Why Vashti says no to Xerxes in Esther 1:12

Esther 1 is a story of contrasts. Vashti defies the king, and King Xerses chooses Esther to take her place. Why does Vashti decide to disobey the king and lose everything?

In the ancient world, wives were allowed to come to the banquet. But once the drinking got out of hand, the wives went home, and the men brought in the dancing girls and the concubines.

As the queen, in refusing Xerses’ orders, she is essentially saying, “This is not my role. I will not do this.”

Vashti dares to say no.

Thus, in her answer, Vashti models the ethical line she will not cross. She is the woman who says no, even if it costs her everything.

The story presents two possible ways of living in Empire. Vashti takes a stand and loses everything, while Esther stays, and works the system from within.

Learn more about Esther in the Story of God Bible Commentary:

[imlearning.]

Where in the Bible does it say “she is to come only wearing her crown”? The book of Esther is not about Vashti. It’s about God using Esther to save His people. To turn around and make Vashti, a character that did not serve God and had no desire to serve God, the hero of the story is to turn from God. If God wanted Vashti to be someone we looked up to, the book would have been about her. Let us focus on scripture and what God is truly trying to say in it. Not simply what we want from it.

[debspringchannel]

The heart of "the King "is in the hand of the Lord.
Vashti had to say no ...so that God's plan came to be. .. that's all.

[purposegrow]

The Bible says Vashti was hosting many women during the Amazing day feast. She was not naked. the KING commanded her to come. Esther wasn't a punk either. Esther risks her own life to save her people the jews- "God's people. Esther 1-2 read the entire beautiful story

[andrewbueller]

It doesn’t say only her crown and I’d be real careful about adding words to the Word of God. Your feminist bias is showing. Yes Vashti disobeyed her husband however her husband was very drunk and surrounded by many other drunk men. She did the right thing by refusing to enter the room and God used that bad situation to save His people. Since Vashti wasn’t killed for her disobedience, I’d say God protected her for doing the right thing. The king repented his decision when he was sober but couldn’t reverse it. He knew what he did was wrong when his head was clear. But God turns everything around for good. I love this book. She had a quite and humble spirit and she accepted wise council. God blessed her with favor with man and Himself.

[ncbluegrassevents]

Typology is a foreshadowing of things to come

Queen Esther is a typology of God’s end time remnant church

Vashti the first queen was called by her name by the King and she refused him (Jews)
So the kingdom went to another woman (gentiles, remnant church)

Esther - Beautiful chaste virgin
Esther 2:7
God’s church - chaste virgin
2 Corinthians 11:2

Esther -Orphaned, Mordecai took for his own daughter
Esther 2:7
God’s church- Will not be left orphaned
John 14:18

Esther couldn’t come into the King unless called by her name
she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name.
Esther 2:14
God’s people - called by His name
Deuteronomy 28:9-10 KJV
[9] The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. [10] And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord ; and they shall be afraid of thee.

The King Loved Esther above all the virgins - Esther 2:17

Set the royal crown upon her head
Esther 2:17
God’s people- ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
1 Peter 5:4

Haman - Esther 3:1 set his seat above all the princes before him
What did the devil want ? Isaiah 14:13 wanted his throne set above all the stars
Not a Persian

Esther - Others bowed and reverenced Haman Esther 3:2
End time deceived- received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.
Revelation 19:20

Esther - Haman (name magnificent) represents devil
full of wrath when Mordecai didn’t bow to him
Haman sought to destroy all of God’s people
Esther 3:5
Daniel 3:19
God’s end time church - not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Revelation 13:15 KJV

Esther - There is a certain people ….their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws:
Esther 3:8
God’s end time people -
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Revelation 14:12

Esther - she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand.
Esther 5:2
God’s people receive Grace from Jesus - not deserving life
John 3:16

Esther - Death decree to all the land
Esther 3:13
End time church - Death decree to the remnant church who doesn’t worship the beast
Revelation 13:15

Bride - if I perish I perish I must go before the King

King holds out receptor - grace
Psalms 45:6
Jesus is the King who extends grace to those who don’t deserve it

King reverses death decree

Esther - Many people of the land became God’s law keeping people
Esther 8:17
God’s end time people -
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins,
Revelation 18:4

Mark of the beast
Speak and cause as many who don’t worship the beast to be killed
Decree to go forth against the people of God will be very similar to decree sent forth in Esther’s time

Revelation 12:17 KJV

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Mordecai was at the gate Announcing that judgement has come
Luke 13:24 straight is the gate
John 10:9 KJV
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

[noahbrasseur]

LOL, this person is an expert in OT?

