Esther - Lesson 1B

• The first eight verses in the book of Esther chapter one gave us the who, what, when and where of the narrative.

  • The who is king Ahasuerus, also referred to as Xerxes, Persian name Khshayarsha.

  • The what is reigning, specifically preparing for re-engaging the Greeks in battle.

  • The when is about 485-481 BCE.

  • The where is in the citadel of Susa the capital of the Persian Empire.

• The Persian Empire waged an ongoing war with the Greeks spanning more than four decades.

  • After the defeat of the battle at Marathon in 490 BCE, Darius I went home with plans to come back and take revenge.

• Ahasuerus intended to conquer the Greeks, something his father Darius I had failed to complete.

  • This was the focus of the gathering of the leaders in Susa described in Esther 1:1-8.

Esth. 1:9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.
Esth. 1:10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus,
Esth. 1:11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown in order to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was beautiful.
Esth. 1:12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. Then the king became very angry and his wrath burned within him.

• Queen Vashti is introduced and she is described as giving a banquet in the palace.

  • The banquet the king was hosting took place in the palace gardens.

• The guest at this banquet were for the women in King Ahasuerus’ the palace.

• There is no clear answer from secular historians as to the lineage of queen Vashti.

  • There is no corroborating evidence from archeological evidence of this queen that has been found.

  • One of the reasons for this lack of evidence is most likely because the palace was destroyed by fire during the reign of Artaxerxes I.

• The records maintained at Susa were written in scrolls or books not clay tablets as we will see in Esth. 2:23, 6:1, 10:1.

  • The fire would have destroyed these documents.

• There are references in what began as Jewish oral traditions to identify this Queen Vashti.

  • These Jewish oral traditions moved to a written form.  in what is known as Midrash.

  • There is even an attempt to trace her lineage done by these Jewish story tellers.

• The term Midrash (“exposition” or “investigation”) refers to an example of biblical interpretation.

  • There are two basic types one called midrash halacha and is specific to interpretations in regards to the law or religious standards.

  • The second is midrash halacha, all other forms of biblical interpretation would fall into this category.

• Madras interpretation is largely used in the Talmudic literature,

  • The Jews have a vested interest in how this queen is displayed in the book of Esther.

  • They desire to make the Jewish Queen a heroine and Queen Vashti as a less desirable person. We will look more at this at the end of this study.

• In verse 9 the guest are women and based on earlier reference to those who were invited to the multiple banquets give by the king these were most like the women associated with these men, specifically referring back to verse 5 these were the ones present at the citadel in Susa.

• The men are in the court of the garden of the king’s palace while the women are inside the palace.

  • It is important to remember in Middle Eastern cultures women are often kept separate from the men in social gatherings.

  • It is still common today in most Middle Eastern cultures.

  • This would simply be a cultural norm practiced at this time in history as Queen Vashti is entertaining her female guests in the palace while the men are all out in the palace garden.

• The separation of women from men has it’s roots in Islam and was not originally part of Jewish tradition. The change seems to have made it’s way into Jewish practices in the 12th century. (https://blog.nli.org.il/en/ezrat_nashim/)

• In verse 10 there is another clarified time given as the narrative details the next events happen on the seventh day of this week long banquet, or the last day.

• The description used on the king as being merry with wine and is see as a man who has too much wine. (See also Judges 19:6,9 Ruth 3:7, 1Sam. 35:36, 2 Sam. 13:28, Eccl 8:15, 10:19, Luke 12:19)

• The king in the ‘merry’ condition gives a command to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus.

• A eunuch is a man who has been castrated and were considered of significant value to the Persians in service to the king.

  • (IVP OT background Commentary - InterVarsity Press)

  • Eunuchs were highly valued in government service in many varied roles.

  • The great demand for eunuchs led to young boys being included in the tribute paid to Persia so that they could be castrated and trained for government service.

  • They had no families to distract them from their service.

  • They were often entrusted with the care and supervision of the royal harem.

  • Having been castrated, they posed no threat to the women of the harem and could not engender children by the harem women who might be mistaken for royal heirs.

  • They would be less likely to become involved in conspiracies, because they would have no heirs to put on the throne.

  • Assyria, Urartu and Media had all made use of eunuchs in government offices prior to the Persian period.

  • Four of the names in this list have been attested in Elamite documents and can therefore be considered authentic names of the period.

