ESTHER--CHAPTER ONE

THE STORY OF VASHTI

SUGGESTED TEACHING OBJECTIVES:

1. To teach the purpose of the Book. See two great truths in the Introduction.

2. To teach the folly of drinking alcoholic beverages. vs. 10 & 11.

3. To teach the proper respect which all should have for the female sex. vs. 12.

4. To teach the importance of having good convictions and godly principles by which to live.

INTRODUCTION: The events recorded in the book of Esther fit in between the 6th and 7th chapters of Ezra. The Jews had been in captivity at this time about 85 years, II Chronicles 36:5-21 tells of their being taken into captivity. In 535 B.C., by permission of the King (Cyrus the (great) Zerubbabel had taken a remnant of the Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, The majority of the Jews, however, remained in Babylon. They were satisfied with the luxuries of this Great empire and were not willing to return to the land God had given them for this would result in much hardship and sacrifice.

Not once in this book is the name of God mentioned and this is the only book in the Bible of which this is true. God had hidden his face from His people because of their evil (Deuteronomy  51:18), but He still loved them and was watching over them, Thus, He raised up Esther and Mordecai to save them from one of the greatest dangers of their history, We learn two outstanding lessons from this book: 1. That God never stops loving His people even though they may sin against Him and be out of His will; 2. That He controls the affairs of men to bring about His plan for His people.

vs. 1- "Ahasuerus" was a title for the king such as "Pharaoh". This was Xerxes I, who ruled over the Persian Empire from about 485 to 465 B.C. He was the king who led the Persian forces against Greece and was defeated in that effort (Daniel  11:2). His kingdom was vast.

vs. 2- Shushan refers to Susa which was the old capital of the Persian Empire. The Kings usually spent winters in Babylon and summers in Susa.

vs. 3-This feast was probably for the purpose of gaining prestige, of showing off his riches and of aligning his kingdom to follow him in the attack against Greece. The powerful and influential men of his kingdom attended.

vs. 4-The feast lasted 130 days or 6 months All the leaders of the provinces probably couldn't be gone from their posts for long periods so this 6 month period probably saw these great men coming and going throughout the feast.

vs, 5- After this 6 months feast, the king climaxed it with a special 7 day feast for all people in Shushan.

Vs. 6 & 7. - The riches and splendor of the palace is hero shown. The best wine was used.

vs. 8 -Although the wine was offered, the king respected the right of people to abstain and such were not forced to drink. For such action we see the King knew of the evil of consumption of alcohol. A lesson: Men are responsible for what they do with their wealth. Rom 2:6. No doubt this expenditure of money would have been more wise and beneficial if used to help the poor.

vs.9 - Vashti, the queen, was properly performing her Queenly duties as a helpmate to her husband. vs. 10 & 11 - The King's drunkenness led him to make a foolish request. Drunkenness leads to terrible consequences.

1. It leads to foolishness-"When the wine is in, the wit is out."  He desired to exhibit the beauty of his queen to a lustful, licentious, drunken crowd.

2. It leads to a violation of marital obligation. Eg. to love, honor, etc.

3. It leads to painful rebuffs - "She refused."

4. It leads to unreasonable passion - He was very wroth- vs. 12.   Someone could have said, "Doest thou well to be angry."

5. It covers a person with shame . The King was embarrassed and put to shame.

6. It leads to regrets-I Corinthians  6:10 - Regrets for folly, for expenditure, for consequence-the last and worst of which is Hell. Cf. Habakkuk 2:15; Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-35.

vs. 12-Vashti's refusal was morally quite justifiable. Neither a husband's nor a king's authority extends to the wanton requirements of acts, that, if done, would disgrace the doer for life. Had Vashti complied, she would have lost the respect not only of the Persian nation but of the King himself. Vashti would have no part in this vain exhibitionism. She was a woman of dignity and conviction. Men should treat women with all due respect and honor.

vs. 13 &14- These were the great men of the kingdom and were privileged to go in and out of the King's presence in a noble fashion.

vs. 15- Pride caused the King to pursue the matter of his rebuff. Had he truly loved and honored his wife as he should, he would have admitted he was wrong and passed it off before his kingdom. "Pride goeth before a fall" and he would soon be defeated in his attack against Greece.

vs. 16-18 - This would bring (these wise men thought), serious consequences within the nation. Our actions do affect others and this fact should cause us to live as our Saviour would have us to.

vs. 19 - The King's commandments were considered as law and the laws of the Medes and Persians were unchangeable. Vashti was removed from being Queen, a marriage was broken, terrible sins had been committed in high offices so that the whole empire had these examples set before them as legitimate conduct and action.  Note: Let us be sure we never allow our lives to set forth a bad example as being proper conduct.

vs. 20-22- The saying pleased the King and it was done. The Bible never covers up a person's character. What a record this man has in God's record as to his terrible character. We see he was a lover of self, vainglorious, proud, selfish, a lover of fame, a love of power, a lover of display, a drunkard, an adulterer, and an individual with an unforgiving nature.

CONCLUSION: What kind of a record are we having written in God's records? Is our record favorable like that of Vashti or is it despicable like that of the King?

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