Esther 1:10–15

Queen Vashti deposed

On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him— Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas— 11 to bring before him Queen Vashti wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. 12 But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.

13 Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times 14 and were closest to the king—Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom.

15 “According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?” he asked. “She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her.”

The importance of the story of the removal of Queen Vashti is limited to the fact that it shows how God controlled events so that Esther could become Xerxes’ wife. We should be cautious about drawing moral examples from it. Some commentators have made Vashti the hero of the story. They have suggested that since she was ordered to appear wearing the royal crown, she was to appear wearing only the crown, and that she was a noble woman who courageously refused the indecent command of her drunken husband. Others have made Vashti a villain, a disrespectful, arrogant wife who had no regard for her husband. Xerxes’ actions seem to be motivated more by pride and anger than by any real understanding or concern for the proper relationship of husband and wife.

It is unlikely that the writer of Esther intended to use either Xerxes or Vashti as a model of moral virtue. He is simply telling how God prepared the way for Esther to become queen. This chapter reminds us that we should be careful not to conclude that every time the Bible describes people’s actions, it prescribes that we should follow their examples. The real lesson in this chapter is not found in the behavior of Xerxes or Vashti but in the power of God, who was invisibly directing human affairs for the ultimate good of his people.