Examining The Scripture LXIX: Hello, My Name Is Ahasuerus and I'm An Alcoholic

Esther 1: The banquet of of Xerxes/Ahasuerus wasn't so much a banquet as it was a bender. It was a seven day alcohol binge or what is commonly known today as a bender. Xerxes was pickled. Doing this type of thing nowadays usually results in loss of memory, money loss, strange tattoos, and other things you'll have a hard time explaining to friends and family. On second thought it probably did the same thing in Xerxes' time. On with our story...

It is safe to assume that not many were totally "with it" or completely coherent at this banquet and those that were probably did so out of expediency or a need to keep a clear head near a severely "blotto" king. It is during this bender that his queen Vashti is inappropriately summoned to make an appearance. Many people reading this story see Vashti as snobbish or snotty for not attending but the poor woman was in a Catch 22 as we will see.

King Xerxes gave a feast for all his officials and servants. There were people of distinction and power such as the leaders of the armies of Persia and Media. We also see princes, nobles and governors of the surrounding provinces were in attendance also. It was a virtual who’s who of the power elite of the surrounding area. He also had on display the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for 180 days. Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the woman of the palace. It is clear little expense is spared in having this party. It would also appear that no alcohol was spared either and it probably should’ve been. After days of this the king is apparently drunk, on day 7 “merry with wine”, he gets a brilliant idea that he will parade his wife, Queen Vashti, around like an object or possession and thereby demean her. He viewed it as showing off her beauty; she viewed it as humiliating and refused to be delivered by the king’s eunuchs...so Xerxes was "stood up". ["Aay!, *hick* wherzzzz my vife Waffzi?" *hick* I'm King Zzerkzees darn it!!!]

King Xerxes is incensed and blazing angry because his authority has been undermined in view of the aforementioned “power elite”. What starts as a lighthearted “showcase” of his wife now turns with deadly earnest. If she can do this to the king, what stops people with power from usurping the throne of a King that can be disrespected by his own wife? He turns to the advice of his wise men that “knew the times” and versed in the law. They say this behavior will allow a domino effect of defiance and contempt of wives to husbands. Queen Vashti is forbidden to ever come before the king again and the king should “give her royal position” to another who is better than she (Vashti). Vashti is then deposed and sent away.

From a purely moral and ethical standpoint I agree with Queen Vashti’s decision not to attend. It would’ve been like a drunken parent parading a “prized” child around or a drunken spouse showing off a “trophy wife”. This is demeaning, humiliating and frankly, just wrong. She is totally justified in “blowing off” the king. Ephesians 5 tells us straight away that:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. (v. 23-24).

It also says that, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word....In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. (v. 25-33 paraphrase).

“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33 alternate

I’m sorry but this is not treating your wife as your own body... nor is the husband emulating Christ in his behavior either. If husbands expect wives to follow their lead they had better be as Christlike as humanly possible or the wife is justified in smirking and raising an eyebrow in the husbands general direction.

Xerxes treated his wife with near contempt. It would be like treating your wife as if she had no other value than as an object like a trophy. That is wrong. We see this a lot today don’t we? Maybe not like Xerxes treated Vashti but we see the same type of disrespect perpetrated on spouses all the time in the form of abusive language, failure to consider a spouse’s feelings, total disregard for a spouse’s wishes, etc. It goes both ways too not just male to female but also female to male just as the Bible warns not to do.

Huey, F.B., and Frank Gaebelein. "Esther." The Expositor's Bible Commentary (Volume 4) 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1988. 797-803. Print.