Esther - Week 2

Background

Persian King Xerxes I.

Events started in the third year of his reign.

We don’t know if the feast was held in honor of some military victory or in celebration of his wedding, or something else, but it was a grand affair, with food and drink provided for the nobles and officials for 180 days, followed by a banquet for the entire city of Suza for a week.

Inconspicuous Providence: The Gospel according to Esther The Royal Banquets (1:1–9)

Whether he does so to celebrate the recent military victories over Egypt and Babylon or to celebrate his recent marriage is left unstated. However, it must be a time of relative peace in order for the king to be able to feast for six months. In any case, Ahasuerus, no stranger to excess and indulgence, throws a 180-day feast for his military leaders, the nobles, and the governors of the empire’s provinces. Afterward, Ahasuerus throws another banquet for all the male citizens of Susa. This seven-day banquet, like the six-month feast, is probably more like a frat party than anything else.

Feast for nobles and officials - 180 days.

Feast for all citizens of the city - 7 days.

Wine/Alcohol was free flowing.

There was plenty of alcohol to drink, and people were allowed/encouraged to drink as much as they wanted.

The food and drink were plentiful, the description of the palace and the gardens, plus the furnishings and utensils all point to the power, wealth and extravagance of the Persian Empire. The king lacks nothing and spares nothing in order to show off to his subjects.

The king of Persia is on his throne, but is God on His?

In the midst of all this, a Jewish person reading this account might ask , “King Xerxes is on his throne, but is God on His? And if He is, then why don’t we see any evidence of it? Why does God seem so absent in the face of world events? Why does He seem so silent?”

Israel’s history was full of accounts of God intervening in world events for the sake of His people. But all those were accounts from the nation’s past, in their present experience, God seemed silent.

The Queen’s Refusal

On the seventh day, when the king was drunk he commands his seven eunuchs to bring queen Vashti to the party wearing her royal crown in order to show off her beauty. The king had shown off all his other possessions, now he wanted to show off his greatest possession, the queen. In his eyes she was just one more of the things that belonged to Him for him to brag about. According to Persian custom, this kind of action would normally have been taken only with a concubine, not a wife, much less the queen. In his drunkenness, pride, and impulsiveness, the king makes a bad call that would result in scandal for the queen, and she refuses to obey him.

Bad to Worse

Sometimes, people make a bad call or bad decision, but then in their reaction to being called out on it, they make things even worse. A family matter for the king becomes a public matter as he involves the crowds, and then the legal experts in how to respond to the queen’s refusal. His first call to bring Vashti was foolish. His second call to bring in the legal experts was foolishness on top of foolishness. One of the experts gives him poor advice in an answer that is more self-serving than really for the good of the king and the nation. “What if my wife treats me like your wife treated you?” is basically the motivation behind the advice the expert gives the king.

Instead of keeping the matter to himself and the people who were there, the king sends out an edict to every corner of his kingdom telling them what the queen has done and the consequences of her crime - banishment.

Even though it may seem that King Xerxes is on top of the world, in control and and like he had everything he needed and wanted, the reality was different. He may have had a powerful army at his disposal, food and drink to spare, luxuries beyond listing, servants and advisors and subjects, but all this did not mean he was in control of his own world. He couldn’t even control his own household.

Ultimately, king Xerxes isn’t the king of the world, God is.

In comparison to God’s power and sovereignty, all earthly rulers are ultimately silly and powerless. God is acting and accomplishing His purpose, even in the internal politics of the Persian court. He is orchestrating things so that they fall into place at the right time and in the right way. Even though the Persian king thinks he is in control of the world around him, it is God who is causing things to fall into place.

Gospel Parallels

This is clearly seen in the Gospels and in the life of Jesus. In the time of Jesus, the land of Israel is occupied by the Roman Empire, but the Roman actions are being guided by God for His purposes and to fulfill His plans.

Roman emperors began to identify previous emperors as gods, so they could call themselves the son of god.

“Son of God”

There is a Decree from the ruling authorities calling on everyone to make their way to their ancestral hometowns.

This decree results in Joseph and Mary heading to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born, in fulfillment of the Prophecies about God’s Messiah.

Throughout the birth accounts, Jesus is declared to be the from the family and lineage of David, and called “Lord.” The Roman rulers and their political servants aren’t the true kings and rulers, Jesus is.

Jesus was a different kind of Savior, Christ and Lord than the people expected. He came to establish a kingdom that was not of this world. People ridiculed Him and dismissed Him, but in His resurrection He showed that He was who He claimed to be.

The resurrection showed that Jesus is the true King of kings and Lord of lords.

Even when it seemed the world had won the day over Jesus, in reality, it was Jesus who had conquered the world.

Even today, Christians need to be reminded of God’s subtle provision in their lives even as we live under the shadow of earthly empires.

The kingdoms of this world are only temporary. God’s kingdom is eternal.

The apostle Paul wrote the Christians in Rome to remind them that their true citizenship wasn’t in this world, but in God’s kingdom. Our citizenship here on earth should take a back seat to our heavenly citizenship. Amazingly, this means that we have more in common with Christian brothers and sisters from around the world (China, Brazil, Korea, the Middle East, etc.) than we do with other Americans who aren’t Christians.

Our citizenship in the U.S. only lasts a few decades. Our citizenship in heaven lasts for all eternity.

Today’s world often seems controlled by the powerful and wealthy, by military might and political powers. Many of those leaders and people in influence live lives of luxury and extravagance, while many others live in poverty. Military powers suppress the helpless, those in political power cover up scandal, they make unethical deals, and do whatever is in their own best interests at the cost of those with less power. Corporate tycoons make decisions based on what will make them more and more money, even when it hurts their employees and others in the community.

Meanwhile the people look around asking where God is, and why He isn’t doing something about it. They wonder if their faith makes all that much difference in the face of the seeming power of the worldly leaders.

Sometimes we see all that is going on around us, and we can be tempted to buy into the worlds focus on material wealth and comfort, on earthly power and influence, on pleasure and luxury. But the author of Esther encourages us to see our world through the eyes of faith, understanding that even if it seems like on the surface that these things can bring happiness and life, they are doomed in the end. Just like the Persian banquet ended, the glory days of this world will end too. Compared to the power and glory of God, the world pales in comparison.

Further Reflection:

1. In what ways does our world today seem to be controlled by the powerful and the wealthy? How do most people cope with that reality?

2. In what ways have you seen God work subtly in the past?

3. What areas in your own life do you need to see with the eyes of faith and be reminded of God’s subtle and inconspicuous providence