This document provides a summary of the first chapter of the Book of Esther in 3 parts: 1. It describes King Xerxes throwing a banquet for nobles where he commands his wife Vashti to appear, but she refuses, angering the king. On the advice of his counselors, Xerxes removes Vashti as queen and passes a law giving men authority over their wives. 2. It notes that decisions made in anger or under the influence of alcohol often lead to regret. Words spoken in haste cannot be taken back. 3. It concludes that while men act according to their own will, God is working behind the scenes to fulfill His plan, even

1. Bright Star
in a dark place
(Chapter 1)
By Samuel E. Ward
For text version: cbckck.blogspot.com

2. Introduction
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3. The Importance of the
Book of Esther
1. It describes the situation of the
majority of Jews who were dispersed
throughout Persian Empire.
2. It gives details of events which took
place under the rule of Cyrus’
grandson, Xerxes, and fits into the
period between Ezra 6 and 7.
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4. 3. The fact that any designation for God
is not mentioned in the book has given
some cause to believe that perhaps
the book of Esther does not belong in
the canon of scripture.
“All the books of the Prophets, and all
the Hagioprapha shall cease in the days
of the Messiah, except the volume of
Esther; and too, that shall be as stable as
the Pentateuch, and as the constitutions
of the oral law which shall never cease.”
--Maimonides
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5. 4. It explains the origin of the Jewish
Feast of Purim (Lots) .
5. It shows the sovereignty of God at work
over the most powerful ruler at that
time and the providence of God at
work on behalf of His people.
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6. The Historical Setting
The events in the Book of Esther extend
over a decade—from 483 B.C. (Xerxes’ 3rd
year; Esther 1:3) to 473 B. C. (the end of
Xerxes’ 12th year; Esther 3:7).
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7. I. The Hand of God Prepares for the
Future:
How Esther Came to Be Queen
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8. A. The Great Banquets of Xerxes and
Queen Vashti, Esther 1:1-9 (483 B.C.)
These banquets hosted by Xerxes
were mainly occasions for drinking.
(See Ezra 3:7 for a distinction between
“food” and “drink.” (Heb. mishteh, from
root meaning “drink”)
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9. 9
1. One banquet for nobles and officials,
Esther 1:1-4.
a. The guests: nobles, officials,
military leaders of Persia and
Media, the princes and nobles of
the provinces.
b. The purposes: to display the
king’s wealth and glory and
possibly to plan the military
strategy to invade Greece.

10. c. The length: 180 days of
“drinking” feasts (Heb.,
mishteh). Perhaps these were
after a day of planning and
guests were rotated in and out
throughout the period.
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11. 2. One banquet for nobles and
commoners, Esther 1:5-8.
a. The guests: all the people in the
citadel of Susa.
b. The setting: an opulent garden
accessorized by the best of fabics,
precious stones and metal, marble
columns, mosaic floors, gold and
silver couches and an abundance of
wine with no limits on any guest.
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12. c. The purpose: unstated, but the
description leads one to believe
that it was merely a prideful show
of the king’s wealth and splendor.
d. The length: seven days
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13. 3. One banquet for women in the royal
palace, Esther 1:9.
The description is conspicuous by
its brevity and lack of detail.
Apparently its purpose was merely to
point out that Vashti was not present
at the Xerxe’s banquet.
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14. B. Vashti's Dethronement, Esther 1:10-
22
1. Vashti's refusal to obey the king, Esther
1:10-12
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15. "It's not as though people do drunken
things because they're not aware of their
behavior, but rather they seem to be less
bothered by the implications or
consequences of their behavior than they
normally would be." Basically, if you're
drunk, you'll still be aware of your
mistakes but you just won't care. . .
For now, drinking a little too much is
essentially creating a version of you who
will be more than happy to make stupid
choices. --Dr. Bruce Bartholomew, University of MO
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16. Stupid choice # 1: Xerxes placed Vashti
on display before a crowd of drunken
men.
Add anger to the drunkenness and
the situation is ripe for the
unintended consequences that often
follow that mixture.
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17. 2. The “wise men's” advice,
Esther1:13-22
a. Their perception of the problem:
Vashti’s disregard for the king will
encourage the same disrespect
from all their wives, Esther1:13-18
b. Their solution to the problem:
Remove Vashti as Queen, make a
law giving men absolute rule in
their own households,
Esther 1:19-22.
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18. Stupid choice # 2: Xerxes made a law
during an emotional upset that once
written could not be legally changed.
Men lack the omniscience to see all
the possible consequences of the laws
they make. It is best to leave the
writing of absolute laws to the God of
absolute wisdom and knowledge and
man to make his laws based on that
wisdom. Otherwise, like Xerxes, he
may live to regret it as will be noted
later in this story. (See Daniel 6.)
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19. Conclusions
1. God is at work to work His plan even
when it appears man is having his own
way.
Proverbs 16:9 (NIV2011) In their hearts
humans plan their course, but the LORD
establishes their steps.
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20. 2. Decisions made while angry or under
the influence of alcohol or drugs are
not likely to lead to anything good.
Proverbs 14:17 (NIV2011) A quick-
tempered person does foolish things,
and the one who devises evil schemes
is hated.
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21. Titus 1:7 (NIV2011) Since an overseer
manages God’s household [we assume
anyone in a leadership position], he
must be blameless—not overbearing, not
quick-tempered, not given to
drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing
dishonest gain.
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22. 3. Words spoken in haste and anger often
leads to regret. Like arrows released
from a bow, once shot there is no
returning it.
James 1:19-20 (NIV2011) 19 My dear
brothers and sisters, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen,
slow to speak and slow to become
angry, 20 because human anger does
not produce the righteousness that
God desires.
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