How Is Your Focus?

So the OT reading today starts off with a six-month party for Xerxes' political and military leaders. Then, he throws a seven-day party for the common folk. The king entertains the men and the queen (Vashti) entertains the women separately. No expense was spared for decorations and wine was served without limit.

Then, on the seventh day, the king (thoroughly intoxicated by now) wanted to show off his wife the queen so he instructed his servants to bring her to him. But she refused - and it cost her her position.

Question: What was the big deal? Obviously there was an impasse here, but what exactly was it?

Worst case scenario: Xerxes became sexually aroused at the thought of his hot queen and it gave him further pleasure to show her off to all the other men he was partying with. And, "showing her off" may have indicated more than just seeing her face.

Best case scenario: Xerxes knew the men he was entertaining respected and admired their queen and so they would greatly appreciate an appearance by her to reassure them of her commitment to them as queen.

Either way, Vashti refused. And, although her reason is not detailed, it begs to be resultant to the worst case scenario.

So, it is in this setting that Esther is brought into the picture.

Let us just assume the best case scenario above to keep this thing out of the gutter. Moving on...

Sweet, pure Esther is one of many selected young and beautiful virgins from among whom Xerxes will choose a new queen. The king's choice is made in bed.

Okay, the gutter it is! There is absolutely no way around it. And furthermore, there is no written indication that what Xerxes did was wrong. If anything, Vashti is made to be the villain for refusing to be "exploited" (as we would call it today).

But, there is another story we are to focus on here - God's deliverance of the Jews...

This question is for the men: How is your focus?

Father, from yesterday's NT reading and today's OT reading, it is quite obvious that there are gender-related differences between Esther's time and ours today. Are we seriously supposed to learn something from this?