An Impulsive King

Ben Trigsted

For Such A Time As This • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

Esther 1:1–22

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Introduction

Imagine for a moment that you were a Jewish person that grew up in a foreign land. You never knew anything else. Your neighbors had been a mix of Persian, Medes, Babylonian, and numerous other cultural identifications. Not to mention, your Jewish neighbors.

You’d heard stories about how your ancestors had once held the Promised Land under the kingship of the great King David. How your ancestors had once own property in the Promised Land; and land flowing with milk and honey, as the Torah said.

But, you also are well aware that many in Israel turned their backs on God and embraced the idolatry and sinfulness of their neighbors. Eventually, God removed His protection from the Jewish people and the Babylonians conquered your people, sending many into exile in this new place.

But, all you’d even known was Persia, and specifically the city of Susa, one of many capitals of the Persian Empire.

Now, you are aware that when one of the former emperors, a man named Cyrus, rose to power, he allowed many of your Jewish brethren to return to the Promised Land and rebuild the temple. While that was exciting from a Jewish perspective, your family chose to stay in Susa.

After Cyrus was killed in battle, another man assumed the throne, a man named Darius; a man of warfare who spent a large portion of his kingship conquering lands. But, recently, after Darius died, his son, Ahasuerus (or some called him Khhayarshan [Cash eye are shawn] and others Xerxes) had taken control of the Persian Empire and was busily preparing for enacting revenge on Greece, whom his father wanted to punish before his death. You aren’t quite sure why he wants to punish the Greeks so badly, but know it has something to do with a humiliating loss that Darius suffered many years before at some place in Greece called Marathon.

But, all that really doesn’t effect your day-to-day life very much.

You have to take care of your family duties. You have to struggle to survive. You have no real power, culturally or economically, so you have to work hard every day just to survive another day.

The religious people around you continually tell you about God and His faithfulness to His people, and you believe it, generally speaking. But, with all your people have suffered, it is hard to see how God is truly is doing much of anything for you or your people.

And, unknown to you at this moment, your people are about to face a crisis like few others they’d faced up to this point. They were about to face the very real possibility of a mass genocide at the whims of an evil lunatic in a position of influence within the kingdom. But, within that God would not only show Himself to be faithful, but He would use people who were powerless to do a powerful work displaying His faithfulness for generations to come.

However, the path to that climax would be terrifying and would demand great faith, great courage, and a willingness to wait upon the LORD to do something only He can do.

This is the beginning of the amazing story of a young woman named Esther.

Body

Verses 1-3

Ahasuerus...

Historically known as Xerxes I.

Son of Darius the Great, heir to the Achaemenid [Ak eem men dead] Empire.

His empire extended from the Indus River in modern-day Pakistan to the Upper Nile in modern-day northern Sudan.

Historically, he is best known for his war against the Greeks from 480-470 B.C., consolidating Darius’s empire, and his successful building projects.

An inscription of the time states: “I am Xerxes, the great king, king of kings, king in this great earth far and wide.”

Susa...

The capital of Elam, was rebuilt by Darius.

Xerxes would use it as one of his main residences; along with Persepolis, Ecbatana & Babylon.

The third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants...

He is gearing up for war with the Greeks. Additionally, he is likely celebrating successfully putting down rebellions in Egypt and Babylon.

But, his focus was on enacting revenge on the Greeks for rebelling against his father, Darius. Darius swore vengeance on the Greeks, particularly for the defeat he experienced at Marathon. But, before he could enact his revenge by burning Athens to the ground, he died, leaving Xerxes to take up his father’s purpose of punishing Athens.

Verses 4-8

Showing off for 180 days...

This party didn’t last for 180 days straight. It was more of a 180 days of showing off his wealth and might in order to get the nobles to rally behind his militaristic goals.

A seven day party...

The Persians were known for throwing large drinking parties, and often making decisions at these parties despite being drunk.

This is the setting for the next part of the story.

Xerxes great wealth...

Verses 6-7 are just there to show how lavish Xerxes wealth was, something that was on full display.

Lots of drinking, but not under compulsion...

Within the Persian culture, typically the toastmaster would tell everyone at the party when to drink. Refusal to do so would dishonor the host and would likely result in bringing shame upon oneself and potentially even death.

But, for this party, Xerxes lifted this rule, further ingratiating himself to these people he would soon be asking to fight for him.

Verse 9

Queen Vashti

Vashti is a fascinating character because of a couple of reasons:

After this chapter she disappears and is never heard from again in the Bible.

The name “Vashti” doesn’t appear in any Persian or Greek records as a wife of Ahasuerus. Instead, a woman named Amestris is known as his queen during his reign. It is unknown why the name Vashti appears.

However, it could be because in a related language to the Persian language of the day the term Vahishta means “the best.”

