What Would Esther Have Done?

Queen Vashti’s Character:

Esther 1:9-12 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the 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 Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashti before the king with {her} royal crown in order to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was beautiful. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. Then the king became very angry and his wrath burned within him.

Esther’s Character:

Esther 2:7-15 He (Mordecai) was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form and face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. So it came about when the command and decree of the king were heard and many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women. Now the young lady pleased him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and food, gave her seven choice maids from the king’s palace and transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem. Esther did not make known her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make {them} known. Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared. Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women–for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women–the young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she desired was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. In the evening she would go in and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name. Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her.

So the big question is… What would Esther have done if she had been summoned by the king to display her beauty before a bunch of drunk men?

The question is not whether Queen Vashti was morally right or wrong for responding the way she did; but rather a question of how a women with a godly character would and should respond to such a command.

I think most of us women, because of the feminist culture we live in, want to cheer Queen Vashti on for standing up for all women and our right to be respected individuals, but is this really the character God wants us to have.

In contrast, let’s look at Esther’s character. She is first submissive to Mordecai who has raised her as his own daughter, even to keeping her nationality a secret. She is submissive to the eunuch Hegai who cares for her in the harem, to the point that she only takes into the king what he suggests, instead of selfishly taking what would benefit her if she happened to not be chosen, and instead of taking in what she thinks the king will like best. Most of us women have the tendency to think we know what’s best. Esther never steps out of this submissive role, even to the point of obeying Mordecai and putting her own life on the line to save the Jews. As a result, Esther is favored by everyone she comes into contact with, God uses her, and because of her submission, her people are saved.

So back to the question…would Esther have displayed her beauty to a bunch of drunk men? I believe she would have, but I believe she would have done so with such dignity and honor that every man would have been immediately guilt ridden and would have had to hide their eyes with shame for disrespecting such a discreet and chaste women. Where as Queen Vashti brought demotion upon herself and bondage to all women who were now commanded to obey their husbands as if they were a slave, Esther would have brought honor to herself, God and all women.

Eph 5:22-23 Wives, {be subject} to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself {being} the Savior of the body.

Eph 5:32, 33b This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. ..and the wife must {see to it} that she respects her husband.

As you study Esther further you will discover that she had character that brought honor to God, herself, the Jews, and even the king, her husband. She was an example of the relationship that the church (that is each one of us) must have with Christ. This character was not her audacity to be who she wanted to be and do as she thought best for herself. It was the character of submission and obedience which brought her strength and courage to bring about honor and favor from God and to all people.

This is the example God wants us to follow, not the example the world would have us follow. It is submission and obedience to God and my husband that I desire to obtain and the example I want my own daughter to follow in order to bring honor and glory to God who sent His Son to die for the forgiveness of our sins and to be resurrected so that we may have eternal life if we believe.

Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

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