  • Herodotus names the chief eunuch of Xerxes Hermotimus. Herodotus describes the men surrounding Xerxes as cringing, fawning leeches who tell the king only what they think he wants to hear.

• In verse 11 The king commands the men to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown in order to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was beautiful.

• First, they are specifically asked to bring Queen Vashti before the king.

  • This is not an unusual requests since it was the only way to have an audience with the king. We see this later in Esther 4:11

Esth. 4:11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.”

• This verse is speaking specifically of when the king is sitting in the inner court but it would seem to indicate it was by an invitation one would have an audience with the king.

• The king makes a special request for Queen Vashti to wear her royal crown and come to be seen by those in attendance at his banquet.

• There has been great speculation in regards to this verse with some suggesting the king is asking for the queen to come before this crown only wearing her crown but that is not found in the scriptures.

• We must remember that one of the ways Darius I had expanded his kingdom was by royal marriages.

  • This was the practice of the day. With this understanding it would be true that Queen Vashti’s marriage was arranged with a political advantage for the kingdom.

• The question would be why would the king want all those in attendance of his banquet to see her display her royal crown and how beautiful Queen Vashti is.

• In verse 4 we saw the king’s desire was to displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days.

• The king’s desire may have been to display his queen in front of all those present as the final statement of the display of his royal glory and great majesty.

• Depending on where Queen Vashti was from by her displaying herself wearing her royal crown could be seen as lending support for the upcoming war with the Greeks.

  • This is just my thoughts.

• Verse 12 reveals when the eunuchs bring the message of the king’s command to Queen Vashti she refused to come.

• It might appear to some that this could be seen as a compliment to Queen Vashti to be so highly regarded by the king but her response would indicate otherwise.

• It would seem the people of the court had not seen Queen Vashti’s face before.

  • This would make the most sense why the request is made with the emphasis made about her beauty.

  • (IVP OT background Commentary)

• One need not think that Vashti was asked to do anything immodest or morally compromising (as early rabbinic interpretation assumed).

  • In some eastern societies, the harem was carefully sequestered and the law prohibited anyone from looking on the faces of the royal women.

  • Persian women of this period went about in closed carriages so as not to be exposed to the gaze of the general public.

  • If this is the case, as Josephus reported it was, Xerxes would be requesting Vashti to do something beneath her station and demeaning to her royal personage.

  • Exposing her to the gaze of the entire citadel population would be a far greater humiliation than not bowing to an honored official, but would be a similar violation of protocol.

• It is interesting to ponder how the event would have been carried out on this day in this royal palace.

  • Would the request to the queen have been put in writing or was it a verbal request?

  • Did each eunuch address the queen or only one?

  • Would the refusal be brought back to the king by all the eunuchs or just one?

  • Would it have been a message delivered verbally to the king?

  • Would it have been done in the hearing of the crowd or privately?

• A reference by Josephus indicates that the eunuchs came back several times without the Queen. She did not say 'no' once but probably several times.

  • Each response could have been seen by all the great men of King Ahasuerus’ vast kingdom.

• To be seen without a face covering in public by men would have been a disgrace to Queen Vashti.

  • To reject the command of the King was a disgrace to the King.

• This would have been a very disrespectful response to the king’s command and humiliating for the King in front of guests at the banquet, and the emotion it invoked as the king’s response was to become very angry and his wrath burned within him.

• This was not a surprise as the king was dishonored and it would seem the king has a right to be angry however the level of anger is described to be intense anger leading to his wrath.

  • Wrath is defined by Merriam Webster as - strong vengeful anger or indignation.

• This is an unhealthy anger not a righteous anger and it was probably intensified by the excessive drinking of wine.

• This King had just communicated to all these men in positions of leadership that he wanted them to support him in this large war campaign.

  • They should support him because he was so powerful and he would win as he had demonstrated all his might and wealth to them.

• The king is now seen not even able to get his wife to follow his command.

  • The queen not coming as commanded brought great humiliation to the king and experiencing disrespect.

  • His reaction described as wrath shows he now was vengeful in his desire to deal with this disrespect.

Esth. 1:13 Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times — for it was the custom of the king so to speak before all who knew law and justice
Esth. 1:14 and were close to him: Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media who had access to the king’s presence and sat in the first place in the kingdom —
Esth. 1:15 “According to law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?”
Esth. 1:16 In the presence of the king and the princes, Memucan said, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
Esth. 1:17 “For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women causing them to look with contempt on their husbands by saying, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in to his presence, but she did not come.’
Esth. 1:18 “This day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s conduct will speak in the same way to all the king’s princes, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger.
Esth. 1:19 “If it pleases the king, let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she.
Esth. 1:20 “When the king’s edict which he will make is heard throughout all his kingdom, great as it is, then all women will give honor to their husbands, great and small.”
Esth. 1:21 This word pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed.
Esth. 1:22 So he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province according to its script and to every people according to their language, that every man should be the master in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.

