ESTHER - CHAPTER 1 - PART 1

Esther - Chapter 1 - Part 1

Scripture quoted from The Voice unless otherwise noted

Matthew Henry’s Commentary found at http://www.BibleGateway.com:

Several things in this chapter itself are very instructive and of great use; but the design of recording the story of it is to show how way was made for Esther to the crown, in order to her being instrumental to defeat Haman’s plot, and this long before the plot was laid, that we may observe and admire the foresight and vast reaches of Providence…This shows how God serves his own purposes even by the sins and follies of men, which he would not permit if he know not how to bring good out of them.

Esther 1:1 The following events occurred in Persia during the reign of King Ahasuerus, the same man who ruled 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. 2 In those days King Ahasuerus’ throne was in the citadel of Susa.

Reformation Study Bible Notes:

1:1 Ahasuerus. Also known as Xerxes (486–465 b.c.), Ahasuerus was the Persian king mentioned in Ezra 4:6. He was renowned for consolidating his father Darius’s empire, for his successful building projects, and for his wars against the Greeks from 480–470 b.c.

No doubt, King Ahasuerus was mighty, and the description of his rule is designed to impress the reader with his control. We read that Susa was only one of three Persian capitals and served as the winter residence of the king. His reign was one of strength, and he ruled as a despot.

Q – Is there any power today comparable to that which Ahasuerus ruled?

Esther 1:3 During the 3rd year of his reign, Ahasuerus gathered together all of Persia’s ruling authorities—nobles and officials, leaders of Persia and Media, and nobles of his provinces - for a grand, state banquet. 4 For 180 days, King Ahasuerus continuously paraded his glorious kingdom’s riches and the splendor of his own notoriety in front of his nobles. Day after day the party continued with Persia’s grandeur on display.

VOICE Bible notes:

Kings in general, and Persian kings in particular, enjoy throwing lavish feasts and banquets for honored guests. It is their best opportunity to show off their wealth and power. Occasions like this are useful for impressing and intimidating foreign agents, making treaties and deals, maintaining the illusion of greatness, making the powerless feel especially helpless, and even bullying would-be troublemakers. It is during these occasions that much of the business of ruling is accomplished. But only men are allowed at this party.

Imagine throwing a party that lasted SIX MONTHS! The king was flagrantly showing off his wealth and power. Culturally, the women of Persia were not of import as far as running the kingdom, but were more like decorative property. However, it was also against their code of dignity and modesty for women to be present at a party with a bunch of drunken men.

Q – Kings/Presidents do not, as a rule, throw parties that last 6 months today. However, do they parade their affluence and influence in other ways, (i.e. state dinners, G8 conference, etc.)?

Esther 1:5 After these days of feasting were over, the king held another banquet for all who lived in the citadel of Susa. For seven days, wealthy and poor men alike danced, drank, and made merry together in the lush enclosed gardens of King Ahasuerus’ palace. 6 His gardens were lavishly dressed with white and blue linen draperies, which hung from large marble pillars and were tied to silver rings with cord made out of fine purple linen. Gold and silver couches were arranged on a grand patio—a mosaic beautifully crafted of crystalline burgundy porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl stone, and other beautiful stones. 7 King Ahasuerus generously served his guests wine from the royal cellar in goblets made out of gold, each uniquely designed. 8 But no one was required to drink. The king merely ordered his servants to let his guests do as they wished.

The six month party ended with a seven day royal picnic, allowing every man in the kingdom, even the poor to celebrate together in the splendor of the royal gardens. The king was being extremely generous to allow even commoners to drink fine wine from golden goblets. “No one was required to drink” is an interesting notation because many kings enforced drinking or at least made people feel they must get drunk. He allowed his guests to drink or not drink as they chose. However, most likely the majority chose to drink to excess.

Q – Do we feel pressured to drink at company parties or with certain friends? Do we think about the influence of alcohol or the possible loss of influence as far as our witness before we pick up the glass?

Esther 1:9 Meanwhile, as the men enjoyed the goodwill of King Ahasuerus, Queen Vashti gathered all of the women together for a celebration in one of the banquet halls of the royal palace.

