Queen Vashti as a type of Eve

Nebuchednezzar’s ‘grandson’,

‘Ahasuerus’ and queen Vashti

 

Part Two:

Queen Vashti as a type of Eve

 

 

 

 

“A feast is something happy, joyous, and pleasurable. The feast that King Ahasuerus made was also happy, peaceful, joyous, and pleasurable. However, there is one person who ruined the whole atmosphere of the feast and should not be there, and that was Queen Vashti”.

 

goodnews.or

 

 

 

At: http://www.goodnews.or.kr/en/goodnews/0908/iron.htm we read this entirely unfavourable assessment of Queen Vashti as a killjoy, in line with Eve in the Garden of Eden:

 

There was someone who should not be at the feast, and that was Queen Vashti. She ruined all of the happiness and joy of the feast. She completely stopped it. This story about Vashti talks about the heart that trusts oneself. If anything like Vashti’s heart is within our hearts, our hearts cannot flow together with happiness and joy from the feast. 

 

ONE WHO IS ALREADY DEAD

The Bible states that through one man, Adam, sin entered into the world and death through sin. Although God said to Adam, “Do not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. On the day you eat of it, you shall surely die,” Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and as they became disconnected with God, they became connected with Satan. The Bible is telling us that this condition of being connected with Satan is “You shall surely die,” meaning death.

When a hornet lays its eggs, it first stings a poisonous spider, and as soon as the spider becomes unconscious, it puts its eggs into the spider. A few days later, the eggs inside the poisonous spider hatch and eat the spider’s body, and they fly away. When the poisonous spider has the hornet’s eggs inside, it seems like it is alive but is already dead. When God looks at us at the moment we connect with Satan, He sees us as already dead. In the God’s eyes, when Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the whole of mankind is dead. The Bible precisely says that a person called, “I” is already dead if I am connected with Satan.

Because people don’t know that they are already dead, they continue to make determinations and resolutions, thinking, “I should not rob. I should not commit adultery. I should quit smoking. I should stop drinking.” At first, it seems like it is working, but a few days later, they see that they are drinking and smoking again. Although they say to themselves, “I shouldn’t be doing this,” they are led and defeated by temptation. Nevertheless, people again believe themselves and live their lives always making new determinations.

There is one thing that people do not know clearly. They are being deceived by themselves. It is as if they are deceived by a swindler. They are deceived by themselves by such thoughts, “If I decide not to commit adultery, then I could. If I am determined not to rob, then I would not. I can quit smoking. I can stop drinking.” Since I am a swindler and am already connected with Satan, I am not someone who is worthy to be trusted. Just as swindlers deceive people however, human beings always deceive themselves. It is because they do not know that they are already dead.



VASHTI, WHO IS ABANDONED

In the book of Esther chapter 1, we can ascertain a heartbreaking fact. King Ahasuerus made a feast: The first 180 days were for all his princes and servants, and the next 7 days were for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel. A feast is something happy, joyous, and pleasurable. The feast that King Ahasuerus made was also happy, peaceful, joyous, and pleasurable. However, there is one person who ruined the whole atmosphere of the feast and should not be there, and that was Queen Vashti. She ruined all of the happiness and joy of the feast. She has completely ended it. The story of Vashti talks about the heart that trusts oneself. If anything like Vashti’s heart is within our hearts, our hearts cannot flow together with happiness and joy when there is happiness through a feast.

King Ahasuerus had sent several eunuchs to invite Queen Vashti to his feast, but she refused to come. At that time, the king asked the wise men, who understood the law and judgment, and they, who had access of his presence, told him that she should be dethroned. We can see through the Bible that Vashti is a queen who has already been seen to be inadequate in the eyes of the wise men.

Additionally, Vashti had also been making a feast for the women, but not one of them tries to save her from being abandoned. Looking at this, we can easily discern what kind of life Vashti lived daily.

Because Vashti believed in herself, she despised others. She could not understand others’ hearts, and she did not have eyes to see others being hurt. Believing herself is what made Vashti lose happiness, joy, pleasure, and freedom. In Proverbs chapter 28, verse 26, it says, He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: . . . In Jeremiah chapter 17, it says, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: . . . Trusting oneself is so foolish, and because of that trust in oneself, happiness and dreams all vanish.

 

WHEN THE HEART TO TRUST IN ONESELF IS IMPLANTED

As the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15 lived in his father’s house, he did one or two things well due to his father’s shadow. Satan has used that as bait to implant in his heart trust in himself. When this heart of trusting himself has taken root, this heart made the younger son to walk the prodigal path. Satan is still working until now to do the same thing in our hearts.

A professional gambler has a way to get money from the people from the countryside. They first approach farmers to gamble, and they lose to them on purpose. Then, the heart “I can gamble well,” forms in the farmers’ hearts, and as the gamblers lose a couple more times, they think, “I guess I am pretty good.” When the gamblers lose to them a little more, then they think, “I can gamble at a gambling house. I can gamble with anyone and still earn some money!” The heart of completely trusting themselves is established in their hearts. This is when the professional gamblers start to earn money from them, and because the farmers cannot forsake the heart that they are good, they will gamble until they lose all of their possessions. As a result, the happiness of their family comes to an end, and the misery of their wives and children in the streets comes to reality.

Just like the professional gamblers, if Satan implants the heart into people, “You are gentle,” then they think that they are gentle. If Satan implants in them the thought that they are doing well, then they think that they are the people who can do well. It is not hard at all for Satan to implant the heart to trust themselves. When Satan had given that heart to the prodigal son, he thought, “I guess I am really good.” Everything was due to the grace of the father while he lived under the father’s shadow, but because there were some things he had done well, he felt sure that he was a good person. That was why he was able to request his portion.

“Father, give me my portion of goods! I want to earn as much as you have now!”

The prodigal son had confidently left his father. As the heart of trusting himself had formed due to some things he had done well, he gave pain and sorrow to the people around him.

“You are decent. You are good.” Once such hearts that Satan gives come into someone’s hearts, he lives his life without feeling the pain although many people are hurt and feel painful because of him. It is because the heart that he is doing well and is decent grasps him. He lives being held with the heart that Satan gave him. This is a truly scary thing.

 

PUTTING DOWN THE HEART TO TRUST IN MYSELF

Vashti in the book of Esther is the shadow of a person who trusts in himself. Trusting in myself gives everybody pain and suffering. When the prodigal son returned home and the first son was angry for the feast made for the younger son, the father entreats him saying, “Let’s go home. Let’s eat and be merry for your younger brother has returned alive.” Nevertheless, the first son did not want to go in. The wedding feast of the king in Matthew chapter 22 is very beautiful, but anyone who trusts in himself could not partake in the feast. He could not be together with the happiness and joy that flowed in the feast. People had refused to come to the wedding feast, although the king had invited them. It would be joyous and happy to be at the feast, but everyone had refused. Why is that? It was because they were all great. They trusted themselves. Whosoever departs from the heart of trusting himself can be happy and joyful as they participate at the feast and enjoy all the happiness there.

But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him. (Esther 1:12)
If anyone has the heart to trust in himself as Vashti, then he cannot be loved by anyone. He cannot obtain favor in anyone’s sight. However, when he departs from trusting himself, then this person can receive the grace of God. When the heart of being for myself, which devours happiness and dreams, and the heart of trusting myself is put down, when he has Jesus in his heart and is guided by that heart, then the blessing of God will be upon this man, and he will glorify God. ….

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Matthew 22:1-14 The Wedding Banquet

1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,  2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son,  3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come.  4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.’  5 But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,  6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.  7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.  9 Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.’  10 And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. ….