Any kid regular to the Sunday School would know who Mordecai was, especially with reference to the Book of Esther of the Old Testament of the Bible.

But who was Memucan?

If there is one person, other than Mordecai, who should be given credit for raising Esther to that position, it should go to Memucan.

Memucan got that place vacated, which was filled in by Esther. If the vacancy hadn’t risen, to start with, all the labour of Mordecai in having raised his Cousin Esther, the way she turned out, would have been in vain.

In the third year of the reign of Ahasuerus, the King who ruled from Ethiopia to India, the King had a feast and when his heart was merry with wine on the 7th day of the feast, the king sent his 7 chamberlains to fetch Queen Vashti with the royal crown. Vashti had been throwing parties all these 7 days in her own palace too. When she was called on the 7th day, she refused and Ahasuerus burnt with anger.

He called his 7 princes and asked them to tender their advice for his consideration. The 7th Prince of the 7 Princes was Memucan.

Memucan and the other six of the 7 Princes knew the times and were wise. Memucan’s first advice was that Vashti shouldn’t go ever before the presence of Ahasuerus. The second suggestion was that a new girl/ woman be found for the King, as a replacement for Vashti.

What happened thereafter each Bible reading person would know, but this blog is focussed on the issue: How the Advice of advisors, transform into a Law of the Parses and the Medes – unchangeable and irrevocable.

Esther enters the trial nuptial bed of Ahasuerus in the 7th year of his reign. Rest is history.

Ahasuerus issues two orders, one is that Vashti is banished from his presence forever and one better be sought as replacement; the other being that every man should bear rule in his own house.

This Memucan, whether he knew Justice or not, I know not, but sure he knew the Times. And this Memucan knew the art of self promotion – he created an opportunity to get rid of an intractable mare, Ahasuerus was stuck with and devised a great plan for providing sexual fodder for the King perennially for the next four years. It isn’t a joke that Esther’s turn came in the 7th year of the reign of Ahasuerus. The decree was passed in the third year – Ahasuerus’ search for a Queen ended after four years of relentless nuptial nights, with no repeats, probably‼️

I have no sympathy for Vashti, she owed, if not obedience to the call of Ahasuerus, at least a credible explanation.

Or was she threatened by the presence of those intimidating 7 chamberlains, one of them, Harbonah, who in the latter chapters covers the face of Haman and bundles Haman out of the bed of Esther. Or was Vashti busy enjoying herself in the feast from her own palace ignorant of the ire that her attitude might trigger in Ahasuerus. Or was it a palace intrigue to decimate Vashti for some oblique reason?

But Memucan’s presumption that a Royal decree of the supremacy of a man in his own house, would rein in all intractable behaviour of their respective wives, seems to be not a solution laid on sound foundation. Probably, that kind of application on a mass scale was the only solution, when one makes laws for such a huge country.

If any reader discovers where that Sushan Palace existed, he should share it with me so that we could go thereabouts and look for the grave of Memucan and build a memorial for that male chauvinist – who succeeded in getting such a decree issued under the unchangeable laws of the Medes & Perses‼️