Queen Esther, Episode 1- "Divine Destiny" with Transcript
Click below to select an Episode, Read a Transcript, or Translate a Transcript to Another Language.
Select Google Translate Icon (to the right or at bottom of page) then Select a Language
PLEASE BE ADVISED: TRANSLATIONS ARE NOT PRECISE. If you are fluent in a particular language, please email proposed changes to cgmpresents@gmail.com or leave a voicemail www.speakpipe.com/cgmpodcast
Speaker 1:
She was an orphan raised by her cousin and his wife. Little did she know that one day they would do something to change the trajectory of her life. She would become the queen over a vast empire and she would save the lives of her people facing annihilation by her king, the man who married her. Hello, thank you for joining us in this new series on Queen Esther. We will journey from Esther's status as a young woman to a queen, and finally, to her being the deliverer of her nation. My name is Stephanie Wright. Thank you for joining us today. Let's get started. Esther, Chapter 1. Now it came to pass in the days of King Ahasuerus, who was also known as King Xerxes, this is Ahasuerus which reigned from India even to Ethiopia, over 107 and 20 provinces.
Speaker 1:
Now it is important to know how much territory this man owned. Xerxes told Esther, at one point in Esther, chapter 5, verse 3, that he would give her up to half his kingdom. And we will get there, but I just want to let you know that occasionally as we go through this, we're going to talk about what maybe came after and what came before as we study Esther. So, just how much was 127 provinces? In biblestudy.org, they say that 127 provinces extended from India to Ethiopia, a distance of 2,700 miles. If straight across the ocean or over 3000 miles across the crescent of land that was involved, it would take a traveler at 30 miles a day over 100 days, just to go from end to end of the empire. Day after day for over three months, the traveler would still be in King Xerxes' kingdom.
Speaker 1:
It is estimated - now we're talking about the time period that Esther was in - it is estimated that in 480 BC, the Persian empire, which Xerxes was also over, had 50 million people living under its control. This huge amount was roughly 44% of the world's population, the known population at that time, making it the largest empire ever in terms by population percentage. So when he told her he would give her up to half his kingdom, okay, that, that man loved that woman. Verse 2, that in those days, when the king set on the throne of his kingdom, King Xerxes, which was in Shushan, the palace (the seat of his government was in Shushan). Verse 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. This is the Persian-Medo Empire. Okay.
Speaker 1:
So we're still talking about this great empire, the Medo-Persian empire, one of the most powerful empires in the ancient world. 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. This king is just in his third year and he is throwing a wild party for his princes in his 127 provinces and his servants, which included Persia and Media. Verse 4. When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty, many days, even 104 score days. So this king, this dude, had a party that lasted 180 days. One score is 20. So four score is 80. So if he had four score and a hundred, he had 180-day party, six months. The purpose of the party was to show off his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty, nothing about God.
Speaker 1:
Okay. And in fact, it is noted that in the book of Esther, we do not hear the word God, but we know that God was the key to this book because it is all about saving the Jewish nation. Verse 5. And when these days were expired, the king made a feast. Now he's done with one feast, okay, 180 days. He's done with one feast and then in verse 5, it says he has another feast. And this feast is for the people that are in the seat of government where it's located in Shushan, the palace. He, he - and this feast was for everybody for great and small - seven days this feast was -in the court of the garden of the king's palace. So it lasts - the partying for the princes and servants is over and now the king has a seven-day party just for the people that were present in Shushan, the palace. He was a good king
Speaker 1:
in that it appears he had no respect of persons. Okay. Because he included people who were great and small, and they were allowed in the court of the garden of his palace. So there was a good side to this king and the people probably loved him for this. So he was wise at least in this respect. But as we continue with the study today, we will see, there is some question as to how much wisdom King Xerxes or King Ahasuerus had in some other matters. Verses 6 through 8. There were white, green, and blue hangings fastened with chords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble. The beds were of gold and silver. They don't mean beds, beds because in that day they would lay down and eat. So it was actually kind of like a reclining dining area.
