Ester 1: 3 – 22
Eat, Drink And Be Merry, For Tomorrow I Will Be Humiliated
1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia), 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel, 3 that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him— 4 when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all. 5 And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. 6 There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. 7 And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king. 8 In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man’s pleasure. 9 Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus. 10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him. 13 Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times (for this was the king’s manner toward all who knew law and justice, 14 those closest to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who had access to the king’s presence, and who ranked highest in the kingdom): 15 “What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?” 16 And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: “Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the queen’s behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come.’ 18 This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media will say to all the king’s officials that they have heard of the behavior of the queen. Thus there will be excessive contempt and wrath. 19 If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 20 When the king’s decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small.” 21 And the reply pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan. 22 Then he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province in its own script, and to every people in their own language, that each man should be master in his own house, and speak in the language of his own people.
Today’s topic is as listed in Scripture in the Gospel of Luke chapter 12 verse 19, “And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”
That this was a preview to the Greek campaign comes out in that Xerxes ‘showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty’. In other words he revealed his preparations for war and the wealth that would back it up, either in order to convince the doubters, or to encourage his supporters, or possibly because of his extreme vanity, and it took him 180 days (6 moon periods) in which to do it. We can compare how when Hezekiah taught to us in the book of Isaiah 39 verse 2, he was considering an alliance with Babylon against the Assyrians, he ‘showed them the house of his precious things, the silver and the gold --and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in its treasures --’ . All who would be involved in leading that enterprise would be gathered there, as would those required to give it their backing. In those days, such a gathering of the aristocracy required continual feasting. This suggestion is confirmed by Herodotus’ statement that prior to the invasion of Greece Xerxes gathered together an assembly in order to consider the matter.
If you were with us in our last study we kind of went over a background of the book. We did manage to take a look at the first two verses. So, today let us continue with verse 3.
1.3 ‘In the third year of his reign, he made a feast to all his princes and his servants, the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him,’
Thus in the third year of his reign which historians list at 483 BC the feasting and drinking began and to it were invited ‘his princes (or high officials) and his servants (courtiers), the power (military might) of Persia and Media, and the nobles and princes/high officials of the provinces. It was a gathering of all the greats. It should be noted, however, and I believe that this is something to really consider is that it is not necessarily said that the feast lasted 180 days as a combined event. Many teachers have not considered this most like scenario. In other words the party did not go on for 6 months. Probably not all of those listed as invitees would remain over the whole period. They had an empire to run. It was rather the review of what was available for the enterprise that took one hundred and eighty days, as plans were made and officers were appointed, who set about making preparations. But those who did remain would continue to feast with the king. For the king would hold a feast in his palace every night at which guests were gathered
1.4 ‘When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and eighty days.’
The next one hundred and eighty days were spent in reviewing the wealth, armaments and preparations which were available for the Greek enterprise. It was necessary for the confidence of the leadership to be boosted. And it no doubt brought the king great satisfaction. Our Precious Holy Spirit as we study this chapter is to bring out the excessive wealth, power and splendor of the king. His spiritual lesson was that with all his wealth and power Xerxes was unable to prevent God controlling what he did, whilst he himself did foolish things.
We have learned from the book of Daniel that King Nebuchadnezzar made this same mistake when one evening on his palace porch was praising himself for all his wealth and power. As you know that was a bad mistake for it cost him seven years of madness and caused him to be out in the fields with the animals eating grass.
I am sure you may be thinking now of other situations in the bible when other men made the same sinful mistakes. This type of incorrect thinking and behaving will manifest itself finally when the Antichrist will be worshiping the gods of gold and precious stones.
In the event Xerxes would be at the head of a huge army, and the provisioning and armaments that would be required would be enormous. He thus wanted his subjects to be aware of what was at his disposal.
1.5 ‘And when these days were fulfilled, the king made a feast to all the people who were present in Shushan the palace, both great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s pavilion.’
Once all the preparations had been made, and all the plans brought to readiness, the king then made another great feast to which all the males resident in the fortress were invited, both great and small. This is right before the military heads out for their war on the Greeks.
This feast lasted for seven days in the open air and took place in the court which was found in the garden by the king’s pavilion. This pavilion would probably have been a colonnaded open structure which could catch any breezes that there were. The feast would last for seven days because that was the divinely perfect number throughout that part of the Near East. It would be seen as full and complete.
