Queen Vashti, wife of the mighty Persian King Xerxes, gives a weeklong party for the women in the palace. At the same time, her husband throws his own celebration, complete with an open bar.
On day seven, an intoxicated Xerxes commands the beautiful Vashti to parade herself before his drunken guests. When the chaste Vashti refuses to debase herself and be subjected to their ogling eyes, the king is furious.
Embarrassed, the enraged ruler asks his advisors what to do. Their answer is unequivocal: depose Vashti and forever bar her from his presence. The king does as they suggest, issuing an irrevocable edict.
Though Queen Vashti acts with virtue and refuses to stoop to the king’s drunken depravity, she pays a heavy price for maintaining her integrity. Sometimes there are consequences for doing what is right. May we hold to our principles and persevere despite the outcome.
How much value do we place on our integrity? How much will we risk to do what’s right?
[Discover more about Queen Vashti in Esther 1:7–20.]
Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
