“On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown in order to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was beautiful. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. Then the king became very angry and his wrath burned within him” (Esth 1:10–12).
Recently, I received a message from a brave Iranian who wrote to me: “Please pray for peace between our nations. No other nations know as much about the dangers of radical Islam than Iran and Israel.” Reading this message, I was reminded of the most unsung hero in the story of Esther.
It was Vashti’s act of defiance against an abusive ruler that prepared the way for the coming of Queen Esther and the salvation of the Jewish people.
While the Scroll of Esther tells the story of two brave Jewish figures whom God used to save His people, let us not forget to pray for and stand with those brave Persians who are resisting an oppressive regime.
To appreciate Vashti’s importance more fully, we may see her as a prefiguration of Mordecai. In the book, both refuse to “bow the knee” to an unjust command. In both accounts, the offended ruler enacts a decree not only against the individual, but against all their kind. The decree in response to Vashti was designed to subjugate all women. The decree in response to Mordecai was to destroy all the Jewish people.
Unlike Haman, the foreign Amalekite, Vashti was a true Persian. She deserves far more recognition for risking her life for what was just and right. While the Scroll of Esther tells the story of two brave Jewish figures whom God used to save His people, let us not forget to pray for and stand with those brave Persians who are resisting an oppressive regime.
O that God would abundantly bless the Persian people. Would that its radical Islamic leaders be removed, and that a God-loving, Israel-loving church might flourish in Persian soil. To all the Vashtis of Persia, we celebrate this Purim not only as a reminder of Esther and Mordecai’s bravery, but in honor of yours as well. For the God who once took Cyrus by the right hand is still able to raise up leaders, open closed gates, and call nations by name.
