Monday 10 September 2012

Vashti is Innocent, OK

I tell you what, once you get into the Book of Esther you can't put it down.

I'd never noticed before what a complete toe-rag Xerxes really was. I mean, yeah, tyrant and all that. But he sacks Queen Vashti for disobedience. Fair enough, he's the head honcho, the big cheese, Numero Uno etc. But then you look at the context.

7 days into a giant booze up (I sanitise the expression for family consumption) he decides that what his boozed-up mates would really like to cop an eyeful of, is Queen Vashti.

In the circumstances, I don't think Vashti's "disobedience" is exactly a sin. Rather an entirely reasonable desire to keep her dignity.  In fact, in the circumstances, Xerxes was probably lucky there wasn't one more eunuch about the palace. Obviously, Xerxes' "wise men" didn't tell him off for his request. After all, that's why you can tell they were the "wise men". They hadn't joined the eunuchs yet.

I note that Xerxes I (assuming it's the same bloke) died at the hands of one of his advisers and a eunuch. I can only say I'm not surprised.

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