The King’s Command
This happened in
the days of Ahasuerus, the same Ahasuerus
who ruled over one hundred twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia. In
those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal
throne in the citadel of Susa, in the third year of his reign, he gave a
banquet for all his officials and ministers. The army of Persia and Media and
the nobles and governors of the provinces were present, while he displayed the
great wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many
days, one hundred either days in all.
When these days
were completed, the king gave for all the people present in the citadel of
Susa, both great and small, a banquet lasting for seven days, in the court of
the garden of the king’s palace.
Esther 1:1-5
Furthermore, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the palace of King Ahasuerus.
On the seventh day,
when the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman,
Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven
eunuchs who attended him, to bring Queen Vashti
before the king, wearing the royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the
officials her beauty; for she was fair to behold. But Queen Vashti
refused to come at the king’s command conveyed by the eunuchs. At this the king
was enraged, and his anger burned within him.
Esther 1:9-12
If Queen Vashti had obeyed the king, she would have allowed him to
degrade and disrespect her. If she refused, she risked losing her life. She
refused, showing great courage. She did not want to compromise her character by
being reduced to a piece of property. Her desire for respect led to her
banishment. Her courage shows that she understood the God-given dignity
accorded to every human being.
God created us in
His image and crowned us with glory and honor, and made us a little lower than
His angels. Out of reverence and love for Him, let us treat ourselves and
others with honor, dignity, and respect. Be careful which King you respond to.
Our King will never ever test us beyond our endurance, and He knows what we are
capable of.
Even the most difficult people we know bear the image of God.
Our Daily Bread – April 26, 2008