She says Esther is the woman that says "yes, and stays in power...and works the system" in contrast to Vashti saying "no, and losing everything".

Is this woman serious? Go read the story for yourself. Esther lays down her crown, reputation, and most importantly, her life (!!) by going before but let's listen to this professor tell us that she was a "yes woman" who did so to "retain power" and "worked the system to serve God".

[jessyjonas]

Believers should make decisions that please God
Vashti made a decision that was pleasing to God.
Esther also made a decision that was pleasing to God

The important thing always
Is being obedient to God

[me]

Yes, I’ve heard that Vashti did not want to be put on display for her beauty. I thought that was better reasoning than saying she refused the King’s request!

[hollysoneye]

Vashti was not serving God but she was used by God, I believe that God hardened her heart to the King. God protects us from sin, even if you don’t serve Him, He also uses people/situations to serve the greater good which was the whole meaning of the book of Esther. God’s protection over Vashti can also be seen by her not being put to death for defying the King which would’ve been the standard at the time, she was given God’s mercy through the King’s response.

[CoffeeCrazy]

It’s easy to read our interpretations based on western ideology. Vashti was not a queen to be praised nor was her denial of the king something to be looked favorably upon. The text does not go into much detail concerning her refusal, we are left to our own devices but who was summoning her was more than her husband, it was the King. While his behavior was deplorable, she lacked wisdom, probably due to her “banqueting herself”. Ester showed wisdom and trusted God while Vashti was dishonorable and not wise 8n how she handled the King.

[ryanslauderdale]

Yeah, I just looked up every reputable translation of the same passage, and none of them say only her crown. They all say “with her crown.” Not confident on how accurate this is.

[stacyjpoliticscommunityfai]

I totally agree. My late father who was also a Pastor and Teacher had the same understanding of Vashti's refusal to appear before the King.

[gingerray]

Vashti's denial of Xerxes to come into the feast with only her Crown on was God's way of getting Esther into the picture for his glory, we are not looking to Vashti we're looking to Esther the hero from and for God and the survival of his people.
Makes me wonder how you feel about Judas

[rhondaschaffer]

Wow completely missing the whole meaning of The book of Esther and who Queen Vashti vs Queen Esther represents! 🤦🏻‍♀️

[mightymorphinniqz]

Esther and vashti had different roles n I commend n applause both of them even mordecai! This isn't abt feminism n standing up to men.

[shadowgod]

Long ago, when the women of Persia were honored and revered by their culture, they often held influential and dynamic positions in society. Aside from being mothers, they played many roles—teacher, politician, business owner, even soldiers. In fact, ancient women warriors of Persia were so powerful, neighboring male-dominated cultures in both Greece and Rome viewed them with a mixture of horror and fascination. Fortification tablets at the Ruins of Persepolis have proven men and women of the time were equally represented in all facets of life, and the battlefield was no exception. In Iran, DNA tests have revealed some 2, 000-year-old bones of an entombed warrior found with a sword in hand actually belonged to a female warrior. Artifacts, research, and ancient tales clearly indicate some Persian women fought hard for their causes and claimed just as much glory on the battlefield as their male counterparts.

[adamaenosh]

I've been looking for sources for precisely this feminist critique, grappling with the story of Esther as a story of a woman who heroically allows herself to enter this violating situation because she's trying to save her people. Are there any known thinkers who have written about this?

[joenmuthiga]

Clearly a feminist view of the passage.

[HeyitsBri_]

Vashti was hosting her own party at the time and was respected by all, including the king so it’s completely speculative as to WHY she said no but it is important to understand that had she said yes there would be no opportunity for Esther to become queen. Also take in the land at the time. Persia respected women and in high esteem. The king definitely did not tell that woman to come only in her crown but to come completely decorated in all her royal finery, like was later done to Moredecai as a thank you from the king for letting him know his chamberman plotted against them. This whole feminism plot came in because one of the women got to the king when he was angry that Vashti said no and said you should take her crown away as punishment or all women would feel it’s ok to snub their husbands too, not because women were weak and Vashti’s refusal would make them strong but because women were also powerful and revered and didn’t want them to piss their husbands off and make them feel weak… like the king was on top of being publicly embarrassed. This angle is all wrong

[alexisthinksofstuff]

Don’t agree with most of what was said but I surely wouldn’t walk alone into a hall of hundreds of drunken men💀 that’s just what anyone would do.