Paul Aurandt tells this fascinating true story that deals with the
paradox of positive rebellion. In April of 1847 it looked as if Mexico
was ready to make peace with the United States. President James
Polk chose Nicholas Trist to go as a peace commissioner. On his
way Trist spoke to reporters and told them too much. President
Polk was upset, and sent a letter to Trist telling him to return. Trist
read the letter and responded by saying he did not want to return.
The President was infuriated, and blasted Trist, but he could not
stop his negotiations with the Mexicans. Today, of course, this could
never happen with our speedy communications, but in 1848 it was a
different story. Trist, with no authority to do so, signed a treaty
with the Mexicans, and brought it back to the U. S. He was
immediately banished from government, and his salary was cut off,
and he was forced to go to work for a railroad to feed his family.
The president and congress accepted the treaty he signed,
however, for it was too good to refuse. It gave the U. S. what is now
all of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, and part of
Wyoming, and Colorado. Not a bad deal for a guy who was actually
fired, and not suppose to even be on the job. It cost him dearly, but
his rebellion gained for the rest of us a large portion of our nation.
You just never know what blessings are going to come out of
what seems to be so negative. Vashti provides us with another
example of this in the first chapter of Esther. She rebels against the
order of her husband, the king of Persia, the most powerful man on
the planet. It cost her dearly to refuse him and rebel, but it was a
major step on the road to Israel's being saved as a nation. If she had
not rebelled and lost her place as queen, and likely even her life,
there would be no way for Esther to come to the throne, where she
was the key to her people's deliverance.
Here is a pagan Persian Queen making a drastic decision that will
change the course of history for God's people. She, of course, does
not even know that she is doing it. Her action has nothing to do with
anyone but herself. The question is, why did she do it? The context
makes it quite clear that she was a victim of stag party morality.
While she and the ladies were having their banquet in a separate
place, the king and his leaders were really living it up. Nobody was
forced to drink, but verse 10 says the king had his share and was
feeling merry with wine. The banquet was in its seventh day, and
there was only one thing left to do before it ended. They had seen
the glory of all that men can make, but men still loves most of all to
see the glory that only God can make-the glory of a beautiful
woman.
Vashti the Queen was a beauty to behold, and the king was
determined that the climax of his six months and one week of
banqueting would be the marching of his lovely wife before this
hoard of bleary-eyed, drunken, and lustful men. From his
perspective at the time, being full of wine, it sounded like his best
idea ever. He later sobered up and regretted his folly, but by then
the damage had been done.
The most powerful argument for abstaining from alcoholic
beverages is the history of man's fool decisions under its influence.
One of the greatest causes of human sorrow in the world is that the
leaders of the world tend to mix alcohol and government. Prov. 31:4
says, "It is not for kings...to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong
drink lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive
all the oppressed of their rights. Herodotus, the Greek historian
writes much about the Persians, and tells us that it was their custom
to get drunk when they deliberated on weighty matters, but that
they then reexamined their decisions the next day when they were
sober. Xerxes did not follow this rule in our text,and many have failed
to do so throughout history.
Thank God we do not know how many of the decisions that affect
our lives are made by men whose minds are under the control of
booze. What we do know from history is frightening enough. One
example should be enough to see the potential for the kingdom of
darkness. In 1643 Governor Kieft of the New Netherlands had a
drunken party with his council. They decided it was time to teach
the Indians a lesson. In the dead of night they attacked a sleeping
village, and massacred 80 helpless Indians. This lead to a history of
sorrow and heartache for both whites and Indians that is beyond
calculation. Kieft was the first white man to offer a reward for
Indian scalps, and that is why it became so popular among the
Indians to take white scalps in revenge. That one drunken party led
to hell on earth, and hell forever, for masses of people on both sides.
Satan can offer no better suggestion on how to improve the evils
of leadership than by mixing alcohol and decision making. Yet, it
has been the way of world all through history. To the shame of
Christian nations, the Islamic nations have seen the folly of it, and
have forbidden alcoholic beverages. Alcohol reduces inhibitions,
and men will do under its influence what they would never allow
when sober. Lot was a righteous man, but under the influence of
alcohol he became incestuous with both of his daughters. Noah's
one day of folly was due to his getting drunk. Add up the foolish
acts of otherwise sensible men, and you will discover the great
majority of them are made under the influence of alcohol.
Stonewall Jackson was a strict temperance man, and his example
cause many of his officers to be the same. He was once out in a
drenching rain, and a fellow officer insisted that he take a drink.
"No sir, I cannot do it," he replied. "I tell you I am more afraid of
King alcohol then of all the bullets of the enemy." If more men
feared it, as he did, there would be far fewer tragedies in this life.
Yet men have the audacity to blame God for suffering in this world,
when a large share of it can be clearly traced to man's choice to drug
his brain with alcohol.
I was impressed with the story of a boy in Scotland who was slow,
and so he was the butt of many jokes by his village peers. On one
occasion they were teasing him, and trying to entice him to drinking.
Whereupon, this supposed simpleton responded with true wisdom.
