The Courage and Resistance of Queen Vashti

 

The painting above is Ernest Normand's "Queen Vashti Deposed." This portrays the time after she is banished but not yet left the palace. She's waiting to see what happens next. One of her servants is on the floor weeping, showing much more emotion than the former Queen.

The Book of Esther is actually a short story. And it’s one where what we expect to happen doesn’t happen. Certain things are exaggerated to an almost comic effect–because the story uses humor to cope with danger. We can't forget that there’s a tragic element underlying this story.

This is the strange book of the Bible that has no mention of God, prayer, or anything religious. Maybe because it’s set in the Persian court. Or maybe because it’s wanting us to think about what means to be in the minority in an empire that’s ready to turn on you?

Now, most of you know Esther as the story about the Jewish girl who becomes queen and saves her people. This book is read during the Jewish feast of Purim, which remembers that event. But we’re not going to focus on Esther today. Today, we’re meeting the original queen, Vashti.

Ruth 1:1-22 NIV

This is a grand picture of the ego of the king. He throws a 6 month party simply to show off his greatness. And, have you ever thought about this–who’s running the kingdom while this party’s going on? Obviously the king isn’t doing any governing. He’s too busy enjoying himself. And at this party, he’s showing off his stuff so you’ll think he’s great–which only feeds his ego.

After the 6 month party is over, there’s another party. But this one is only for those who live in the capital city.

What the author is doing is painting a description of the king. The king is still showing off what he has to gain the admiration of others. And these are big, over-the-top parties with side parties going on. There’s a party for the men, and a separate party for the women.

As we meet the queen, it looks like Vashti has some autonomy. She has her own friends, her own space, her own banquet.

The conflict begins when the king sends an invitation to Vashti to appear wearing the royal crown.

Our Jewish friends have what they call the Midrash, it’s a commentary that interprets biblical stories. In the Midrash, some of the rabbis think Vashti was called to appear before the king ONLY wearing her royal crown.  The rabbis also go on to interpret the story as Vashti responding with different kinds of logic to the king.

1. If the men think I’m not beautiful, then you’ll be embarrassed.
2. If the men think I’m beautiful, they’ll want to kill you and sleep with me.

So our Jewish friends think Vashti tries to convince the king that this is a bad idea. And the truth is, she’s being objectified and brought into a space where women don’t typically go. She’s being used as an object, as a thing, a possession, to make another showing of the king’s power.

Vashti says "NO." She refuses to objectify herself for the king’s ego. And her refusal has ripple effects. Any time we take a stand, there are risks and rewards, and some of them are not what we anticipate.

The king calls in the experts and asks, “What’s the standard operating procedure for when I’m mad at my wife?” (The stereotype we have in the Bible is that Persians were interested in law and procedure.) They give him an official procedure. 

Don’t miss the big picture: this king is a drunken push-over who is driven by his passions, but he’s incapable of taking action. As we read this book, we see that he never knows what to do. He always has to ask someone. He had to ask his advisers, “What do I do when I’m mad at my wife?”

These legal experts FEAR that all the women of the kingdom will realize they have the power, the ability, the right to say “No” to their husbands when they hear what Queen Vashti did. These legal experts are thinking, “If the Queen can say ‘No’ to the king, then all women can say ‘no’ to us.”

So the king’s fragile ego becomes the fragile ego of all men in the kingdom. And how do they respond? With an eternal decree. Doesn’t that seem a little out of hand?

This is so outlandish, so excessive that it’s funny. The author is using humor to make a serious point. This power the men think they have over women is NOT a natural thing. It’s simply a thin and fragile assumption.

Remember, the king went to his advisors and said, “My wife said ‘no.’ I’m angry. What do I do?” These advisors say, “We’re offended, too. We don’t want to deal with this. So here’s a new law. All women have to obey their husbands.”

This is the law being manipulated to serve the personal interests of the people who have power.

Also, don’t you think it’s funny that these men think their wives have never thought about saying no to them?

Is this really a solution? The whole situation could have been addressed much differently. It could have addressed the particular situation, specifically when someone refuses to do what the king asks.

But the people writing the law are not interested in that. You see, they’re not kings. They’re just men looking out for their own best interest. So these advisors manipulate the legislation so it becomes what benefits them.

The truth is, so much of how we respond and react to things is based on our fears. Maybe the underlying fear here is that if people realize they can refuse the king, where does that end?

Vashti loses her power and she never sees the king again. But that’s not a satisfying ending, and we have questions: Did she know this would happen?

You tend to know who you’re married to, so she knew he might respond in this way. Think about it this way–if you know your husband is obsessed with his own idea of how awesome he is, and he asks you to trot out like a trained prize possession. 

Then this reads like this is the last straw. That she needed to claim some control over her own body, even if meant losing other kinds of power.

She makes her decision and she disrupts the system. And it is a brave and daring choice. She has this moment to challenge the way the power structure works.

I think she purposely says NO to the king to embarrass him in public. Because she knows if she does, people will talk.

She sacrifices herself to make things better for the women of her time.

The Bible is one story that leads to Jesus. As we read the Old Testament, we have to think, how does this point us to Jesus?

And the thing that captures my attention is this is a story about someone who leaves the throne to confront the powers of this world. Someone who makes a sacrifice that is personal. To me, that sounds like the Jesus story.

Jesus’s incarnation is about God leaving the throne of heaven and coming to live with his people. On the cross, Jesus confronts the powers of sin, evil, and death. That confrontation required a personal sacrifice. He died for our sin. He took our guilt and shame and punishment on himself. And he defeated it. On Easter morning he rose again to show us that light defeats darkness, love over-powers evil, and new life is available in him.