“Your Majesty, if you agree, you should write for the Medes and Persians a law that can never be changed. This law would keep Queen Vashti from ever seeing you again. Then you could let someone who respects you be queen in her place. When the women in your great kingdom hear about this new law, they will respect their husbands, no matter if they are rich or poor.” King Xerxes and his officials liked what Memucan had said, and he sent letters to all of his provinces. Each letter was written in the language of the province to which it was sent, and it said that husbands should have complete control over their wives and children.
(Esther 1:19-22, CEV)
Good news. Bad news. Worse news.
Queen Vashti’s refusal to parade in front of King Xerxes’ debauched guests could have led to her execution. People who “dissed” the king usually didn’t make it out alive.
So the good news is the queen's life is saved.
But that’s the only good news we read today.
The bad news? The queen is now banished, and they’re going to look for someone else who “respects” the king. In other words, someone whom the king can control. Someone who will stroke his ego.
But the worse news? The king’s so-called advisors come up with a way to oppress all their women. A fool-proof, king-approved plan: Husbands—rich or poor—would have complete control over their wives.
This smells like potential abuse to me. Men would be able to tell their wives to entertain their guests—naked. And their wives couldn’t refuse.
How tragic.
And why? Well, in my opinion, because a few men were so selfish and spineless, they needed a king’s edict to make certain they retained a semblance of power.
Just because one woman—quite rightly—stood up for herself.
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