I have often read about Queen Vashti and have felt that she does not get mentioned as much as she should. We often read the Book of Esther and focus on many important people, good and evil, in the book but we rarely talk about Vashti. It is her one decision to reject the earthly king's request that set in motion a chain of events that saved the Jews and is remembered by celebrating it during the festival of Purim. There is no small part in the Kingdom of God. There is no small decision when it comes to the things that pertain to God.
"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others" (Romans 12:4-5, NIV).
How would you respond in 1942 when Nazi soldiers came to your door and asked where your Jewish neighbors were? Would you tell them, and thus risk someone losing their life because of their religion? Would you plead ignorant and risk losing your life if found out that you lied?
How would you respond in 1942 your neighbor was Japanese, and they feared being put into an internment camp based upon their Japanese heritage? These are your neighbors, your friends, but America had just been attacked at Pearl Harbor by Japan.
How would you respond in 1855 if Harriet Tubman came to your door and asked if your house could be a safe house to hide the ‘run away’ slaves? Would you turn the slaves away because you did not want to break the law and you feared that if you got caught you might be found guilty and get punished? Would you allow your house to be used as a safe house and risk your own life for standing up for what you believed to be right in treating other humans with respect?
How would you vote, if there was an Immigration Act that barred a whole range of individuals from entering America? Immigrants were required to have a certain measure of literacy, financial security. They could not be feeble minded, homosexual, imbeciles, epileptic, alcoholic, poor, criminal background of any kind, prostitutes, etc. Mexican immigrants, legal or illegal, were forced or pressured to leave the US.
JEWISH TRADITION ABOUT VASHTI
According to Jewish tradition found in the Jewish text (Haggdah), Vashti was the daughter of King Belshazzar (DANIEL 5---writing on the wall). When Belshazzar was killed, (that night) Vashti was kidnapped and eventually given to King Xerxes as a wife. According to legends, there are multiple reasons Vashti refused to appear before the King when he ordered her to.
1. She was modest. He wanted her to appear nude and she carried a bit of modesty and felt it was inappropriate to parade around in front of others
2. She feared for her husband safety. She felt that since everyone was drunk, if she paraded around nude then the other men might try to have their way with her and a fight might break out.
3. She was older and wasn’t into ‘the games.’
4. Keep in mind, her rebellion against the sexual and social order could have been a result of her studying the Torah. She had Israeli slave girls.
Rarely in the book of Esther, do we see intelligent people make intelligent decisions. We rarely, if at all, see King Xerxes make a decision without first consulting his eunuchs or other despicable people (Haman). We see the most powerful make the most insecure decisions. Not once do we see a mention of GOD in the Book of Esther. Perhaps we are shown it in this manner to show us all the ways that mankind is foolish.
• (even though we know GOD is at work, perhaps we are not privy to HIS presence in a way to show us how stupid we are WHEN WE DON’T FAST, PRAY, AND SEEK WISE COUNCIL.)
• Perhaps we are shown that earthly power and all those who appear to be in control are not truly in control.
• Possible this shows that underneath it all, God is still at work. It is not that God wants to hide HIMSELF from us, but HE wants us to see events unfold according to HIS plan. It is almost as if we are watching a play unfold. We know the ending, but GOD wants us to see how ALL THE PARTS UNFOLD IN THE PLAY. Don’t just focus on GOD, BUT ALSO LOOK AT MAN’S ACTIONS IN THIS STORY.
o DIVINE PROVIDENCE—Everything worked together to save the Jewish people.
? The drunken parties
? Queen Vashti disobedience
? Haman wicked motives
? Esther’s beauty
? Mordecai wisdom
I prefer to believe that Vashti refused to be made a fool and lose her dignity in front of the King and the entire palace. She had a choice. Lose her dignity and retain her royalty or lose her royalty and retain her dignity. It is widely believed that she refused to appear because she felt she would have been humiliated in some way. After 7 days of drinking and feasting, they probably did not have good intentions. Referencing her beauty would tell us that they wanted her to entertain the men in some way. Maybe she was a heroine and refused to lose her morals by doing something absurd
HER ONE DECISION SET IN MOTION FOR ESTHER TO BECOME QUEEN AND FOR THE JEWS TO BE SAVED. What ONE decision will YOU make that will impact the Kingdom of God?
1. The Lord uses our difficulties. Vashti surely didn’t foresee her banishment from the palace, yet the Lord used it in miraculous ways. It impacted generations of people. God is active and involved in every day life for His glory. Our decisions on how we handle life can create a ripple effect that can have a wide range of implications. Some may be minor in scope, but some may impact the Kingdom of God in ways that we never saw coming.
Romans 8:28. It says, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose” (HCSB). God has proven this verse to us time and time again.
2. You will make a decision today, and everyday that will impact the Kingdom of God forever. By what parameters will you use to make that decision? Emotions? Moral aptitude? Worldly encouragement? Biblical encouragement?
*With all the information that is available for consumption, some of my sermons may be influenced by what i have read or heard. Anything that is posted is available to be used by all. The Lord gives abundantly and may you be blessed!
