Too much to drink, too much to smoke, too many drugs, too many pills; morning light is blinding you; you stagger to the sink and look in the mirror. The image looking back at you has deep bloodshot eyes, smeared lipstick, hair that’s all bent and twisted, and your complexion looks like the translucent post larval octopus below, from the deepest part of the ocean. The wrinkles and the aged look frighten you. And your girlfriend looks worse!
The King had one of those nights that lasted for seven days! King Xerxes of Persia reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa. In the third year of his reign he threw the mother of all drinking parties. “On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the peoples and nobles, for she was lovely to look at.” (Ester 1:10-11)
Looking back can you see that something was askew here? After a week of hard drinking, partying, the King wanted to show off his lovely Queen. The Queen got the impression something was not kosher and refused the King’s orders. All things considered, probably a sensible decision. A drunken King wanting to put his wife on display to his drunken guests—what could possibly go wrong?
The King was embarrassed in front of the inebriated friends. He King’s counselors turned the charade into a crisis of national identity. The King’s male supremacy was threatened. The counselors decided that divorce was the only solution, a new queen must be found and the King agreed. Barely sober from all the whoopla and partying, the King issued a solemn decree—every man should be ruler over his own household! (Try enforcing that law!) The lessons to be learned:
a.) there are severe consequences from too much partying
b.) there are severe consequences from thinking we are the ruling king
c.) there are severe consequences from ignoring God’s Word
Bottom line
Forced obedience is a poor substitute for love and respect wives and husbands should have for each other.
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