The Riches of the Wisdom and
           Knowledge of God

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out” (Romans 11:33).

There’s is a need to juxtapose the above verse in the eleventh chapter of Romans with our long read in the story of Esther, today. It’s hard not to pause to think that there was an invisible hand directing the affairs of man, even when he believes that he is the one in control. Certainly, a hand was at work shaping history and destinies of men and, in this story, impulsing Vashti, the centre of the beginning of the story today, to suddenly misbehave, and lose all her glories to the bargain.

In the last episode, Vashti the queen of this glorious kingdom suddenly found the strength to misbehave towards her husband, the king, by disobeying the order or command of the king to show her off to the people. The story continues:

Esther 1:
13. Then the king said to the wise men, which knew the times, (for so was the king’s manner toward all that knew law and judgement:
14. And the next to him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes which saw the king’s face, and which sat first in the kingdom;)
The king Ahasuerus summoned a meeting of his seven wise men, the princes of the kingdom, laying before them the wifely misbehaviour of Vashti. He started:
15. “What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she had not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?”

And Memucan, one of the seven begins to point out the possible far reaching effects of this queenly rebellion of Vashti: rebellions of wives to husbands and spins of family disorders in the kingdom.

“Vashti the queen,” he says, “hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus
17. For this deed of queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought before him, but she came not.
18. Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day until all the king’s princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath”

Then the wise man begins his recommendation to restore order. Order in the homes, families and the kingdom is the focus of this judgement.

19. “If it pleased the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and Medes, that it be not altered, that Vashti come no more before king t, and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.

And when the king’s decree which shall be published throughout all his empire, (for

it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.”

This advise pleases the king and the decree is published and dispatched to all parts of the empire “that everyman should bear rule in his own house…” (verse 22).

Searching for another queen for the king immediately begins and Vashti is turned out of her estate and authority. In a day, she sufferers the loss of all. She immediately drops out of the radar and is never heard of anymore in the unfolding story. Lord, this is sobering! I discovered your rod and staff in life.Before I’ll get to the place of Vashti’s self confidence and acknowledgement of myself touted indispensability, may you bring into use Your rod and the staff, even if it means removing me from the scene lest I sin against You, so be it.

The edict is published. Vashti is banished from coming to the king’s presence – the very thing she pushed away by herself. I acknowledge that this is very serious. It seems so clear to me that I am on a safe ground as long as I stay with Your grace, as long as I look unto You alone and away from myself. May I know to retain the joy of your love, mercy and grace. If I’m beautiful or specially endowed (spiritually) with gifts from you, may I never run away with a mind of my own and may I not brook the thought of self-sufficiency in my strength and grace.

“That Vashti,” states part of the decree, “come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she” (verse 19). There’s always a better person at the corner and we need not be proud that the King has chosen us because of his grace; our pride should centre around the Bestower of the grace. “But let him who glories glory in this that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth…” (Jeremiah 9:24). This is my boast and wonderment. My wonderment because of the riches of the unfathomable depths of God’s wisdom and knowledge – incomprehensible, defying my power of intellectual analysis and my inklings to build a mathematical formula to climb the wisdom of how You do and choose candidates for grace – which are, in judgements (true and just) unsearchable! Why must, for example, should a person acknowledge and enjoy the grace of God and one day wake up from the wrong side to despise it, refusing the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus ? Why must Vashti kick against the trajectory of her destiny, the excellence of kingly presence of her husband? Was it fate? Is there something that is called fate or predestination?

Lord, your wisdom is deeply rich and so is your knowledge. I stand in awe. I tremble to think that I am one of those you have conferred your loving kindness and favour that fetch grace (Romans 11:33).