Vashti - the Brave or the Bad

Vashti

Everyone has a strong response to this chapter.

There are two main camps: Vashti the brave and Vashti the bad.

Vashti the brave: Some smart people think Ahasuerus (also called Xerxes) was a drunken voyeur who wanted to show off his gorgeous queen to his party guests. She refused. I call this the “Vashti, you go girl” response.

Vashti the bad: On the other hand, some scholars argue Ahasuerus was calling his queen to perform a normal state function: show up at the party. Ahasuerus was planning to go to war with Greece, and he needed Vashti to show up to underscore to all the visiting dignitaries that he was powerful and magnificent enough to be the guy who could defeat the Greeks. It was embarrassing when she refused him. Ahasuerus and his wise men make an example of her to keep other women from undercutting their husbands as well.

Whether we interpret actions as brave or bad, this story is about God and His providential care for His chosen people in exile. Vashti is a side note in the book of Esther, but God is the main character of every story.

The easy response to this passage is to fall into the same trap as Ahasuerus and think the story is about him, or Vashti, or even Esther. Our temptation is to draw an easy moral her: if Vashti di right, it’s “stand up for your dignity” and if she was wrong, it’s “submit to authority.”

God doesn’t necessarily call us to understand everything that’s happening in Vashti’s story, or even in our own story! But He does call us to be faithful in the everyday things. He calls us to wisdom. When we look at Vashti, we aren’t going to find it. We have to look at the main character in every story: God.

Wisdom is a lamp shining in a dark place (2 Peter 1:19). It is looking to God for our guidance rather than the ways or expectations of man. Wisdom isn’t knowing all the answers – its’ knowing what’s important and walking in light of that.

We don’t get all the details about the stories we read, and we don’t even get all the details about the stories we’re in. We do, however, get the bullet points from the author and star Himself: Do Justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly (Micah 6:8)

Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. God knows. Walk in His wisdom. God is faithful to remind us that He alone is Lord.

Be Blessed!

Cheryl

Comments

Canva

Created 2 Create Twitter Cover Image Design Canva - One of My Favorite Design Programs and Apps With Canva , you don’t have to be a design pro, it makes designing easy. You can use your own photos or you can you upload images from sites like Unsplash or Pexels and download them on your computer totally FREE. Canva also offers an app for you phone. Canva lets you Create designs for Web or print: blog graphics, presentations, Facebook & social media covers, flyers, posters, invitations and many more. The design options are endless, and the site is very user-friendly – you can modify one the their designs or create your own using one of the templates. Unsplash offers professional images that you can modify, edit and use as you desire. Again, totally free! Pexels ’ site is just like Upsplash , these are royalty-free photographs for you to use as you wish. These are some of the designs I created using Canva … Click on links belo

Good Friday

Happy Good Friday This is the day that we remember what Jesus did for us --- enduring beating, mocking, and being crucified. I imagine his disciples did not consider it to be a “good” Friday at the time. But what makes it GOOD is what happened on Sunday --- when Jesus did the impossible and rose from the dead. Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ~ 1 Peter 1:18-19 ESV One of the best ways of celebrating Jesus and His Resurrection…is through family traditions. Family traditions can be as simple as attending ️ church and having lunch or brunch together. Jesus was a story-teller. I believe he knew the power of a story to capture hearts and bring joy while effectively delivering a specific message. He often used parables to teach. Do you have a favorite Bible Story or family tradition? A G

Why God Wants to Bless You!

Why God Wants to Bless You! “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Matthew 25:29, ESV). Do you know that God wants to bless you? He wants you to have abundance, lacking no good thing. But He doesn’t want that for you and me so we can merely enjoy our lives. He wants us to steward our resources so we can be better able to reach out to others and bless them in His name. Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 (ESV), “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” The goal is fruitfulness. The goal is God’s Kingdom. The goal is for God’s blessing to flow through us so we might be a blessing to others, to the glory of His name!

ChickChat

Search This Blog