以斯帖记是一卷十分独特的书；除它以外，圣经中只有另一卷书《路得记》记述女性。路得是一位嫁给犹太人的外邦女子；以斯帖则是嫁给外邦人的犹太女子，并因此救了她的民族。但故事并不是由以斯帖开始，而是从王后瓦实提开始的，她的丈夫就是波斯王亚哈随鲁，在公元前485至465年间统治当地。综观全书虽然没有出现神的名字，但在发生的各种事件背后，却清楚看见神的手掌管。

试想像这庆典是如何盛况空前！庆典的第一部分，是为来自波斯国各地所有的官员设筵六个月，当时的波斯地域从印度远伸至埃及，这些官员们前来，可能是参加「议会会议」。然后，在他们离开前，王在冬宫御园宴客七天，王「用金器皿赐酒，器皿各有不同」，宾客可以任意醉酒。在这期间，王后也为官员的夫人们摆设筵席。

故事就在此时发生。满是醉意的亚哈随鲁王突然兴起一个疯狂的念头。他要王后前来，在这群醉酒之徒面前炫耀她的美貌。经文没有明确说出他究竟想怎样，他是否要王后当众脱衣，好让一众男士一睹她身体的美丽？他究竟想怎样？我们不知道，但显然王后瓦实提却清楚如果走进这纵酒狂欢的氛围中，她会遭遇甚么。于是，她拒绝前往那里。

亚哈随鲁王被告知「王后不来」，便完全失去控制。他去问场中那些所谓「明哲人」，他该怎样惩罚悖逆的王后。他们提议王永远不准她到王面前，而且还不单如此，他们担心其他妇女也不顺从丈夫，因此要求王传令，要国中妇人必须完全遵行丈夫的命令。王后瓦实提因而被废，永远不得再见她的丈夫；但她却保住自己的贞洁。她损失了很多，但保住了尊严。这事对我们有何启发呢？

Day 22

THE QUEEN WHO LOST HER THRONE

Esther 1:1-12

1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia),

2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel,

3 that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him—

4 when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.

5 And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.

6 There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble.

7 And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king.

8 In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man’s pleasure.

9 Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus,

11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold.

12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him.

Message

The book of Esther is unique. Only one other book in the Bible is about a woman (Ruth). Ruth was a Gentile who married a Jew. Esther was a Jew who married a Gentile and saved her own nation. But the story did not begin with Esther. It began with Queen Vashti. Her husband was Xerxes, King of Persia who reigned from about 485 BC to 465 BC. The name of God is not found in this book, but the hand of God was clearly seen in the events which took place.

Imagine the scene of this incredible celebration. The first part lasted six months, during which all the officials of the vast Persian Empire, stretching from India to Egypt, were present, possibly for “council meetings”. Then before they left, there was a seven day feast in the royal gardens of the king’s winter palace. “Wine was served in golden goblets, each one different from the other” and the guests could drink to excess. While this was going on, Queen Vashti was giving a banquet for the officials’ wives.

Then it happened. King Xerxes had a mad thought in his drunken state. He would bring in his Queen and show her off in front of this drunken mob. What he intended to do, was not really told. Did he think that she should strip so that these men could see the beauty of her body? What were his intentions? We do not know but apparently Queen Vashti had a good idea of what going into the atmosphere of that orgy would mean to her and she refused to go anywhere near it.

When Xerxes was told “she’s not coming”, he lost his temper completely. He turned to his so-called “wise men” and asked how he should punish this rebellious wife. They suggested that she should be banished from his presence forever. But they didn’t stop there. They were afraid that other men’s wives might also refuse to obey their husbands, so they recommended that a decree be made that every wife in the whole kingdom must do whatever their husbands’ demanded. Queen Vashti lost her throne and never saw her husband again but she kept her integrity. She suffered loss, but her honour was intact. What does that say to us today?