The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Esther 1:16-18,
"Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. For the queen's conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, 'King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.' This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen's conduct will respond to all the king's nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord."
I find the book of Esther fascinating, as many do. Here we have a dilemma that confronted King Xerxes of the Persian empire. He had ordered Queen Vashti to appear before him, his nobles and all the people. He wanted to display her beauty ("she was lovely to look at") at a banquet and she refused.
Appealing to his advisers for counsel, one of them, Memukan, gave the king this advice. His point was that the example of Queen Vashti, if left unaddressed, might bring chaos to the culture of the day. The wives of the nobles and all the people might follow her example and result in "no end of disrespect and discord" in the Persian empire.
The Scriptures reflect the reality that adverse behavior can have an adverse influence on others. Here is an example, "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared." Proverbs 22:24-25.
Here is a passage that provides the truth that being influenced by others can go both ways, "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm." Proverbs 13:20.
You get the idea. There is a caution to consider when we spend time with others. They will impact our lives in one way or another. Further, we should consider the choices we make and the manner in which we live our lives because we will be influencing others around us: our children, our spouses, possibly the neighbors and their children, our coworkers, etc. Apparently, Vashti missed this.
Queen Vashti made a poor decision without realizing the position she placed the king in. He had to do something about the example she had set. Possibly there may be something we can learn here for ourselves. Being mindful of the example we set just may be very important to us, whether that example is a good one or a bad one.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. For the queen's conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, 'King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.' This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen's conduct will respond to all the king's nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord."
I find the book of Esther fascinating, as many do. Here we have a dilemma that confronted King Xerxes of the Persian empire. He had ordered Queen Vashti to appear before him, his nobles and all the people. He wanted to display her beauty ("she was lovely to look at") at a banquet and she refused.
Appealing to his advisers for counsel, one of them, Memukan, gave the king this advice. His point was that the example of Queen Vashti, if left unaddressed, might bring chaos to the culture of the day. The wives of the nobles and all the people might follow her example and result in "no end of disrespect and discord" in the Persian empire.
The Scriptures reflect the reality that adverse behavior can have an adverse influence on others. Here is an example, "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared." Proverbs 22:24-25.
Here is a passage that provides the truth that being influenced by others can go both ways, "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm." Proverbs 13:20.
You get the idea. There is a caution to consider when we spend time with others. They will impact our lives in one way or another. Further, we should consider the choices we make and the manner in which we live our lives because we will be influencing others around us: our children, our spouses, possibly the neighbors and their children, our coworkers, etc. Apparently, Vashti missed this.
Queen Vashti made a poor decision without realizing the position she placed the king in. He had to do something about the example she had set. Possibly there may be something we can learn here for ourselves. Being mindful of the example we set just may be very important to us, whether that example is a good one or a bad one.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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