurting someone else

When the prophets define true religion, they make sure that it includes defending the innocent from the wicked

Loving our neighbor means we stop evil doers

Romans 13:9- For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

And the government has the sword to stop evildoers

Romans 13:4-. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

So in a country with self-defense laws, we are part of this process of justice

I believe Jesus’ words mean what they say

Physical harm… a punch in the gut, a slap on the face should not be met with instant retaliation

But defending yourself or someone else is not murder

Christians are to fight with proportionate responses

One key idea to remember when you’re reading the Old Testament and trying to apply it to your life is whether or not the principles you derived from this passage really fit with the rest of Scripture

Does the New Testament say the same thing for example?

In what ways is a New Covenant Christian different from an old Covenant Israelite?

One key thing we learn is that the church is not supposed to have armies or soldiers who use the weapons of man

2 Corinthians 10:3–6- For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

We fight ideas with words

We fight lies with truth

But John the Baptist did not tell the soldiers to stop being soldiers when they repented

Paul didn’t tell the government to lay down the sword

So those of you who fight for others can do so with weapons like in the military or police

But also those of you who fight with the law

Or who fight with just policies in your workplace

You should be a good hep to those who need to know who to appeal to governing authorities for defense

But I want you to believe something important

No matter how many good christians we get in government, no matter how good the laws get

Satan’s lies will still rise up and convince some to attack.. you will suffer

God is going to radically change the world and bring about his promised millennium kingdom one day

So we can’t make our ultimate goal to save the world now,

our priority is to preach the gospel to make people citizens of the kingdom that is still to come. .

Therefore

Since we have seen (Cohesion)-

We’ve seen how good God is to flip the oppressed and the oppressor

But the foolish hearts of man will still fight

We know we must (Resolution)-

So do not be surprised when something evil makes no sense

It seems self-destructive

But Satan is the father of lies… and has he not read this book and seen how it ends for him

But he still proceeds on, driven by hate

Brothers and sisters… We are to live differently

We live by truth

We live by Justice

And even in times of just defense… we trust should be seeking to be like Jesus sayingFather, forgive them… they know not what they do

Father, forgive them… they know not what they do

Vengeance is mine says the lord, so we trust his instruments

Closing prayer

Lord, please we pray for you to come and setup your good kingdom

In the mean time we pray for our country and neighbors… may you protect the innocent and remove the teeth of the wicked who want to attack

May we trust in what you are doing oh God.