1.6 ‘(There were hangings of) white (cloth), (of) the color of fine linen, and (of) blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and blue, to silver rings and pillars of marble. The couches were of gold and silver, on a pavement of red, and white, and yellow, and black marble.’
The description of the scene gives the impression, either of an eyewitness, or of someone who knew the palace very well. The hangings are seen as attached to the marble pillars by means of cords of fine linen and blue through rings of silver. Here at the Persian court they indicated royalty. The white and blue linen hangings were attached to the marble pillars of the pavilion with silver rings by means of cords of white and blue, the royal colors. The couches were of gold and silver’. As befitted a wealthy monarch the couches were of gold and silver, and would be intricately worked. They would be used for guests to lie at table. The mosaic floor on which the tables were placed was made of differing colors in marble. This must have presented a magnificent picture as it shone in the sun.
1.7 ‘And they gave them drink in vessels of gold (the vessels being diverse one from another), and royal wine in abundance, according to the bounty of the king.’
At the feast the wine flowed abundantly due to the king’s abundant generosity. And it was drunk from golden vessels, each being individually patterned. These vessels were shaped in the form of drinking horns, having their own base. Examples of these have been discovered archaeologically.
1.8 ‘And the drinking was in accordance with the (king’s) diktat. None could compel. For so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man’s pleasure.’
And the king had given a specific diktat that all should drink as it pleased them. Normally guests would drink when the king drank, but the king had given instructions to his officials that at this feast this requirement be abated. Thus drunkenness would abound even more than usual, with uncontrolled drinking, whilst those who wished to be more abstemious were free to be so.
1.9 ‘Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.’
At the same time as the king was giving his magnificent feast for the men of the citadel, Vashti the queen made a feast for the women. This too was held in the royal house. All resulted from the magnificence of King Ahasuerus. No one was overlooked, whether great or small. We may, however, see in this something of Vastri’s proud nature. The women being excluded from the main event, she puts on an event to rival it.
At this time Vashti was clearly the king’s favorite wife. She was probably much younger than Amestris, who was the daughter of a Persian general, and who accompanied him on his expedition against the Greeks. By that time, of course, Vashti was in disgrace. But her beauty was clearly outstanding. She was the most precious of all the possession of Ahasuerus, which is why he wanted to show her off. We know nothing about her apart from what we are told in this narrative, but we can surmise that she was of noble birth, otherwise she would not have dared to do what she did, nor would she have escaped so lightly. She may well have been the daughter of one of the seven chief nobles, for Herodotus tells us that the king was expected to take his queen from such. On the other hand Ahasuerus may simply have conveniently forgotten that requirement. The fact that she would know full well what she was doing (unless she herself was also blind drunk) suggests that her pride in her status and awareness of her own worth made her ready to defy the king when he called on her to attend before his drunken assembly and face its ribald comments. It is noteworthy that she was not put to death, but simply permanently excluded from fulfilling the duties of a wife to Ahasuerus (verse 19), something which the king later regretted when he returned from his expedition against the Greeks (2.1).
Having displayed all his wealth and military power, Ahasuerus, heavily influenced by his drinking, determined to show all present at his feast the beauty of his then chief wife, and he consequently sent a band of leading officials to conduct her to the feast, only to unexpectedly meet with a rebuff. Important and beautiful woman though she was, such insubordination by a woman to her husband, and especially to her king, was almost totally unknown, and the consequence of it was that she was made into a public example. This finally resulted in a decree going out that all wives must in future be in subjection to their husbands, a rather unnecessary decree, but one designed to counter the influence of Queen Vashti’s behavior.
1.10-11 ‘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 chief officials who ministered in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was fair to look on.’
On the last day of the feast, the king, being totally drunk, commanded his seven chief officials, who were his close servants, to bring the Queen, Vashti, into his presence wearing the crown royal, so that he could show off her beauty to his guests. In his favour we should note that he sent her, as a solid and reliable escort, seven of the chief officials in the land, but he was certainly subjecting her to an indignity beyond anything that she had known before, and to which she took violent exception. The Queen, like all the king’s women, was used to being cosseted and protected, and kept away from the eyes of the people, except when at a private feast or when seated on a royal throne. Now she was to become a gazing stock to men of all ranks and conditions, and men in an extreme state of drunkenness at that.
1.12 ‘But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command by the chamberlains, therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.’
