The book of Esther, though located in the Bible before Job, records events after Daniel (following the exile), the Jews return to live in what is essentially a province of Persian, under the rule of Xerxes and his vast empire (127 provinces from India to Cush (Esther 1:1). The story of Vashti’s rebellious attitude sets the stage for Esther and helps us understand the implications for her actions by the time we get to chapter 5. The king’s edict for every man to “rule over his own household” (1:22) further amplifies the stress Esther would have felt as a woman advising not only a man, but a ruler of a vast empire.
Side note: When I read “wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other” (1:7) I thought about how modern marketing proclaims “sets” of glasses, etc. Here the distinction is to have “each one different from the other.” Yay! My mixed assortment of glasses must indicate great wealth! 🙂
The book of Esther, though located in the Bible before Job, records events after Daniel (following the exile), the Jews return to live in what is essentially a province of Persian, under the rule of Xerxes and his vast empire (127 provinces from India to Cush (Esther 1:1). The story of Vashti’s rebellious attitude sets the stage for Esther and helps us understand the implications for her actions by the time we get to chapter 5. The king’s edict for every man to “rule over his own household” (1:22) further amplifies the stress Esther would have felt as a woman advising not only a man, but a ruler of a vast empire.
Side note: When I read “wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other” (1:7) I thought about how modern marketing proclaims “sets” of glasses, etc. Here the distinction is to have “each one different from the other.” Yay! My mixed assortment of glasses must indicate great wealth! 🙂