Esther 1 SELF-CENTERED MEN It is possible for God's people to get used to the ways of the world enough that they establish a certain degree of comfort even though sin abounds all around us. As we live from day to day among the people who have no interest in God or spiritual things, it is possible for us to adapt our own thinking enough to coexist without a lot of difficulty. As long as we keep to ourselves and don't upset people by presenting the Gospel to them, or pressing on them the urgency of preparing to meet God, usually we are not bothered. However, that is not the reason our Lord has left us in this world. It is our calling to "preach the Gospel," "make disciples," "baptize" them, and "teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." God did not condemn Esther and/or her family for not returning to Israel. Actually, the scriptures say nothing about why they stayed in Babylon. God, in grace, can use His people in any way He chooses even though they may not be doing what He has called them to. How gracious it is of God to allow us to continue on in a half-hearted way, and snared by the fear of man.
Ahasuerus led the Persians against Greece two years before the events written in the book and had won. At the second battle, he was defeated and had to retreat to Persia. The "feast" that lasted six months he made for his servants, was likely a planning session for further warfare in view of a future attack, and to strengthen his own leadership. War was a means of acquiring wealth as well as land and power. Many soldiers in those days carried gold on them when they went into battle as a talisman or good luck charms. The leaders wore jewelry as a sign of their rank. Nations survived on the booty they got from victory over other nations.
That gathering must have been coming to a close because Ahasuerus removed restrictions on excessive drinking by his men. The king and those people became intoxicated to the extent they ignored Persian protocol. Persian women did not appear before a public gathering of men, so when beautiful Vashti the queen, was called to parade before a lot of drunk men, she refused. Her action put Ahasuerus in a difficult position before all of his leading men. His authority and credibility as a ruler and military leader were at stake. Decisions made by a Persian ruler were irreversible. To a man who always got what he wanted, Vashti's action was a personal challenge to his authority.
Men who are used to being obeyed, find it a serious challenge to their perception of themselves and their manhood when people don't agree with them. They take a disagreement as a personal affront and resist any different opinion, especially when it comes to their leadership. Respect and submission in marriage cannot be dictated by laws, edicts and demands. Respect comes from appreciation and consideration of each other with a mutual regard for the well-being and desire of both partners.
The book of Esther teaches by illustration, the fact that God is in control of every situation. In the dark time of Gentile domination over the children of Israel, the account of events during this brief ten years or so, brightens Jewish history. Even today this event is celebrated yearly in Jewish families and Jewish tradition. A Jewish woman married to a Gentile king preserved the nation from annihilation. A similar situation occurred at an earlier in the time of the judges when Ruth, a Gentile woman, married Boaz, a Jewish man, and through her the linage of the Messiah was preserved.
Even though the names and titles of God are not recorded in the book of Esther, that doesn't mean that God was not involved in the lives of His people as well as the nations. This is not an omission of something that should have been included, but is rather consistent with the fact that God is behind the scenes directing and guiding the course of history. In this book He controlled the events in a nation even through the leadership of a drunken king. He controls individuals in ways they do not even know. He has ways of bringing His will to pass without most people even knowing it.
However, people of faith like Mordecai, and those of little faith at first like Esther, know that it is God who brings about the right conclusion to a matter. Even though we may be fearful, God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. He can use our frailty to accomplish His own purposes. The references in the Apocrypha to Esther are obvious additions made to give a more religious bent to a historical event, and are inconsistent with the purpose of the book of Esther being written. God's sovereignty isn't put out in the open to focus on certain events. Every event of every day is under the sovereign control of God and is not advertised as some unique thing. "Our times are in Thy hands" includes everything happening in our lives as individuals, and also through the history of nations.