So, it’s possible that Vashti isn’t a proper name, but an identifier that she was the king’s best wife, until this incident, at which she became an outcast. Thus, there would be a great reversal in which Vashti goes from being the best, to being displaced by Esther who would truly be the best.

It would be highly irregular for a Persian king to have only one wife. In fact, they usually had a harem. So, while history tells us that his queen was Amestris, this doesn’t discount that Vashti and Esther we also wives of Xerxes. Additionally, Xerxes at one point falls in love with his niece, a fact which Amestris discovers and has the girl’s mother mutilated.

Her feast for the women...

It is unknown why they were celebrated separably.

Verses 10-12

Xerxes arrogant demand...

Xerxes wants to show Vashti’s beauty off to these drunken men.

It’s unknown exactly what he wanted from her, but some have suggested that it’s because he wanted her to be unveiled (or even naked) both of which were highly inappropriate for Persian women.

Vashti’s refusal...

It’s unknown why she refused, but the text is clear that she did.

Xerxes anger...

Because he was shamed in front of his guests, Xerxes is furious with his wife.

Within his culture, her refusal made him look like a fool and weak, both of which wouldn’t help him muster the support for the coming war on Greece.

Verses 13-15

Xerxes gathers his advisors to determine what to do about Vashti shaming him...

Instead of sobering up and making a sober judgment, Xerxes gathers his advisors to give him guidance on what to do.

“saw the king’s face”...

This is a very important foreshadowing, as only a limited few were allowed to see the king’s face (i.e. come before the king, particularly in an advisory role).

Verses 16-18

A ridiculous assumption...

The advisors, particularly Memucan, suggest that if Vashti isn’t removed from her position of authority, then all the Persian women would rebel against their husbands.

That’s ridiculous…and one wonders if Memucan had his own set of problems at home!

Verses 19-22

A royal order...

Vashti isn’t killed or kicked out of the royal harem. She can just never come before Xerxes again and loses her status as queen.

“so that it may not be repealed...”

This is also an important foreshadowing, as it will play an important role later in the story.

Xerxes took this advice and sent word to all his lands...

The Persian communication system was beyond any other in the world at the time and was much like the Pony Express in the American Old West.

Gap in the narrative...

After this, there is a gap between chapters 1 & 2.

During these years, Xerxes would take over 200,000 men and his immense navy and launch a massive invasion of Greece.

While, eventually he was successful in taking Athens, he would incur great losses, including at the famous battle of Thermopylae. After this, his navy was decimated at Salamis, then his army was routed at Plataea, leading to the Persian occupation of Greece ending.

However, none of those facts enter into Esther’s story.

So What?

Because the book of Esther is a narrative and because God is never mentioned in the book, the lessons we find here are more caught than taught.

Meaning, we have to look at the big picture of what God is doing through these people.

Additionally, we need to look at the main characters in the story and discern whether they are examples to follow or examples to avoid.

We will do both during this series.

Big Picture: Believers can always be assured that God is working to bring about His will.

While God isn’t mentioned here at all, the writer is laying the important ground work of what is to come next.

God is at work in the background of this story, setting the table for the Jewish people to be saved from a wicked advisor named Haman.

The timeless lesson of this for believers today is that, even if we don’t see what God is doing, He’s always at work and it’s always for His glory and for our good.

You may be going through difficult times...

You may be living a mundane existence...

Regardless, God is working to bring about His will for His glory and our good.

An Example to Avoid: Xerxes

His pride led him to make impulsive decisions.

Xerxes life is the very definition of prideful; biblically and historically.

He is well-known as an impulsive leader; and that impulsiveness costs his empire dearly as his reign continues on.

Pride is a deadly disposition that leads to a person’s downfall.

Proverbs 16:18 ESV

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Where does pride show up in your life?

We might not be prideful like Xerxes, but I think we will find that when our eyes are more fixed on ourselves than on God and others, that pride is at least crouching at our door.

And that pride will eventually lead to impulsive, self-centered decisions.

His anger led him to take foolish actions.

A person driven by anger will always take foolish actions.

Anger can drive us to being people we don’t like very much.

Why I coach the way I do now...

Are you in control of your anger, or does your anger control you?

His lack of discernment led him to follow bad advice.

Xerxes didn’t discern for himself what should be done, and in doing so he followed bad advice.

Now, you might say, “Wait, doesn’t God want Esther to become queen?”

Of course He does. But, this is a case where God uses man’s foolishness to accomplish His divine purposes.

God doesn’t remove Vashti, Xerxes does. And later he will regret that decision, as we will see.

Not only was Xerxes impaired through alcohol, he was also impaired in his desire to destroy Athens to seek revenge for his father.

When we lack good discernment, we will follow advice that seems right to man, but is not godly advice.

How can we be people of greater discernment?

It starts with knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior and being filled with His Holy Spirit...

Be people of the book!

God’s Word gives us the guidance we truly need to love God, to be forgiven by God, to glorify God, and to be with Him forever.

But, it can only happen when we open it!