Esther 1:13-22

C. Decree

TEXT: Esther 1:13-22

13

Then the king said to the wise men, who knew the times, (for so was the king's manner toward all that knew law and judgment;

14

and the next unto him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom,)

15

What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not done the bidding 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 peoples that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.

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For this deed of the queen will come abroad unto all women, to make their husbands contemptible 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.

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And this day will the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the deed of the queen say the like unto all the king's princes. So will there arise much contempt and wrath.

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If it please the king, let there go forth 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 the king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.

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And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom, (for it is great,) all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.

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And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:

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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 should speak according to the language of his people.

Today's English Version, Esther 1:13-22

Now it was the king's custom to ask for expert opinion on questions of law and order, so he called for his advisers, who would know what should be done. Those he most often turned to for advice were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucanseven officials of Persia and Media who held the highest offices in the kingdom. He said to these men, I, King Xerxes, sent my servants to Queen Vashti with a command, and she refused to obey it! What does the law say that we should do with her?
Then Memucan declared to the king and his officials; Queen Vashti has insulted not only the king but also his officialsin fact, every man in the empire! Every woman in the empire will start looking down on her husband as soon as she hears what the queen has done. They-'ll say, -King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to come to him, and she refused.-' When the wives of the royal officials of Persia and Media hear about the queen's behavior, they will be telling their husbands about it before the day is out. Wives everywhere will have no respect for their husbands, and husbands will be angry with their wives. If it please Your Majesty, issue a royal proclamation that Vashti may never again appear before the king. Have it written into the laws of Persia and Media, so that it can never be changed. Then give her place as queen to some better woman. When your proclamation is made known all over this huge empire, every woman will treat her husband with proper respect, whether he's rich or poor.
The king and his officials liked this idea, and the king did what Memucan suggested. To each of the royal provinces he sent a message in the language and the system of writing of that province, saying that every husband should be the master of his home and speak with final authority.

COMMENTS

Esther 1:13-15 Panic: When Vashti disobeyed the emperor's order, panic ensued. The image he had built for himself by this grandiose feast was destroyed in one stroke. It was such an unprecedented response, the emperor did not know how he should act. He knew the queen's actions would be known sooner or later throughout the empire. Along with the gossip must go a story of the emperor handling the situation. But how shall it be handled? He hastily convened a meeting with his wise men. These are well-known men who are next unto him and probably would be likened to our President's cabinet members. They were not astrologers or magi as the Talmud thinks. They are men learned in the laws and customs of Persian governmentfamiliar with all precedents set in the past and presently having the power of law. The Hebrew word used here for law is dath and not the usual torah (Mosaic law). Dath is a word used in the O.T. only during the Persian period and is used of the emperor's laws Esther 3:8; Haman used the word to refer to the laws of the Jews Esther 3:8; it is used for the rules of drinking at a feast Esther 1:8; for purifying of women Esther 2:12. The Hebrew word translated the times is ha-'itim and most often means past times. Some commentators have theorized that the times refers to the winds of a social upheaval (an ancient equal rights movement) then beginning to blow in Persia. Since the word ha-'itim almost always means times of the past it is doubtful that such a movement was then in progress. Most assuredly, if Vashti's impertinence is not squelched, a feminist movement would soon be started! That was the definite conclusion of the emperor's advisory council. There were seven families of the first rank (Ezra 7:14) in Persia, from which the king was supposed to take his wives. The chiefs of each of these seven families had access to the king at all times, except when he was in the company of one of his wives.

Esther 1:16-20 Prompting: Why did Xerxes wish to punish Vashti according to law? Apparently there was no law at that time to cover such behavior. The emperor eventually made one, but it was after the fact. Perhaps Xerxes did not have the courage or the abillity to handle Vashti's insolence as a husband should. Perhaps the deflation of his ego prompted him to seek a servere punishment to recover his damaged image. Memucan recognized that the politically expedient thing to do was suggest some punishment which would make it appear Vashti's behavior was a serious matter of public policy and concerned the welfare of the whole empire. It would not do, of course, to allow the citizens to think Vashti's punishment was merely the gratification of the emperor's personal rage.

