The Woman who refused to be Insulted!

God chose Esther to save the Jews from genocide - her calling was to use her influence with the status of her royal position and help God help the Jews. Esther was truly a heroine of the Jews who did not forget her own people even though she was safe and held a very high status.

However in this propelling of Esther into the rank of a queen also saw the displacement of another queen. Her role model however has to be looked at, even though she loses her status and is the underdog in this episode. There is a purpose in the life of Vasthi or else what happens to her and her reaction would not have been recorded in the Word of God - The Bible

Vasthi stands out as a woman with immense courage and determination. She refuses to be used and displayed by her husband - King Xerxes. The king had called her to show off her beauty to his friends. This meant that he treated his wife as his proud possession. Since Vasthi refused to acquiesce and hence she lost her wealth, status and position as the wife and queen of the land. However this did not deter her for she refused to be used as a public spectacle, she refused to be manipulated and exploited. 

The behaviour of the King - her husband however underlines the way many men behave even today in our society. It highlights the fundamental problem of how men perceive women. In nearly all societies men tend to harness the women as they do farm animals, using them to suit themselves. Sometimes it is shamelessly and brazenly done and sometimes its done in the most sleek and subtle form! Bullies are cowards and men who bully their women folk are threatened by their potential and hence try to curb them and their freedom. The very rules laid down for women is a proof of such control.

Vasthi disappears from the scene but not before teaching us by her exemplary behaviour that if one refuses to be insulted, then there is a cost, but the cost is worth the life of dignity and self respect! We do not know what happened to Vashti, but all that we know is that she had the guts to defy a crazy, dominating, exploitative husband!

Note: Keeping in mind the extremely low status of women in India, it is definitely (at least i think so) not coincidental that the Book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that India is mentioned! Surely God had a lesson for the men and women of this land - India a message through the life of Vasthi

                                                                                                                        ~~~Crystal David John