Speaker 1:
If you want to put it that way. And they gave them, all of these princes and servants, at least the princes they gave them drink in vessels of gold, the vessels being diverse. In other words, nobody had the same cup. They had their own special cup. It's kind of like you having your own favorite coffee cup only think of it being made of gold. And they had royal wine in abundance according to the state of the king. It was the king's wine. Verse 8. And the drinking was according to the law. None did compel. You didn't have to drink, but if you wanted to, you could drink. For so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house that they should do according to every man's pleasure, give them as much as they want to drink or not to drink. So they were wined and they were dined in extravagance.
Speaker 1:
They could drink to their heart's content and no one would tell them not to drink or to drink. Every man had his own drinking cup and they were different from each other, perhaps showing their rank among each other. Verse 9. Also Vashti, the queen, made a feast for the women in the royal house, which belonged to King Ahasuerus. So here we go. Vashti was having her own women's conference. But please note how they point out that the royal house where she was having her feast, her women's conference - and notice it says, the royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus. So it belonged to the king. There's some trouble right there. It wasn't her house. It was his house. That's the way it was back in that day. But today, you need your own property. In some States (in the United States), it is mandatory that both names be on the deed to the house. Not going to get on my soap box too much here, but it does not make sense for a woman or a man for that matter to not have their own, financially, okay,
Speaker 1:
to protect yourself or whatever. So use wisdom in your finances. We had this discussion earlier when we talked about Ruth and Boaz. Boaz was very rich, as you recall. And we said, most men, when they are rich, most of the time, they're not giving you their money. Okay? So you need to look beyond the money, same way with some women, you need to look beyond the money and be sure you have your own financial security. Okay. Let's move on. Because if you're Esther, this rule doesn't apply to you. Because as we already said, the king was willing to give her half his kingdom. All right. Verse 10. On the seventh day when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus, the king . . .
Speaker 1:
Okay. So he's commanding them to do something. Verse 11. That he commanded them to bring Vashti, the Queen, before the king, with the crown royal to show the people and the princes her beauty for she was fair to look on. God's providence is beginning to manifest itself and it is beginning to manifest itself through a drunken king, no less. Now you'll understand what I mean by that later, if you don't already understand. The king's heart was merry. In other words, he was drunk. So he sends his servants, not one but seven to fetch his queen, Vashti. He wanted Vashti to come because she was beautiful, but she was even more beautiful with the crown royal on top of her head. The king wanted to show her off and show off more of his wealth. The crown wasn't hers. She just wore it.
Speaker 1:
It was the king's. Ladies have your own crown. Verse 12. But the Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command by his chamberlain. Therefore was the king, very wroth and his anger burned in him. So Vashti said, no, I am not going to obey the king's commandment. And the king was highly upset to the point that he was boiling mad. With all that wine in him, he was probably three times angrier. So let's analyze this. Vashti already knows she is not in her own house. We already pointed that out. She has to know she is married to a man who is accustomed to having things his way. After all, he is a king, a very rich king. Remember, 127 provinces surrounded with wealth and gold, gold, gold. So, okay. What was Vashti thinking? So let me ask you this. Do you really think this was the first time she told the king
Speaker 1:
no. Personally, I don't. I think she had told him no in the past and gotten away with it because she was so beautiful. Maybe I'm wrong. Nevertheless, the problem that she had this time was the king was with his dudes. He was with his boys. He was with his princes. He was humiliated by her and all these princes that he is over are sitting around watching this and saying, "Man, she's just disrespecting you." Okay. So let's talk about this some more. No one, man or woman, likes to be embarrassed by anyone, whether you're king or not a king, whether you are a peasant or whether you're poor, rich, or whatever. Nobody likes to be embarrassed. And especially spouses don't like to be embarrassed by their spouse. Now there are commentaries that say Vashti was justified in not coming among a bunch of drunken - and with all that wine in them - probably lustful men. Commentaries say she was showing some integrity by not going to the hall with all that revelry and wild
Speaker 1:
madness that was going on. But generally, and I think, especially in those times, if the king said, come here, you did what he said, or you risked being put to death. So this being put to death topic - we will visit again, when we discuss Esther's decision to go before the king, when she was not called. So look at the dynamics here. One woman was called and would not come. And as we will see, she was punished. Yet another woman, Esther, was not called as we will see, but she went anyway and she was not punished. As a matter of fact, she was rewarded. So aren't we glad that we can go before our King, Jesus, of course, with respect, not just any kind of way, we go before him with respect. Aren't you glad that when he calls and we are listening and we hear him that we can go before the throne of God and lay our requests before him.
