Somewhere in the ancient kingdom of Persia, now the kingdom of Iraq, there must be a headstone that tells us something more about the Persian queen, Vashti. Scripture tells us very little, but I would love to have met this lady.

We know she was stunningly beautiful, and probably very young. She held grace and poise—was deep of thought and courageous—but perhaps we know her best as a woman who disobeyed her husband’s request.

We know a lot more about her successor, Queen Esther, and based on that information we can have some insight into the customs of her day. Vashti was chosen from the young women, possibly teenagers of the kingdom of Persia to become the queen to King Ahasuerus, or Xerxes the Great, probably around 486 - 483 BC. The king’s commissioners in each province were sent in search in all the provinces in Persia and Media for the most beautiful virgins and to bring them to the king’s harem where for months they would undergo beauty treatments that would make us ladies purr–or perhaps bleat, for one of the treatments was regular bathing in goat’s milk! That therapy presents quite a concept in a Middle Eastern summer!

Plucked from obscurity, the young queen Vashti lived in absolute luxury in the palace where she had everything a Persian teenage girl could dream of. That is, until you ponder her situation. While she was the most powerful woman in the Middle East, we find she had no legal rights against the harsh decree of her husband.

Her husband Xerxes, was a proud and impulsive man. His successes had gone to his head. His harem was large. The virgins chosen for this dubious honor lived in a separate building to the palace. Their sole purpose was to serve the king and to await his call for sexual pleasure. They were guarded and cared for by the king’s eunuchs. These beauties of the Persian Empire were safe in their hands for these men had been castrated in order to prevent them from having children and then rebelling against the king and to try to establish a dynasty of their own.

I can’t help but wonder what these young women did all day. Virtual prisoners of the king, they had no opportunity to make homes of their own. I guess each girl hoped that she could bear a child to the king; for no doubt that would bring her favor and she would have a child to love and care for. We can have some appreciation for the fact that these beautiful young teenage girls became possessions of the palace by seeing this portrayed in today’s Muslim religion.

There is so much we don’t know, but so much we can imagine. But this we do know...

In the third year of his reign Xerxes decided to call his nobles and officials together for a banquet. This was to be a show of strength and power and a call to war, as Xerxes planned to overtake Greece and further add to his wealth. The Empire of Persia was vast, spreading over the modern-day countries of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, and parts of Egypt, Sudan, Libya, and Saudi Arabia. The military leaders of Persia and Media came, along with the princes and nobles of the provinces. Xerxes had inherited this Empire from his father Darius, but Greece was yet to be conquered. Athens, the capital of Greece, was in its classical glory during this time and they were celebrating the seventy-ninth Ancient Olympic games. For 180 days (that’s 6 months) Xerxes displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty; flaunting his wealth by even encrusting his beard with precious stones and jewels. In a great road show, he paraded these officials around the empire, and you can imagine the impact this show of strength and solidarity would have had on the citizens.

At the end of the 180 days, in the final week, Xerxes threw a party that lasted 7 days. It was held in the winter palace at Susa. We have read about the interior decorations and the lavish menu.

Each guest was allowed to drink as much as he liked.

At the same time Queen Vashti was hostess to a party for the women in another part of the palace and, as the week drew to a close, Vashti was requested to appear at the king’s party in order that the king could display yet another possession—his beautiful queen—in her royal crown—for she was lovely to look at. Notice Scripture only mentions her crown and not her gown!

Jewish tradition ventures that this request came to Vashti because of an argument among the men at the feast as to which country had the most beautiful women. Xerxes decided to settle the issue by putting his wife on public display.

The men were drunk and Vashti said “no!” She had no intention of parading herself like a prized cow in front of a herd of drunken men.

Now it was against Persian custom for a woman to appear before a public gathering of males—which is still a custom in the Muslim world today. It is also said that she may have been pregnant at the time and did not wish to parade in that state—but whatever may have influenced her decision she chose a dangerous path. She knew that defying the king could bring down his wrath, but she chose to respect herself and not to degrade her womanhood by bringing gratification to this drunken mob. I think she must have had a good idea of the reaction she would have received if she had gone into that banquet hall.

