To understand this principle of character over beauty, we must first understand the type of man King Ahasuerus was. Esther chapter one revealed that King Ahasuerus was a man that cared a lot about quality. He cared about having the best things in life hence why we see him hosting a party to show off his kingdom. King Ahasuerus was so proud of his possessions that we are told he took 180 days for him to show "the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all." (Esther 1:4) Because of this, it is not too far fetched to imagine that the type of women a king like this will end up marrying must also be someone whose beauty is unmatchable. We are told that King Ahasuerus ruled over 127 provinces so I can imagine that for him to have married Queen Vashti, she must have been the most beautiful woman in all the provinces, at least in the eyes of the King. To the king, Queen Vashti was an extension of his glory. The Word of God confirms this. Just as King Ahasuerus took pleasure in showing off his wealth and riches, he also called out his wife to come flaunt her beauty in front of his guest. He specifically asked for his assistants " 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."- Esther 1: 11. At the conclusion of it all, it is safe to assume that beauty brought Queen Vashti the crown. The question that remains to be answered is, what made her lose the crown? The answer to that question is character.
Character is defined as "the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation" (Merriam- Webster Dictionary). Queen Vashti's true colors were revealed when she was asked to grace her husband's occasion. We are told, "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). What Queen Vashti's disobedience revealed was submission was not a character trait that she possessed. As a result, her behavior, if not punished, could result in other women not submitting to their own husbands because after all, the queen didn't submit to His Royal Majesty, the King. This type of behavior could not be allowed to perpetuate among the nation. When reading this, the Holy Spirit revealed to me the real reason why Esther was able to come into the picture and wear Queen Vashti's crown. The reason is this: With God partial obedience is still disobedience.
We can see that Queen Vashti was not "all bad". Before Queen Vashti was summoned by the king, she was playing her role as a good wife and queen. After the 180 days that her husband took to show off his kingdom to the princes of all the provinces, he decided to conclude the events with a 7-days feast and we see that as the king was entertaining the men, Queen Vashti was entertaining the noble women. "Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus"- Esther 1:9. It is understandable to think that by the end of a 180 days tour of her kingdom and a 7 days feast Queen Vashti must have been tired. I personally get tired after just a few days of being a host because it requires you to be on duty 24 hours. You must cater to the needs of your guest and it takes grace not to complain during the process. However, the Holy Spirit revealed that once you are at a position of power and influence, everything you do is being evaluated and analyzed.
"For the queen's behavior will become known to all women so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes then they are reported."- Esther 1:17
It may seem unfair for the king to replace Queen Vashti over one single incident especially when she has been faithful in her duties as queen for the most part, but this is the same way God treats us. The Word of God says God is not a respecter of persons meaning He does not play favoritism (Acts 10:34). God responds to obedience, not "oh he/she has been serving me for 10 years so I guess I will overlook that sin". When God has placed us in a position of influence He expects us to work in obedience because our actions do not just affect us, but it has the possibility of affecting hundreds of souls! God desires to use us, but when He places us in front of His people, He does so with the expectation that we will uphold the True Word of God and exemplify His holy standards. With that being said, God will not leave you in your position when you decide to act on your own accord because your actions may cause other Christians to fall away from the faith or cause non-Christians to never come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. If this seems too radical, look at the life of Moses. Moses walked with God and God used him to deliver the children of Israel from captivity; YET the moment God instructed Moses to strike a rock ONCE that water may come out and Moses struck the rock TWICE instead, God was angry.
"The the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, " Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the Children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them"- Numbers 20:12.
A promise of seeing the promise land was lost because of disobedience! God was upset because of the disobedience but He also states that Moses did not hallow Him before the children of Israel. Hallow means to reverence, to respect, to honor. If God allowed Moses to disrespect Him then the children of Israel would also think that it is okay to disobey God just like in the case of Queen Vashti. When we get to a point in our lives when we do not reverence the Majesty of the King, we will get replaced because God is Just, but He is not "fair".
As men and women of God, we cannot rely on charm and beauty to sustain us. It is time for us to examine our own lives. What positions do you occupy in life? In church? In school? In your community? We have all been placed somewhere by God to bring forth His glory and to be an example to the world. You were meant to be an example of God's love, His grace, and His mercy. The Word of God calls you a candle and says, "neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house"-Matthew 5:15. You have been chosen by God and placed on a candlestick in many environments to illuminate the light of God. That position comes with responsibilities and consequences. If we do not burn bright, there's a chance we will be replaced with another candle that is willing to burn itself to give light to others. Today the Lord is telling us, " Behold I come quickly: hold fast that which you have, that no man take your crown". (Revelation 3:11) This Scripture reveals that it is possible to have your crown taken away by another man/woman! Don't let disobedience make God give your crown to someone else who is willing to do that which you've refused to do. May God give us all grace to wear our own crowns to the end. Amen
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TMV: 1 Samuel 15:32
"But Samuel replied, "What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams."
I apologize for taking such a long break from blogging. The month of May is always a busy one with final exams in school, then attending graduations and celebrating a lot of birthdays with family and friends! I should be back to more regular blogging from the month of June! :)
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