Speaker 1:
Amen. So we thank God for being the true King in our lives. Verse 13. Then the king said to the wise men, because some of among his princes were considered to be wisemen, which knew the times. For, so was the king's manner toward all that new law and judgment. Okay. So here we go with one of the reasons I have a problem with King Xerxes. He consulted with his wisemen. His lawyers, cause that's what was, were among him. He consulted with them about a relationship to which he should have already had the answer. Now, I know what the Bible says. I know that Proverbs 11 and 14 says where no counsel is the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors, there is safety. But I think we are talking about wise counsel. The king should consult his lawyers about the law, but, but he is the king.
Speaker 1:
So this is where I have the problem. He is the law. Okay. He is the law, but this was all providence. We all know that this was all providence. Verse 14. "And the next unto him," these are his top-top men. This was his cabinet, if you will, "Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king's face." The face tells it all. So, you know, the face tells a lot about you. So, when you find yourself - let me just stop here and say this. When you find yourself in difficult situations, try not to tell on yourself by your face, if you can, because the face will give you away. His counselors are looking at his face and seeing he is distraught. These counselors, lawyers, wisemen. These, these ones that I just mentioned, were of the highest ranked in the kingdom.
Speaker 1:
That's what they mean by sat first in the kingdom, these were the high ranking ones. Verse 15. The king says, what shall we do unto the Queen Vashti, according to the law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the King Ahasuerus by the chamberlains. That's the question. And he said, what am I supposed to do here, fellas? What am I going to do with this woman? Or better, what can I do with this woman? What can I do with her, lawyers? He went to his attorneys. And Memucan answered before the king and the princes. Vashti, the queen, has not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus. So here is Memucan. Somebody always has an answer about your problems and about your life.
Speaker 1:
There's always somebody who's ready to talk to you. You better be sure you go to God first, do seek wise counsel, but always go to the Lord first and ask him to direct you to the right kind of counsel. Don't be foolish. I have, let me just stop here and say, I have seen people. Lawyers are not all bad. Some of them are, but I have seen people who needed to go get good counsel from an attorney, but wouldn't do it because they didn't want to spend the money. And in some cases you don't really have to spend money because some attorneys will take a case pro bono, take it for nothing or take a portion of what you may recover or something. But as I said, always go to God first, but listen, be wise. Okay? So it may not be an attorney.
Speaker 1:
It may be some other type of counselor that you go to. And let me say this, just because a person is a Christian - and I know I may, may get some, you know, somebody may not like what I'm saying. But, just because the person may not be a Christian does not mean that they cannot give you good advice. Okay? Some people who are devils, yes, I said that, because they know the system and, and they, and they, and they tell you the right thing, they will tell you, well, you know what - and sometimes it's good to listen to people who have taken a bad turn because they can tell you, you know, this is what I did. And it was not the right thing to do. Okay. Especially if it, it landed them in prison or somewhere, so don't turn your nose up at people just because you say, "Oh, they're Christian and I trust them."
