Two people in this book have made a major impact on me. The first one is Queen Vashti. Here is a woman who when you first read about her, was the Queen of Persia and was summoned by the King to parade in front everyone at the Kings banquet with her crown on, but refused to come and was later banished and divorced. When you read about why she did what she did, it makes more sense and I can actually say she is one woman to admire. She was courageous and
strong. She refused to come to the king of Persia because they were all feasting at a banquet. They were all drunk (including the king) and he wanted to parade her "beauty" in front of everyone. She said no because she refused to lower her dignity as Queen to be lusted after and gawked at because she was pretty. She refused to be a sex symbol in front of everyone. She wanted to keep her beauty, her body and her crown to be admired by her husband the king. Instead, because he was drunk and feasting, he decided it would be a good idea to flaunt her in front of everyone like a sexual object. She stood up to the king. His advisers however, were also feasting and drinking, and advised him to banish Queen Vashti and give her position and crown to someone more "worthy". She was never heard from after that. Wow, it takes a lot of courage and strength to stand up to a king first of all, and second, she did it because she refused to be devalued. She wasn't being rebellious or not submissive, she was standing up to her husband because he was wrong for wanting to treat her like a sexual object in front of her subjects.
The other person is of course, Hadassah (Jewish name) or Esther (Persian name as they would call her). The Jewish girl that was taken into the kings harem to be subject to beauty treatments for a year in order to have one night with the king of Persia and possibly be chosen to be his next queen. There were up to 400 virgins or more. Each girl spent a year preparing for her one night with the king. The king was to choose one of those young ladies to be his new queen. Esther found so much favor with the king that he chose her to be the next Queen of Persia. The bible says in Esther that she was beautiful and favored by all. She was not only beautiful on the outside, but she was also beautiful on the inside. The king loved and favored her above all the other girls that were in the harem.
Esther 2:15 - Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. 16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king.
Back then, Jews were still being persecuted so Hadassah (Esther) had to remain quiet about being a Jew. She did not tell anyone about being a Jew until her people were about to killed (including her). So she did something so unthinkable, she broke protocol by going to the king without being summoned. If the king didn't summon you and you came to him, you were automatically killed (unless he lowered his golden scepter and gave you mercy to approach him). She went to the king unsummoned. She broke protocol. She risked her life for her people. Now, before she went to the king, she fasted for 3 days with her maidens and also asked her uncle Mordecai to gather all the Jews and fast with her. She waited upon the Lord. When she fasted and waited on the Lord, she gained strength and courage to do the unthinkable act of going to stand before the king without being called first. I love that.
Isaiah 40:31 - 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Of course there are more details to this story, but it just shows how awesome of a mantle and calling that was upon her life. The bible says that when she came into the throne room where the king was sitting, he saw her from across the room and he lowered his scepter to her giving her permission to approach him, because he loved her and favored her. Then of course the story goes into detail about how she held a banquet for the king to request that he spare her people and herself from being killed. I can't imagine the nerves she must have felt going to the king like that. I can't imagine the amount of strength and courage it took to lay her life on the line. That was the work of the Lord in her. She is by far, one of my favorite characters of the bible. I highly recommend reading that book as well as watching the movie "One Night With the King". I'm half way through my book so stay tuned for more on that story!
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