The Book of Esther is the only book of the Bible noted for not mentioning, God, Jesus Christ, Messiah, Holy One or Lord. In fact, one would argue how spiritual this book really is and what is its relevance and importance for us today. Ironically, this historical book is full of types and shadows of Jesus Christ giving us a picture of the salvation and deliverance Jesus Christ brought through His birth, death and resurrection.
We want to take you on a journey through the new blog series on the Book of Esther focusing on the thought “Knowing the Times: A Call to Action”.
Whenever I hear someone speak concerning the Book of Esther, they always seem to land their messages on Chapter 4 “for such a time as this”, causing an overwhelming sense of hype and excitement to the hearers. We ought to get excited about the Word of God, we must also obtain a full understanding and hear the word of the Lord speaking to us.
To lay the groundwork for this new blog series we have provided you with some additional notes to study for purposes of enhancing your understanding of what God is saying to us in this chapter.
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Esther 1:1-22 begins with the account of King Ahasuerus in the third year of his reign holding a feast for all his princes, servants of Persia and Media and nobles and princes of the 127 provinces. As the feast ensued, King Ahasuerus began showing the riches of his kingdom and the honor of his majesty for a total of 180 days (6 months). What could possibly be happening or what else would have needed to be said for 180 days that wasn’t already obvious to the people seeing King Ahasuerus did reign over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia.
Immediately you can see King Ahasuerus was not a worshipper of God and he had no intentions to give God any glory. Following the 180 days he held another feast for all the people in Shushan specifically in the court of the garden. This was an elaborate royal affair with fine linens, precious metals, jewels and to top it all off, there was royal wine (the good stuff) in abundance.
For a moment consider the times represented by Chapter 1. While King Ahasuerus and his entourage were celebrating and enjoying themselves, there were people outside of the palace that were suffering. This was not a time when all nationalities of people were free, prospering and flourishing but rather it was a time where the children of Israel were in exile. They had been taken captive against their will and were serving in a foreign land where false gods were worshipped every day. Also, consider there were other events happening resulting from the decree being disseminated announcing the dethronement. Not everyone in Shushan was in agreement with the king’s decision, and we will see this later in our studies.
As the story continues, King Ahasuerus was merry with wine and he commands his seven chamberlains to go get Queen Vashti to appear before him and all the people. In modern day terms, he wanted Queen Vashti to display her beauty as the King’s trophy and possession and he wanted it done now. Scripture says she was fair to look upon, that is she had show-stopping beauty, the kind of beauty deserving of a catwalk moment with lights, camera, and attention.
For whatever reason, Queen Vashti refused, and in her refusal, it cost her the royal crown and seat as queen. At the same time her refusal opened the door for the Jews to be delivered and saved. God is strategic and He can use any situation for His divine purposes. As you consider this thought, I pray you begin to have a deeper understanding of God’s sovereignty in the affairs of mankind. Things may look one way, but God is working another plan for His glory. No one could have ever predicted that the actions of one queen would be a catalyst for the deliverance of an innumerable descendent of people from the seed of Abraham. I reckon that sometimes you may have also thought about your various circumstances wondering how can any good, anything of virtue, or praiseworthy come of out of this…but God!
Queen Vashti’s action came at a surprise and the seven princes of the provinces (particularly Memucan) began to consider the impact of her actions in the kingdom. They just couldn’t let a feminist movement and uprising break out in the kingdom as it would mean an all-out rebellion of the wives of the princes and any other women serving in the kingdom or living in the cities and regions of the 127 provinces.
Specifically, they considered her actions to be categorized into three areas of concern:
- She did wrong to the King;
- She did wrong to the princes; and
- She did wrong to all the people that was in all the provinces of the king.
Memucan one of the seven princes, and seemingly the most vocal prince and spokesman, had no idea how prophetic his statement was in Esther 1:19 where he stated “If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.”
As I began to ponder his statement more deeply, the Spirit of Lord led me to 1 Samuel 15:28 where God speaks to Samuel concerning King Saul… “And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.”
God was divinely working in the midst of both situations as a means to appoint the woman of God (Esther) and the man of God (David) who would do His will. No matter how we feel about certain things, God’s will must be done and He will use whoever He pleases at His appointed time to get things done regardless of their affiliations, religious background, pedigree, social status, and educational level, etc. The royal seat was taken away with no questions asked, no need for clarification or negotiation and with no opportunity for restoration. While King Ahasuerus is no equal comparison to God his dethroning of Queen Vashti is a foreshadow of what God will do to a man or woman if their actions are sinful, displeasing and disobedient to God.
The dethroning decree was done and final and the message was soon to be spread via written letters across all 127 provinces. Similarly, when God told Samuel “He rejected him from reigning over Israel (1 Samuel 16)”, the thing was done and God wasn’t accepting anything else from Saul, not even repentance. I want you to really meditate upon this making note of the fact that God is a very loving and longsuffering God however, He doesn’t suffer forever and His spirit will not always strive with man.
As I considered the account of Queen Vashti and King Saul the Lord brought me to centuries later where the Jews’ refusal of the message and teachings of Jesus Christ opened the door for gentiles to be saved. I point these things out for us to make note of all the places where the Lord gives a parallel and comparison to other events in scripture. God’s plan was bigger than the Jews.
Though, King Ahasuerus made his decision to dethrone Queen Vashti while fully intoxicated, and filled with wroth and anger, it was the will of God for things to happen just as they did. The deliverance of the children of Israel wasn’t going to happen with Queen Vashti on the throne as queen. God needed a willing vessel that would be humble, obedient, and courageous. He needed a woman who was solid in her faith, pure and learned in the scriptures. Although Esther was not privy to all the details of the events taking place prior to her arrival into the palace, she had some connection to the kingdom through her uncle Mordecai. There was something remarkable about Esther, something unique about her character, one that the Lord could use at the appointed time, no questions asked. She had a certain kind of integrity and meekness that the Lord knew would be able to stand up against the forces of evil influencing the kingdom.
Sisters, this is how we ought to be, as Esther. A woman that can stand in the gap without being puffed up in pride, not feeling a sense of entitlement, not in competition with others but one who is strong in faith, full of integrity and one who can represent the Lord authentically within her own beauty, femininity and self-expression.
We must be grounded in the Lord and know what we are up against.
To know the times we are in, we have to stay connected to God, pray, study/meditate, seek His face, and hear the preached Word regularly. We must be aware of what is going on by allowing the discerning power of the Holy Spirit to speak to us. We must consider the world is in perilous times (fierce and treacherous). We cannot be oblivious to the evil happenings, and we must walk in wisdom and the knowledge of God.
Stay tuned for Part 2!