Queen Vashti Dismissed as Queen

Esther 1:10–22
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On the last day of a seven-day feast in the Shushan palace, the king was feeling happy because of so much wine and called for Vashti to appear before his drunken nobles to show her beauty and she refused (vv. 10-11). The king wanted her to wear her crown and let his people and officials see how beautiful she was (v. 11). Refusal to do so put her in a very difficult situation as once the king made a command, he could not reverse it. The purpose was that all wives throughout the Medo-Persian Empire might respect and honor their husbands. Her refusal to go to him made him very angry (v. 12).

The King called in seven of the highest officials of Persia and Media (vv. 13-14). These men understood all the laws and customs of the country, and he asked them what they thought about such matters. He was a great ruler. He had 127 provinces under his control, and he did it without a telephone, television, or telegraph. This land of Persia is today Iran and Iraq. The King and the nation were stunned (vv. 15-18). No one disobeys the King, even his wife, so the king lost his temper and was shamed in front of all the men. It was decided that they would make an example out of Vashti. The king dismissed Vashti as queen, probably taking her crown away and divorcing her as his wife (vv. 19-22). They felt that when every-body finds out that she had disobeyed the king, women everywhere would start disobeying their husbands and they couldn’t have that happening.

Application

I need to realize that things don’t just happen by accident, but God orchestrates the events of my life. Whether I do right or wrong has to do with whether I try to please God or people.