Bible study · Esther 1:1-22
Esther 1: The queen who wouldn't come
Read Esther 1:1-22 before you meet.
In a few lines
The king shows off "the honor of his excellent majesty" (1:4), and Memucan says the decree will make "all the wives" give "their husbands honor" (1:20): in Hebrew the same word. Vashti "refused to come" (1:12), and the sentence is that she "may never again come" (1:19). The text never says why she refused.
The verse to carry
“But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by the eunuchs. Therefore the king was very angry, and his anger burned in him.”
Esther 1:12
To talk about
1. The king displayed "the riches of his glorious kingdom" for "one hundred eighty days" (1:4). What do you find yourself putting on show, and what are you hoping it will get you?
2. When Vashti refused, the king asked what to do "according to law" (1:15), and one refusal became a letter to every province (1:22). When someone tells you no, how do you tend to respond?
3. The chapter never says why Vashti refused (1:12). When you don't know why someone did something, what do you tend to assume, and what could you do to find out instead?