Reformation Study Bible notes:

1:9 Vashti. This name, not found elsewhere, may be related to the Persian word meaning “the beloved” or “the best.”

According to custom, the queen threw her own separate, extravagant celebration for women only. This way their modesty was intact as women were usually sequestered and their beauty reserved for their husband’s eyes only.

Q – Men and women often celebrate occasions in mixed groups today. Are we careful to be modest in dress and actions with people of the opposite sex? If your parent or grandparent walked into a party you were attending would they be honored by your behavior or horrified by your actions? Do you “wear” your wife/husband like an object to be admired, or do you treat her/him with reverence and respect when around others?

Esther 1:10 On the seventh and last day of the celebration, when the king was in a very good mood from the wine, he gave special orders to his eunuchs, who served as his personal assistants. (These seven men were Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas.)

King Ahasuerus: 11 Bring Queen Vashti to my party! Tell her to put on her royal crown and to wear her finest clothes. I want to show off her beauty in front of my distinguished guests.

He did this because Queen Vashti was very beautiful. 12 But when she heard the king’s order from his eunuchs, she refused to join him and his guests. King Ahasuerus was infuriated when he heard the news from his assistants. In fact, the more he thought of it, the more King Ahasuerus burned with anger.

The king was feeling his wine and wanted to show off his queen in the same manner he had displayed his other possessions. This was totally against proprieties of the day. Women were supposed to stay separate from men.Vashti kept her dignity and self-respect even to the point of losing her status in the kingdom by refusing to appear. She always seems to get a bad rap because of her disobedience to her husband. However, she should be applauded for her reverence of her own body and commitment to modesty.The king is never chastised from the pulpit for his disrespect for the treasure that God gave him. Pastors and teachers never seem to call him to account for exploiting his wife. Is this not a double standard? Until I read the following commentary, I had always denigrated Vashti for her disobedience and cheered Esther. I am embarrassed to admit that. I guess I had never even given Vashti a second thought. I had never questioned WHY she would disobey. The part about him being drunk and demanding had flown right over my head.

All the Women of the Bible (also found at http://www.BibleGateway.com)

Vashti

The Woman Who Exalted Modesty

The book contains a genuine strain of human interest, but it is also heavy with the air of divine providence. Although the story of Vashti only covers a few paragraphs in the book, yet in the setting of oriental grandeur we have the elements of imperishable drama. While the bulk of the book revolves around Esther, from our point of view the shining character in the story is the queenly Vashti, who was driven out because she refused to display her lovely face and figure before the lustful eyes of a drunken court.

The Demand

Had the king been sober he would not have considered such a breach of custom, for he knew that Eastern women lived in seclusion and that such a request as he made in his drunken condition amounted to a gross insult. “For Vashti to appear in the banquet hall, though dressed in her royal robes and crowned, would be almost as degrading as for a modern woman of our modern world to go naked into a man’s party.” What Ahasuerus demanded was a surrender of womanly honor, and Vashti, who was neither vain nor wanton, was unwilling to comply. Plutarch reminds us that it was the habit of a Persian king to have his queen beside him at a banquet, but when he wished to riot and drink, he sent his queen away and called in the wives of inferior rank—his concubines. Perhaps that is the historic clue to Vashti’s indignant refusal for she knew only too well that Persian custom dictated that a queen be secluded during the feasts where rare wines flowed freely.

Q – Have you ever asked yourself why Vashti disobeyed her husband? Even for Christian women who are instructed by scripture to obey and respect their husbands, is there a time when it is appropriate to disobey? Are there things a husband should not ask of his wife? Or a wife ask of her husband? Are you treating each other as people loved and valued by the Lord God?

APPLY THIS TO YOUR LIFE:

1. Keep control of your senses lest you make decisions you will regret. “Don’t drink wine excessively. The drunken path is a reckless path. It leads nowhere. Instead, let God fill you with the Holy Spirit.” Ephesian 5:18.

2. Be modest in dress and behavior, especially around members of the opposite sex.

3. Remember your children look to you as an example of modesty and appropriate behavior toward people. How you treat your spouse shows your children how to treat theirs. How you treat your son or daughter lets them know how they should expect to be treated by future dates/spouses.

4. Stand firm on your convictions, and “Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.” Romans 12:2