ABANDONED Part 2…Two Queens, One King

When we look at the greats of the Old Testament, we often think of Abraham (the father of the nation of Israel); Moses (the one who led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt) or King David (the one who killed the giant.) 

If I were to ask you who were some of the great women of the Bible, what would you say?

Typically, we would name Ruth, Esther, or the Proverbs 31 woman. For the sake of this story, though, let’s focus on Queen Esther.  

Do you remember Queen Esther? Remember she was the one who was chosen by the King because of her extreme beauty?  After a yearlong competition by all the virgins in the region, she was selected as queen. God used Esther’s position as queen to save the Jewish people from being massacred. There are many turns and twists to this story that place Esther on the pedestal of heroine. She was truly a queen to be honored.

But if you were to open your bible and turn to the book of Esther in the Old Testament (which I would strongly suggest) you will see that the actual story of Esther doesn’t start until chapter 2. There is a whole chapter prior to the story that lays a foundation most are not aware of. 

“But after Xerxes’ (that would be King Xerxes) anger had subsided, he began thinking…” Esther 2:1 NLT

When an angry King begins thinking, you had better duck!

King Xerxes was angry about something, but what was it?

“… he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done…” Esther 2:1 NTL

Uh oh! Someone named Vashti had done something to the King and it wasn’t good.

Who is Vashti and what in the heck did she do to cause so much anger in such a powerful king?

When we fail to pause in chapter 1, we do ourselves a great disfavor by jumping ahead to chapter 2. When we do, we miss the context of the story. 

• We miss why the King needed a queen. 
• We miss why King Xerses was so angry.
• We miss his sadness when he realizes what he had done. 

We miss the story before the story. 

We miss the story that gets dismissed as fluff or needless extra.

When I read the story of Esther, I too am amazed and enamored with Queen Esther’s strength and tenacity.  I, too, aspire to be more like her.  I, too, aspire to have her faith. 

But when I read the book of Esther, I see another queen. There were two queens in King Xerses life.

Two queens; One king…girls, this story is gonna get good!

There was Queen Esther and Queen Vashti.

If I had to choose one of the queens to be friends with, I would choose Queen Vashti. I struggle admitting that because of the huge legacy of Queen Esther. But I understood Queen Vashti more in her feelings of dismissal than I did in Queen Esther’s feelings of triumph.

When I paused to read this story, I read about a woman who is lost in the vastness of Esther’s story.  She had been hidden; cast aside. 

Who was she?

              Why was she in the story then out of the story?

Why was she gone?

Was she simply a survivor in a harsh world of pomp and pleasure?

Looking into the story, I found a societal cast away dismissed and placed into her own corridor of darkness disregarded as rubbish.

I saw a person with hopes and fears.

I saw a person who longed to be loved.

I saw a person who wanted to belong.

I saw a woman just like me.

Vashti…Queen Vashti. 

Listen as I read you this story…

The Story…before The Story…

The word “handsome” could not begin to describe the physical attributes of this man.  There was no word descript enough for his beauty.  He had the perfect soft curl to his hair.  His skin was a golden hue.  His jaw was a perfect square, and his cheeks were high, kissed with a hint of color.  When he smiled, hearts would melt.  His eyes were dark brown like a beautiful black pebble lost in the white sand.  When he would look your direction, he had a way of making you feel as though you were the only one who existed in this world.  He listened with intensity making you feel safe in this world of chaos.

The word “beauty” could not begin to describe the physical attributes of this woman.  Every curve on her face was soft.  Her skin begged to be touched to see if it would melt like butter. When she would walk into the room, the earth shifted with each of her movements in hopes to catch a better glimpse of her beauty.  She had a way of making every woman in the room long to be her closest confidant and soak in the wisdom of her spirit.  Every man longed to call her his own.

This man and this woman were worlds apart.  They didn’t walk the same streets.  They didn’t know the same people. They didn’t eat the same foods.  He lived his life, and she lived her life without any thought that they would dip into the other’s existence.

His world was broken, and her world was lost. As their separate worlds rotated on their own axels, it seemed as though with each rotation, their worlds moved closer together.  One day as each of their worlds took a full turn, their worlds not only met, but their worlds collided and became one world.  This man chose this woman as his own.  He chose her amongst the other beauties in the kingdom.  He chose her as his queen.

Forever Live the King!!!

Forever Live the Queen! 

May King Xerxes and Queen Esther live forever in their kingdom!

A beautiful love story!

A story filled with seduction, passion, bloodshed, and murder.

A story filled with promise and power.

A story of love and strength between two people.

A love that had grown into deep devotion for one another. 

A love that is coveted by most by experienced by few.

True love…a once in a lifetime love!

But was it?

Was this King Xerxes first love?

Was Esther the love of his life or had there been another love;

a forgotten love;

a love that had been hidden away;

pushed aside?

Join me next week as we continue this story of Abandoned…Two Queens; One King.