What about Vashti?

 

He ordered them to bring in Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown. The queen was a beautiful woman, and the king wanted to show off her beauty to the officials and all his guests. – Esther 1:11 (GNT)

Have you ever heard of Vashti? Did you even know that there was someone named Vashti in the bible? Vashti, married Xerxes, who became king of the newly formed Persian-Median Empire thereby making her queen. But then a time of celebration turned sour, particularly for Vashti.

Long story short…

Vashti was hosting an all-girls party while her husband, Xerxes, was hanging with his boys. These two parties were in full swing when Xerxes had a brilliant idea to send for Vashti to show her off to his, by this time, very drunk friends, acquaintances and associates.

Vashti’s husband, the king, must have been in a drunken stupor when he made that outrageous request of his wife, the queen. And when she refused to comply, he consulted with seven of his all-male panel of legal experts, to make a judgment on his wife’s disobedience. These men made a damning decision and Xerxes’ first queen was unceremoniously deposed, kicked out and banished, from the Empire. (The Book of Esther is an interesting read)

But as He usually does, “God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people” (Genesis 20:50 GNT)

You see, Vashti’s exit made way for Esther’s entrance.

But what about Vashti?

Vashti dared to defy her king’s demeaning command. She knew what the risks were but was willing to lose everything except her dignity. Vashti’s stand for justice paved the way for Esther to stand for justice. Both acts of defiance but while the former was forthright, the latter was subtle.

Xerxes used his position and authority against the dignity of his wife. How many men these days are doing the same? And how many women refuse to stand up to this type of utter humiliation or to speak out against this type of disrespect meted out to them? Sadly, this playbook hasn’t changed much.

Can you imagine a woman’s husband, boyfriend, partner, or even her boss, sending his assistants to bring her to his man cave to show her off to his drunk friends as some kind of prize or notch in his belt, to no doubt ogle and lust after her?

Well, that was king Xerxes’ intention when he ordered not one, not two but seven of his personal servants “to bring him Queen Vashti resplendent in her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the guests and officials” because, “She was extremely good-looking.” (MSG translation)

Vashti’s husband had neither respect for her as his wife nor regard for her position as queen of the Empire; that did not matter to him in the least. As far as he was concerned, he was king, she was his wife, his property, and so she was obliged to do his bidding.

Now, some would probably disagree with my perspective but think about it for one moment. I am sure that Vashti’s defiance would have spread far and wide throughout the king’s harem. That means that Esther would have heard about the incident, and it would have given her insight as to how to deal with Xerxes. Esther was no fool, she was courageous and wise and had enough time to devise a strategy of play to beat the king at his own game.

Beloved, from the pulpit, we always hear about Esther but, what about Vashti? No one speaks of her but she, like Esther, has earned her place of honourable mention. Let us not, like Xerxes, banish Vashti from the narrative.

Vashti’s role may have been brief but it was not unimportant. Do not discount her. God had a bigger plan in which Vashti played a pivotal role, for it opened a door for Esther to save an entire nation.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “What about Vashti?” © July 20, 2025