• Verse 13 demonstrates the mood of the banquet has changed from a celebration to a complete distraction in dealing with this unexpected development.

• The King speaks to his advisors described as wise men who understood the times.

• The specific clarification given about their understanding delineates — for it was the custom of the king so to speak before all who knew law and justice.

• These were the experts of what laws governed the kingdom and how to carry out justice regarding the law.

• The king often turned to these men to determine what was right according to the laws of the kingdom.

  • The legal system of the Medes and Persians was extensive.

• Verse 14 includes these men were close to the king.

  • They are also specifically named in the scripture, Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan.

• These names can be verified through historical records and give historical validation to the narrative.

• They are described as, the seven princes of Persia and Media who had access to the king’s presence and sat in the first place in the kingdom.

• They hold positions of power in the kingdom as princes and had special access to the king’s presence, which was an honor.

  • They knew what was going on in the royal court and the kingdom.

  • Finally, we hear they sat in the first place in the kingdom. They held the highest offices in the kingdom.

• As these events unfold in verse 15 it would appear that King Ahashuerus has found a clearer head to make decision from.

  • He lays out a question to these wise counselors, “According to law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?”

• It is clear Queen Vashti did not obey a command of the king given through his eunuchs.

  • The king asks what the response should be according to the law.

• King Ahashuerus could have decided in his anger and wrath to do whatever he desired to do in regards to selecting a consequence.

  • Instead the king seeks counsel.

• We do not know if the counsel of men convened privately before they pronounced their decision to King Ahasuerus.

• Verse 16 clearly displays the counsel provided by these men was communicated, in the presence of the king and the princes,

  • This group of counselor’s select Mermucan to speak the decree.

• The verdict relayed to the king was, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.

• Memucan gives the pronouncement in the presence of the king AND the princes, publicly, just like the violation of the command was done. He raises the bar of her offenses to be more than just violating the king’s command.

• He says she has also wronged ALL the princes and all the people, who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.

• Defying the command of the king has a far reaching affect on all those who are under the kings command.

• Verse 17 elaborates on the broad impact this act of disobedience demonstrated the far reaching impact this could have had in the provinces.

  • Memucan says Queen Vashti’s violation wronged more than the king, “For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women causing them to look with contempt on their husbands by saying, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in to his presence, but she did not come.’

• Memucan declares this event will be known by other women in the kingdom.

• How will all the women know of the queen’s conduct?

  • Many women were attending the banquet hosted by Queen Vashti.

  • It is probable the command from King Ahasuerus was known to those in attendance of his banquet as well as the answer of the queen.

  • Women would have a tendency to share this information among themselves.

  • What do you think the cultural expectations were of women to their husbands before this event?

    • Women were expected to do as asked, not a lot of rights for women of other cultures…ever.

    • Memucan suggests all the women will look with contempt on their husbands.

• Verse 18 Memucan declares, “This day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s conduct will speak in the same way to all the king’s princes, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger.

• We are not told what Queen Vashti said only that she did not come as commanded.

  • The suggestion is that the wives of the princes will also say no to the commands of their husbands.

  • This type of reaction in the homes will cause the women to have contempt towards their husbands, like Vashti demonstrated to King Ahasuerus.

• The lack of following the husbands command will cause the men to become angry, just like King Ahasuerus.

• Memucan relays the wise men’s counsel in verse 19,

  • Memucan begins with a respectful tone with the king beginning his words “If it pleases the king.

• This would always be a way of addressing issues to the king as he may have a strong reason to want to avoid the advice of the advisor for any number of reasons.

• Then the solution is presented to let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she.)

  • The suggestion is for a royal edict to be issued by the king.

  • An edict is a proclamation having the force of law.

• This edict will be held to a higher standard by being written into the laws of Persia and Media.

  • One of the reasons to get King Ahasuerus to issue an edict was so that it could not be repealed.

• There is another reference to the irrevocable nature of these laws in Daniel 6:6-9:

Dan. 6:6 Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, live forever!
Dan. 6:7 “All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den.
Dan. 6:8 “Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.”
Dan. 6:9 Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction.

