Esther 1:1-22

As we move from the book of Nehemiah to Esther we rewind in time and are given some insight to the lives of the children of Israel who were in captivity in Persia.  They had been taken captive by Babylon but now the Medes and the Persians had conquered Babylon so they are now reigning over the land and the Israelites in captivity.  The story in Esther occurs prior to Ezra returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and Nehemiah returning to build the wall in Jerusalem but after Zurubbabel had led the first group of the people back from exile to start construction of the temple.  It is very likely that the events of Esther help to explain why the Persian kings were so accommodating to the children of Israel.  God’s sovereignty is clearly on display as He moves behind the scenes in history to accomplish His will.  This first chapter simply provides a backdrop to a very fascinating story that reads like a script to a motion picture.

THE KING AND QUEEN HAVE BANQUETS: The king and queen of Persia are hosting simultaneous but separate banquets that are apparently great spectacles.  These parties lasted several days and the alcohol seems to be flowing with abundance along with extravagant food and entertainment.  These are pagan rulers holding a huge party for pagan people.  We don’t have to use our imaginations very much to know all that must have been going on at these banquets.  What is important to remember that behind the scenes of this drunken party our sovereign God is at work to bring about His will for His people.  We must not be surprised when sinful leaders act sinfully, nor should we be distressed over the existence of sinful leaders.  God really is in control.

THE KING AND QUEEN BEGIN TO BICKER: At some point in the party the king wants the queen to come over to his part so that he can “show her off.”  He sends his messengers to her and fully expects them to return with her in tow.  The queen simply declines the invitation and remains with her guests.  It is easy to speculate about what some of her reasons might have been.  What is clear was that she did not want to be a part of the spectacle that he was planning for her.  She likely knew her husband and realized that he was probably drunk and simply did not want to submit herself to the humiliation she was sure that this would involve. As we look at this couple it is clear that they were both wrong.  Many times when couples fight we want to try to declare a “winner” the truth is that most of the time, both are wrong.


THE KING HAS THE QUEEN BANISHED: This lack of submission on the part of the queen becomes a big problem for the king.  He becomes angry but beyond that his counselors warn him that if the wife of the king is not submissive to her husband imagine how the other wives in the kingdom will begin to act.  The counsel determines that they must make an example of the queen so that the women of the kingdom will afraid to disobey their husbands.  As a result, the queen is banished from the presence of the queen and it is determined that there be a search made of the land in order to find a replacement for her.  This decision was published through the entire land so wives everywhere would “wise up.”  Wives submitting to their husbands is a biblical principle but so is the principle of husbands loving their wives and being faithful to them.  We must never use the example of this pagan couple for believers to follow.  God is at work through the sins of these royal leaders to bring about His plan.

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