30 Days of Esther: Day 2

"What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains? And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus." -Esther 1:15 & 16
Unwise Counsel: Memucan
King Ahasuerus had many a flaw, but in spite of them he strove to be a just ruler and husband. Considering that his word was law, he could have done anything he liked to Vashti and no one would have challenged him. Yet, he sought the wisdom of others, instead of acting in anger.
You can always tell a good leader by the company he keeps. A wise man doesn't trust his own wisdom but consults that of others. This is exactly was Ahasuerus did. He called to him the seven most powerful, wise men in his kingdom. These men knew the law and were in position to give him good counsel. He asked of them what legally should be done to the queen. But, he did not receive an answer to the question he asked.
You've probably worked with one of them, or maybe you've had one leach onto you. That person who says only what others want to hear? I'm not advocating a contentious spirit over a pleasant, agreeable one. But, there's nothing more frustrating than a person who can not express opinions of his own, because he's too busy expressing the ones that he believes will please the person next to him. This is where Memucan steps into the picture. I don't know if it was his regular practice to counsel the king in that manner, but the one record we have of him certainly doesn't show him in a good light.


Memucan, I'm sure, knew that the king had been furious with the queen, and so he decided to answer in the way that would grant him favor with the king. He justified the king's anger. You'll notice when you read Esther 1 that Memucan doesn't reference the legal ramifications to Vasthi's disobedience.
What Ahasuerus didn't realize is this. Wisdom comes only through it's author, the living Lord. Someone may be an expert in a field, but if they don't know the Lord their knowledge is simply knowledge, because wisdom is God-given. When Christians seek counsel we should be seeking it from someone who fears the Lord, not just someone who happens to be an expert.

"And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." -Job 28:28
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." -Proverbs 1:7
I stated in an earlier post that the Bible is ancient in age, but timelessly relevant. Let us not lose sight that God's word is just that His Word and that one can always find wisdom to help in every situation by simply seeking it in their Bible! I've yet to find a modern scenario that God has not addressed in His word!
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." -James 1:5