Esther 1:6–7

It is a vivid picture of earthly splendour, without a thought of God, true or false. Nebuchadnezzar brought in religion of a base sort, and sought to force it on everyone. Xerxes seems to be the one holding the general title used here. As Daniel said long before, he showed himself "far richer than all before him." He thought of no one higher, and gave himself up to showy indulgence — all the more after his invasion of Greece failed.

This man of the earth shows no spirit or fruit of repentance — no learning about himself, or about what suits him as a creature. The lie of the serpent, which shaped man at the beginning, is working as hard as ever. The old desire to be as God speaks out in the Persian now, as it had before in the Chaldean. The one had built his royal city. He looked at it in pride and said, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" The other now makes a feast. For a hundred and eighty days he shows the princes and nobles the whole power of his realm.

The Hebrew shesh means white, and so is sometimes used for linen — if it is not cotton instead. It is also used for white marble, Song of Solomon 5:15; Esther 1:6.

Verses 6-7 describe the luxury of this feast. It shows how the religious world likes to take up for itself principles it sees to be beautiful, but which become only a show without reality. For white and blue linen speak of the purity (white) and heavenly character (blue) of God's testimony among His people. Purple speaks of royal character, and the silver rods speak of redemption. All of these are of vital value to those whom the blood of Christ has redeemed. In the hands of people who are only religious in form, however, it is imitation, taken up because it looks attractive.

The couches of gold and silver at the king's feast were for rest. Gold and silver are symbolic of righteousness and redemption, and these are the couches, the resting places, for the believer. Ahasuerus invited everyone to his feast, and set no condition except to come. In the same way God wants all men to be saved. He offers the riches of His grace without money and without price. While the Persian king displayed the glories of his great kingdom, God displays the glory of His grace.

Do you ponder the hangings, the couches of gold and silver, and the marble pavement of Esther 1:6? Are these, or even greater glories, the furniture that attracts the king's attention? No. The wedding was "furnished" with guests. And every guest there spoke to the King's eye and heart of the unequalled sufferings of His Son.

They served the royal wine in vessels of gold, and no two of them were alike. The king displayed his enormous wealth and his abundant possessions. "The royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king." And there was perfect freedom; each could drink to his heart's content.

It is a vivid picture of earthly splendour, without a thought of God, true or false. Nebuchadnezzar brought in a low kind of religion and tried to force it on everyone. Xerxes... showed himself, as Daniel said long before, "far richer than all before him." He thought of no one higher than himself, and gave himself up to showy indulgence. He did so all the more after his invasion of Greece failed completely. Underneath such unmatched grandeur you can detect shame and fear. He wanted to please the peoples of his vast empire, and to wipe out the memory of a foreign disgrace which could be ruinous.

Ahasuerus had the wealth for it. So he could show a most generous spirit in this great provision, and at the same time let each man fully follow his own wish about drinking. This is a striking imitation of the grace of God. God provides every necessity with no legal bondage, and He encourages each believer to act on his own faith. But even in Christendom, ungodly men turn the grace of God into lewdness (Jude 4) — just as the king was thinking only of his own pleasure.

The king's marriage feast for his son in Matthew 22 is a lovely thing to think about. The king is God; the son is Christ Jesus, who "came into the world to save sinners." At such a feast everything would surely be the best. It would be beneath such royalty to provide anything inferior, or anything that could even be matched. The guests who receive and accept the invitation enjoy far more than Ahasuerus provided (Esther 1:1-8). His feast is a glow-worm's gleam; theirs is the noonday sun.

The wine is the symbol of joy; it cheers God and man (Judges 9:13). The king had his joy with his subjects at this feast on earth. In the same way, God rejoices in those who come to the table of His love, and those who accept His invitation rejoice in Him... Ahasuerus invited everyone to his feast, on no condition but to come. In the same way, God wants all men to be saved, and He offers the riches of His grace without money and without price. While the Persian king displayed the glories of his great kingdom, God displays the glory of His grace.

Here, from the very beginning we find the hidden providence of God at work. Man is full of grand projects. A feast lasting seven days crowns these long ceremonies, and it leads to Vashti's revolt against the king's decision. Her dismissal is decreed and cannot be reversed, but it takes effect only when Ahasuerus returns. Then the Jewish wife, prepared by Providence, can come on the scene and take the place of the Gentile wife at the right moment.