Esther 1:3-4

New King James Version

In the third year of his reign, he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him—when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.

For Meditation

I like celebrations. Occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and significant achievements in our lives call for celebration. Friends, colleagues, and family members come together at such times to share the joy and build relationships.

However, not all celebrations end well. Many have ended in fights, hatred, and broken relationships. The celebration of the success of King Xerxes of Persia is one such example.

The king ruled over an expansive and great empire of over 127 provinces that stretched from India to Cush (Esther 1:1-3). Any king would be proud of his achievements, so he threw a big bash that lasted 180 days. His top military brass, the crown princes, and the nobles, including his political and administrative officials, graced the occasion. With such a crowd of celebrities and royalties, one could imagine the king’s posture—shoulders up, levitated shoes, and up-turned nose. The man put up the shine as no other could. 

 The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones. The wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality (6-7).

At such functions, wine becomes the “motivator or, if you prefer, an instigator” to make people talk and have fun.

By the king’s command, each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished (8).

Wow! Can you imagine the light and boisterous atmosphere for 180 days? The foul language, obscenity, revelry, and posturing—everything around came free with no limitation. The compliments and accolades flooded in as praises showered the king. Talk about fake smiles and pledges of loyalty! They matched the liberality of the king. But there was one more thing to crown the show: the beauty of Queen Vashti.  

On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him…… to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at (10-11).

Solomon was right.

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise (Prov. 20:1).

Gradually, the atmosphere darkened, and the king lost his way. He called for his beautiful wife to put her on display like a piece of art for auction. I am so proud of Vashti, a woman who knew her worth and wouldn’t allow anyone to gratify their vanity. 

That is the subtlety of celebration. Watch out at such ceremonies and be careful you do not turn yourself into a caricature.