3 May | Youth
«What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?» Esther 1:15
In the book of Esther, we discover a woman full of attitude. I am not thinking of the charming Esther, but of Vashti, a person with a strong personality and convictions. She was the wife of King Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes. The story takes place around 470 BC, in Susa, one of the capitals of the empire. There was no man with greater power on Earth than Ahasuerus. He decided to throw a party that lasted 180 days.
Of course, all that drinking would not end well. Ahasuerus ordered the queen to be brought to be dis-played before his guests. The Bible says that the king ordered “to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown” (v. 11). Some Bible scholars believe this request means that she should appear without the veil, which would already be a scandal. Others propose that she should appear only wearing the crown, completely naked, which would be an indignity. Nevertheless, the queen simply refused to heed the king’s order.
Vashti was a pagan woman, but she had principles. She defended her honor even if it cost her a high price. Because of this disobedience, Vashti lost her position as queen.
I have great admiration for this woman because she was faithful to her conscience. Women like Vashti are becoming rarer every day, and men like Ahasuerus are more common every day!
Some parents have two ethics: one for male children and one for female children. Rules for boys tend to be more permissive regarding sexual purity. In general, girls receive more emphatic education on this point. Currently, however, the picture is changing. What was already wrong for boys is also spreading to girls. And this has represented a serious moral harm to society.
Our young women cannot surrender to society’s libertine standards. Biblical principles must be the basis of the choices they make. Faced with so much pressure against the values of the Word of God, we need women like Vashti, who have the courage to say “no.”