From Hadassah to Esther – becoming an Esther for this generation.
The story of Queen Esther can be a picture of how to live a New Covenant life and become an overcomer. By adopting the attitude and actions of Esther, we can in the end overcome any obstacle that comes our way.
This story takes place in the time of a powerful king Xerxes who ruled a vast empire. In Esther, chapter 1 the king had a huge party to celebrate his rule and he wanted to show off his beautiful queen, Vashti at the end of the feast. But she refused to obey him and in the end was banished away from the presence of the king.
So why was Queen Vashti banished?
Her disobedience to the king showed she did not understand her queenly duty. She was queen only because of the king and her job was to obey, not to do what she felt like. She forgot that she was supposed to be a representative of the kingdom and show others how they should act toward the king.
What does Vashti represent to us?
When the spirit of the world comes to the life of a Christian, the signs are similar to how Queen Vashti acted. Sometimes we think we have the right to disobey or have an opinion contrary to our King Jesus and His word. We forget that we are representatives of God’s kingdom, and people are watching us. We might even think that we are in our royal position only to enjoy the benefits that salvation brings and have no duties towards God.
Why did Queen Vashti disobey the king?
Queen Vashti had lost two important things. Firstly, she had lost her gratitude for her position as the queen. She forgot that without the king, there was no queen. This caused her heart to become hardened towards him, which ultimately led her to disobey his command.
Secondly, she had lost her love for the king and became more focused on her position rather than pleasing him. If she had truly loved him, she would have wanted him to look good to others. These attitudes caused Vashti to be banished from the king’s presence.
Could this happen to me?
When the spirit of this world creeps into our lives, these two things happen to us. We lose our thankfulness for God’s love. We end up focusing more on what He has given us, rather than on who He is. Then we may feel that we are far from God’s presence.
Are we truly thankful for our salvation and the position we now stand in as Christians? Do we want to please Him and make Him look good? Or is our faith only focused on blessings and breakthroughs?
A hard heart was the reason Vashti didn’t please the king anymore. If we have a hard heart, we won’t feel God’s presence anymore in church, in our own Bible study, or during prayer time. And nobody wants to be a Christian and live like that.
The spirit of this world causes us to lose our gratitude for our salvation. This ingratitude leads to a hardened heart, resulting in feeling banished from God’s presence.
How do I fix this?
Thankfulness is the foundation of a Christian life. It helps us stay in the presence of God and reminds us that He is watching and helping us and that we have access to Him anytime we want.
It’s important to remember that our actions are the proof of our love towards God. As Christians, we should focus on making God look good. Our obedience to him should sent a message to others about how worthy of worship He is.
Esther chapter 1 ends with a sobering line where the king orders that every man should be the head of his household and say whatever he pleases (verse 22). I wanted to apply this line to my relationship with God and asked myself: Is He the head of my life? Am I willing to listen and obey whatever He says to me?
