Esther 1:2

    I. \\#Esther 1:1-22\\ The Wife Who Refused to Obey

I. \\#Esther 1:1-22\\ The Wife Who Refused to Obey
    A. \\#Esther 1:1-9\\ The Feast of Ahasuerus
        1. \\#1\\ The introduction notes have a map of the Persian kingdom.
        2. \\#2\\ Shushan was one of several capital cities of the Persian
            kingdom.  Is was called Susa by the Greeks and Romans and is listed
            by that name on the map. Daniel was either taken to that city or, more
            likely, was transported there in a vision \\#Daniel 8:2\\.  Nehemiah
            was there as the king’s cupbearer \\#Neh 1:1\\.
        3. \\#3\\ "In the third year of his reign" - The dates of the book of
            Esther are known because the dates of the king’s reign are known.
        4. This chapter speaks of two distinct feasts.
            a. \\#3-4\\ The first lasted for six months and was primarily for the
                leaders of Ahasuerus’s kingdom.
            b. \\#5\\ The second lasted only seven days and was primarily for the
                inhabitants of the capital city, Shushan.  Perhaps the second feast
                was a reward to the citizens for having helped the king in impressing
                his leaders.
        5. \\#7\\ And he gave them drink" - Some speculate that this was primarily
            a drinking feast.  While drinking and drunkeness have obviously existed
            since the eariliest days of mankind \\#Ge 9:20\\, it is doubtful that
            a hard-working common man would have such abundance of the liquor.  No
            doubt, King Ahasuerus’s goal was to make one of his luxuries available to
            all in the city.
        6. \\#8\\ "And the drinking was according to the law" - Ancient kingdoms
            had laws by which they abided.  No matter what kind of feast this was,
            no one was compelled to drink.
        7. \\#9\\ "And Vashti the queen made a feast for the women"
             a. It was a common custom of the ancient for men and women to stay
                 separate, but the women were not overlooked.  The queen hosted
                 her own feast for the women.
             b. Having the title QUEEN did not make Vashti the only wife of
                 Ahasuerus.  He had many, but Vashti had been exalted to be the
                 chosen wife and granted some extra privileges and probably more
                 responsibilities.
    B. \\#Esther 1:10-12\\ The queen refuses the king.
        1. \\#10\\ "On the seventh day, when… the king was merry with wine" -
            That is, when the king was drunk.  In his drunken state, the king
            decided to show off the beauty of his wife, the queen.
        2. \\#12\\ "But the queen, Vashti, refused to come" - The reason for her
            refusal is not given in the Scriptures.
            a. Some speculate that she refused to be the object of lust for the
                king’s drunken guests.
            b. Josephus says, "But she, out of regard to the laws of the Persians,
                which forbid the wives to be seen by strangers, did not go to the
                king…."
Jewish Antiquities, Book XI, 184-202, translated by Ralph Marcus, (Book 11,
chapter 6, paragraphs 1, 2, as translated by William Whiston).

            c. Regardless, it was certainly a serious offense to disobey the
                the king, even for the queen.  Esther, who will have the same
                position as Vashti, feared for her life to enter into his
                presence without being called  \\#Esther 4:11\\.
    C. \\#Esther 1:12-22\\ The Results
        1. \\#14\\ "the seven princes of Persia" - The king was the ruler, but
            he had advisors and helpers in his reign.
        2. \\#15\\ "according to the law" - Persia had set up a system of law
            of which even the king had to obey.  To what purpose these laws
            served is unclear, as the king could still give commands of grave
            consequence without any checks being placed upon him.
        3. \\#15-18\\ One of the king’s advisors, Memucan, sums up the seed of
            rebellion that Vashti had planted in Persia.  If her act is left
            unpunished, rebellion within the home could spread.  Like it or not,
            every society must have respect for authority or chaos will reign.
        4. \\#19-20\\ "That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and…
            let the king give her royal estate unto another" - Vashti’s life
            would be spared, but she would lose her position both before the
            kingdom and before the king.
        5. \\#22\\ "For he sent letters into all the king’s provinces" - Persia
            had a means of transporting the king’s commandments to all his
            kingdom.

<Outline Index>  <Close Window>