WOMEN of CHARACTER: VASHTI Strong or Stubborn?...........from Esther 1 King Xerxes was a real jerk. The very idea of demanding that his wife parade in front of a bunch of drunken dignitaries is sickening. And watching them scramble to make sense of her refusal is downright hilarious. Submission doesn’t mean you’ll do just anything. First, a Quick Read: On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him…..to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger…. “According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?” he asked. “She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her.” Then Memucan replied in the presence of the king and the nobles, “Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will depise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.’ This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and dicord.” …Esther 1: 10a, 11-12, 15-18 When You Think about It: Tim was a devout Christian trying to build his new marriage on biblical principles, and he wanted to be the “head” of the home—“The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church” (Eph. 5: 23). Tim interpreted this statement to mean literally that it was his job to be the boss of his wife. And it was her job to be submissive to his demands. Tim’s wife, however, didn’t see things that way because she lived in the twentieth century, not the first. She saw herself, understandably, as an equal partner in the marriage. It never seemed to occur to Tim that in the Bible,the husband is never called to make his wife submit. The Bible doesn’t call husbands to rule over their wives, but to renounce the desire to be master. Out of reverence for Christ , husbands should be the first to honor and respect their wives. A healthy marriage is built on a mutual desire to submit one’s needs to the other. Without mutual submission, every marriage will eventually falter. The key is understanding that submission is a two-way street in marriage…..Les Parrott Submitting doesn’t mean that you tolerate abuse or neglect. …Barbara Rainey LOOK AT IT THIS WAY: Before we get too carried away with all this in your- face independence, let’s remember that a wife’s freedon to stand on principle against her husband’s abuse, immorality, or unethical decision-making is much, much different than getting in the habit of rejecting his opinions just because you don’t agree with them. Who knows but that it wasn’t unlike Vashti to thumb her nose at just about anything Xerxes asked? No, submission is not a ball and chain that strips you of all self-defense. But it’s meant to strip away our selfishness. CHARACTER CHECK: Our first calling in life is to submit ourselves to God. But He has given us to each other to show us what submission really costs. Ask yourself if you’re submitted to your husband. Goodnight............FB
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 21:34:54 +0000
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