Esther 1:1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus" .......3 In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him" .... 10 "When the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded" ..... 11 To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. 12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.
This passage of scripture recounts for us the noble refusal of queen Vashti, to be paraded before adulterous eyes in compliance with king Ahasuerus' wishes. When people get drunk with wine or any alcoholic beverage, they can be very unreasonable in their requests, and it's at times like these that the enemy of all righteousness makes suggestions through human agents that are entirely contrary to the mind and will of God. This feast was obviously held with the sole intention of exalting the king and his earthly accomplishments, and the desire for fame and adoration drove him to make the same mistake that king Hezekiah once made. Let's read:
Esther 1:3 In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: 4 When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.
When we become obsessed with self exaltation our minds become blinded by the god of this world, so that we cannot foresee hidden dangers that may attend a certain course of action. It is very ill-advised to expose one's material wealth to covetous eyes, especially those who have not the fear of God in their hearts, for covetousness leads to many different strands of iniquity, including but not limited to, envy, hatred, alienation, malice and murder. As a matter of fact, in the case of Hezekiah, the princes of Babylon who were shown the glories and riches of his kingdom, went home and immediately began to plot an invasion of his territory, after being shown in great detail, all of his possessions.
In the case of king Ahasuerus, self-exaltation descended into gross self-indulgence, to the point that he requested his wife to expose her beauty to those who had no right or place in such a matter. Vashti's response is worthy of note, for it shows that a woman is not to be made an object of admiration to other men by her husband. As Christians we are always to carry ourselves with respect and decorum as it pertains to dress, and as Christian husbands, we should never encourage other men to praise and adore the physical beauty of our wives, for this is often the beginning of an adulterous relationship which can cascade into open sin.
An evil thought is suggested through the sense of sight, and if we do not readily dismiss it, it churns in our consciences for days and weeks, seeking to take root and thereby blossom into open sin. Most of the adulterous relationships we know of began with the sense of sight, and the words of a popular song which says "Just one look, that's all it took" often becomes a reality. Let us therefore as Christians live soberly and righteously in this present generation, and not ask our spouses to expose themselves so that we may gain the admiration of sinful men.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which calls us to virtue and purity, instead of indulging the clamors of our lower nature. Let's read:
2nd Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. "Good night" and God bless!