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| King Ahasuerus after much revelling at his feast |
How far would you go to keep up appearances, and at what
cost? The first chapter of the book of Esther
gives us an interesting perspective on the devastating consequences of letting
pride and self-aggrandizement stand in the way of common sense and of our
treasured relationships. Many players in this book were motivated by looking
good in one another’s eyes, rather than focusing on how God saw them.
Yet although the Name of God is never mentioned throughout
the book, we can see His providential hand at work, bringing together all things for the good of His chosen people and for His glory (Romans 8:28).
King Ahasuerus, pagan ruler of the vast Persian Empire, was
relatively new in this position. As he had been king for only three years, he
had to be respected and admired by his court or he could get overthrown,
deposed or killed. What better way to show off than to throw a lavish party
that would spread his fame throughout the 127 provinces extending from India to
Ethiopia? (Esther 1:1-3).
But history of the times suggests that his position was
largely unchallenged, so he may have had this expensive, wasteful display just
to satisfy his own pride. He could have found better uses for his wealth, as
did subsequent kings such as Cyrus, by building the temple and maintaining the
temple service (Ezra 6: 3-22; 7:10-28),
to honor God and to benefit the people. Is
it more important to look good in the eyes of others, or in the eyes of God?
King Ahasuerus chose the former, holding a six month-long
feast for the princes, rulers and palace household and servants, followed by a
second lavish feast that lasted a full week, for the people of Shushan where
the palace was located. So many attended the second party that even the palace
could not accommodate them all, and it overflowed into the garden (Esther 1:4-5).
The garden was dressed to the nines for the occasion, using
the finest, most expensive materials, and colorful displays to delight the eye,
show the variety of the king’s possessions, and reflect his status. The couches
where the guests reclined while dining were of gold and silver on marble. The
rainbow array of colors in the marble and draperies may have symbolized the
qualities Ahasuerus wished to portray: white for purity (Mark 9:3), green for youth and vitality, blue for nobility,
purple for royalty, red for passion, and black for dignity (Esther 1:6).
Although the second feast was for the commoners, who might
have been tempted to pocket the silverware, the king let his pride outweigh his
judgment, and the finest royal wine was served in goblets individually crafted
of gold (Esther 1:7). No doubt
the food was not only abundant, but included culinary delights beyond description.
And yet Scripture tells us that a simple meal of herbs served with love is
better than having a whole ox served with hatred (Proverbs 15:17).
To the king’s credit, none of the guests were forced to
drink, as this would have been against the law (Esther 1:8). It was not like a fraternity hazing, or even a
“Christian” cocktail party of today, where the host may feel he has to
continually urge people to drink to be considered hospitable. However,
Scripture warns against encouraging others to drink, thereby contributing to
their drunkenness and irresponsible behavior, and facing God’s judgment (Habakkuk 2:15). If anyone drank
too much at this feast, the king wanted to make sure he could not be blamed.
To ensure his good reputation and favor with the people,
the king had his wife, Queen Vashti, also hold a feast in the palace for all
the women (Esther 1:9), as he
may have realized that the wives of his courtiers could influence their opinion
of the king. In the culture of that monarchy, women dined separately, unlike in
the reign of Belshazzar, when the custom was for the wives and concubines to
feast and drink with him (Daniel 5:1-6).
Similarly, in Herod’s reign, the women and men partied
together, as occurred when Herodias’ daughter danced before him, pleasing him
with her sensuality so that he foolishly promised her whatever she wanted, and
her mother told her to demand the head of John the Baptist (Matthew 14: 1-10). In contrast,
there appeared to be greater decorum in Ahasuerus’ court, as the sexes did not
mingle during the celebration, and the women may have been more modest. Queen
Vashti held a feast to impress the wives of the dignitaries, so that they would
speak favorably of the king and queen to their spouses.
But alcohol, or any intoxicating substance, can wreak havoc
on carefully laid plans to impress others or even to maintain one’s good reputation
(Proverbs 20:1). After seven
days of drinking at the feast, the king’s judgment may have been impaired, as
he publicly issued a strange command to his seven chamberlains (Esther 1:10-11). They were to go
fetch his beautiful wife to show her off to the men, like the other trophies
and status symbols filling his palace. He treated her like an object, when he
should have protected and preserved her honor and modesty (Genesis 20:11-17).