Speaker 1:
And you can't trust everybody just because they say I'm a Christian. Okay. I think we know that wisdom tells you that. Sometimes good advice can be free. So don't ever think that, you know, know it all. Okay. So in this case, though, let's get back to King Xerxes (King Ahasuerus). I still have a problem with him because if the king really loved Vashti, he would not have needed the advice of his attorneys or his buddies or whatever. He, he should've shut the thing down or he should have excused himself and said, just a minute, excuse me. I sent my boys, my servants to go get her. She's not coming. Excuse me. I'll be right back. Okay. Or he should have shut that party down and said, y'all need to go home. I need to go talk with the queen here. Okay.
Speaker 1:
And he should have had a talk with Vashti if he really loved her. Amen. Verse 17. So here's Memucan with his advice. For this deed of the queen, it's going to come abroad to all the women. This is Memucan speaking. If you don't do something about this woman, everybody's going to hear about it so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes when it shall be reported, the King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti, the queen to be brought in before him. But she came not. And then Memucan goes on. Likewise, shall the ladies of Persia and Media, not, not just here in Shushan, in your kingdom. They're going to come over to Media and Persia all over the kingdom. They will say this day unto all the king's princes, which had heard of the deed of the queen, thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.
Speaker 1:
So this is what Memucan is telling to the King. You better do something because this thing is going to spread. Now, let me tell you something. When someone is going to give you advice, based on their personal loss or gain, you're coming to them saying, I need you to help me. I'm not talking about you, helping you, and you benefiting from what I'm going through, and you're going to somehow profit from my suffering. I'm asking you to help me. So if somebody is coming to you to give you advice based on what, how it's going to help them, you need to close your ears. Thank them and go on your merry way. These counselors are saying, if King Xerxes doesn't do something about Vashti, their homes are going to be messed up. Now, perhaps that was the case then, but still, that does not make much sense.
Speaker 1:
How is the way John Doe's wife, living half a world away going to affect you if you really have your life and your marriage together. And the answer is, your marriage should not be controlled by what Jane Doe or John Doe is doing halfway around the world or across the street, for that matter, if your relationship in your marriage or in any relationship, if it's, if it's in tact, whether it's a friendship. Okay? Most of all, more importantly, the most important thing is this. What is your relationship with God like? How is your marriage as far as your relationship with God? How is your relationship with God as far as what your friendship is with people. That is the key. Nevertheless, Kings Xerxes is listening to his counselors and Vashti is about to go off the scene forever. Verse 19. Still giving advice. If it please the king, here's Memucan.
Speaker 1:
I think Memucan is still talking. If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from you, king, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes. Be sure you cover the whole kingdom now. Cover everybody, cover me. Okay? That it be not altered. Whatever you write, it cannot be changed, that Vashti come no more before King Ahasuerus and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. Go find a better woman. Okay? Sometimes, you know, we think people think when they're married, they don't want to work stuff out. Oh, let's just get out of this marriage. I'm gonna go find me somebody better. And sometimes you jump from the skillet to the frying pain. You need to learn how to work things out in a marriage.
Speaker 1:
We talking, we talking reality here. Okay? Too many people want to jump out of marriage and jump into marriage and jump out of relationships. And don't want to sit down and talk and have an understanding. The punishment is served on Vashti. She is to no longer come before the King and her royal estate, her queenly status, will go to another. But this is what it is all about. Vashti is fulfilling her purpose by being dethroned, because through this, Esther will become queen and thus save the lives of a nation, the Jewish nation. It's all in God's plan. God used an unholy drunken feast, drunken king, drunken lawyers, counselors to bring about a holy result. Esther's rise to the throne is all a part of the plan. The plan to defeat Haman's plan to destroy the Jews before it was even put together. Satan's plan for destruction of the people,
Speaker 1:
it was over before it began. It is same in our lives. Walk close to Jesus. Love him as your King. Jesus owns all the provinces in the world. He does not give us half the kingdom. He gives us the keys to the entire kingdom. Amen. That's a God that loves you. Amen. You just need to sit down sometimes. I was sitting down last night. Amen. And as I was just thinking about God and just, just talking to Jesus and saying, you know something, Lord, I know you love me and I love you. I just had a Jesus moment last night. Amen. Verse 20. And when the king's decree, which he shall make shall be published. This is still Memucan talking. He's still talking. And when the king's decree, which he shall make, shall be published throughout all his empire for it is great.
