Some people don’t much like the book of Esther. In the first 7 centuries not one commentary was written on it; Calvin never preached on it and Luther lumped it with 2 Maccabees and said “I wish they had not come to us at all, for they have too many heathen unnaturalities.” Hardly an auspicious start to a series on Esther!
If we ask why it has produced such reactions, the answer probably lies in the fact that it never once mentions God as well as posing some awkward questions that are rather hard to answer.
Thankfully, there are a number of good commentaries available to help us wrestle with the book and a number of them make the point that part of the genius of the book is the way the apparent absence of God helps us to grasp the reality of his all-wise providence, even when unseen. And doesn’t his felt absence chime with our own experiences in life?
The book has many urgent and important lessons to teach us about God and the life of faith. Specifically, it teaches those lessons in the context of exile. The setting is the Persian empire, with not even a glance towards Jerusalem and the temple. Where the books of Ezra and Nehemiah are centred there, the concerns of Esther remain elsewhere. And that means it has valuable lessons to teach us who live our lives here as aliens and strangers.
But the fact that there are Jews still in the land of exile after others have returned raises other questions. Why are they still there? Don’t they want to go back? Can they still count on God to rescue and help them?
Two further general points before we get to the text itself. At least one commentator suggests that it might be best to preach on the book by taking the themes it raises rather than simply following the story. But however hard it might be from a preaching perspective, I feel we must allow the story to make its own points at its own pace. Part of the force of those points – even if they are repeated – comes out in the way the story unfolds.
Bound up with that, we may find a number of loose ends and grey areas in the book. Some of us may struggle with that; we like life – and God’s truth & ways – to be neater than that. But as Ecclesiastes reminds us, life is messy and we may not be able to grasp (because the Lord may not choose to show us) how loose ends are tied up and apparent contradictions resolved at last. We’ve got to be prepared to live with that; our faith must be big enough – mature enough – to trust where we cannot see.
Can I whet your appetite for our study of the book by quoting from one commentary? (Jobes pp.48,49) So – chapter 1. In many ways, the role of this chapter is to set the scene and it does so by raising a number of vital issues which we’ll look at together now.
1. Xerxes: power and parody
The opening scene of the book introduces us to one of the principal characters, Xerxes the King. The son of Darius who had promoted the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, it was Xerxes who was ruling when people opposed the rebuilding work in Jerusalem.
What we’re meant to pick up from these verses is just how powerful Xerxes was – he ruled over 127 provinces, including Susa where the Jews lived. And that sense of power is greatly heightened when we’re told that “for a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendour and glory of his majesty.” The succeeding description of his palace and gardens shows the lavish nature of his reign – he was top dog in the world of his day.
The description of his palace and gardens is extremely detailed and is only surpassed in scripture by the description of the temple. And that’s a very significant point. What we’re presented with here is a parody of the kingdom of God – here is a king with great power, with lavish and majestic surroundings, who throws a great party for people from all over the world.
Does that remind you of certain parables in the NT and descriptions of the reign of God? Xerxes is trying to occupy a position that doesn’t belong to him; he believes he has all power (secular records show that he organised this great event to raise support for his policies of expansion) and no-one will stand in his way.
The description of Xerxes’ reign in these verses raises a crucial and fundamental question: who’s really in charge in this world? That’s a question the book will answer in surprising ways. But not only was it the question of those times, it remains the question today. The preaching of the gospel in the NT was seen as a direct threat to Caesar who styled himself as Lord and Saviour. Still today many with earthly power take their stand against the Lord and against his anointed one. In fact, it’s the basic stance of all humanity.
Who’s in charge? The answer to that question has, of course, profound implications for our lives and how we will live out our faith. We will find that we have much to learn from this book on that score.
2. The abuse of power makes for a dangerous world
Xerxes was a very powerful man. But how would he use that power? The next scene tells us: under the twin influences of strong drink and overweening pride, he calls for Queen Vashti to be brought out to be displayed for his fellow revellers to see.
But Vashti refuses and Xerxes burns with anger and, after consulting with his legal experts, banishes her forever from his presence, no doubt condemning her to a life of suffering and shame.
This chapter is reminding us of the nature of life in this world. When power is in the wrong hands, the outcome is the abuse of power and the oppression of people made in the image of God.
Not much has changed since the days of Xerxes. The world is a still dangerous place and there is a desperate need for the reign of a just and merciful King. In the gospel, we have the message of just such a King and so we have a message of hope for all who suffer.
And the world is especially dangerous for all who worship the one true Lord. We can expect to face difficulties precisely because there is a cosmic struggle being waged over the question of who’s really in charge.
That means we have urgent questions to address How should we tackle that struggle? What kind of stand do we take, if we’re to take a stand at all? Does the fact we belong to the Lord mean we ought to be exempt from certain kinds of suffering? This book will help us to at least face up to questions like that and direct us in our search for answers.
3. Vashti right or Vashti wrong?
With those questions in mind, we might want to ask whether Queen Vashti provides us with any answers – is she a good role model to follow? Vashti right or Vashti wrong?
There are at least two schools of thought on Vashti. Some commend her for standing up to a bully and see her as a heroine and a role model for all who are involved in abusive relationships. They see this passage as principally teaching about male/female relationships.
Others suggest she is a very poor role model, who ought to have simply obeyed her husband. Luther, for example, encouraged husbands with non-compliant wives in these words: “If she still refuses, get rid if her; take an Esther and let Vashti go, as King Ahaseurus did.” (Shows a great man to have had feet of clay).
Who’s right? In terms of the passage neither is; the passage is not interested in adjudicating on that issue. Too often we rush to take lessons from scripture that it may not be teaching. What we do see being handled here is a bigger issue than male/female relationships - that between Jew and Gentile and the purposes of God in blessing the Jewish nation (which was for the sake of the whole world).
Vashti and her actions serve, in God’s providence, to bring Esther into the story and the entrance of Esther will focus attention on the struggles of the Jews and their need for deliverance – a deliverance which will affirm again the character of God and his commitment to his promises to bless the world through Abraham’s family.
And that sense of a bigger perspective under God’s providential care extends to Xerxes himself. His response to Vashti’s refusal which leads to the choosing of a new queen is also in the hand of God.
The book will have a great deal to say about God’s providence and how it intersects with human actions, both commendable and otherwise. For now, let’s take heart from this passage – it tells us we live in the middle of a spiritual conflict, a conflict that is extremely dangerous but even as it does so it reminds us in no uncertain terms where the real issues lie and whose hand not only turns the pages of history but writes that history too.