‘‘But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command.’ In terms of those days the words are almost unthinkable. The king’s word was absolute. They were brave men who even took back word to the king of her refusal. And yet Vashti refused. It could only have been either as the result of her total confidence that she could bend the king to her will. She had no doubt often done so. But this time it was different. She was publicly humiliating him. Or it may have been because she came from a proud and powerful family, and refused to be subjected to humiliation, preferring rather to die, or look to the protection of her family.
These words must be seen in the light of what has gone before. Here was king Ahasuerus, king of a vast domain ‘from India to Africa’, ruler over 127 provinces, revealing his glory and splendor in preparation for defeat of those who had insulted his father, and now put in his place by a woman. It was almost inconceivable.
The public humiliation was simply too much for the king, and he burned with anger, and ‘was filled with wrath’. How dared she thwart his will? He was beside himself with fury. Ahasuerus was a cruel and despotic king, with a quick and violent temper, and he wasn’t used to having his will thwarted. When a storm on the Hellespont caused his bridge to Europe to collapse he sought to have the Hellespont beaten and enchained. When a wealthy supporter asked for one of his sons to be released from military service for family reasons, he had the son put to death and cut in two. Such a proud despot would not brook disobedience from his wife, however much he loved her, for he loved himself better, and she probably knew it, which makes her decision even braver. She clearly felt the position very deeply.
1.13a ‘ Then the king said to the wise men, who knew the times,’
These wise men are described as those “who knew the times,” i.e. they were magi and astrologers, who advised in accord with what they could discover from the heavenly bodies. We can understand who these wise men of Babylon are as shown in the book of Daniel.
1.13b ‘(For so was the king’s manner toward all who knew law and judgment, and the next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king’s face, and sat first in the kingdom).’
A comment is included explaining why the king sought to the ‘wise men’. It was because it was his custom to consult with those who knew ‘law and judgment’ (a play on words - ‘dath and din’). This last was probably a technical phrase. The point may well be that they had means of knowing the diktats and judgments of the gods (they were astrologers and diviners). We might translate, “for in such a way was the business of the king conducted before all who knew law and judgment.”
Among these wise men were the king’s seven close advisers. These were seven nobles, who were heads of Persia’s and Media’s aristocratic families. Their names are given as Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. These in general appear to be Persian/Median names and that the name of Carshena is in fact found on the fortification tablets discovered at Persepolis. In the book of Ezra chapter 7 verse 14 we also find seven advisors of the foreign king. They had the privilege of ‘seeing the king’s face’, in other words of coming into his presence whenever they wished, when he was not involved with his women. They were his personal advisers. Once again they number seven. In view of the fact that seven was seen as a divine number and as indicating divine completeness as far back as the days of Sumer, this is not surprising in a superstitious age. Once again there is an archival feel about this statement, supporting the claim of the book that it was largely based on the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia (10.3), in other words was basically historical fact.
1.15 “What shall we do to the queen Vashti according to law, because she has not done the bidding of the king Ahasuerus by the high officials?”
The question put to the wise men was as to what should be done ‘according to law’ with Queen Vashti for refusing to do the bidding of King Xerxes. The king wants it to be quite clear to all that he is not acting out of spite. He wants to act in a way that history would approve of. It is an open question as to what is meant by ‘according to law (dath)’. This is unlikely to signify laws laid down, for this was an unusual case. Surely never before had a queen so openly challenged the king’s authority. It may indicate general precedent based on what has happened in the past. What did the wisdom of the past say? What conclusions could be drawn from the past? But by dath he may well have included the idea of the diktat of the gods as discovered by divination and astrology. The whole of life was seen as bound up with the will of the gods, which was why the age was so superstitious, and why Haman, eager to destroy the Jews, nevertheless delayed it because the portents were against him. If this was so we have a parallel to the non-naming of God, in that the gods of Persia are also not mentioned, but assumed.
1.16 ‘And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, “Vashti the queen has not done wrong only to the king, but also to all the princes, and to all the peoples who are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.’
Memucan, one of the seven nobles, acted as spokesman for them all. They had no doubt had detailed discussions, and would almost certainly have consulted with the gods by divination, before coming up with their answer. And so he stood before the king and his advisers and declared their joint decision. Vashti had committed a great wrong, not only against the king, but, by her bad example, also against the princes and the whole of society. For what she had done would soon be spread abroad so that all would know throughout the provinces of Ahasuerus (Xerxes).
1.17 ‘For this deed of the queen will come abroad to all women, to make their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when it shall be reported, “The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she did not come.”
