In Queen Vashti’s Defence…

Many a preacher has villainized Queen Vashti, the Persian queen in the Book of Esther, for refusing to appear before her husband, King Ahasuerus, and his guests during a feast held in the citadel of Susa. Many seem to share Memucan’s (one of the seven princes of Persia and Media) view that the Persian queen is a bad example to women. But if we take the time to examine the story more carefully, we might be surprised to discover that on the contrary, she is an exemplary character.

So, let’s back up a bit, shall we?

According to Esther 1, the king of Persia and Medes, Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes) gave a feast for all his officials and servants for 180 days. This was a time to showcase the greatness of his empire. In attendance were Persia’s army, nobles, and governors of all the provinces of the empire. After the 180 days of feasting, he held another feast for seven days, attended by both great and small. This feast, which was held in the palace, was marked by opulence and abundance of food and drinks. Meanwhile, Queen Vashti also gave a separate feast for the women in the palace.

On the seventh and final day of the feast when King Ahasuerus (and possibly most of his guests) was excessively drunk, he summoned Queen Vashti to present herself to the multitude of drunken men “in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at” (Esther 1:11b).

But Vashti refused to show up.

In her defence, King Ahasuerus was very inconsiderate (and drunk, mind you).

Just picture the indignity of being displayed to and objectified by a multitude of inebriated men. What good could come out of this? By not showing up among such a crowd, Queen Vashti protected her dignity and by extension that of her husband, the king.

But the thoughtless and irrational king did not appreciate this. Instead, he got angry and took Memucan’s advise to depose the queen to serve as a caution to other women who may want to emulate her action. Contrary to the notion that she was disrespectful, Queen Vashti was respectful; it was out of respect for herself and her husband that she made the decision to preserve her dignity instead of parading herself in front a throng of inebriated men. She was also prudent. This was because she realised how inappropriate and dangerous it would be to showcase herself to a group of intoxicated men. Moreover, she was courageous. Although she was a woman of power and influence herself, the king was more powerful, and she must have known that her refusal of his request would come with consequences. Regardless, she chose to do the right thing.

So, you see, Vashti is not the villain in the story.

Now that this has been settled, let’s look at another issue of concern. Many tend to pit Vashti against Esther, giving the impression that Vashti was a bad person, but Esther was good. I find this comparison rather unnecessary as both women had their strengths and qualities that proved useful to God. As we’ve discussed, Vashti was respectful, prudent, and courageous. Likewise, Esther was respectful, smart, and courageous. In addition, she was obedient, humble, godly, and selfless. God used both women, their strengths, and their circumstances (though He definitely did not endorse the poor treatment of Vashti) to advance His purpose of preventing the persecution and massacre of the Jewish people.