After finding King Ahasuerus
sad and remembering Queen Vashti and her banishment from the throne,
his servants have suggested that “fair young virgins” be sought
throughout the entire Persian kingdom to replace her. In chapter two
and verse three we see further instructions for those young ladies
who are found. We read:
And let the king
appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may
gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace,
to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king's
chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for
purification be given [them]:
The
verse begins, “And let the king appoint officers in all the
provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair
young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women,...”
This Cinderella like venture would include a massive effort by
“officers in all the provinces”. Let us remember there
were one hundred and twenty-seven of them, and that there was no
television, radio, telephones, emails or other technological advances
to communicate this. We can imagine this as quite the governmental
undertaking. Regardless, their mission was to bring all the “fair
young virgins” to the winter palace “to the house of
women” located at “Shushan” where the feasts and banishment
of Vashti was in the beginning. This “house of women” was
like an elaborate spa and beauty salon which would not only attend to
cosmetic and physical refinement but would also bring elaborate
provision for the young ladies.
The
verse continues, “unto the custody of Hege the king's
chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for
purification be given [them]:” “Hege” which means “eunuch”
was one of the king's chief eunuchs who was responsible to oversee
the women in the palace. Tradition holds that the eunuch in this
position was usually a “repulsive old man” who cares for the
palace women's needs and with whom they desire favor. His entire
function is to “let their things for purification be given
them:” The idea of purification includes “scraping, rubbing,
remedies for injuries, and cleansing”. In other words, this spa
includes an entire makeover if necessary.
Can we
imagine all these operations just to satisfy Ahasuerus' loneliness?
It seems to be quite the undertaking, and yet all the while, we must
keep in mind that the complexities of Almighty God are only so
because of our limited capacity to know. The Divine Master Weaver is
at work, and although the ideas of man like finding a new queen for
Ahasuerus seems difficult and challenging, they are as nothing for
the one in whom we have to do. As He governed over this proposition,
we are reminded that he certainly will govern over ours.
Next time we will see even more
instructions pertaining to these young women, so read ahead, and we
shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” and the new marriage book “So, You Want
to Be Married” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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