First, in the opening scene we notice the power which God has now established on the earth, after His throne has been withdrawn from Jerusalem on account of Israel’s iniquity and the headship has been transferred to the Gentile nations. It was given to King Nebuchadnezzar to represent it in its majestic appearance over a succession of times, in a dream which Daniel recalls and interprets (Dan. 2). These are “the times of the Gentiles” of which the Lord speaks (Luke 21:24). They began with the Babylonian Empire headed by its powerful head: Nebuchadnezzar, the golden head of his image. His lordship was universal and absolute. He had received it from God Himself (Dan. 2:37-38; Jer. 27:6-8) as it was told him by Daniel.
But in the book of Esther, this Babylonian Empire is no longer present. It had terminated the night Babylon was taken by Darius the Mede, at which time also Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, was slain (Jer. 27:7; Dan. 5:28-31). The empire of the Medes and Persians succeeded him, represented by the chest and arms of silver of Nebuchadnezzar’s image seen in his dream — less excellent now, for the royal authority was limited and no longer absolute (Dan. 6:7-8) but participating in the same privileges and displaying the same spirit. Cyrus, successor to Darius, and the real head of the Persian empire, recognized that his power came to him from “the Lord God of heaven” (Ezra 1:2). This is the empire which, in the days of Esther, reigned over the earth by its King Ahasuerus who “reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, over a hundred seven and twenty provinces” (Esther 1:1).
The empires succeeding each other which constituted the statue are also individually presented in prophecy according to their moral character under the image of “beasts” and savage beasts (Dan. 7-8). This description tells us how they have appeared as to their character, their manner of actions, and their responsibility. The beast knows not God, lifts not its eyes up to the heavens, but keeps them turned down to the earth; it is altogether of the earth, follows its instincts and serves only to satisfy the more or less developed intelligence it possesses. These empires, in the person of their heads, instead of relating to God, the origin of their power, and living in dependence on Him, glorified themselves as though they owed everything unto themselves. Nebuchadnezzar heard these words from the mouth of Daniel: “Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory” (Dan. 2:37).
Sometime later he forgot them and dared to say: “Is not this great Babylon, that 1 have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?” (Dan. 4:30).
There is nothing for God in it; it is man exalting himself. When Nebuchadnezzar turns his eyes from God to look on himself, then lowers his eyes and turns them towards earth, he becomes a beast (see Ps. 49:20), without knowledge, given over to instincts and not guided by wisdom from on high. It is not till he lifts up his eyes towards God that he can say in his admirable confession: “And mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High” (Dan. 4:34-36). In the end times this shall come to pass among the nations; they shall acknowledge and shall bless the Lord (see Ps. 138:4-5).
We shall not now stop to consider in detail the imagery by which the Babylonian might is figured; one sees there the majesty, the power, the energy and the rapidity of execution. The beast which represents the Persian empire is “like to a bear, and it raised up one dominion, [marg.] and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh” (Dan. 7:5). The description expresses in a striking manner the character of the second kingdom. It is greediness and rapacity coupled with the voracity and cruelty of the beast of prey. In effect, the power of the Persian enriched itself by the spoiling of the conquered upon whom they imposed their intolerable yoke, and this for the satisfying of the tastes and unbridled desires of the luxury and enjoyments of the kings, the satraps and courtiers.
Daniel 8 presents the power of the Persian under the figure of the ram “pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great” (Dan. 8:3-4). The directions in which their conquests were effective, the irresistible force of their armies throughout their beginnings (2 Chron. 36:23; Isa. 45:1-3), the extent of the territory over which they reigned and which gave them the name of “grand king” is admirably described in a short account of the vision of Daniel.
But the Persian empire, as we have already remarked, was according to the word of the prophet, “inferior” to the head of gold. His position, even as the metal to which he was likened in the vision, indicated the great monarch of the Chaldeans. Below the head of gold were the chest and arms of silver. This was the Persian empire; it was not inferior in extent to the Babylonian empire, but the authority of their kings was limited in that they themselves were bound by the laws they had promulgated. There was a limit to the exercise of their will. Instead of being absolute, as was Nebuchadnezzar, who took no counsel but with himself, and whose will was the only law, with the Medes and the Persians the royal authority was regulated by a council of seven principal officers of the realm, and once a decree was rendered the king himself could not change it; it was irrevocable (Esther 1:19; 8:8; Dan. 6:7-8,12,15).
Other traits characterized the Gentile power which prevailed during the times of Esther. While on the one hand their authority was limited, on the other the Persian kings demanded to be treated as God Himself. Nebuchadnezzar, immediately after the vision which unrolled before him the course of the empires, and though he had recognized the God of Daniel as “the God of gods and the Lord of the kings,” employs the God-given authority which he holds to give to idolatry a splendor without equal and intended to make it the tie which would unite all the people who were subject to him. Death is the penalty pronounced against whoever would not obey the will of the mighty monarch and would refuse to prostrate himself before the statue of gold (Dan. 3). So also in the time to come, the beast and his image shall have to be worshiped, on pain of death, by them which dwell on the earth (Rev. 13).
