Esther 1:14

At once the king called in the wise men — the astrologers, the magi and the sorcerers. His private council was made up of seven princes, the princes of Persia and Media. They were next to the king, and they sat with him and the wise men to take up this serious matter. The question is, "According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?"

It seems most natural not to place "the president" last among the seven princes who served as counsellors of state. It is better to conclude that they were asked for their judgment in turn, beginning with the youngest. His opinion on the question before them was so convincing that all accepted it at once.

The Medes and Persians were proud of having just laws that could not be changed. So the king's question was: what should be done according to law? Nebuchadnezzar would not have needed such a consultation. He was an absolute dictator: "whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled."

"They will see His face." In a spiritual sense this is a present privilege for His servants. Does it not have a special bearing on us now, when we seek to serve the Lord? In Esther 1:14 we read, "the men next to him being … the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face". Then in 1 Kings 10:8 the Queen of Sheba exclaims to king Solomon, "Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!". It was a privilege for these servants to serve the king, because they were able to look on the king's face.

Each of these little ones had an angel to represent them in the presence of the Father. Seeing His face means that they are always in divine favour. Compare 2 Sam. 3:13; 14:24-33; Esther 1:14; Rev. 22:4.

This weakness shows itself again in Ahasuerus. He claimed to be a god-like ruler, yet he is the plaything of his favourites. He lets them take his own place, and the price is that he turns on them in revenge if they displease him. Add to this that the decision about queen Vashti touched him alone. Even so, he surrounds himself with counsellors, and they persuade him that the queen's act strikes at the whole organization of the state.

Here, from the very beginning, we find the hidden providence of God at work. Man is full of grand plans. A feast lasting seven days, the crowning event of these long ceremonies, leads to Vashti's revolt against the king's decision. Her rejection is decreed and cannot be reversed, yet it is not carried out until Ahasuerus returns. Only then can the Jewish wife, prepared by Providence, come on the scene and take the place of the Gentile wife at the right moment.

Notice how the name of God does not appear anywhere in this book. If His name were openly used in its course, the book would be badly spoiled. The main object is to show His hand working in secret, where it would not have been fitting to proclaim His name. Far from being a fault, this is one of the most strengthening thoughts we can have, when we remember that we deal with the same kind of secret providence every day.