Bear With the Barriers

November 13, 2022

Most of us are familiar with Esther in the bible. "For such a time as this," right? We likely know about Mordecai, her cousin, who raised her as his own after she became an orphan and her unlikely summons to the palace as a potential candidate for the role of queen. We probably remember how, later, as queen, she fasted and risked her own life going before the king to ask for her people to be saved. Then there is the major boomerang in the story when Haman was hung on his own gallows that he had built for Mordecai's death. WOW!

However, if we back up to the very beginning of the story before Esther was even in the picture, we might easily overlook one of the key players, Queen Vashti. We are not told much about her. In Esther 1:9 we find out also Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus. So she is helping to host this 187 day party that the king has been having. Wait, what?? A nearly half a year long party?!? It's actually two parties; first, there was the 180 day long party followed by a 7 day feast. Can you even try to imagine that? What could they have been celebrating for that long? Esther 1:4 tells us While he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor and excellence of his majesty for many days. Oh my, this king was obviously quite full of himself. Can you imagine being married to a king that threw a party in honor of, well, himself for over six months? Then on the last day of the party we read in Esther 1:10-12 On the seventh day, when the king’s heart was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who ministered to King Ahasuerus as attendants, To bring Queen Vashti before the king, with her royal crown, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was fair to behold. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command conveyed by the eunuchs. Therefore the king was enraged, and his anger burned within him.

Vashti has tolerated the vanity of her husband during this extravagant 6 month long feast, but suddenly, on the last day, she. is. done! She refuses to be paraded around in the palace garden in front of a bunch of drunk men.

Yeah, I think I would refuse to do that, too. However, this was the king. One did not tell the king "no." Vashti had to be familiar with court protocol. She had to have known that her refusal would have disastrous consequences. However, Queen Vashti puts this boundary in place, and she doesn't budge. As we continue reading Esther 1:19 we find out that Vashti's life drastically changes because of her tenacity. If it pleases the king, let a royal command go forth from him and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and Medes, so that it may not be changed, that Vashti is to [be divorced and] come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.

We do not know a lot about Queen Vashti, but we do know that she stood firm in this circumstance. How many times had she compromised herself and her beliefs before she took this drastic stance? What possibly was different this time?

Though we don't know much about Queen Vashti's character or motives, we do know much about God's character and motives. Proverbs 21:1 tells us The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as are the watercourses; He turns it whichever way He wills. Again in Proverbs 16:4 we are reminded The Lord has made everything [to accommodate itself and contribute] to its own end and His own purpose—even the wicked [are fitted for their role] for the day of calamity and evil. A few verses later we read, A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. Proverbs 16:9

Queen Vashti had her own "for such a time as this." Vashti was not a Jew seeking to follow her Hebrew God. It didn't matter. God used her determined spirit to set off a chain of events that led to her removal from the palace, and therefore, a place was created for Esther. The Lord vacated the role so that Esther could be divinely place and could be used to accomplish His purposes.

God does the same thing in our lives today. Is there somewhere else you are supposed to be? Perhaps so, but you don't have to bulldoze your way in; God is perfectly able to place you exactly where you need to be. Feel as though you keep running up on roadblocks and dead ends? Those may just be boundaries like Vashti had put in place. Those very boundaries may be exactly what clears a path for you. Don't be discouraged by another's role, boundary, or "place." God has His own purposes, and you can trust that EVERYTHING works to accomplish those purposes. He is the one who does exceeding, abundantly above what we can even imagine.