King Ahasuerus was a mighty king. He was a rich man who ruled over one of the most powerful empires at that time. He wanted all the people in his kingdom and beyond to see how mighty and powerful he was, and so he had a feast that lasted for 180 days. That’s a six-month long party. Can you imagine having a party for that long?

During this party the king asked his wife, Queen Vashti, to go in front of all the men to show off her beauty. He didn’t ask this because he loved the queen and because this would be nice for her. He did this because he wanted to use the queen as another way to show how great and powerful he was.

Queen Vashti refused to listen to the king, which in turn made the king very angry and so he didn’t allow her to be queen any longer.

You may wonder why the Lord included this book in the Bible. Even though the book of Esther doesn’t include God’s name, it sure teaches us a lot about the Lord and his care for his people. It’s a Bible book in which we see the antithesis, the fight, between the kingdom of Satan and his followers, and the kingdom of God and his children.

King Ahasuerus was part of Satan’s kingdom. His pride, anger, and selfishness all show Satan at work. The Jewish people who were still living in Persia at that time would have found it hard to serve the Lord there. But the Lord hadn’t forgotten his people living in this wicked kingdom. And when Queen Vashti refused to listen to the king, the Lord was at work in her, working to make Esther queen instead of her so that the Jewish people could be saved. The people at that time wouldn’t have seen how the Lord was working, but he was. And so the Lord is working in our lives as well. We don’t always understand what the Lord does, but we do know he is busy and we can trust him.

Reflection with your child:

How is God working in your life?

Source: Sermon by Rev. H. Alkema