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. 

Esther 1:16

Esther 1:16 says, 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.  Memucan, one of the seven princes present before Ahasuerus answered him.  Some say that he gave this advice because he didn’t like Vashti, but others say he did it out of concern for public decorum even though he admired her according to Matthew Henry.  The reason doesn’t matter as much as the advice, which we are not told that he had any real qualification to give.  We may get sincere advice from people today even for what they feel is for the good of the church or the nation as a whole and it may still be wrong.  We need to ensure that the advice we follow as Christians comes from God.   

Verse seventeen adds, 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, Then king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.  Memucan seemed to at least know what the situation was.  People may be well aware of why we are having a problem, but that doesn’t mean that they will always give us the best advise if they are basing it on how our actions may affect others. 

Verse eighteen continues, 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. Part of Memucan’s advice was not based just on the relationship between Vashti and Ahasuerus but on how other women might be influenced by what she did.  If she didn’t obey Ahasuerus, then why would other women obey their husbands.  It wasn't so much a matter of whether she was right to do what she did but whether she would influence others.  There are still people today who believe that women should obey men, especially their husbands, and in spiritual matters, the husband should be the ultimate authority under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, but that doesn't mean that women, even wives, should obey their husbands in everything he says for them to do.  This is certainly true if their doing what they are told to do would put them in a situation that would not be honorable.   

Verse nineteen states, 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.  Memucan advised Ahasuerus to divorce Vashti by a public decree that could not be changed.  Since she had refused to come when he called for her, she was to no longer be in a position where she could disobey him, and it would set an example for the other women in the kingdom about the consequences of disobeying their husbands.  Matthew Henry says we must assume that Vashti was given an opportunity to repent and come as Ahasuerus had called for her to do, but I personally don’t see anything to base that assumption on.   It seems to me that Ahasuerus was more concerned with his own ego than he was with what was best for Vashti,   

Verse twenty adds, 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.  As just discussed, Memucan seemed to be more concerned with how Vashti’s action might influence other women and the husband's authority over them than he was with what God might say about the situation.  This is still often the concern of people today if men believe that a husband is not asserting his authority over his wife and that she is not obeying him in anything he demands.   

Verse twenty-one continues, And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:  Since the saying pleased the king, which could have also influenced Memucan in giving the advice, he did as Memucan had advised.  In effect, he actually gave up his authority to make a decision about the situation to someone else.  When it comes to matters between a Christian husband and wife, they need to get together under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and make the decision based on what is best in the marriage and not on what the rest of the world may think or say.   

Verse twenty-two concludes, 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.  Ahasuerus sent the decree of his divorcing Vashti to all the provinces and ensured that it was written in their language.  He wanted everyone to know of his control of the situation and of Vashti herself.  I believe that many men today base their actions in the family more on how other people may view them than on what is best for their wives.  

Esther 1:9

Esther 1:9 says, Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.  While the men were feasting, Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house.  She was not making a public display of the women as they feasted as Ahasuerus was of the men but was modestly staying out of public view.  She was exercising her authority without talking to the king about it, or so it seems.  In other words, she was a somewhat independent woman.

Verse ten adds, 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, 

Verse eleven continues, 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.  Seven days into the feast, when the king was somewhat drunk it would seem, he sent his seven chamberlains to bring Vasti before the men at the party with him to show off her beauty.  He didn’t go to ask her to come to him because he wanted her by his side, but he asked her to be brought to him so he could show her off to others.  He basically wanted to put her on display as something that belonged to him and not to have her with him as an equal to him.  Too often today, women in many parts of the world and to some people here in America are still seen as possessions by their husbands more than an equal part of themselves.  They expect their wives to be obedient to them in everything and not because of what God has said but just because they feel superior. 

Verse twelve continues, 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.  Vashti refused to come at the king’s command.  She may have known that he was drunk and not have wanted to be a part of his revelry or maybe she felt slighted by having his chamberlains sent to bring her, but for whatever reason, she didn’t obey his command, and he became angry.  Even the queen in that time was often seen as no more than a subject of the king, under his complete authority.  There are still men today who believe that their wives, or any female for that matter, should always be obedient to men.  This is not what God’s word teaches. 

Verse thirteen states, 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: Ahasuerus at least consulted with the wise men about the matter before he took any action.  Of course, too often those who are considered wise men want to do what pleases the king instead of what God’s law teaches.  They are sometimes considered wise by the world but not by God, since true wisdom comes only from Him.  Verse fourteen adds, 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.  We are given the names of some of those who were closest to the king.  Some people today think it makes them powerful and important just because they are close to those in power. 

Verse fifteen continues, 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?  Instead of going himself to talk to Vashti and asking her why she was refusing to come, he asked these men around him what they should do to her according to the law.  In some parts of the world today, women are under strict laws about what they can and cannot do, and the men in power make the decisions about how they will be punished if they refuse to obey the manmade laws.  This isn’t what God teaches about husbands and wives nor about men and women in general.  Though a man is the head of the house under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and is called on to accept the responsibility of ensuring that the family is following God’s laws, he is not given total authority over his wife to have her do whatever he decides he wants.  Both are to live under the authority of God to do His will and not the will of either outside of God’s leadership.