All passages used here are from the New International Version translation of the Word.
Esther 1:10-11:
On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was
in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served
him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas— to bring
before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her
beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at.
How many of us
are filled with pride like Queen Vashti? She was one of the most beautiful and powerful women in the
kingdom because of her husband’s position:
Esther
1:1:
Queen Vashti Deposed.
This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes
who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush:
Yet she did not appreciate the gravity
of her position and the weight of her decisions. A woman filled with pride will
fall. Pride consumes personality.
Vashti was beautiful but her personality
was ugly. The Word says she was lovely to
look at. Her beauty placed her amongst kings but her pride cost her the
crown. Women want to concentrate on their outer adornments: beauty, hair,
makeup, clothes, shoes while failing to build character. Beauty cannot keep you
in the midst of success, it can be an asset but also a liability.
Vashti became a by-note in the Word
after this chapter; she was replaced by Esther-a woman who recognized humility
and used it to adorn her beauty.
The Word says:
Esther 1:12:
But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen
Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.
The king did not simply state that
Vashti should be brought before him, but that she should be wearing her royal crown. He wanted to
show off Vashti not as a beautiful woman but as his wife.
She failed to understand this message
because her pride blinded her perception and understanding. Therefore, she
failed to recognize it was her husband calling
her not just a man.
Her position was speaking but she did
not listen to it because her pride had infected her values. The king was
furious because she had disrespected not only his command as sovereign, but as
her husband. She had also disgraced his position and authority.
The king sent all seven eunuchs who served him to the queen. This is because he
respected her position. And yet she did not respect his. It shows that he
treated her as his partner not his possession. Queen Vashti saw herself as
a possession and not as a partner that is why she disgraced herself.
Pride brought her lower than her position and she could not even see it.
The king recognized her authority if not,
he would not have sent all his eunuchs. Yet
she did not recognsie his.
How many of us expect our partners to
respect us when we do not return the respect?
This caused irreparable damage to the
relationship between Vashti and the king because she had insulted him in front
of his subordinates:
Esther 1:3:
and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all
his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the
princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present.
He was also new
to the throne because it was his third
year. This means he had to display his authority. Vashti failed in her role
as a wife and ultimately as a woman. She failed to recognize that she should
have supported her husband and not prioritize her role as a woman of pride.
Pride births
foolishness. If not, Vashti would have realized the message the king was
sending in the manner he sent it-with all
his eunuchs present-clearly showing a position of partnership and equality.
She was
disrespectful in front of other women; she misused her position of influence:
Esther 1:9:
Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal
palace of King Xerxes.
He was also giving her an opportunity to
win the hearts of her subordinates by coming before them as a queen wielding
her weapon as a woman: her beauty.
She lost her place of influence because
of her pride; it cost her royalty:
Esther 2:4:
Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen
instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.
We
should be careful that we do not succumb to the Vashti syndrome of pride which
only births foolishness and disgrace and removes us from the position of
favour.
One
of the key lessons in this passage for me is that one should be careful about
perception. Beauty does not hide
personality.
Focus
more on building your character and let your beauty be an asset to your
humility rather than allowing pride to cost you your blessings.
