Esther 2:1 After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.
2 Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:
3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them:
4 And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.
One of the sins common to man is lying. Adam was given a clear command regarding his work in the Garden of Eden. He had work to do and he was also told there was one tree that he was not to eat from. The tree was called “the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”. Adam lacked nothing. He did not need the fruit of that tree. God knew that. The Bible introduced us to the “god of this world” in Genesis 3. God introduced him to man in the form of a serpent. God stated that he was more subtil than any beast. He was able to deceive Eve. Eve brought the forbidden fruit to Adam and he took it and ate it. Adam’s attachment to Eve was greater than his love for God. He disobeyed a clear command and plunged mankind into sin and brought the curse of God upon God’s creation.
God met with Adam after he sinned. He gave Adam opportunity to tell Him the truth. Adam chose to lie rather than speak the truth. He chose to try to pass off his responsibility and tried to blame God and his wife for his fall. God knew better. We are no better than Adam was. We all sin. We all lie.
In our text we read that after king Ahasuerus sobered up and his wrath was appeased by bad counsel, he remembered Vashti. God tells us that when a man and a woman come together in intimacy, they become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Matthew 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
I Corinthians 6:16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
Ephesians 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Marriage is an important event. It is not an experiment. It is something unique, not designed by man, but by God. It works well when God is in charge. When men and women operate under the lust of the flesh it can be a problem.
There are far too many people who get married, but then it does not work out and they get a divorce. However, they have already been married and they have experienced what oneness is. Their flesh still desires this, but they have already cut off the one they chose to become one with. Thus they find someone else and they reject God’s Word and they choose to commit adultery. They might even find a “minister” who will twist some Bible verses to make this adultery non-adultery. The lust of the flesh is dominating in the people’s hearts and so they accept that lie and they add to their sins.
Some divorced people claim they are still friends with their first spouse. They might have children together and they claim they are working things out so that the children are not hurt too badly.
God shows us in our text that in a marriage, the couple becomes one flesh. King Ahasuerus was one flesh with Vashti. They did not know the true God. They did not care to know the true God. However, marriage is an institution of God and He says that in marriage, when that marriage is consummated, the couple becomes one flesh. When that couple chooses to break that marriage, the flesh does not separate neatly. It tears apart. It leaves wounds and scars.
Ahasuerus had some wounds and some scars. He remembered Vashti. She was his wife. He chose to marry her. They had been together for some time. We are not told how long they were married. According to Paul’s writing in I Corinthians 6:16, even a one night stand with a harlot unites the flesh of those involved in that mess. Think of the thousands who have been promiscuous and are trying to make sense of the messed up emotions as a result of that.
There was not a God-fearing person in king Ahasuerus’ life to remind him of what purity is. However, he had a conscience that was not completely seared. He had feelings for his wife. He had second thoughts about what had transpired. What would he do about this?
Remember, this king had some “wise” servants around him. They cared about his “happiness”. They had helped him get into this mess. They were not God-fearing people. They were not going to look back. They had a plan, again!
The solution to the king’s dilemma was to find a fair young virgin that could take the place of Vashti. The flesh is able to lie to itself and to suggest that a broken relationship can be fixed by a different human relationship.
In verse 3 they continued to counsel the king. He needed to appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom and have them gather all the fair young virgins and bring them to Shushan the palace. They needed to be brought to the house of the women and into the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain. They needed to go through a process of purification and then be presented before the king. The one that would please him would be the new queen and this would “fix” his emptiness around the thoughts of Vashti.
We read in verse 4 that this counsel pleased the king. His pride was powerful. He missed Vashti, but he was not about to admit he was wrong. He was not going to try to fix the mess he had made while he was drunk. He was easily convinced to move on and find someone “better” than Vashti.
The devil loves to make messes. He is very good at it. He is still just as subtil as he was in the Garden. He is still convincing thousands of men and women that adultery is not a big deal. “Happiness” is what is important. There are thousands of false teachers who will echo that thought. They will do whatever they can to convince these couples to go ahead and commit adultery. After all, God is love and He forgives.
There could well be some reading this devotional that have chosen to believe the lie of the devil. They found a “minister” who would lead them through a sham wedding ceremony and they even believe they are so much happier now.
God has given us His Word. He is not a liar. He is not willing that any should perish. He wants all to come to repentance. A person can insist on going their own way. A person can seek out a “minister” who will agree with his plans. However, in the end, each person will meet the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s Word has made it very clear as to what a marriage is. That has never changed. Genesis 2 established the law of marriage. In Matthew 19 Jesus took the Pharisees and the disciples back to that law. Paul reminded us of that law. Nothing has changed. God’s way still works. He still loves the sinner. He still desires to forgive sinners.
Why not put aside your pride and find a true church that actually cares about your soul. It is not wise to ‘go along to get along’. Keep in mind, that in the end, each person will meet the Lord. He was never persuaded to change while He was on this earth. You are not sharp enough to trick Him into accepting anything other than what has been decreed in His Word.
This life is short. Eternity is a long time. I am not the judge. I am thankful that I do not have that responsibility. God is the judge. My duty is to preach the truth. If you have questions on this important matter, I am here to listen and to show you what God says. You need to make up your mind whether you want to believe what God says, or what some smooth talking deceiver says. The wise person chooses life. That is where the blessing is.
Pastor Bartel