Esther 9:20-28
Psalm 124:1-8
Matthew 5:9
Mark 9:38-50
James 5:19-20
Vengeance hardens hearts, but peacemaking softens hearts, and we believe that this is why Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:9 that…
9. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
NASB
It’s the children of God who end all forms of exploitation and violence upon
the earth, and Paul tells us in Romans 8 that the whole of creation groans
waiting for the revealing of the children of God to free it from its present
corruption.
Vengeance hardens hearts and only opens the world to more violence, which
most people are all too happy to participate in, which includes their total
indifference to the corruption that causes the suffering and deaths of
millions of human beings, and billions of other animals every year.
Unfortunately, Esther 9:20-28, seems to tell the opposite story that
vengeance is good because of the immediate results of acts of vengeance, but
it also says nothing about God or His heavenly will.
20. Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews
who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,
21. obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the
fifteenth day of the same month, annually,
22. because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it
was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from
mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and
rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
The Jewish people still celebrate this holiday, but as we all should know, their vengeance only had a short term effect, for over the years the Jews have been horribly oppressed by many nations and people.
23. Thus the Jews undertook what they had started to do, and what Mordecai
had written to them.
24. For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the
Jews, had schemed against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that
is the lot, to disturb them and destroy them.
This is an example of the evil that has continued to plague this world even
to this very day.
Why has this happened?
Because the leaders of countries and other people either permit or encourage
or even support such behavior, which in our opinion is just as evil as the
people like Haman.
25. But when it came to the king's attention, he commanded by letter that his wicked scheme which he had devised against the Jews, should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
This king is sympathetic to the plight of the Jews, but instead of blocking
such action in the beginning by setting a heavenly example of how we are to
live here on earth, he resorts to revenge against Haman and his sons.
True peacemakers stop the evil in the beginning before it is able to
manifest itself.
26. Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. And
because of the instructions in this letter, both what they had seen in this
regard and what had happened to them,
27. the Jews established and made a custom for themselves, and for their
descendants, and for all those who allied themselves with them, so that they
should not fail to celebrate these two days according to their regulation,
and according to their appointed time annually.
In other words, they customized vengeance as being a normal way of life,
when in fact, it is totally against the heavenly will of God.
We don’t have to be like this; we can do better; we can live in God’s
heavenly will.
28. So these days were to be remembered and celebrated throughout every
generation, every family, every province, and every city; and these days of
Purim were not to fail from among the Jews, or their memory fades from their
descendants.
NASB
What the people are remembering is that vengeance is good; instead of the
truth that vengeance hardens hearts.
As we look at Psalm 124:1-8, let’s remember what the Bible tells us about
God and His vengeance: "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," which means that
we are not to take vengeance on our own initiative.
1. "Had it not been the LORD who was on our side,"
Let Israel now say,
The Lord is on our side when we are living in the heavenly will of God here on earth as it is in heaven, which also requires us to put our complete trust in the Lord.
2. "Had it not been the LORD who was on our side,
When men rose up against us;
3. Then they would have swallowed us alive,
When their anger was kindled against us;
4. Then the waters would have engulfed us,
The stream would have swept over our soul;
5. Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul."
If this is the way we feel, then it shows that we have put our trust in the Lord and are not taking vengeance on our own, but leaving it in the hands of God.
6. Blessed be the LORD,
Who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.
7. Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper;
The snare is broken and we have escaped.
This happens when we allow God to take whatever vengeance He deems appropriate.
8. Our help is in the name of the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
NASB
This psalm is in total contrast to the passage we read in Esther, where the
people took their own vengeance, but here they have put their trust in the
Lord to take whatever action He deemed appropriate.
Now, let’s take a look at Mark 9:38-50…
38. John said to Him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to hinder him because he was not following us."
Simple comments or questions like this in our societies often lead people to
commit acts of vengeance; they may not think about it in these terms, but if
it then leads to hindering the person in any violent way, it is against
God’s heavenly will.
Note how Jesus responds:
39. But Jesus said, "Do not hinder him, for there is no one who shall perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.
Anything done in the heavenly will of God will have a positive outcome.
40. "For he who is not against us is for us.
41. "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as
followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.
42. "And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it
would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he
had been cast into the sea.
Jesus isn’t suggesting that anyone do this, but that people who are ungodly or full of vengeance will end up this way in the spiritual realm.
43. "And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,
Again, Jesus is most likely not suggesting that we actually do this, but that we need to control our emotions, for unchecked emotions can lead us to hell.
44. [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]
45. "And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for
you to enter life lame, than having your two feet, to be cast into hell,
This is just another example of how much we need to control our emotions, or risk going to hell.
46. [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]
47. "And if your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out; it is better for
you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be
cast into hell,
48. where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
This is the third time that Jesus mentioned this example in three different ways, which should also alert us to how important it is for us to control our emotions and not be influenced by the schemes of the devil and his minions.
49. "For everyone will be salted with fire.
50 "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make
it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
NASB
In other words stand up for what is right in the eyes of God, and avoid
those things that are ungodly.
Let’s end our discussion of how vengeance hardens hearts by looking at James
5:19-20, and let’s see these verses as addressing those who are prone to
being vengeful.
19. My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back,
All the time we hear from people who get so angry at the horrible treatment
of animals that they want to take revenge on the people doing these horrible
things, and we well understand their feelings, but they are from the corrupt
ways of this world and not from God.
So, we try to turn the energy of their anger into compassionate and
empathetic ways to wake up the general public to the horrible ways animals
are treated.
And when we do this, we actually receive a blessing that further energies us
to be even more of a child of God.
20. let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will
save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.
NASB
Vengeance hardens hearts, but being peacemaking children of God softens
hearts, and brings us closer to freeing creation from its present
corruption.
We can and must do it.
Amen?
Amen.
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