They conjured up a dreadful picture of gossiping women, laughing in secret behind men’s backs, and viewing their husbands with contempt, as they contemplated the brashness of Queen Vashti, and her treatment of the king. The women would be saying to each other, “The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she did not come”. In their view, unless properly dealt with, this could only have led to wholesale anarchy within the family. Women would begin to get above themselves, and feel that they could treat their husband’s desires lightly. It had to be stopped. This was probably most felt by the nobles who had highborn and proud wives who might well become difficult.
1.18 “And this day will the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the deed of the queen say (similarly) to all the king’s princes. So (will there arise) much contempt and wrath.”
The nobles shuddered as they considered the effect that it might have on their own wives. The very princesses of Persia and Media, having learned of the behavior of the queen, would conduct themselves in a similar manner, and begin to treat their husband’s with contempt. They were no doubt proud enough as it was. And as a result there would be ‘much contempt and anger’. Life would become a battlefield. This may well suggest that their main fear arose from the domination of their own wives. Thus the only solution was to make an open example of Queen Vashti.
1.19 “If it please the king, let there go forth a royal command 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 to another who is better than she.”
Their solution was the issue of a solemn decree, one as binding as ‘the laws of the Persians and the Medes’ (which alter not neither are changed), declaring that ‘Vashti’ should no more come before Ahasuerus, and that her royal estates be given to someone more deserving. Note that from now on Vashti is no longer called queen’. She is simply ‘Vashti’. She has become just another woman in the harem.
Please also note how the punishment fits the crime. She had refused to come into the king’s presence. From henceforth she should be banished from it forever. As she belonged to the king’s harem this would of course mean that she could never bear children. No one else would be allowed to have her. The fact that she was not cruelly put to death is probably an indication that she was high born, and therefore enjoyed some level of protection. She remained a part of the harem but with no contact with the king. In fact, many in the harem would be similarly neglected. The prospects of each depended on the king’s favor. But for Vashti her being rejected was a certainty, for it was fixed by the laws of the Persians and the Medes.
The going forth of the royal command would initially be by means of messengers. Herodotus, the Greek historian, (c. 484-426 BC) wrote of the Persian postal service as follows: "Nothing mortal travels so fast as these Persian messengers. The entire plan is a Persian invention; and this is the method of it. Along the whole line of road there are men (they say) stationed with horses, in number equal to the number of days which the journey takes, allowing a man and horse to each day; and these men will not be hindered from accomplishing at their best speed the distance which they have to go, either by snow or rain, or heat, or by the darkness of night. The first rider delivers his dispatch to the second, and the second passes it to the third; and so it is born from hand to hand along the whole line." Thus the furthest parts of the empire could be reached in what was in those days a comparatively short period of time.
1.20 “And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.”
Memucan’s fond hope was that once the way that the king had dealt with Vashti was publicly made known throughout the empire, all wives would give honor to their husbands, and obey them, whether they were important people or unimportant. In his view Vashti had put forward a claim for woman’s freedom which had to be stifled at birth. It was of course the view of a man and a courtier.
1.21 ‘And the saying pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan,’
The king and his nobles were, however, pleased with Memucan’s suggestion. They all felt the same. And so the king acted in accordance with Memucan’s word.
1.22 ‘For he sent letters into all the king’s provinces, into every province according to its script, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and should speak according to the language of his people.’
He accordingly sent letter to the governors of all the provinces, in the script that they used, and to all the peoples in their own language. He was determined that all would understand what had happened. Some have suggested that he need simply have used Aramaic, but he clearly wanted it properly understood by all, even those at the lowest level. The translating may well have taken place in the provinces as the governors acted in order to make the king’s instructions clear. And the gist of his edict was that every man should bear rule in his own house, and should be free to speak in his own language, that is, in the language of his people.
It may be that ‘should speak according to the language of his people’ is giving the man the right to insist that in his own house only the local language could be used so that there could be no question of a foreign wife introducing her foreign language into the household. The man’s customs and authority were to prevail. We can compare the distress caused by the foreign wives who taught their own children the language of Ashdod, rather than the Jewish language of their father as the book of Nehemiah chapter 13.23 teaches us. The idea behind the edict was thus to bolster the authority of men over their womenfolk.
So the chapter which began with a description of the greatness of Ahasuerus, closes with an indication of how he could be treated by his wife, and how subsequently he acted in a fit of drunken temper in order to punish her.
The appeal to the gods and to the law was a mere blind, as later events show. All these so called advisors knew that their decision had to please the king. The great king was seen as he really was – a wimp.
