Esther, Born for Such a Time as ThisPrøve

In Proverbs 12:16 we read: "Fools have short fuses and explode all too quickly; the prudent quietly shrug off insults." The king banished Vashti, and now he is moping. His servants remind him of part two of the royal decree: seek a new wife, one more worthy of being queen than Vashti (Esther 1:19). As a child I thought Vashti was the loser, facing a miserable life, being at a loss about what to do. Recently I read the story from a different point of view in a children’s book: Queen Vashti’s Comfy Pants . Now I believe she left the palace with her head held high; she kept her dignity, while the king lost his. Did the king learn his lesson? That will become apparent later in the story. Soon, a girl will come to live in the palace, a woman at least as brave as Vashti. She will test him, and he will think twice before making another rash decision. "Let every person be quick to listen but slow to speak, slow to get angry; for a person’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness!" James 1:19 (CJB)