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.
17  For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.
18  Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king’s princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.
19  If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.
20  And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.
21  And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:
22  For he sent letters into all the king’s provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and that it should be published according to the language of every people.

God continued to reveal the nature of the ungodly and also the evil effects of liquor. God has so much to say about that poison. No born again Christian can Biblically defend their participation in the making or use of liquor. God shows us the effects of liquor and there is nothing good about it.
The king was so out of touch with reality here that he would command his wife to come and parade herself before the people. This was his wife. He should have been her protector. He was exposing her to the drunks that were all around him.
We see here as well the vanity of godless officials. This was the scene of a world empire. I have done some reading on the history of Canada. It is shameful to note the drunkenness that was taking place as major decisions were being made about the railroad and other issues facing this nation in its beginnings. I doubt if there is less drunkenness now than there was then. It is only by the grace of God that we have the benefits that exist in this country. We know that the North American Indians were mistreated by the Europeans. They were given liquor to get them to agree to “treaties”. So many bad decisions were made in that regard as well. We are suffering the consequences of that foolish behaviour until this day.
Back to our text, we see in verse 12 that Vashti had more sense than her husband. She refused to come and parade herself around before a group of drunken men. We see further the effects of liquor upon the mind of those who use it. The king was wroth and his anger burned within him because his wife had rejected his command. How dare she do that. After all, a woman should be submissive to her husband. Even lost people have a sense of the order of things, although they do not know how to use that order properly. In today’s world, we see many people who have hardened themselves so far that they refuse to show that basic respect for women. Many women willingly parade themselves before the world and then are surprised when certain men become aggressive toward them. Secular women state they can dress as they please and men should leave them alone. Those women have never read the Bible. It is sin for a man to lust after a woman. It is also sin for a woman to lure a man into lusting after her.
In verses 13-15, the king consulted with his so-called wise men to see how he should respond to this “crisis”. How could he command the respect of his subjects if his own wife would not obey him? Twisted logic, but that is how the world thinks. He made an unjust demand and it was not followed through on and therefore all demands would be ignored. There was no consideration given here to his vile nature. He justified himself and saw his wife as a real threat to his manhood.
Husbands need to be reminded that we do not own our wives. The Bible does teach us that women are to submit themselves to their own husbands. It also commands the husband to love his wife. Seeking to have a wife parade herself before other men is not an act of love. It is wickedness. There are many women who love to parade themselves before men. They want to lure men into lusting after them. Vashti was not one of those women.
In verse 16 we read that Memucan, whose Hebrew name means “dignified” ‘had the answer’. He declared that Vashti had not just wronged her husband, but she had encouraged all others to defy the king’s every order.
A king is supposed to walk in the fear of the Lord. An ungodly king is no different than an ungodly servant. The only difference is that the king can afford better clothes, etc. The mind of the ungodly is corrupt.
In verse 17 we read that the assumption that these wise men had come up with was that all women would now be encouraged to despise their husbands because of this deed. Vashti showed some decency in her actions. The king lost respect due to his drunkenness. He should have been honourable, but he certainly was not. He chose to diminish his place in society. There is nothing honourable about drunkenness.
It is a shame when people reject God’s law and set up themselves as gods. They assume their commands must be obeyed without question, but God’s law is subject to man’s interpretation. Man should obey God’s law without question. God’s laws are for man’s benefit. God’s laws are from the God Who created all things and Who knows all things. God never has to change His laws. There are no flaws in God’s law.
King Ahasuerus had made a bad choice in throwing this wild party in the first place. He knew the negative effects of liquor. He did not see them as negative but that is because he was lost. We have already noted that the consumption of wine will deceive the recipient. That fact cannot be disputed. Many have tried, but God is much wiser than man.
We see in this account the depraved nature of the ungodly. A godly wife will not have problems submitting to a godly husband. He will not demand things of her that are against God’s will. He will love her and desire the best for her.
In verse 19, the wise men added further shame to the empire. They encouraged the king to make a decree that Vashti be forbidden to come before the king anymore. They counselled him to divorce his wife. They assumed this would instil a fear into the hearts of the other women so that they would not dare to disobey an order from their husbands. Fear is a powerful influencer. The Bible warns that the fear of man brings a snare. We need to submit ourselves to the Lord, rather than to wicked men.
In verse 19 these wise men further counselled the king to seek for a “better” woman to be his wife. His problem was not his wife. His problem was his foolish and wicked heart. His wife was not a God-fearing woman, but she was right in what she had done.
In verse 20 these vain men stated that when this decree would be published all wives would give their husbands honour. Sadly the government is seldom a good teacher. Husbands and wives should submit themselves to God’s order. God is always right. If we will know Him and follow Him, we will avoid grief and sorrow. In Jude we read:

Jude 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

God knows how to keep His child from falling. The key is to be His child and then submit to His will. He will help His child to do that.
At the time of this writing Jews were in the Medo/Persian empire due to their past sins. The reason they had been in exile was because the nation had rejected God and chosen idolatry over godliness. They had failed to be a light to show the nations the blessings of knowing the true God. They had tried to wallow in the same mud the ungodly nations were wallowing in. God refused to allow them to do so without showing them the consequences of such actions.
In verse 21 we see that the drunk king liked this decree. He did not have the capacity to realize the devastating results of such a decree for himself and for others. He ordered the decree to be published and enacted. He declared that every man should bear rule in his own house. That was not the problem here. The problem was the unjust demands of a drunk husband.
That fact was overlooked. That fact did not fit into the equation. Drunkenness was a right of men, so they thought. Many men believe the same thing today. Bars exist for that very purpose. Liquor is sold in many businesses. The detrimental effects of this evil are felt across the nation. However, there is no such a thing as learning the truth regarding liquor. The odd person will be brought to their senses and repent and be saved. Most just keep heaping trouble upon themselves because they love to get drunk. It dulls their senses to the guilt of sin.
The person who turns to God in repentance and puts their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, does not need to dull their senses. They will be forgiven and they will receive the peace that passeth all understanding. That is what many people long for, but their pride will not allow them to know that peace.
Today is the Lord’s Day. It is another opportunity for you to go to God’s house and learn how to behave yourself in the house of God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Don’t miss this great opportunity.
Pastor Bartel