The story of Esther ep. 1 - beauty contest

Your Majesty, Queen Vashti refuses to come. What? She refuses to come? said the king angrily. King Ahasuerus quickly became enraged. Suddenly the festive mood came to a halt. The whispers of the curious guests could already be heard wondering what the king would do. Some people said, what's going to happen? Will he punish her? How could the king allow such a thing? While others were whispering, the drink completely took his mind. I wouldn't have come either if I were the queen. Welcome to the first episode of Esther's Life. I invite you to join me on a thrilling adventure through Persia, the greatest empire at the time, 2500 years ago. At that time, the king named Ahasuerus reigned over Persia. His empire stretched over 127 lands from India to Ethiopia, and the capital of the empire was Susa. The palace of King Ahasuerus was also there. It was the grandest building in the whole city. One day, the king told his servants, I want to put together a big banquet and invite all the important people in the empire. The army commanders, the nobles and princes, my most trusted men from the palace, everyone. King Ahasuerus continued, let them know this will be the biggest party ever held in Susa and that it will last 180 days. Yes, 180 day party. The capital Susa, the first day of the banquet. The guests began to arrive and everyone was having tremendous fun. The king received them all with great fanfare and for 180 days served them with the finest food and drink of the empire. He also showed them riches, organized all kinds of shows and also displayed before them rare objects and animals which were found only in the king's court. After 180 days, the party ended. But guess what happened next? The king told his servants, I will throw another banquet. This time for everyone who lives in Susa, from the oldest to the smallest. A seven-day banquet will be held in the garden at my royal house. King Ahasuerus continued, I love parties. Hearing the king's decision, queen Vashti, the king's wife said, I shall also organize a banquet for all the women in Susa. The people of Susa gladly received the invitation to the king's banquet. Well, it's not every day that you receive an invitation from the king. Besides, it was an opportunity for everyone to see what the palace looked like beyond the walls that surrounded it. The palace of King Ahasuerus was full of great riches. White and blue tapestries were fastened with silver rings to the imposing pillars of marble. On the colored marble floors, sofas of gold and silver were set from place to place. The glasses of the king's table were of pure gold and the food was absolutely delicious. In addition to food, lots of drinks were served at the king's banquet, maybe even too much. On the last day of the banquet, merry from wine and pondering with pride upon his vast wealth and power, King Ahasuerus said to himself, hmm, what else could I do to impress the guests? I have already shown them my wealth and strength. What else could I show them? What else do I have that they don't? King Ahasuerus continued, I have a queen who's also very beautiful. Yes, I will show them Queen Vashti. Everyone will see her beauty and be even more amazed, the king concluded. So not thinking clearly because of all the drinks he'd had, the king sent his servants to bring over the queen. Go immediately to Queen Vashti, King Ahasuerus ordered, and tell her I want her to parade here in front of us. As the servants went to bring Queen Vashti, the king was already boasting to his guests, wait till you see my beautiful queen, even her name Vashti means beauty. As he spoke to them, the servants came back saying fearfully, your majesty, Queen Vashti refuses to come. What? She refuses to come, said the king angrily. King Ahasuerus quickly became enraged. The festive mood came to a sudden halt. The curious guests whispered amongst themselves, hushed voices wondering what the king would do. Some people said, what's going to happen? Will he punish her? How could the king allow such a thing? While others were whispering, the dream completely took his mind. I wouldn't come either if I were the queen. The party was over. Everybody was left waiting to see the king's decision concerning Queen Vashti. Then the king called his wise counselors who knew the laws of those days to consult with them. He asked them, what should we do with Queen Vashti according to the law for her disobedience? Mamuken, one of the senior counselors spoke and said, Queen Vashti showed disrespect not only to the king, but to all of us. Her disobedience will be known by all women, the king's counselor continued. If she goes unpunished this time, women from everywhere will follow her example and stop listening to their husbands. This will have terrible consequences. These words seemed to please the king and others present. The counselor Mamuken continued. If the king agrees, an order should be given by the king to remove Queen Vashti from her position of queen and she should no longer appear before the king. Her royal position should be given to another queen, one better than Vashti. Counselor Mamuken continued. Moreover, this decision should be immediately communicated throughout the empire. If the king does so, then all women will learn that they must obey their husbands. The king and his other counselors agreed with Mamuken's proposal. This new law was written in the laws of Persia and according to tradition, once a law was given in the Persian empire, it could not be changed. King Ahasuerus sent letters to all provinces of his kingdom informing everyone of his decision. Then when the king's anger was appeased, he again remembered Vashti. His counselor saw this and said, your majesty, you need a queen instead of Vashti. We suggest that the most beautiful young women throughout Persia be sought for the king. The counselor continued. They will be brought to Susa. The woman whom the king likes the most will be the new queen. And that's how the real beauty contest started. A crowd of young women, each more beautiful than the other, gathered in the capital of Susa, dreaming that King Ahasuerus would fall in love with one of them and thus become his new queen. Among many young women, Esther, a very beautiful and modest Jewish young woman, was called to the palace. Esther was an orphan. She was raised by her older cousin Mordecai. Esther and Mordecai lived in the capital of Susa. Their parents were brought as slaves from Jerusalem so even though they were Jews, they lived in Persia. Esther and the other young women arrived at the palace and began the process of getting ready to appear before the great King Ahasuerus. They were all eagerly awaiting to find out which one would be chosen by the king. We do not know exactly why Queen Vashti did not want to come when the king called her. The Bible does not specify her reason, but we know that this was all part of God's great plan for Esther and for his people. God has a great plan for each of his children. This plan involves me and you. Do not forget that. The Bible teaches that if you're a child of God, He has a plan for you and His plan is always good. If you want to see what God's plan was for Esther, join us in the next episode of Esther's Life. Produced by David and Goliath Productions, you can re-watch this episode along with the rest of the series on YouTube on the DG Bible Stories channel. Also, you can find our DG Bible Stories series in audio format on most podcast apps. 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