Esther: Silent but Sovereignনমুনা

Queen Vashti’s refusal to obey the king’s order angered Xerxes and triggered a vengeful response. He sought counsel from his closest advisors, who are listed by name (v. 14) to distinguish them from the eunuchs who had been sent to bring Vashti before him earlier (v. 10). 

These advisors are described in verse 13 as ‘wise men who understood the times,’ but their advice on this occasion sprang from fear that they, along with all other men in the kingdom, were about to lose control of their wives and suffer disrespect and discord once news of Vashti’s ‘conduct’ was made public. 

The proposed solution was twofold: first, to demean Queen Vashti by banishing her from the king’s presence and giving her position to someone ‘better’ (v. 19); second, to continue the domination of women throughout the empire by issuing a decree that would further diminish their role in society (v. 20). 

Today this reads as a gross overreaction fuelled by pride and paranoia. The wealthiest, most powerful man on the earth, in a drunken moment, followed foolish advice and made a rash decision resulting in the dethronement and banishment of his beautiful queen. The decree that Vashti could never again enter the king’s presence was made public throughout each province of the kingdom and irreversible by the law of the Medes and Persians. 

But in the midst of all that was happening in the palace, God was working on behalf of His people. He was committed to His promise to preserve them and keep them from being wiped out. He had already prepared someone to fill the space made in the king’s household by the banishment of Vashti. 

King Xerxes had displayed his splendor, majesty, and wealth for six months, but the Lord was the true ruler in Susa; silent but sovereign, He was working for His people’s deliverance and salvation. 

In 2008, tragedy struck the family of Christian singer, Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, when one of their daughters was hit and killed by her older brother as she ran in front of the car he was driving. As she buried her five-year-old daughter, Mary Beth cried, ‘God, where were you? Where are you?’ A year later she wrote these words on her blog: 

'It might on certain days be buried deep down in my heart ... but here is what I know and what I choose to believe, over and over again. I know God loves me and my family. I know God is sovereign and He knows what is best for us. I know He has our days numbered and makes no mistakes. I know that He will bring beauty from ashes ... that is what I cling to in order to make it through another twenty-four hours ... I have to choose to believe this right now.' 

(Mary Beth Chapman, Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope)

It is often the case that we have to choose to see God in the midst of trials and difficulties. It is a choice to believe that He is sovereign. It is a choice to trust Him, even when we can’t see what He is doing.

Reflection

Is there a situation in which you’re struggling to believe that God could work for your good and His glory?