With the kings of Persia a much higher pretension prevailed. They assumed the place of divinity. The first thing presented by Satan to man to seduce him had been: “Ye shall be as gods.” Man has not forgotten it. This suggestion still works in him. He pursues this design with all his powers while his mind multiplies discoveries and sciences and he subjects to himself the forces of nature. And the moment will arrive when under Satan’s workings “the man of sin [shall] be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:3-4). The saints of this present time will already be with the Lord, but what a terrible future awaits this world.
The pretension of which we have spoken was apparent with the kings of Persia in different ways. No one could present himself before them without being called, and when the law was infringed, it meant death for the transgressor, at least if the king did not show grace (Esther 4:11). No one might appear sad before him. Their presence was to be the source of joy (Neh. 2:1-2). Every decree having gone forth from their mouth was irrevocable. Besides we see Darius, on instigation of his counselors, refusing to allow anyone to request anything from any god or man except himself on pain of being thrown into the den of lions (Dan. 6:7-8). Again we see how a word of these monarchs, pronounced against anyone, was a sentence of death (Esther 7:8-10).
The idolatry which Nebuchadnezzar intended to establish and impose upon all and the pretension to being considered as a god, which characterized the Persian kings, were both the effects of the influence of the enemy of God. The enemy was working against God’s people, as it is seen in Daniel and we shall see it in the book of Esther.
Let us remember also that royal power is instituted of God and as such it represents the power of God upon the earth. Thus also, addressing the judges, God says: “I have said, Ye are gods” (Psa. 82:1,6). The sovereign has authority over life and death. Paul tells us in exhorting “every soul,” to be subject to the authority which is of God, that the magistrate “beareth not the sword in vain” (Rom. 13:1-5). The royal hand holds out a scepter of gold, a symbol of the power to reign, and a sign of authority and majesty. But that scepter held out and touched by a person is for him a sign of grace and mercy, a token that he is accepted by royal favor and that instead of death his life is spared (Esther 4:11; 8:4). We would not be able to stand before the majesty of God, but His grace intervenes, places us into His favor, and we live! Then also the power of the sovereign abases and elevates whom He will, as we shall see in Mordecai and Haman. And this is, in its divine application, as is said of Jehovah: “He bringeth low, and lifteth up” (1 Sam. 2:7). Moreover, the power of the king of Persia gives the right to the tribute and the homage of all the nations which are subject to him; it possessed the glory and might. From all these viewpoints the great king fairly represents divine authority. But he, too, is only a man, and his history in this book shows it plainly.
Let us now enter more in detail into what the book of Esther is saying to us. The grandeur and the extent, the glory and the riches of the empire over which Ahasuerus reigned, are shown to us in the first verses: “This is Ahasuerus which reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces,” every one of which could count for a kingdom. Desiring to display the power of Persia and of Media to his princes and servants, and to the nobles and princes of the provinces which he had invited, he showed them “the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty.” He made them a feast and celebration for one hundred and eighty days. After this the great king extended his invitation to the entire population of Shushan the capital for seven more days of celebrations.
Do we not see analogous things in our day? The course of this world does not change. Man is using the gifts God gives, the strength He bestows, for the amassing of treasure, displaying with pride his luxury and his riches and inviting others so as to freely indulge in the pleasures these riches afford and doing this in utter independence without constraint (ch. 1:8). Everyone drank as he pleased and abandoned himself to pleasure and joy. Is this not the course of this world today?
Everything in this feast of Ahasuerus was for pleasure, for the gratification of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). And I ask again: Has the world changed? We see the splendors of the World’s Fairs where the nations of the earth agree together to display everything their riches have produced. Man boasts of all that which science, arts and the industry of man have invented to embellish his life, to charm his days and to add to his joys upon earth, but remains far from God. His feasts are perhaps less luxurious than that of Ahasuerus, but they are more frequent — a vain show of riches and of the intelligence and genius of man. Does it not resemble the feasts of Ahasuerus, more than forty-three centuries ago “in the court of the garden of the king’s palace”? There “were white, green, and blue hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black marble” (ch. 1:6). Such was that sumptuously decorated scene where the feast ran its course. There exquisite wines flowed in large volume “in the vessels of gold (the vessels being diverse one from the other).” Everyone did as they pleased without constraint, according to the king’s instructions (vss. 7-8). What splendor, what riches, as the mirth — an earthly joy, that of intoxication and forgetting — filled the hearts. What satisfaction for the flesh! This is the boast of the world. But “the world passeth away,” with its celebrations and mirth, with its vanities and coveting, “but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:17).