Xerxes was humiliated by her response and burned with anger. Xerxes consulted his lawyers—and followed their advice.

Vashti was to be banished from the presence of the king; she would be de-throned, her title stripped. Within moments she was banished by Xerxes’ irrevocable decree and could never come into the presence of the king again.

Xerxes request was unreasonable and wrong, but history’s profile of the man shows him to be an unreasonable and foolish man in many cases. Once, we are told, he executed the builders of a bridge because an ocean storm destroyed it; then he commanded that the sea be whipped and chained to punish the sea! He was a man so estranged from his Creator that he thought he could control creation.

But, it seems that after Xerxes had sobered down he came to his senses and remembered his beautiful queen. I suspect that he was sorry he had taken Memucan’s advice. His courtiers must have sensed his depression because their answer to his bad decision was just to begin searching for another beautiful young virgin and Esther enters the scene.

Then Vashti vanishes back into obscurity and Scripture never mentions her again. But scripture does record her brief years as queen and therein lies a lesson for me.

Vashti was a woman of courage who was prepared to give up everything in honor of her own personal principles. I don’t know if she had heard about the God of Abraham and the value He places on the human soul—it is possible that she may have learned something of Him through the many Hebrew captives throughout Persia. But I am challenged by her courage and integrity and hope that I could be remembered for the same.

Courage and Integrity—two words I could place in my epitaph. And in today’s world it takes courage to practice integrity.

The world is desperately in need of women and men of courage and integrity. Integrity takes time to develop. Integrity comes when you keep doing what you know you are supposed to do, whether anyone is watching or not. That kind of discipline brings inner affirmation. The truth always sets us free. A free conscience is inner peace, undisturbed sleep at night, a reason to hold our heads high, to laugh often, and to be able to accept ourselves. When you are consistent in living in truth, it will have an impact in producing a godly character that the Lord will approve of and others will recognize and trust.

Now back to my tomb stone—

I would like to be remembered for the qualities in Romans 12:9-21—
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

That’s how He wants us to live while we wait for His coming!

I would also like to be remembered for the qualities in 1 Corinthians 1:4— I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

I would love to be remembered as a woman of grace, not as the world sees grace, but being filled with God’s grace. Doing His bidding; speaking out for Him. Living His will.

I would like to be remembered for the qualities in Galatians 6:14—
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

The world is full of enticements. Daily we are confronted with subtle cultural pressures and overt propaganda. The only way to escape these destructive influences is to ask God to help crucify our interest in them, just as Paul did.

We can have these qualities in our lives today as we daily seek the presence of Jesus; as we allow Him to remove from us the ragged clothes of sin and replace them with the beauty of the garments of His righteousness.

Take time each day to examine your heart. Ask the Lord to show you the areas where you lack integrity. Then ask God to give you a healthy fear of Him, for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” —Proverbs 9:10. In your desire to please God your heart will be opened to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and you will learn wisdom to conduct yourself with Godly integrity.

I would like to believe that Xerxes was humbled by the decision of Vashti to honor her own integrity—for integrity is truth and the ability to live in it.

There is no denying the influence of the Holy Spirit on Xerxes’ heart, when Esther entered his throne room unannounced, but one must wonder if Xerxes might also have learned a great lesson from the exile of Vashti and, not wanting to repeat this mistake, his heart was more receptive to Esther’s plea for God’s people.

I like stories that have happy endings and it would be nice if Vashti’s story had ended with perhaps a restoration to the palace or a mention that she became a Mother Teresa or a Princess Diana as she worked for the needy of the world. Instead her story tells us that this world does not always honor integrity—but heaven does—and let us never lose sight of that ultimate ending to the story of each human being.

As we daily choose to walk the path of integrity let the words of Hebrews 12:1-2 cheer us along:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.”

Let us be women and men of courage, whose faith in Jesus Christ can give us the will and determination to refuse the moments of worldly glory in preference to living in a glorious world.

We will be remembered as we are known, so let us be known now as we would like to be remembered—people of integrity and courage.