A Beauty Exploited and Forgotten

Do any of us remember who the first woman introduced in the book of Esther was? I am sure that this morning as I sat down to read Esther, my first thought was not Queen Vashti. I had completely forgotten about her, yet she teaches us a vital lesson. She had integrity before the king, and though he did not accept this and banished her from the kingdom as an example, she guarded her beauty. She made a vulnerable decision, one that cost her everything she knew, but one that upheld her dignity.

In the first chapter of Esther, Queen Vashti is ordered to come before all the drunken men of the land who had gathered in an elaborate celebration and had gorged themselves and were full and drunk. She was ordered to come before them only wearing the royal crown, her beauty for all the world to see. She refused! This angered the king, and the other men there feared that this would lead to the women of the land all dishonouring their husbands. They told the king that he should order her to never be seen before him again, and it was done.

First let me point out that I am not saying that it would have been a good thing for the women to all know their queen had refused the king's orders, but I wonder how the word would have spread through the land. Had the king honoured her for keeping her beauty from the eyes of the men who had come to the palace, would the people have heard in that that she was honoured because she had made sure her dignity was protected, or would the people have heard just what the men had feared, that it was OK to disobey your husband? I think that were I in the place of Vashti, I would assure the women that they must be submissive to their husbands, but that this does not mean a doormat, but that the honour they bring their husband may at times look dishonouring. It's important to see what the effects will be in the long run, and not just to make decisions based on what will be better for now. Vashti knew what her husband was unable to think about while he was drunk: that he would have exposed her to the whole kingdom and no longer been only his.

Points of application with this one? Well, first of all, we need to look for appropriate decisions to make. By that I mean when faced with a decision, think about what the long-term effects will be, and what will matter for eternity. Second, ladies, this one is important, hold on to the dignity of the beauty God has given you. Know that it is powerful, and that means that it can be used for good or evil, and strongly so. Dignify it by using it only for God's glory, and you will be able to hold your head high among those around you.

And think, though this hurt Vashti, think about what wouldn't have happened had she obeyed...More on that later.