He said, "If the Lord Almighty has given few wits to me, He has at
least given me enough sense to keep the little I have."
Unfortunately, Xerxes was not as wise as this simpleton.
But Vashti was no fool. When she got the order to come over to the
men's banquet, she knew she was being used to satisfy the kings lust
for a new thrill, and she refused. It was either the kings majesty, or
the queens modesty that had to be sacrificed, and so she chose to
defy his request, and, thereby, became the first truly noble person in
the book of Esther. Some even feel she was more noble than Esther.
Morgan, that prince of expositors, cries out, "Let the name of
Vashti be held in everlasting honor for her refusal." The majority
of commentators agree, but some feel it was her duty to obey her
husband regardless of the circumstances. This view would have
some basis if it was an innocent request for her to come and greet his
honored guest. But we know too much about Persian history, and
human nature, to think that is all it was. Herodotus tells of how
some Greeks made the mistake of bringing some of their wives to a
Persian banquet. The Persians kept making sexual advances toward
them even while their husbands were there.
Vashti had her banquet for the women in a separate place from
the men, not just for lack of space, but because the women knew
what the men were like after they had been drinking. Sooner or
later, and usually sooner, a group of men would get around to the
subject of women, and where alcohol is involved you can count on
it, the subject will turn to the immoral. What all this means is that
Vashti was to be the frosting on the cake at this stag party. She was
to march in, and satisfy the lust of this drunken crowd of men, and
she said, "No! I won't do it!" She is the equivalent of the movie star
who is offered fame and fortune for becoming a centerfold, and she
says, "No!" Vashti was a pagan woman, but let us not forget, even
pagans have moral standards, and here is one who lived by hers,
even at great cost. She was the wealthiest and most famous woman
on earth, but she sacrificed it all, and became a nobody, rather than
humiliate herself.
Xerxes and Vashti are prime examples of the fact that riches are
not the key to a good marriage. That key is not riches, but respect.
Xerxes could sleep in a golden bed, and drink from a golden cup, but
that did not make him a good husband. He exhibited the common
danger of all who have wealth and power. He treated people like
possessions, and this included his wife. The records reveal that
many professional men tend to use their wives as show pieces. The
wives soon learn they are not loved for themselves, but for the statis
they bring to their husbands, and the marriage collapses because
women demand to be treated as persons. Thus, we see the paradox
of beauty. A beautiful woman is a delight and a danger. She can be
a blessing or a burden to herself, and to men. Most, if not all, men,
are women watchers, and this is simply a recognition of the
handiwork of God. The problem is that it can be excessive, and go
from looking and appreciating to lusting and aggression.
Faust sold his soul to the devil for the right to have any wish he
desired, and he requested that Helen of Troy, the most beautiful
woman in the world, be reincarnated so he could see her. His
request was granted, and he feasted his eyes on the face that
launched a thousand ships. He sold his soul out of lust for beauty.
That is excessive. We need to keep a sense of balance, however, lest
we knock beauty. Esther became the Queen, and saved her people
because she was unusually beautiful. Beauty can be used for the
purposes of God and good, as well as for the kingdom of darkness
and evil. Beauty is good in itself, but like all good, it can be misused
and abused, and become a tool of evil.
Vashti was Queen because of her beauty, but it was also her
beauty that led to her downfall, for had she not been so beautiful,
she never would have been selected to please the lustful eyes of those
drunken men. The burden of beauty is a paradox that many
women have had to bear. In our culture the beautiful woman is
showered with opportunities. Beauty contests offer them
scholarships, great jobs, much wealth. They can go on to movies,
the stage, and rise to the top. But, the other side is that they face
such pressure to use their beauty for what is immoral. The point is,
the story of Vashti is a story that is repeating itself over and over
again all through history. Non-Christian women are making choices
like she had to everyday. They are choosing self-respect and dignity
rather than conformity to the lust of men.
You can respond by saying, "Big deal!" There are for every
Vashti who says no, hundreds of others to fill in the gap of their
refusal. This is true, but, nevertheless, the refusal of the few can
change the course of history. And that was the case with Vashti.
The few stubborn women who take their stand against impossible
odds are the women who have helped make the women of our day
the most free in history. Vashti was alone against a government
totally dominated by men. Susan B. Anthony grew up in a society
very similar, but she revolted against it, and made a big difference
because of the Christian principles that forced men to modify their
methods.
She was born in 1820 into a Quaker family where women were
treated with respect and equality. Her father went bankrupt, and so
she and her sisters became teachers. For 15 years they taught with
three dollars a week as their top salary. Men teachers were
receiving three times that amount. She decided to draw up a
Declaration of Rights for women, and she presented it to the New
York legislature. She got the signatures of ten thousand women, but
the bill was rejected. She went back to the people and kept
gathering signatures, and kept lecturing across the state. She
covered 54 out of 60 counties, and every time she went to the
legislature she was turned down. Six times she went with her
petitions, and six times she was rejected. Finally, after unbelievable
personal sacrifice, she returned the seventh time, and in 1860 the
New York legislature adopted a bill granting women the right to
own property, and the right to the money they earned, plus other
rights.
