Mastery Over Their Enemies

Esther  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  34:22
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Introduction

This next chapter is a difficult one for me. How are we as Christians to respond to it. Do we celebrate with the Jews? This is a chapter that is exciting for the Jews but what are we to do with it?

Esther 9:1-5

Esther 9:1–5 LEB
1 In the twelfth month, that is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, on which the edict of the king arrived and his law was enacted, on the day in which the enemies of the Jews had hoped to gain power over them but was overturned, and the Jews gained power against their enemies, 2 the Jews gathered in their cities in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to strike against those who sought their destruction, and no one could withstand them, as the fear of them fell on all the people. 3 All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, governors, and those who did the work of the king were supporting the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was high-ranking in the king’s palace and his fame spread throughout all the provinces as Mordecai grew more and more powerful. 5 The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them; and they did as they pleased with those that hated them.

Defending Yourself

After the new law was sent to the Jews, and the Jews were not the easy pickings that they assumed it would be. The Jews were allowed to Defend themselves. So they gathered together and defended themselves.
Verse 3 reveals that many Persian Officials “helped the Jews,” not because of fear of the Jews in general, but because they feared Mordecai.
Obviously, in the months since Mordecai’s appointment as a royal adviser he had increased in power and prominence (v. 4). Persian officials helped the Jews because Mordecai had become their superior
Verse 5 elaborates upon the Jews’ victory, adding that they “did what they pleased with those who hated them.” Although the text does not provide additional details on what “pleased” the Jews, it implies that something more than self-defense occurred.
Verse 6 mentions specifically that “five hundred men” were killed in the capital, which signifies that women and children were not killed. This fact supports the thesis of Robert Gordis that Mordecai’s decree only permitted the Jews to kill the men who attacked them, not innocent victims.
It is also noteworthy to mention as laid out in verse 10:
“but they [the Jews] did not lay a hand on the plunder.” Again, this supports the interpretation of 8:11 by Gordis, who understands Mordecai’s decree to grant permission to Jews to defend themselves against those who would plunder Jewish possessions, but not to plunder the possessions of their attackers. The fact that the Jews did not take the goods of those whom they killed in self-defense underlines the integrity of their motivation: they sought only to protect their lives and their property. The author clarifies this point by repeating it three times within seven verses (vv. 10, 15, 16).
Esther also has Haman’s son’s killed. Not really explaining that. It could have been for vengeance but very well could have been to keep them from becoming bitter and plotting vengeance of their own.

Temptation of Vengeance

Who could have imagined such divine protection, while thousands of Persians lost their lives when they acted with murderous intention.
Upon reading this you might think, as I initially did, that 75,000 Persians is a large number of casualties—fighting must have taken place all over the kingdom.
But documents from this time period reveal that the population of Persia was somewhere around 50 million people, which means that the number of Persians who actually took up arms against the Jews was relatively small.
They killed only men, not women and children (vv. 12, 15); they never took plunder (vv. 10, 15, 16); and Esther sought permission for one additional day of defense, not for a wanton attack on Jewish enemies (v. 13).
God had obviously turned the hearts of the Persian citizens toward the Jewish people. If He hadn’t, the Jews would have been easily annihilated without much of a fight.
Then in keeping with the wisdom theme, several proverbs suggest that if Esther was truly wise she would not pursue revenge beyond self-defense
Proverbs 1:10–13 LEB
10 My child, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us! We shall lie in wait for blood; we shall ambush the innocent without cause. 12 Like Sheol, we will swallow them alive and whole, like those who descend to the pit. 13 We shall find all precious wealth, we shall fill our houses with booty,
Proverbs 21:10 LEB
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor will not find mercy in his eyes.
Proverbs 21:15 LEB
15 It is a joy to the righteous to do justice, but dismay to those who do evil.
Proverbs 25:21–22 LEB
21 If your enemy is hungry, feed him bread, and if thirsty, let him drink water. 22 For coals of fire you will heap upon his head, and Yahweh will reward you.
It would be doubly strange for him to paint Esther, previously a paradigm of wisdom, as someone whose vengeful actions betrayed her wisdom. Therefore, the most feasible interpretation is that Esther 9:1–19 portrays Jewish self-defense—not vengeance.

Mastery Over Yourself

Esther 9 certainly describes people attacking and defeating their enemies, but this does not mean that we should imitate their behavior. As Christians we must view the events of Esther through the lens of Jesus, who called us to forgive 490 times (Matt. 18:22), to turn the other cheek (Matt. 5:39), and to love our enemies (Matt. 5:43).
Even if the Jews simply responded to their enemies according to the principle of “an eye for an eye,” we are called to a different standard:
Romans 12:17–21 LEB
17 Pay back no one evil for evil. Take thought for what is good in the sight of all people. 18 If it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people. 19 Do not take revenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 But “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this, you will heap up coals of fire upon his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Most of us must realize that our ability to love our enemies has never been tested. To be truthful, we even have a difficult time loving fellow-Christians with whom we disagree. And how do we respond to those who barely rank on the scale of enemies: people whose dishonesty hurts our business, or people who cut in front of us on the highway, or people who criticize us behind our backs?
An empathic reading of Esther 9 allows us to confront the vengeful, unforgiving spirit within our hearts.
We all stand in need of a Savior whose self-sacrifice earned our salvation.
We all need the Holy Spirit to transform our judgmental, unforgiving hearts. And when we leave vengeance to God, we often find that God uses us to bring His love to the very persons who have wronged us.
There is an old French Saying “Dieu est pour les gros escadrons” - God is for the big squadrons.
If that was right then the Jews didn’t stand a chance.
Learn from those Jewish survivors who had every reason to take revenge on their enemies but, instead, refused to do anything more than defend their lives.
1 Peter 2:9 LEB
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,
And don’t think for a second their Persian neighbors didn’t notice. The God of Israel received great honor that day as His people lived out these words:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
What’s so amazing about this story is not that the Jews gained mastery over their enemies, but that they gained mastery over themselves.

Next Steps

The lesson remains: our world doesn’t understand this principle. Books are written and movies are made all the time which glorify revenge. To truly turn the other cheek after suffering injustice is a concept that blows their minds. But it also makes them look twice at the person who responds without retaliation. And in the end, God receives glory and the Gospel gains more credibility because of it.
What is Revenge or Vengeance?
Can you think of a time where you have wanted to take revenge?
How can you act with the wisdom of God?
---Bibliography---
Harris, W. Hall, III, Elliot Ritzema, Rick Brannan, Douglas Mangum, John Dunham, Jeffrey A. Reimer, and Micah Wierenga, eds. The Lexham English Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012.
Roberts, Mark, and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. Vol. 11. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1993.
Davey, Stephen. Esther. Wisdom Commentary Series. Apex, NC: Charity House Publishers, 2012.
R. Gordis, “Esther Narrative,” pp. 51–52.
John H. Walton. 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Volume 3) Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (ZIBBC), Zondervan, 2009.
Ralph Keyes. The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When. St. Martin's Press, 2007.
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