Esther.1

Courage in the Shadows: The Story of Esther

“If it pleases the king”

Bible Passage: Esther 1

Summary: The Book of Esther narrates the story of a Jewish woman who becomes queen of Persia and bravely intervenes to save her people from annihilation, showcasing themes of courage, faith, and divine providence.

In the story of Esther, we see a foreshadowing of Christ as a mediator who intercedes for His people, standing between them and destruction.

1. The King Celebrates for 180 Days

Esther 1:1–4 “Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia), in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel, that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him—when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.”

The king known as Ahasuerus was the king Xerxes who was the father of Darius (Dan 9:1). They had conquered the kingdom of Babylon and discontinued the captivity of the Jews there. The Persian kingdom was huge and spread from modern India to Macedonia to Egypt. This prolonged feast was probably used to organize the invasion of Greece around the year 480 B.C.. The king was enticing his generals and political structure with an opulent feast to show them the spoils of war could be expected.

The king Ahasuerus, tried to persuade his generals with a grand display rather than orders. Among those near the palace of Shushan was a family of Jews and Esther. Daniels captivity in Babylon was around 605B.C. to 536B.C. Some Jews were still spread out at this time. This sets the stage for the Book of Esther.

2. Seven Additional Days

Esther 1:5–8 “And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king. In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man’s pleasure.”

After the extended feast of Ahasuerus for his leaders, he has another feast for seven days for the local people. His palace is described beautifully. The garden was prepared and the royal wine was abundant.

It is significant that the king honored the convictions of those who did not drink. He was not insulted by the fact that his people celebrated in their own fashion. This reveals an amount of security in the king. He was not compelled to force his will upon his guests. That security was about to be challanged.

3. The Queens Response

Esther 1:9–12 “Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus. On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him.”

While the king was entertaining at his feast his wife Vashti held her own feast for the women of the palace. Note that verse 9 says it was the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

On the last day of the feat the King invited the Queen to come to his feast. He was proud of her beauty. She was to come upon command and wear her crown.

Q. Was she being obstinate?

Q. Was she sick?

She was to wear her crown - so she had a high position of authority.

She was to be shown off for her beauty - so was she only a prized possession.

We won’t know the cause off her disobedience only the consequences.

She apparently was never given an occasion to offer an excuse.

It was okay for the guests to obey their conscience in drinking, but not okay for a Queen to not want to be objectified.

4. What to do?

Esther 1:13–15 “Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times (for this was the king’s manner toward all who knew law and justice, those closest to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who had access to the king’s presence, and who ranked highest in the kingdom): “What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?””

The king called together the wise men. It is said here in verse 13 that they understood the times. This meant that the code of morality was based on the present culture. For them there was no ultimate rule or principle. There was no law given by God only the way that seems right to a man (Pr 14:12).

Leave it to the men to come the same conclusion, (too bad Daniel wasn’t there). We must remember that this is a foreign culture and not Israel under God’s guidance. They react in the flesh much as many would today. They judge and condemn Queen Vashti according to the law.

Too often Christians react the same way when they sense that they are wronged. The law only condemns (Ro 3:19-20). We are told to live by grace and truth (John 1:14, 17).

5. “If it Please the King”

Esther 1:16–22 “And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: “Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For the queen’s behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come.’ This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media will say to all the king’s officials that they have heard of the behavior of the queen. Thus there will be excessive contempt and wrath. If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. When the king’s decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small.” And the reply pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan. Then he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province in its own script, and to every people in their own language, that each man should be master in his own house, and speak in the language of his own people.”

The justification for the verdict on Queen Vashti was the possibility that more women in the kingdom would take after her disobedience and there be widespread discontent among the men of the kingdom.

This is fundamentally a narrative about preserving patriarchal social order through royal authority and legal enforcement. Panic over loosing control of a patriarchal society.

There is a misguided doctrine that mimics this civil mandate in the church today. The “absolute rule” of the husband in the home. What does the New Testament say about this?

Ephesians 5:22 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”

Colossians 3:18 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

Colossians 3:18, by contrast, frames wifely submission within a theological framework—“as is fitting in the Lord” suggesting that Christian submission operates from internal conviction grounded in faith rather than fear of royal punishment. Submission in marriage mirroring the relationship between Christ and the church—grounding the relationship in Christian conviction and grace rather than civic law. The Colossians passage operates within a broader vision of Christian household ethics, where submission reflects spiritual covering rather than mere compliance with external legalistic decree.

Ephesians 5:23 “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.”

The phrase “if it pleases the king” appears throughout the book of Esther as a rhetorical formula that characters use when making formal requests or proposals to King Ahasuerus. This courtly language reflects the protocol required when addressing Persian royalty. The phrase first appears when Memucan proposes that a decree be issued to remove Vashti from her position as queen (Esther 1:19). Later, Esther uses the same formulation when inviting the king and Haman to a banquet she has prepared (Esther 5:4), and she repeats it when extending a second invitation while requesting that the king grant her petition (Esther 5:8). The expression becomes particularly significant in moments of high stakes. Esther employs it when pleading for her own life and the lives of her people (Esther 7:3), demonstrating how the formula bridges formal court etiquette with desperate personal need. In her final appeal, she uses the phrase while requesting that the king revoke Haman’s letters designed to destroy the Jewish people (Esther 8:4–5). The repeated use of this courtly expression throughout Esther illustrates the delicate dynamics of power in the Persian court. By consistently framing her requests with deference to the king’s pleasure, Esther navigates a system where her influence depends entirely on the monarch’s goodwill. The formula itself—acknowledging the king’s authority while gently steering his decisions—becomes a strategic tool through which she ultimately secures the salvation of her people.