Now Queen Vashti was caught between the proverbial rock and
hard place, and she chose the lesser of the two evils by refusing to appear,
which understandably aroused the king’s anger (Esther 1:12). She rightfully did not want to be treated like
an object, especially knowing that her husband was likely drunk, and that it
was against the Persian custom for women to appear in public. But by disobeying
him publicly, she was humiliating him in the eyes of his court, jeopardizing
his position, and appearing not to respect her marriage vow.
Vashti could have obeyed the king’s request without
sacrificing her own virtue, because all would have known that it was only by
the king’s insistence that she would appear. But now what should have been a
private disagreement had become a very public affair, backfiring on the royal
couple as arguments tend to do for all couples (Proverbs 19:13; 21:9; 25:24; 27:15).
Under Holy Spirit inspiration, the apostle Paul commanded
that men love their wives self-sacrificingly, and that women honor their husbands,
for women need love, and men need respect (Ephesians
5:33). The apostle Peter also commanded wives to submit themselves to
their husbands so that their lifestyle would lead an unbelieving husband to the
Lord (1 Peter 3:1-12).
Faith comes by hearing the Gospel that Jesus Christ, the
Son of God and God Himself, died to pay for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, so that all who trust in Him can have eternal life (Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4;
John 3:16). Yet seeing a born-again Christian (John 3:3-8) live out the Gospel by their self-sacrificing
love for another can soften the recalcitrant heart to the point that it is
willing to accept Christ through Holy Spirit leading.
Not only Vashti, but also Ahasuerus now faced a dilemma
because of his impulsive command lacking judgment. How could he save face after
his wife publicly humiliated him? As king, it would make the situation worse if
he himself decided to punish Vashti by finding a new queen, so he fielded the
question of what to do next to his wise men and princes (Esther 1:13-15). In the multitude of counselors there is
safety (Proverbs 11:14; 24:6).
These politicians valued their lives and their jobs and
were psychologically adept at interpreting the king’s expressions and behavior.
They knew from his face that he wanted Vashti out of the palace, but they threw
the decision back in the king’s lap so that he alone would be responsible if the
wrong decision were made.
Memucan, one of his advisors, seized the opportunity to
please the king by shifting the blame to Vashti and the decision to one of political
expediency rather than the vengeance of a scorned husband. He justified the
decision to oust Vashti by extending the wrong beyond that of a wife
disrespecting her husband, to political treason harming the monarchy, rulers
and even the subjects of the Persian Empire. That way, the decision he knew the
king wanted would not seem too harsh (Esther
1:15-16).
Memucan claimed that as queen, Vashti should have set a
good example for all the women in the kingdom to respect and honor their
husbands. Any husband is blessed by a wife who has the qualities of the ideal Proverbs 31 woman. Similarly, any
man hates to be publicly humiliated by his wife and may respond irrationally
and irreparably to that betrayal, even severing the relationship.
Memucan reminded the king that he and his disobedient queen
would be the subject of much gossip among the women, who might even use
Vashti’s refusal to obey the king as an excuse for them not to obey their own husbands.
That would make all the princes angry with the king and queen and contemptuous
of them, which could spell political disaster for King Ahasuerus (Esther 1:17-18).
So the advisors and officers told the king what he wanted
to hear. Vashti was officially removed from her position as queen and even as
wife, and they would find a replacement to be queen. Instead of making it look
like Ahasuerus’ personal vendetta, they used the excuse that their decision
would benefit all husbands throughout the kingdom, as the wives would learn
from Vashti’s error and punishment to honor and obey their husbands. The king’s
counselors did what they had to do to look good in the eyes of the king.
Although Ahasuerus may well have loved Vashti and been sorry to see her go, he was
pleased with their decision as it protected his authority and position as well (Esther 1:19-21).
No error or sin occurs in isolation without affecting
others. The excessive drinking of King Ahasuerus impaired his judgment (Isaiah 28:7), and he acted on
impulse by publicly ordering his chamberlains to command the queen to appear as
his submissive trophy wife. Vashti’s refusal to do so triggered an angry
backlash that affected all households in the Persian Empire (Esther 1:19-22).
But this was all part of God’s plan, using this pagan king
and queen to make way for the future queen Esther to come to a position of
influence where she could later intervene to save God’s chosen people, as we
shall see in subsequent posts!
© 2019 Laurie Collett
