Esther 2:1

Esther 2:1 says, 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.  After Ahasuerus had calmed down, he began to think about what he had done to Vashti.  I believe he regretted his actions, but it couldn’t be changed since things he decreed were permanent.   If we act out of anger, when we calm down, we may actually think about what we have done and regret it but it will be too late to change it.  Of course, if we confess our sins to God through faith in Jesus Christ, the fact that we did them cannot be changed but the outcome can.  They are washed away in God’s sight, even if we still suffer from the results here in this lifetime.   

Verse two adds, Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:  The king’s servants came up with a plan to replace Vashti.  They were going to bring fair young virgins before him.  I can’t help but think of The Bachelor, but the women on that show are there willingly, and these young virgins weren’t.  They would have no choice in the matter of appearing before the king.  

Verse three continues, 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:  All these young women from throughout the country were to be gathered in the Shushan palace and in the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain.  They were to be given the things necessary for their purification.  Though some might think it an honor to be chosen for this, I don’t believe that all of them would.  There are still women today who would feel honored just to have an opportunity to compete to marry a rich and powerful man, but I still hope that not many would.   

Verse four concludes, And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.  Then, the king was to pick the one who pleased him to replace Vashti.  The rest were to be kept for the king’s pleasure alone as secondary wives as Matthew Henry refers to them.  This idea pleased the king, but it was not in accordance with God’s will, which calls for marriage to be between one man and one woman under His guidance.  I can imagine that he would think this a wonderful idea and that it would help him forget about Vashti and what he had done to her.  As Christians, we cannot just replace our wife, or husband, because she or he has done something that makes us mad.  God was not considered in any of this situation, from removing Vashti to replacing her.