“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.” Esther 1:12 (NKJV)
Now, before we think of Queen Vashti as being insubordinate to the king, let’s look at some of the facts. 1. For seven days the king and those he had invited to his party had been drinking in abundance of royal wine. 2. It was while the king was drunk that he ordered Vashti to come in all of her royal attire to show off for the king. 3. Vashti was hosting a party for the women of the palace at the same time.
I don’t know about you, but personally, I don’t like being anywhere when I know those attending have been drinking (even for a short time, let alone 7 days!). However, something more was going on here. God was on the move!
The king became furious because Vashti embarrassed him. His advisors were concerned that their wives might see that the queen was able to disobey the king and they might start disobeying their husbands. So, they advised him to have Vashti removed from being queen. Ahasuerus followed the advise of his advisors.
What can I learn from Vashti’s experiences? Sometimes even when I make choices that seem to be right, I may find myself with negative consequences. Personally, I would not have gone into the party that the king was giving, but probably I wouldn’t have been the queen either for many other reasons. Just because I make choices that I think honor God, it doesn’t mean that the enemy will leave me alone. In this situation God was setting the stage for something good to happen that meant Vashti needed to be removed so that God’s plan could work out.
I don’t have to know or understand God’s plan, but I do have to submit to God every moment of every day and then trust that He will take care of the big picture that I can’t see. That’s not easy to follow on a daily basis, but God can provide me with everything I need.
Listen to Esther K_hadi as she sings “God’s Plan“
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 2/28/25, 5:00 pm