Vashti’s Refusal to Appear

Esther 1:10-12

On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.

King Ahasuerus was a powerful King that reigned from India to Ethiopia with altogether one hundred and twenty seven provinces under his authority. In the third year of his reign, he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom for about one hundred and eighty days to many princes, nobles and their servants from various provinces. This King was filled with vainglory and was ostentatiously displaying not just the grandeur of his kingdom but of his own character which was against God’s. He dwelled in his pride and was now making a public display of the same not realizing what this pomp was about to bring him. Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom”. He attributed all his achievements to his own strength and might as opposed to God and His grace. After this he made a great feast to all that gathered there for about seven days and served drinks in golden vessels and had royal wine in abundance. They all drank per their wish and none was compelled as was the law during those days. In serving and being served by drinks the heart of the King was merry with wine and so were the hearts of the men around him. In such a state they must have involved in frivolous activities that far outweighed their regular activities when in a good sense free of drinks.

While the King and all the men had a royal feast in the palace, Queen Vashti entertained her lady guests in the royal place away from men. The custom of Persia in those days was not to inter mingle men and women in their celebrations. When the King’s heart was merry he sent King’s seven chamberlains Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas to bring Queen Vashti before the men with royal crown on her head for she was beautiful to look upon. These chamberlains merely executed the King’s order for their duty was so. Queen Vashti refused to come before the King and his men and the chamberlains returned to the King without the queen with them. King who was exultant and exuberant at the pomp and pride of his kingdom was now belittled before all the men because the queen refused to come before him. The King was raging in anger at his own wife’s refusal to appear before him and his men. Was the queen being disrespectful to her husband? Or was the King going against his land’s customs and acting foolishly? We can very well see that the King’s orders were against the land’s traditions and Queen Vashti simply used her common sense in refusing to follow King’s order for she knew that they were all drunk. Queen Vashti’s refusal was justifiable to her and the women in the chambers.

While it seemed right to the queen to refuse to obey King’s orders, the King and his men thought it an outright mistake on the queen’s part. It hurt their ego and especially King’s pride was shot beyond measure. King sought the counsel of his seven princes Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan who knew the times well. Memucan responded saying (Esther 1:16), “Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus”. Their fear was that “this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes”. The queen acted wisely in her own eyes according to the customs of the land. She would have been fairly respected by men and women if she just would have followed King’s orders for what seems right to the King would have been well accepted by the people in the Kingdom. The King Ahasuerus followed the advice of his prince Memucan and his advice was (Esther 1:19): “That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she”. Queen Vashti preserved her dignity and esteem but was now stripped off her royal privilege to be a queen. She did what was better for her because it was better for her lose her royal crown than to be a public spectacle.

Queen Vashti’s choice directly impacted her and she lost her royal crown. The King too was now without a queen in the palace. The King who reveled in his mighty kingdom was now humiliated by the queen before all the men. Had he been in his senses this would have been averted. God used the King’s folly for some good cause. God turned around the situation in protection of His chosen ones. Queen Vashti’s choice was reasonable to her and she made a decision that later God used to bring providence to Jews.

In all His humble state, the Son of God stooped down to the level of a human being forsaking the royal prestige and went all the way to the cross bearing the sin of the mankind. He was raised from the dead and is seated on the right hand side of His father. He soon is going to come back to take us, His chosen unto Him. What good are we before the Son of God that we should glory in our vanities? Let us all cast our pride at His feet and adorn ourselves with the beauty of humility for therein rests His grace in abundance.

Tomorrow: Esther Crowned as the Royal Queen