Memucan, a true male-chauvinist, believed that a woman's respect and surrender is insured through male despotism. Some men believe the only way to assert masculinity is to exploit and tyrannize the opposite sex. The only real and lasting way a man may command the respect and devotion of a woman is to love her with all his heart and actions. Memucan may have known deep in his heart the truth of that last statement, but practically, feared such an answer would not satisfy the emperor's impetuous rage. There is no reason to suppose that Vashti's behavior would cause such catastrophic rebellion as depicted by Memucan. The probable cause of Vashti's rebellion in the first place was the domineering attempt of Xerxes to profane her womanhood before a whole host of male-chauvinists. Memucan's advice to reinforce male domination and exploitation by royal decree would hardly remedy the situation created by Vashti's refusal to obey her husband. It is true that women of that culture were, in some instances, treated as chattel by men. Vashti's defiance caused more of a stir in the hearts of men of the empire than in the women. The contempt and wrath Memucan feared was that of the men of the empire.
There may have been political intrigue involved in Memucan's advice. It appears he expected the emperor to dispose of Vashti's royalty to another better than she. Did Memucan have someone specifically in mind? If he expected the emperor to choose the next queen from one of the families of the first-ranked seven, perhaps Memucan had a maiden from his own family in mind. Whatever the case, Memucan's advice is very specific that the emperor make it a public decree (written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes) so that it could not be changed. Vashti's deposition and banishment must be irrevocable. If the way were left open for her to regain Xerxes-' favor and restoration to the throne, she would surely execute her vengeance on Memucan.

Esther 1:21-22 Precedent: We tend to agree with the Jewish rabbis in the Midrash that Xerxes was utterly devoid of sense in so decreeing, and, Nay more, he made himself a laughing-stock. There was no need for such a decree. The women of Persia would not be able to overthrow the government or revolutionize the cultural status-quo because of Vashti's disobedience. This royal law protected the myth of male superiority about as much as the attempt to legislate female equality by an equal rights amendment in the United States! It is apparent from certain incidents in the book of Esther that wives were held in considerable esteem by their husbands (cf. Esther 5:10; Esther 5:13; Esther 7:1-2, etc.). Xerxes certainly could neither insure his own male superiority nor that of the men of his empire by passing a law. He already had at his disposal enough force to depose or slay a queen who disobeyed him if he wished. But Vashti had already proved that in spite of all his power and laws he could not force her to prostitute her womanhood if she did not wish to do so! But Memucan's advice pleased the intemperate king and his princes.

The precedent-setting decree was sent out to the whole empire. Since there were people of different languages (and probably different dialects), the decree was written in as many different languages as were necessary. The practice of the Persians to address proclamations in different languages is illustrated by the bilingual and trilingual inscriptions from Cyrus to Artaxerxes, and especially by that one of Darius preserved on the Behistun Rock (see map, page 271). The decree of Xerxes was, Let every man bear rule in his own house, and, speak according to the language of his people. The latter part of that decree seems superfluous. Jewish commentators take the phrase to mean that if a husband and wife were of different race and language, the husband was not to allow the wife's language to prevail in the home. He was to compel his wife to learn and speak his language.
What happened to Vashti? There is no record. So far as we know, Vashti was never given an opportunity to speak in her own defense. Nor do we find anyone else speaking out on her behalf. Her fate was decided according to the whim of an egotistical and intemperate tyrant. Jewish tradition believes she was executed. The history of deposed kings and queens of the East would substantiate that tradition. Disgraced potentates were usually put to the sword.
Led into rashness by his own intemperance and given foolish counsel by his advisors, Xerxes is trapped. His hand is forced, he banishes the one closest to him and now he is alone with himself. He is in desperate need of a wise consort.

We may learn the following lessons from this chapter:

1.

Pride and arrogance feeds on the exploitation of others.

2.

Intemperance, especially in alcohol, causes people to disregard decency and sacrifice personal integrity.

3.

No woman, not even a pagan one, likes to be treated as a mere object or thing to satisfy male gratification.

4.

The proper functioning of members of a household cannot be sustained through civil legislationit must be established through love.

5.

Almighty God uses the consequences of men's evil deeds to carry out His plan of redemption for the world.