Or Maybe They Were Drunk.....

Esther 1 :4-8
For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. 5 When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. 6 The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. 7 Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. 8 By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

I find that in our present generation we tend to look for reasons behind human behaviour that are based on pain. I have often seen that Christian Counselors almost always want to present a model of behaviour which leads to self pity by linking present behaviour to some tragic event in the past. This gives the person a sense that he or she is really a victim of other's behaviour toward them.

I see that God's Word actually says just the opposite. It teaches us that no matter what others have done to us we are still responsible for our behaviour.

The most important issue for this particular debate is that no matter how you explain behaviour every behaviour has consequences. This is one central message of the scripture.

In my last post I gave one possible scenario to explain Xerxes and Vashti's marital disharmony but there is actually a clearer interpretation in the Bible - - maybe they were drunk....


Esther1:10
On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas— 11 to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. 12 But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.

It is clear that Xerxes was drunk. It is likely Vashti was as well.

Esther1:9
Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.

Like many uncomfortable or politically incorrect topics, substance abuse, especially alcohol abuse, is almost never preached about today. Yet alcohol abuse is one of the most devastating acts of our society.

I have seen its effect up close and very personal.

Some of my closest friends have died or had their children killed by those who chose to drink and drive. In the emergency ward where I worked I have watched their broken families hold their dead children in such grief I shall never forget it.

I have seen the devastation of moments of inhibition in sexual encounters under the influence that left both the men and women full of regret for their actions. Add to that the unwanted pregnancies which led to choices that should have never had to have been made, sexually transmitted dieseases that have even killed or the loss of self worth to the point of suicide. All this directly linked to a choice to get drunk.

I have watched the terrible curse of alcholism take away a person's life one little bit at a time until they are homeless or, if they are of means, disconnected from everyone in their lives.

Just a small look at history without the deception of images that show beautiful people having so much fun drinking to their hearts content should convince anyone of the rightness of not ever using alcohol.

A person will never regret the effect alcohol of on their lives if they never drink.

It is a defendable position that has no ambiguity.

To say that I could be a social drinker leaves me open to the deception we all face when engaging in a potentially addicitve act.

We cannot trust ourselves.

We do not know what our genetics hold, though we most likely can see it clearly in the lives of those who have drank in our historical family.

We do not know when a slip might occur that leads us to drunkness.

We do not know if we will take one too many drinks to ease the pain of those past hurts the counselors like to call attention to and begin a pattern of life that will ensure we inflict those same hurts on others.

Finally we cannot know the effect of our drinking on others. So many have left a commitment to abstinence through the example of other Christians that are friends or heroes.

Xerxes might have never acted as he did if he were not under the influence.....

The resulting devastation would have never occurred. 

It might not be that they were working out some deep problem in their marriage. They might have just been drunk. 

Ephesians 5:18



Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,