There is more. In spite of all the splendors which it offers, the world is at enmity with God, and he who loves the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4). The world is judged since it has demonstrated its hatred to the highest degree in crucifying the Son of God. Soon the sentence shall be executed against the world, against Babylon whose riches, luxury, pride and downfall are described in the eighteenth chapter of Revelation. The voice of the angel shall be heard: “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.” She perishes with all them who glorified themselves with her. And what is the word addressed to the faithful? “Come out of her, my people.” What part therefore can a Christian have in the celebrations of the world, the fairs, the amusements, etc.? For him all this is judged, since God has judged it. “They are not of the world,” Jesus said, “even as I am not of the world” (John 17:16). Are we going to associate ourselves with or attach ourselves to that which will perish under the judgment of God? Consider the words of the angel: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins” (Rev. 18:4).
The world forgets the end towards which it is hastening. It is given up entirely to its distractions and its enjoyments, but, mixed with this intoxicating cup there is always something ready to trouble, a bitterness sometimes altogether unexpected. How true the word of the wise: “Even in laughter the heart is heavy and the end of that mirth is bitterness.” But, unexpectedly, that which we thought would increase our pleasure often brings sorrow and spoils our enjoyment.
“Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house.” Nothing seemed more appropriate than that the queen should be united in heart with what her husband was doing and, in her sphere, also give pleasure. Vashti, however, acted in independence. She wanted to enjoy personally the feast she had prepared for the women of the royal house and refused to be associated with her husband’s feast and to adorn it by her presence. Ahasuerus wanted to show the beauty and dignity of his spouse to the people and princes. He wanted them to see that she who is the nearest to him is worthy of him and of the station she occupies. But when she is requested to come, Vashti refuses to appear. “Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands” is an ancient command, for it was spoken to Eve: “Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” But as the man who is the head of the wife is lifted up against Christ his Lord, so it is often seen in the world that the woman is lifted up against her head. Today, in particular, the spirit of independence, of liberation as it is called, is gaining the ascendance over those whose glory shall be submission.
Thus it is that the royal feast and its joys are disturbed. The king and his princes must bring in order as to this spirit of insubordination which, coming from the queen, would spread to all classes. Vashti loses her crown which would be given to one better than herself. By irrevocable edict she is reduced to obscurity and this edict, published throughout, establishes the position of authority of the man.
Although the king and his counsellors were acting in ignorance and by human motives, the matter was of God. The commandment which He had given from the beginning must be maintained. To rise up against it is a sign of the last days. But in the secret counsels of God, the fall of Vashti would have serious consequences, although unobserved by the world. Even though these were the times of the Gentiles, God gives evidence that He does not stop caring for His people. Everything turns, as regards God’s plans with the earth, around this despised race, this “nation scattered and peeled ... a people terrible from their beginning hitherto: a nation meted out and trodden underfoot” (Isa. 18:2,7).
The fall of Vashti the Gentile queen, prepares the way of the Jewish queen for the deliverance of God’s people. The circumstance which produces this result may seem rather miserable. It is the haughty character of an insubmissive woman which gives occasion for it, and the irritation of a king whose orders have been flouted. But God uses these sentiments to work the things He has in mind. He governs all things and makes the thoughts and actions even of him who is unaware to work for the accomplishment of His designs. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Rom. 11:33). Do we not here, in this event, see it again in the substituting of Esther for Vashti? Is it not an image of that which is in preparation and will soon take place? We know that during the time when the Jewish spouse is set aside because of her unfaithfulness, there is a Gentile bride, the church, on earth.
We are not talking now of the church as a vessel of divine testimony down here, the golden lampstand which should diffuse the light of Christ: The church was called to show to the world the beauty and the glory with which her divine Head had invested her: the royal crown which graced His head. Did she do it? No, and we know, according to the Word, that for this reason she will be rejected.
“Be not high-minded,” said the apostle to those who through grace have been made partakers of the root and fatness of the olive tree (Israel), “but fear ... lest He also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off” (Rom. 11:17-22). The church has not continued; she has not showed His beauty to the world; she has shaken off the yoke of obedience towards her Lord; she is highminded and has wanted to enjoy herself; she glorifies herself as if nothing were wanting and she will be, spewed out of the mouth of Christ (Rev. 3:16-17).
But according to the merciful ways of God towards Israel, His earthly people, the Jewish spouse which has been set aside for a time will be restored and will replace down here the Gentile spouse. The rejected branches shall be grafted in again (Rom. 11:23; Hos. 2:14-17). Then will be accomplished what Isaiah describes in glowing terms:
“Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; The Lord of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer” (Isa. 54:2-8).
This will be the time of Israel’s glory, although at present they are scattered and exposed to the railings of their enemies. We find this prefigured in the events which the book of Esther relates. We are thus led to consider a second subject which presents itself, and that is the Jews.