We left our story with
Vashti the queen refusing King Ahasuerus' request through his
chamberlains that she make an appearance at his party with the royal
crown upon her head. Her rejection infuriated King Ahasuerus as she
embarrassed him before his feast attendees. He must take action, for
this is not just a violation of a drunken request, this is a
rejection of the authority of the King. In chapter one and verse
thirteen we see the beginnings of Ahasuerus' response. It reads:
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:
This
verse begins, “Then the king said to the wise men, which knew
the times,...” After Ahasuerus was filled with wrath and his
anger burned within him, he called together those who were wise among
his advisors. These were perhaps Magi or counselors who were
available to be sure that Ahasuerus did nothing outside of the
Persian law. These men knew the current day and the events and
guidelines that governed them. To understand Ahasuerus' action, we
might employ a verse in the book of Proverbs chapter eleven and verse
fourteen:
Where
no counsel [is], the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors
[there is] safety.
The
verse goes on to say parenthetically, “(for so [was] the king's
manner toward all that knew law and judgment:...” Ahasuerus,
unlike the dictatorship of the Babylonian kings before him, was not
the absolute authority of the day. Babylonian kings such as
Nebuchadnezzar were the law, and whatever they said was enforced,
even if it changed from time to time. Persian kings such as Ahasuerus
were to abide by the law itself. They could make a law, but then they
could not change that law. So, Ahasuerus, in order to assure himself
that he was in line with the law had these wise men around him who
knew the law and judgment and the punishment for violation of it.
We may
gather from this part of the story that although Ahasuerus was angry,
he also was limited in his response. Whether it was voluntary or not,
Ahasuerus called his wise men to him to insure that his actions would
coincide with the law. We should remember that this again reveals a
trait in the man who will eventually be rather involved in Esther's
life. Although we have not reached the place in our story where
Esther arrives on the scene, let us keep in mind this is the man whom
God is governing over that will become a central part of the whole
providence of God. Even this public outrage is weaved into the God
Almighty's master plan.
Next time we discover seven of the princes that were present with
Ahasuerus, so read ahead, and let us join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” and the new marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married” in all major bookstore
sites, www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
;
download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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