Welcome to the first installment of Blogging Through the Bible. I am so excited for the start of this new journey – blogging thought the entire Bible. We begin with the book of Esther.
In Esther 1-2, we read how King Ahasuerus has dethroned Vashti for her disobedience, and has sought a new queen, choosing Esther, a Jew. So what is Vashti’s crime? She chooses to refuse the requests of the king, displaying disrespect, in a very public manner. I can’t help but wonder what her reasons for doing so were, but the text doesn’t offer that insight. The reality is, it doesn’t matter. In that time, both by secular and biblical standards, Vashti was expected to obey. The text identifies that her actions could not be tolerated, or women throughout the land would start disobeying their husbands. In Esther 1:16-18, The king’s adviser tells that in denying the king’s request she has done wrong to the whole kingdom.
Today, however, secular and biblical standards stand in stark contrast. Obedience and submission are taboo in society. The idea of submission in marriage has certainly been a hot topic. Candace Cameron Bure came under fire after the release of her book Balancing It All, in which she spoke about submitting to her husband. Modern secular culture views submission in marriage as both weakness and bigotry to even discuss. Society has urged women to defy their husbands as a means of gaining equality. Obedience in general is also often looked down on in our culture that celebrates and even worships self, but as Christians, we are called to obedience to God. Rather than displaying willful disobedience as society would have it, we are called to thoughtful obedience, knowing whom we serve.
When contrasting Vashti and Esther, we will see that Esther’s deference for authority, whether of Mordecai’s or the harem eunuch’s, becomes her greatest advantage. It gains her the much needed position she will leverage to save her people.
I look forward to sharing the book of Esther with you. It is a beautiful story that displays Esther’s courage and obedience in a time of uncertainty for her people. Let us learn from her story. Keep reading a chapter a day, and I’ll be back on Friday to discuss chapters 3-5.
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