his last part of the book series is focused on queen vashti and others that played important role in the book of Esther:
1. Queen Vashti: her name means goodness, excellent, best of women, she was referred to as Queen Vashti Esther 1:9 says at the same time Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of king Xerxes. She was the first wife of Persian king Xerxes. She was eventually banished from the presence of the king Esther 1:19-22 and a replacement was provided Esther 2:17 says and the king loved Esther more than any other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. Her name has a good meaning, was occupying a great position but the tides changed she was displaced and replaced. By God’s agenda and calendar no one is irreplaceable or indispensable may we never be replaced owing to our actions or inactions in Jesus mighty name Amen.
2. The Eunuchs: There are lots of reference to eunuchs in the bible but the spotlight is on the book of Esther. The eunuchs are men usually slaves/servant that has been castrated in order to render a focused, reliable and selfless service in a royal court. We have six different mention of such in the book of Esther and they are:
(a) The seven eunuchs attending to the king: these are those who directly serve the king, they are listed in Esther 1:10 which says on the seventh day of the feast when king Xerxes was in high spirit because of wine, he told the seven eunuchs who attended to him: Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zether and Carcas.
(b) Hegai: The king’s eunuch in charge of the Harem who can also be described as the beauty therapist in today’s parlance, When Vashti was to be replaced all the virgins that were chosen had to pass through twelve months of beauty treatments and he was in charge of it on behalf of the king. Esther 2:8 says as a result of kings’ decree, Esther along with many other young women was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress in Susa and placed in Hegai’s care.
(c) Shaashgaz: The king’s eunuch in charge of wives and concubines. Esther 2:14 which says that evening she was taken to the kings’ private rooms, and the next morning she was brought to the king’s second harem where the king wives lived, there she will be under the care of Shaashgaz, the kings eunuch in charge of concubines she would never go to the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name.
(d) Bigthana and Teresh: These are two kings eunuch who got angry with the king and wanted to have him eliminated in a coup like manner. Esther 2:21 says one day as Mordecai was on duty at the king’s gate, two of king’s eunuch Bigthana and Teresh who were guard at the door of the king’s private quarters became angry at king Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him.
(e)Hattach: The king’s eunuch attached to Queen Esther, Esther 4:5then Esther sent for Hattach one of the kings’ eunuch who had been appointed as her attendant, she ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why the mourning.
(f) Harbona: He is one of the king’s eunuch listed earlier but had another mention in the book because he knew about Haman’s twenty five meters sharpened pole on which the king ordered that Haman be hanged on it. Esther 7:9 says them Harbona one of the king’s eunuch said Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands twenty five meters tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination. Then impale Haman on it the king ordered.
Matt 19:12 which says some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others and some choose not to marry for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can. This scripture which also talks about eunuch was narrating Jesus’ response to His disciple’s assertion after a short teaching on marriage, the scriptures also clearly shows that there are three classes of eunuchs: nature-made, men- made, self -made.
Taking a cue from self- made eunuch, (as against men-made by King Xerxes and his cronies which has been phased out by civilization) they became eunuchs for the sake of the gospel. And they were not made so either by nature or others who had authority over them but became so for the kingdom, gave up some rights, privileges and enjoyment for the sake of the gospel.
Christianity cum ministry requires that we become spiritual self-made eunuchs, denying ourselves of certain things, attitudes, looseness in the name of freedom and privileges for the sake of the gospel, doing His work with focus and requisite gusto not encroaching with exploitative tendencies into others’, or the king’s bride’s and space and this bride being the church, not building personal empires from the king’s palace, proceed and people.
3. Haman’s friends and Zeresh his wife: They suggested that he prepares a pole on which he will hang Mordecai. A wicked man always gets wicked inspiration and advises and if he is wicked enough to continually follow such , he is worthless and unwanted by God and man will fade away with time Psalm 1:4 says but not the wicked, they are worthless chaff scattered by the wind. Same thing happened to Haman as he was impaled as seen in a scripture earlier quoted Esther 7:9.
They also advised him to stop his pursuit of Mordecai the Jew but he has gone too far. Esther 6:13 which says when Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends what had happened, his wise adviser and wife said since Mordecai this man who humiliated you is of Jewish birth, you will never succeed in your plans against him, it will be fatal to continue opposing him. The same people gave different advices to the same person about the same person Mordecai. “ Erect a pole to kill him, you will never succeed in your plans against him” we need to be wary of peoples’ opinion, advice and voices and there is no better guide than the word of God. This is because the word in Jeremiah 17:9 says the human heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked, who can know how bad it is?
4 The kings wise advisers: These are men who gives the king advices, Esther 1:14 says the name of these men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. Seven nobles of Persia and Medes they met the king regularly and held the highest positions in the empire.
They gave the advice that queen Vashti be banished forever and it was followed to the latter Esther 1:9 says so if it please the king we suggest that you issue a written decree a law of Persian and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that queen Vashti be ever banished from the presence of king Xerxes and that the king should choose another queen more worthy than she.
It suffices to say that they held up the kings/husband’s ego over and above love, (which covereth multitude of sins) harmonious living, the sanctity of wedding/marriage and all the rites that precedes, happens in and succeeds it.
They gave no room for correction or even a mild but firm and corrective discipline as a deterrent for others, all they wanted was Vashti must go.
It needs be reiterated that the concerned: are gentiles, lived in era before grace that is before Jesus, did not have the bible, the holy spirit and also inspired and spirit filled and spirit controlled teachers like we have today.
This is a case against people in this era who still behaves like the wise advisers of king Xerxes may God save us all amen. If the aforementioned had all those privileges we would have said that they valued ego/custom/culture and constitution above the word of God which says to forgive and no to divorce. Matt 18:22 says Jesus says no not seven times Jesus replied but seventy times seven. Answering Peter’s question of forgiving only seven times in a day. Matt 19:8 says Jesus replied Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. Mal 2:16a says for I hate divorce says the Lord God is Israel.
SHALOM.
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