Every Stand We Make...

King Ahasuerus raised his glass, "Men, there is no compulsion here. Do whatever you'd like! Drink as much as you'd like! Enjoy the feast!" Shouts of agreement rang out from the merry men. King Ahasuerus swallowed the remainder of his wine, and motioned for the servant to get him more. He had lost track of how much he had drunk today, but he had stopped keeping track days ago.

King Ahasuerus' thoughts were kind of muddled from the alcohol. There were no women at this feast. Queen Vashti had given a feast for the women in the palace. A woman would be a lovely sight in the midst of all these men. Queen Vashti was lovely to look at. Perhaps he should send for the lovely Vashti. Yes, that seemed to be a perfect idea....

 "He what!" Vashti gasped. She scanned the parchment again, hoping there was some mistake. She turned away from the King's messengers, clutching the note in her hands. "They've been drinking for days." She moaned. The blood drained from her face as full understanding grasped her. What if...goodness, no! Surely he would not disrespect her in such a way...but then again, he was very drunk.

For a moment, Vashti considered going with the King's men. The very thought made her physically gag. There was a stirring in her soul. No. She would do what was right and moral.

She turned back to the King's men. "No."

"But His Majesty will be angry!"

"Then I shall deal with the consequences." And there would be consequences; her spirit knew that to be true. But she also knew, that this was bigger then her or the King. There was a purpose behind this. "Now go." She glowered at them, being queen had taught her that much.

Based on Esther 1:1-12

It is my opinion that Queen Vashti is an unsung hero. There are a lot of theories about what would have happened had she gone before the king, and until Heaven, whose to know who is right. However, I think that a bunch of drunk men and a beautiful woman ...well, I don't think it would have been good!

To me, Queen Vashti is an unsung hero. When I read this, I see that she stood up for her morals, despite the consequences. But her consequences might seem severe from what we see in Esther 1:19, "If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the law of the Persians and and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she." It would appear, she lost it all.

Her decision to stand for good, led to Esther becoming the new queen, which led to Esther playing a key role in preventing a mass genocide of the Jewish people.

"For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Esther was put in the kingdom for that time, but what we gloss over is how she got there. What if Vashti's decision was for such a time as well? What if she was led by God, too?

We may take stands for God and His Word, and feel like we are losing everything, but we don't know the big picture. If we are doing what is right according to God, then we need not fear. Our stand could make the difference. Every stand we make is for such a time as this because it opens the door for God to work.