“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.”
(Esther 1:11, NASB).
In
Esther chapter one, we read about one queen, who defied the king’s command and got deposed and demoted. Then
we later read about the king’s search for another woman to take her place. Who
better to take her place than godly Esther? So who is this queen who defied the
king’s command? Her name was Vashti. Her name means “vanity.” She was a woman
of great beauty in the sight of all who saw her. This is why the king liked to
call for her, to parade her around. In other words, the king liked showing off
how beautiful his wife was. The only problem with Vashti’s physical beauty is
that it has an expiry date. No wonder the writer of Proverbs said, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But
a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” (Prov. 31:30, NASB). Such praise for the vanity of
physical beauty that will pass had a short life span. This raises some serious
questions. Does a woman just want to be praised and known for her physical
beauty alone? Did such beauty save her from being deposed from her position as
queen? The truth is, Vashti’s beauty was more earth bound than heaven bound,
more outward than inward, more focused on what was passing than what would last
for eternity. Now let us take a little closer look at Queen Vashti's Defiance, her Deposition, and Demotion.
(1.) Queen Vashti's Defiance: She disobeyed the king's order delivered by the eunuchs (1:12, 15). The seriousness of her disobeying the command of the king had to do with the natural order of headship in creation (see 1 Cor. 11:3). It's this act of despising the king's authority that had to be dealt with. Now the king was not without fault here as well. His inhibitions were impaired due to his alcohol consumption, and made a request that Vashti refused to obey.
(2.) Queen Vashti's Deposition: "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the king, let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she." (see Est. 1:19, NASB). Due to her refusal to come to the king when he called for her to come, resulted in Vashti being deposed from her throne as queen. She had been removed from her office and position as the edict says in the above text.
(3.) Queen Vashti's Demotion: She lost her position as queen by king Ahasuerus' side. She enjoyed the luxuries and comforts that came with her position as Queen; but she quickly suffered a reduction in rank and status, due to her defiance of the king's command. She was not only stripped of her rank as queen, she was also divorced from her husband the king as well. Indeed, her disobedience was costly. Had she known this, I'm sure she would not have defied the king's command.
(1.) Queen Vashti's Defiance: She disobeyed the king's order delivered by the eunuchs (1:12, 15). The seriousness of her disobeying the command of the king had to do with the natural order of headship in creation (see 1 Cor. 11:3). It's this act of despising the king's authority that had to be dealt with. Now the king was not without fault here as well. His inhibitions were impaired due to his alcohol consumption, and made a request that Vashti refused to obey.
(2.) Queen Vashti's Deposition: "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." (see Est. 1:19, NASB). Due to her refusal to come to the king when he called for her to come, resulted in Vashti being deposed from her throne as queen. She had been removed from her office and position as the edict says in the above text.
(3.) Queen Vashti's Demotion: She lost her position as queen by king Ahasuerus' side. She enjoyed the luxuries and comforts that came with her position as Queen; but she quickly suffered a reduction in rank and status, due to her defiance of the king's command. She was not only stripped of her rank as queen, she was also divorced from her husband the king as well. Indeed, her disobedience was costly. Had she known this, I'm sure she would not have defied the king's command.
