Courage for Life for Women - Flipbook - Page 11
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The King’s Banquet
These events happened in the days
of King Xerxes,* who reigned over
127 provinces stretching from India to
Ethiopia.* 2At that time Xerxes ruled his
empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa. 3In the third year of his
reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles
and officials. He invited all the military
officers of Persia and Media as well as the
princes and nobles of the provinces. 4The
celebration lasted 180 days—a tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his
empire and the pomp and splendor of his
majesty.
5
When it was all over, the king gave a
banquet for all the people, from the greatest to the least, who were in the fortress
of Susa. It lasted for seven days and was
held in the courtyard of the palace garden. 6The courtyard was beautifully decorated with white cotton curtains and
blue hangings, which were fastened with
white linen cords and purple ribbons to
silver rings embedded in marble pillars.
Gold and silver couches stood on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble,
mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones.
7
Drinks were served in gold goblets of
many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine, reflecting the king’s
generosity. 8By edict of the king, no limits
were placed on the drinking, for the king
had instructed all his palace officials to
serve each man as much as he wanted.
9
At the same time, Queen Vashti gave a
1
EsthEr 1
banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.
Queen Vashti Deposed
10
On the seventh day of the feast, when
King Xerxes was in high spirits because
of the wine, he told the seven eunuchs
who attended him—Mehuman, Biztha,
Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and
Carcas—11 to bring Queen Vashti to him
with the royal crown on her head. He
wanted the nobles and all the other men
to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very
beautiful woman. 12But when they conveyed the king’s order to Queen Vashti,
she refused to come. This made the king
furious, and he burned with anger.
13
He immediately consulted with his
wise advisers, who knew all the Persian
laws and customs, for he always asked
their advice. 14The names of these men
were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan—
seven nobles of Persia and Media. They
met with the king regularly and held the
highest positions in the empire.
15
“What must be done to Queen Vashti?” the king demanded. “What penalty
does the law provide for a queen who refuses to obey the king’s orders, properly
sent through his eunuchs?”
16
Memucan answered the king and his
nobles, “Queen Vashti has wronged not
only the king but also every noble and citizen throughout your empire. 17 Women
everywhere will begin to despise their
listen to the ord
Listen to Esther 2, and reject
the worldly lie that you should
turn down opportunities unless
you believe you are completely
qualified to accomplish them.
Replace it with the truth that
God is the one who qualifies
you. So when God presents you
with an opportunity, you can
have the courage to confidently
say yes (see also Ps 139:13-16;
Heb 13:21).
1:1a Hebrew Ahasuerus, another name for Xerxes; also throughout the book of Esther. Xerxes reigned 486–465 B.C.
1:1b Hebrew to Cush.
Esther becomes queen
about 479 bc
E S T H E R — A V I S UA L T I M E L I N E
Jerusalem is
destroyed; exiles
go to Babylon
586 bc
Persia
conquers
Babylon
539 bc
your decisions matter
Exiles begin
returning to
Jerusalem
538 bc
Xerxes I
becomes
king of Persia
486 bc
1:1-15
P R A Y • Abba Father, you are all-knowing. Give me wisdom to make decisions that please you.
O B S E R V E • King Xerxes gave an extravagant banquet for all the people. On the seventh day
of the feast, Xerxes told the eunuchs to bring Queen Vashti to him so he could show her off to his
nobles. But Vashti refused the request. Xerxes then asked his wise advisers what they thought
her punishment should be for disobeying the king’s orders.
I N T E R P R E T • It is unclear whether Queen Vashti’s actions were rebellious or right, good or bad.
Nevertheless, her decision not to appear before the king had long-term consequences. Like Vashti,
how often do we experience unforeseen consequences for our decisions? We must continually
seek the Lord and ask him for wisdom to discern the right way to go (Jas 1:5). We should always
remember to pray before we act.
B08_CFL_NLT_Ezra-Job.indd 627
The first
Festival
of Purim
473 bc
Nehemiah travels
to Jerusalem; the
wall is completed
445 bc
A P P LY • Uncover your true
self: Do you pray before making
decisions (Esth 1:12)? Journal a
prayer asking God for wisdom
regarding a decision you need
to make. • Commit to change:
Read James 1:5. In the margin,
make a commitment to pray
about each decision before taking action.
What other COURAGE steps will
help you to make wise decisions
that please the Lord?
1/17/2023 10:52:33 AM
