Retribution Without Profit

Esther 9:1-17

    1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king's command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. 3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king's work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king's palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. 5 Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them.

    6 And in Shushan the citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7 Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha— 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

    11 On that day the number of those who were killed in Shushan the citadel was brought to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the citadel, and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is your petition? It shall be granted to you. Or what is your further request? It shall be done."

    13 Then Esther said, "If it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do again tomorrow according to today's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged on the gallows."  14 So the king commanded this to be done; the decree was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman's ten sons.

    15 And the Jews who were in Shushan gathered together again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men at Shushan; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

    16 The remainder of the Jews in the king's provinces gathered together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of their enemies; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. 17 This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. And on the fourteenth of the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

Retribution without profit.  That is how God’s people enacted vengeance and offensive self-protection against their enemies who were set on annihilating genocide of the Jews.  They killed their enemies before they could be killed, taking the offensive as provided by the law of the king for their self-preservation.  But they did not lay a hand on the plunder; they refused to be like their adversaries who had a decree in writing to kill and profit by stealing all their possessions, just as the Nazis of the Second World War had done.  The legal decree used to stop this genocide also included the provision to plunder their possessions after killing and destroying their attackers, but they stopped short.  This demonstrated that they were not so much out for revenge as they were protecting themselves from annihilation by annihilating their adversaries first.  It was a preemptive response, but it was also a legal response; they would presumably not done so without the edict of the king behind them, otherwise why would it have been needed?  This is a good lesson for today’s world that we do not go outside the laws of the land to stop our enemies and adversaries from attacking us; all should be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40), both spiritually and secularly.  God gave laws and rulers for us to obey and to act within the constraints He has allowed to be put in their hands (Romans 13:1-2, 4-5).  Also noteworthy is that the adversary’s ideals which were most likely or at least possibly shared by Haman’s ten sons were stopped by their execution as well.  The hatred behind the adversary’s actions was stopped from recurring in this manner.  This allowed the fear of the enemy to abate and real rest and rejoicing took place with gladness of heart in knowing the people of God would not have to wonder if there would be a tomorrow as they lived according to the laws of the foreign country which they had been taken captive to long before.  We also are sojourners in a country not ours in eternity with Christ, and long for that unending habitation with Christ and the Father.  Our eternal protection from annihilation is guaranteed, and our hope and rejoicing therefore are in the victory we possess in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57), not in the uncertainty of physical peace and protection or prosperity in this temporary country (Hebrews 11:14-16, 13:14).  In the end, the Lord will enact retribution on our adversary the devil and those angels who followed (Jude 1:6), and the profit to Him will be us us, and we will find His presence our gain (Philippians 3:14).  We do not seek our own retribution nor profit.  He has done it all.