Speaker 1:
And yes, we know it is great. All the wives shall give to their husbands honor both to great and small. See, I was cracking up when I was reading this. Anyway, verse 21, and the saying pleased the king. Oh, I like what I'm hearing. Yes, my itching ears. And the saying pleased the king and the princes. And the King did, according to the word of Memucan. Memucan, who was going to get something out of this too. Apparently, he was having some problems in his own home. Verse 22. For he, the king, sent letters into all the king's provinces. Into every province according to the writing, thereof and to every people after their language. That every man should bear rule in his own house and that it should be published according to the language of every people. They not only sent this decree out, wherever they sent the decree, they made sure it was translated into the language that everybody understood.
Speaker 1:
So I find these last three verses somewhat humorous. You know, maybe back in that day, they needed a decree to tell the wives how to act. Here's how it goes. The husband to the wife. This is how, this is what he's saying. Well, honey, the king sent this decree down and it says, you have to honor me. It says, I rule in this house. Okay? First of all, that should not have to be said, there should be a mutual respect for one another in the home. That is the problem with King Ahasuerus' or King Xerxes' decree. It does not say the husband should show respect to the wife, it's pretty one-sided. But we have God's Holy Word to guide our relationships today, our marriages. That is God's decree. His Holy word is his decree. It explains to husbands and wives, how to love each other.
Speaker 1:
The Bible tells us how to forgive one another. The Bible tells us how to respect one another. The Bible tells parents how to raise their children, how to train them up, how to love their children, and discipline their children. So the Word of God, people, is our decree. And that's what chapter one is about. God taking that, all of that, taking all of that revelry and all that stuff that was going on and making it work for the good of his people. So we're not going to always understand some things. We'll probably sit back and say, Ooh, Lord, why, how are you, why are you allowing this to happen? Why are you allowing that to happen? We can look at our own lives. I look at my own life sometimes and I say, Lord, why did I have to go through certain things? But then I look now and I say, Lord, I'm glad, I thank you for the things I went through because now I'm able to talk to others.
Speaker 1:
I'm able to talk to my grandchildren. I'm able to talk to my children about the experience I have had and taking those bad experiences. I don't care what you've been through. God can take that, whatever that was and make it into something good. And he starts working things out early. He says, he knows the plans that he has for our lives. Jesus is working out the plan for all of our lives. Even while there are others who are planning, evil things for us, God, the Lord, is working right now in our behalf to be assured, to assure us that things will work for our good, that, that person, that you're having difficulty with, even on your job, that person who talks about you, that person who does mean things to you, or whatever. The hurt that you may feel that you're going through. God takes all of that stuff and he's working it for our good, but we have to always keep our minds focused on him. And when we see the evil, we have to understand that even the evil is going to work for our good. The point of chapter one is that things are getting set up for Esther to be the, really the salvation for her people. So, amen. God bless you. We're gonna move on to chapter two next week, but I do continue to encourage you to diligently seek the Lord and to continue in prayer and fasting. God bless you.
Speaker 1:
Join us next time for episode two, "Favor and Grace," in our series on Queen Esther. This is Stephanie Wright. Thank you for joining us today.
Click here to read August 8, 2020, Episode 1, "Divine Destiny" and convert to any language.
Click here to read August 16, 2020, Episode 2, "Favor and Grace" and convert to any language.
Click here to read August 23, 2020, Episode 3, "Fasting to Deliverance" and convert to any language.
Print 