The next battle was women's right to vote. She persuaded 15
other brave women to join her, and they marched into the polling
headquarters in Rochester in 1872. She told the election inspectors
they were there to vote. They told her it was illegal. She pulled out
a copy of the U. S. Constitution and said, "Prove it!" They couldn't,
and so she and her three sisters, and other women, voted. The
newspapers splashed the incident across their front pages. It was a
report of what King Xerxes advisers told him. These women had to
be punished, or all women would think they had a right to vote.
Had Susan B. Anthony lived in Persia, she would have gotten no
further than Vashti, but she lived in America, and had the freedom
to express her views. She toured the Midwest and drew large
crowds to her lecture which was titled, Is It A Crime For A U. S.
Citizen To Vote? We don't have time to look at her spectacular
trial, but she won, and went on as president of The National
Women Suffrage Association to prepare the way for the 19th
amendment that gave women the right to vote. By her rebellion she
changed the course of history. She did it, because like Vashti, she
had the courage to say no, and refused to submit to what was not
right.
It is always right for any male or female to resist cooperation
with evil, and God can use that resistance for His purpose of
overcoming evil. Vashti said no to immorality, and God used that,
right along with Mordecai's saying no to idolatry. These two
personal responses of saying no, led to the providential yes of
redemption. Never say, never say no, for words like refusal and
rebellion in the proper context, as we see them in Esther, are not
vices, but virtues.
Xerxes, with all his power, found out he could not order his wife
to do anything he pleased, and get his way. What an enormous
embarrassment. He had just spent 6 months and one week
impressing all the leaders of his Empire. He could conquer the
Greeks and rule the world, but then his wife says no to him. He
can't even conquer one woman. The battle of the sexes is the oldest
war on earth, just because it cannot be won. There can be peace and
reconciliation, but there can be no total victory in this battle,
because both sexes have a higher allegiance than to each other.
Joseph Parker, the great English preacher wrote, "There is a
higher law than even the will of a king than a husband-the law that
gives a woman the right to guard her own modesty when those who
should guard it for her do not. Vashti obeyed that higher law
written by the Creator....and we can think nothing but good of her
in the matter." William Taylor, author of many books, wrote, "No
husband has a right to command his wife to do what is wrong, and
liberty of conscience ought to be as sacred in the home as in the
state."
This act of rebellion by Vashti was a case of civil disobedience to
the government, as well as disobedience to her husband, for he was
also the king, and the absolute law of the land. We see here that
what is true for the authority of a husband and a government are
the same. There authority does not allow them to violate a persons
moral dignity. No earthly authority has the right to command what
is contrary to a persons religious and moral principles. One is
always right to obey God rather than man. This does not mean one
will not suffer consequences for their stand. The head of the house,
or the head of the state may have power beyond your ability to
escape. Such was the case for Vashti, and such is the experience of
millions of Christians.
If you have dreamed of being a queen, and feel that is the highest
goal of life, you are taking your dreams from fairy tales, and not
from history. The average American woman is far more blest, and
richer in true values than most of the queens of history. Narah Lofts
in her book, Queens Of England writes, "I am sure that if all the
Queens the world has ever known would rise from their graves and
give a truthful account of their lives, the majority of their stories
would be on the sorrowful side." Even Esther had to endure
isolation, neglect, and fear for her life. I point this out in order to
emphasize the greater power, freedom, and rights that you have as
American women, then the royalty of the ages have enjoyed. Most
queens would envy you, and gladly traded their castle to have what
you have.
The surprising thing is you have what you have because of the
providence of God in the lives of women like Vashti. She was used
to save Judaism, and this is our heritage as Christians. Before her,
God used other pagan women to keep his program alive. Moses was
saved by an Egyptian princess. She helped make him the mad God
used to change all of history. When we look at the genealogy of
Jesus in Matt. 1, it is surprising that Jesus was not a pure Jew.
Gentile blood flowed in his veins. This means that the blood he shed
for the sins of the world was both Jewish and Gentile blood. Where
did it come from? From pagan women God used to change the
course of history.
One such woman was Rahab the Caananite, also called the
harlot, who aided Israel in taking Jericho. She became a part of the
blood line to the Messiah. After her came Ruth the Moabitess. She
was another Gentile who came into the blood line, so that two of the
four women in the genealogy of Jesus were Gentiles, and one of the
two books of the Bible named after women was a Gentile-Ruth.
When we come to the New Testament we see Jesus dealing with the
Samaritan woman at the well. Samaritans were hated by Jews, but
Jesus loved her and won her, and she became His best evangelist,
and through her many Samaritans were saved.
Jesus could identify with her, for He too was a mixture of Jewish
and Gentile blood, and He was doing in the flesh what He had been
doing all through history, using women, be they rich or poor, pagan
or Jewish, to accomplish His purpose in the world. What women
decide, and what women do, has been, is, and will be, a vital part of
human progress, for history keeps on confirming what the Bible
clearly reveals: God's providence works through women.