• This is true in the new testament times as well:

Matt. 14:6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod,
Matt. 14:7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
Matt. 14:8 Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
Matt. 14:9 Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests.

• A king is only as good as his word.

Esther 1:19 The recommended edict was that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she.

• First Queen Vashti is not to come before King Ahasuerus ever again.

• Second, she will lose her position in the royal court with all the personal and professional implications. There is some irony in the fact it was Queen Vashti’s choice to not want to come before the king when commanded.

• The princes from Persia and Media want the edict so they have proof in writing this was the desire of the king.

  • This way the king could not change his mind and go back to this queen.

• Queen Vashti would not be coming back.

• It would be bad for these men if Queen Vashti came back to the royal court after their advice was taken to have her removed from the presence of the King Ahasuerus?

  • She would have the power to take vengeance on the 7 men of wise counsel, or any others in the royal court she felt had wrong by her.

• This is also why there is a second part of the edict which says, “and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she”.

• These men did not want Queen Vashti to ever have the opportunity to reclaim the position she currently held again.

  • They would fear her retribution.

  • The king finding another queen would take away the temptation to bring back Vashti as queen.

  • This would also seem to indicate these wise men knew the power Queen Vashti held over King Ahasuerus.

• In verse 20 the wise mean highlight the benefit to the kingdom the edict will have, “When the king’s edict which he will make is heard throughout all his kingdom, great as it is, then all women will give honor to their husbands, great and small.”

• It is probably realistic to assume not all men were given the honor they desired from their wives.

• Don’t underestimate how important this is to all men then and now. This is a biblical principal taught throughout scripture.

Eph. 5:31 FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.
Eph. 5:32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
Eph. 5:33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

• Men desire respect or honor as the word is used here in Esther.

  • This is how God designed them and how God directs wives to respond to their husbands.

• It would seem there is some exaggeration of how all the women of the kingdom would react if Queen Vashti’s refusal to obey the command of the king is not dealt with properly as well as how all the women will now give honor to their husbands based on the punishment of the queen.

  • There still is truth in the general understanding of what impact taking no action would create, and what impact the edict would have.

• Verse 21 highlights the response of those who heard the recommendation of the edit, ‘This word pleased the king and the princes’

• The advice pleased the king and he did as Memucan proposed.

• After King Ahasuerus approves of the edit Memucan carries out the proposed plan in verse 22, ‘So he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province according to its script and to every people according to their language, that every man should be the master in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.’

  • The written documents were sent to all the king’s provinces.

  • The letters were written in a particular script, this would be the alphabet used.

  • The letters were translated into the common language of each province.

• The content of the edit is ‘that every man should be the master in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.’

• The impact of, speaking in the language of his own people, is given importance in Nehemiah 13:23-24:

Neh. 13:23 In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.
Neh. 13:24 As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people.

• The non-Jewish women the Jewish men were marrying were teaching the children the language they knew and most probably the culture they grew up with, including the religious practices. This gave the women more control and power in the home.

  • This was not acceptable to Nehemiah.

• The wise men of the Persian courts had come to the same conclusion that every man should be the master in his own house.

• The wives throughout the kingdom were to acknowledge the men were the master of their own homes.

• One of the best ways to insure this influence was for the language spoken in the home to be that of the husband.

  • This is clear in the wording of the letter sent to all the provinces in King Ahasuerus’ kingdom.

• The description of the letter sent to the provinces appears to be different than the edicts that were proposed to the king earlier.

  • Most likely the royal edicts, concerning Queen Vashti, were recorded in the laws of the Medes and the Persians to be sure they were not repealed.

  • The letters sent to the provinces carried the tone of what the expectations were to be in the homes of the peoples in the kingdom.

• The direction of the book of Esther takes a predictable path.

  • The King has been disrespected and the wise men counsel how to resolve the immediate issue with Queen Vashti.

  • The wise men do not stop there as they take the opportunity to use this event to advance other agendas. Politics never really changes.

• God uses the hearts of men to move history down a path for His intended purposes but it is still interesting to see how circumstances unfold in real lives.

• God does the same today because He is the same God with the same sovereign power and what comfort we can have as we watch our own lives and the circumstances around us knowing God is in fact in control and doing as He has intended in our lives. Romans 8:26-31:

Rom. 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
Rom. 8:27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Rom. 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Rom. 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
Rom. 8:30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?