Esther 1:10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king,
11 To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on.
12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.
13 Then the king said to the wise men, which knew the times, (for so was the king’s manner toward all that knew law and judgment:
14 And the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the king’s face, and which sat the first in the kingdom;)
15 What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?
16 And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.
The world is always looking for something new or different to find some form of pleasure. Drunkenness is common among the lost. Drunkenness starts with looking at the wine. The desire to dull the senses leads the lost person to indulge in the wine. The feeling that is attained from the drinking of wine, leads to more drinking and stronger drinks. It is a vicious cycle that brings nothing good. Today there are other drugs used to try to get a similar feeling as that of alcohol.
We have already been told that the king declared a feast to his people and then another feast to those in his palace at Sushan. We noted as well that the queen had her own feast for the women. Such a sad time. The people involved did not realize it as such, but it was such a waste of time and potential.
We read in verse 10 that the king’s heart was merry with wine. He could not think straight. That is not a good thing for anyone and certainly not for the king. In his drunken stupor he commanded his seven chamberlains to bring Vashti the queen before him. He wanted her brought in with her crown on her head as part of her royal apparel. He wanted to show off his wife to the drunken men that were with him. What a foolish command. His chamberlains did not hesitate to follow his orders.
We read in verse 11 that the queen was fair to look on. That is good, but her beauty should have been for the king. He should have known better than to flaunt her beauty before other men.
There are many men and women today who like to have women parading before them in immodest ways. The lust of the flesh is a real problem for us as people. The Bible shows us that we as men, have a weakness when it comes to the physical features of women. There is a reason why Job wrote:
Job 31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
King Ahasuerus probably did not think through what he was demanding. He was putting a temptation before the drunken men that were with him in the palace.
We read in verse 12 that Vashti refused to obey the kings order. She too had been drinking, but she still had some sanity. She was not going to put herself on display for the drunken men.
The king heard about this and he was very angry. How dare his wife would not obey his orders. He was embarrassed that his wife would not listen to him. Often times, pagan men think their wives are their property and they need to obey every command given them. They abuse their wives.
A godly woman will not be afraid to obey her godly husband. She knows he will not try to harm her. She will understand that as a servant of God, her husband will want to protect her and treat her with respect. After all the Bible tells us that the husband needs to understand that his wife is the weaker vessel and if he abuses her, God will not hear his prayers. A godly man wants God to hear his prayers. He also wants to love his wife.
In our text, we read that the king’s anger burned in him. What should he do about this defiance of orders? This was not done in secret. This was a public order and it was also a public rejection of an order.
In verse 13 we read that the king consulted with his wise men on this matter. These men knew the times. These men had studied history and they had looked at how other men had dealt with such matters. They also had some insight as to how matters like this would turn out if the “right” steps were not taken.
There was no such a thought as that the king had made a foolish request. That was not allowed. The problem in the king’s mind and in the mind of his wise men was that Vashti had done the wrong thing.
In verse 14 the names of his wise men were listed. These men have gone down in history as men who demonstrated that they were not very wise at all. They were well paid and they liked their paycheques and so they would act in accordance with the king’s wishes. They were just “yes men”.
In verse 15 the question was asked. Of course they wanted to make it look as though they were following the law. Drunk or not, unreasonable demand or not, the queen should have obeyed the command of the king. That was their law. Man’s laws can be very ruthless and unreasonable. God’s laws are always just and reasonable.
In verse 16 we read that Memucan was the spokesperson for the group. They had determined that Vashti had not just done wrong to the king, but to all the princes and to all the people in all of the king’s provinces.
If it would be known that the queen did not need to obey the king’s command, what hope was there for the common man who would demand some foolishness of his wife.
One thing we find among lost people is that they want to think they are independent thinkers. They are far too smart to be herded like sheep. Yet on the other hand we find that lost people like to get together and plan their next moves in a group. They do not want to step out and act alone.
We often hear people talking about something somebody does not like and they get a petition going and they try to encourage people to sign their petition. They state that there is power in numbers and they do not like it if you do not go along with their foolish ideas.
Lost people have no help from God. They are on their own. It is one group of lost people fighting against some other group of lost people. It is a matter of who has the most money and who can holler the loudest. Rational thought goes out the window.
King Ahasuerus’ wise men were just beginning to formulate their plan. They had a drunken king eagerly awaiting some answer. He wanted someone to stroke his wounded ego. The wise men wanted to be sure they could keep their jobs and their heads.
Proverbs 24:7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.
The fool would be wise to keep his mouth shut. However, the fool assumes he has such great wisdom to declare. These wise men were not about to walk away from this opportunity to put another notch in their armour. They did not care that they were dealing with a king who was drunk and acting like a spoiled child. After all, they too were spoiled children. They would come up with a plan that would get their names in the history books and that would have ungodly men looking up to them.
Be careful who you follow after. Be careful who you look to as a mentor. You do not need someone to stroke your ego. You need someone who can help you to identify the voice of God. True wisdom comes from God. We attain that wisdom after the new birth through faithful reading and study of God’s Word. That includes faithful participation in a true local church. Defiance against the truth is quite common. It is a disaster that keeps many people in the dark.
Pastor Bartel