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.' – Esther 1:17

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 16, 2020): Esther 1

Nineteenth-Century poet and philosopher, David Henry Thoreau, taught that "if you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see." People learn more by watching our lives than they will ever know by what we verbally tell them, maybe partially because what we tell them is often the opposite of our actions. "Do what I say, not what I do" has never been great parenting advice, and it is not the motto of an influencer. Those who seek to influence us, walk the path in front of us and invite us to follow. It is because of this that the Apostle Paul offered this simple advice to the Corinthian Church; "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). The words of a true leader are always, "don't do what I say, do what I do. Just follow in my footsteps, and I will lead you to where we need to go."

Memukan was a trusted advisor of King Xerxes and one of seven vice-regents of the Kingdom. Scholars have openly wondered if Memukan could have been another name for Haman, that arch-villain of the story of Esther, although that connection is made nowhere in the book. But Memukan understood the precedent put forward by both Thoreau and the Apostle Paul, that people believe what it is that they see. And when Queen Vashti refused to answer the call of King Xerxes to come into his presence, Memukan became concerned.

For feminists, Vashti is a hero of the movement. Her crime was that she refused to obey her husband and perform her duties by being a beautiful ornament at the side of the King for a public occasion. According to contemporary standards, Vashti had every right to refuse her husband, regardless of the reason for the Queen's disobedience. But by ancient standards, she was expected to appear at the King's beck and call.

Vashti's refusal was problematic for Memukan. The King had just spent a substantial amount of time, a little more than half the year, showing off his power and prestige before the people of the empire. Vashti's disobedience was proving the limitations of Xerxes' power. Xerxes may well be in control of the nation, yet, he couldn't control the actions of his wife. Memukan was afraid that Vashti's disobedience would become an example for other women to follow. In his mind, the direct result of Vashti's disobedience was the disobedience of other women in the empire. Men were about to lose control over their homes, all because the queen refused to obey a command issued by the King.

We may disagree with Memukan's premise, but that doesn't really impact the story. All we need to understand is that Memukan saw a severe problem, and that required a drastic solution. And Memukan is about to propose that very solution.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Esther 2