A BIBLICAL ANALYSIS OF ESTHER CHAPTER 1
By Ezekiel Kimosop
In Esther 1, the Bible reader is introduced to the events and characters in the royal courts of Persia. At this point in time, no mention is made of a Jewish character but some scholars suppose that some influential Jews were possibly part of the guests. The writer carefully outlines the background stage behind what he will reveal in Esther 2.
The writer further indicates that the events described in the first chapter of Esther occurred in the third year of the reign of king Ahasuerus (v.3). It is not immediately clear if the decision to host a royal celebration of this kind was informed by imperial custom or was exclusive to the reign of Ahasuerus. Jamieson - Fausset Brown Bible Commentary indicates that banquets on so grand a scale and extending over so great a period, have been frequently provided by the luxurious monarchs of Eastern countries both in ancient and modern times. Barnes, cites Cyrus the great who reportedly feasted "all Persians". He supposes that the extensive scale of feasts was not unusual in the ancient East.
Given the elaborate preparations and the period of seven days during which the royal feast was scheduled, together with the preceding one hundred and eighty days during which the king displayed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his majesty (v. 4), it would perhaps be legitimate to consider the celebration to be fairly unusual for a king who was perhaps also celebrating his third anniversary. This celebration is consistent with ungodly pride and hero worship. The moral in the story of the rich fool recorded in Luke 12:13-21 appears to speak into this setting.
Is it possible that the king had achieved unparalleled success in expanding his kingdom within that short period? Did he perhaps inherit the kingdom from his father and that his opulence was motivated by avarice and wastage owing to his youthful deportment? Was he perhaps the beneficiary of a palace coup? Matthew Henry supposes that the feast was extravagant and vainglory.
It is instructive that the feast was intended to crown the 180 days of splendour (v. 5). This phase of the celebration was open to people of various cadres. Given the ordinary size of the king's gardens and the ancient royal courts, a limited number of guests may have been invited. The reference to "great to small" is perhaps suggestive of the echelons of the royal court officials, the satraps and the nobility invited rather than the millions of the rank and file of the Persian society.
The royal splendour and sumptuous food and wine is elaborately described in vv. 6-8.
A brief statement is assigned to Queen Vashti's feast, perhaps underscoring her lower royal status (v. 9). She entertained the women.
The writer reveals that the decision to summon Queen Vashti to appear before the king was informed by the king's drunken stupor, having perhaps drank himself silly during the seven days of the celebration. It is instructive that the king's heart is at this point described as "merry with wine" suggesting that his judgment was perhaps impaired by excessive wine (v. 10).
Queen Vashti was by all standards not new to most of the imperial guests and court officials. This lends credence to the view that the demand for her appearance may have violated established royal etiquette and culture but no court official could have dared to contradict or stand in the way of a drunken king! The queen was possibly informed by her advisors about the drunken state of the king and may have been advised against heeding the king's orders on that occasion.
The king's anger recorded in v. 12 may have been misplaced. The king's advisors, who may also have been equally drunken, considered Vashti's defiance as a royal disgrace and a cultural violation (v. 16-18). Could it be that Vashti had a history of arrogance and defiance on previous occasions? What could inform such daredevil decision? Did she perhaps hope that the king would come back to his senses after the celebration? These questions are difficult to answer but are nonetheless relevant to the ensuing plot.
The petition seeking to have Queen Vashti dethroned eventually receives royal assent and Vashti was subsequently forbidden from appearing before the king under a royal decree (vv. 19-20). This decree may have effectively reduced her to a royal concubine!
The decision to seek a replacement for Vashti presented an opportunity through which God opened the door to the events described in Esther 2.
The writer concludes the passage of Esther 1 with the mention of a royal decree asserting male domination in the Persian society. The decree proclaimed that "each man should be master in his own house" (vv. 21-22).
MORAL LESSONS
1. We learn that alcoholic intoxication and substance abuse is dangerous for people holding high leadership positions. It impairs their mental judgment and brings shame. Excessive wine left Noah uncovered (Genesis 9:21) and led Lot into incest (Genesis 19:33-35).
2. Leadership affluence and opulence should be tampered with godly modesty. If left unchecked, it results in wastage and vainglory. It is vanity of vanities (cf. Ecclesiastes 1:14-18).
3. The quality of advisors in high positions of authority is tested in certain situations. Wisdom is critical at this level (Job 12:12; Proverbs 1:7, 2:7). Scripture proclaims that wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers of a city (Ecclesiastes 7:19).
4. The moral convictions and moderations drawn from God's word should always guide us in arriving at godly decisions in any position of influence (cf. Daniel 1:8).
5. There is a price to pay for one's moral convictions. Queen Vashti lost her crown but gained her moral footing.
6. Too much power corrupts. Someone said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The exercise of power and authority should be subject to godly moderation.
7. God alone is worthy of glory for any achievements in life. Hero worship is an illusion from Satan (cf. Matthew 4:1-11).
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023
