Articles
Your Decisions Affect Others
King Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther demonstrated unrighteous judgment in the Bible. As a king of the Persian Empire, he set his mind on Earthly temptations and sins. This in turn, greatly affected his relationships with others, especially people who thought differently from them.
King Ahasuerus makes two terrible judgments in the book of Esther. The first happened when the king was partying with his men while Queen Vashti was hosting a banquet for the women for 7 days. Sometime during his feast, King Ahasuerus gave this edict, “‘There is no compulsion.’ For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired” (Esther 1:8). On the 7th day, the king drunkenly decides that he wants to show off Queen Vashti’s naked beauty to his party guests. When she refused, he removed her as queen, sought a replacement, and issued an edict throughout Persia–as suggested by his male counselors–that said, “All women must honor their husbands high and low alike” (Esther 1:20).
The king’s second poor decision comes when Haman the Agagite approaches him and falsely warns him about the Jews. In Esther 3:8-9 Haman said, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit to tolerate them. If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed…” Unbeknownst to the king, Haman only said this so he could take revenge on a Jewish man named Mordecai for not bowing to him. Essentially taking Haman at his word, King Ahasuerus made a decree that allowed Haman to do as he pleased to the Jewish people throughout Persia. While Haman was persecuting the Jews, however, Esther won enough favor with the king that he told her he would honor any request she had for up to half his kingdom. She revealed Haman’s plot and asked for her and her people to be spared (Esther 7:1-6).
King Ahasuerus’ sinful lifestyle and kingly status lead to a perfect storm for making poor judgments. Christians will mainly see that he made decisions after being under the influence of alcohol. He treated Queen Vashti like an object and let an entire people become persecuted without much thought. Only after Esther’s brave actions and righteous heart, his error against the Jewish people is revealed. Through King Ahasuerus and Haman, we can see the fallacy of making decisions when influenced by a sinful life. Like Esther, Christians should follow Romans 12:1-2 which reads, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
