Again, this whole time King Ahasuerus was showing off his wealth and possessions and now it is at the end of the banquet, he and his guests are drunk and the king decides to show off his beautiful wife. Notice he requests her presence and asked that she wear her royal crown; he wanted her to look her best to show off her dazzling beauty to all the guests. However, we see in verse twelve that she refuses to come. Her actions were a breach of etiquette. Disobeying the king's orders set a bad example in the king's eyes that others may follow. The king was used to getting what he wanted when he asked for it, so when Queen Vashti didn't come he became very furious.
In a moment of anger and revenge, the king consulted wise men about what he should do as we see in Esther 1:13-15. The seven advisors Ahasuerus summoned were the highest ranking officials in the empire, the closest advisors to the king. Because the queen had committed a very serious offense against the throne by defying a direct order of the king, he sought their legal counsel. Verses 16-19 show their response: Memucan (mem-oo-kawn'), one of Ahasuerus' wise men, suggested that the queen not only wronged the king but all the princes, all the people in all the provinces. He told of how the other women would look at queen Vashti's example and follow it becoming unruly. He suggested that the king make a written law among the Persians and Medes that cannot be altered, that Vashti was to be dethroned not to appear in the king's presence again and that she should be replaced with another. Once the decree had been proclaimed throughout the nation, women would know that they must honor and respect their husbands. Moreover, everyone would know that they must obey the orders of the king. The King liked the idea and sent out the decree.
God in his providence is setting the pathway for His plan to deliver His people. This has now set the stage for the rise of Esther. We’re going to be looking further into the book of Esther and you will notice that God’s name is never mentioned in this book. But you will see throughout this book that God is working behind the scenes in the lives of these people. Why Queen Vashti did not come before the presence of the king is only to say that God was working behind the scenes in order to fulfill his plan. Queen Vashti had to be removed in order for Esther to be able to save her people.
Look forward to continuing this study with you...
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