Not by Chance but by Design

December 30, 2017

Esther 2:5-20

We are introduced to two men who were eunuchs; they had been castrated and put into the king’s services.  The first was named Hegai, and he was in charge of a harem in Susa.   Hegai’ job was a long process, once the young virgins were brought in for beauty treatments.  First, they did not have a choice, and we are introduced to Esther who also was taken into the King's palace and put into the custody of Hegai who had charge of the women.  This is the first time we have seen the hand of God, in that Esther finds favor in the sight of Hegai.  Many a Church person has said, how lucky for her, but that is a worldly term, and should never be used by a believer, because it states it was by chance and not design.  Verse 9, “The young woman pleased him and gained his favor so that he accelerated the process of the beauty treatments and the special diet that she received. He assigned seven hand-picked female servants to her from the palace and transferred her and her servants to the harem’s best quarters.”

 I forgot this small detail, Esther was a 12 on the chart when the scale was only one as low and ten as the highest number, and the Bible states she had the best figure and was lovely to look on.  We would refer to her today as a knockout, and both of her parents were dead, and a cousin by the name of Mordecai took her as his daughter.

In verse 10 we are told that each of the young women spent a year in special beauty treatments under the watchful eye of Hegai and that Esther was instructed by Mordecai to not share with anyone her ethnic background or her birthplace.  We are told that each day Mordecai took a walk through the harem’s courtyard to learn how Esther was doing.

You might find verses 13 -14 of interest, “When the young woman would go to the king, she was given whatever she requested to take with her from the harem to the palace. She would go in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the supervision of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She never went to the king again, unless he desired her and summoned her by name.”

When it was Esther’s time to go to the king, she did not ask for anything, and only took what Hegai suggested, and she won the approval of all who saw her.  Let us continue the story in verses 16-20, “She was taken to King Ahasuerus in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. The king loved Esther more than all the other women. She won more favor and approval from him than did any of the other young women. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. The king held a great banquet for all his officials and staff. It was Esther’s banquet. He freed his provinces from tax payments and gave gifts worthy of the king’s bounty.
When the young women were assembled together for a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate. Esther still had not revealed her birthplace or her ethnic background, as Mordecai had directed. She obeyed Mordecai’s orders, as she always had while he raised her.”

In closing this paper, three things stand out, God is all over Esther and she still honors Mordecai as her dad, and last, Mordecai must have been some officer in the king's court to be at the gate.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Pride and a King

Esther 2:1-5

Chapter two begins, and to this point, we have not heard the name of Esther or anything about her family.  I’m sure that none of my readers have ever been under the influence of adult beverages, acted foolishly and the next day had regrets.  But at a younger time, a foolish time of my life, I did many stupid things and had scars on my soul and regrets for those acts.  

I believe the king also had misgivings about the actions he had taken in his anger over Queen Vashti.  But often Kings are like you and me, they allow pride to cloud those thoughts and never give a thought about asking for repentance, for who would a king of his own kingdom go for such advice?  Are you king of your kingdom?  I’m sure, like King Ahasuerus we often sit on the throne of our lives and allow pride to keep us from going to the LORD for forgiveness.

And most of us will have an advisor to give us a better way that leaves our pride intact, and it sounds good to us.  Now do not miss this truth, we like the king have the King of Kings and Lord of Lords guiding the affairs of our lives to bring about His purposes, and later we will see the hand of God in saving his people.

Verses 1-4, “Sometime later, when King Ahasuerus’s rage had cooled down, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what was decided against her. The king’s personal attendants suggested, “Let a search be made for beautiful young women for the king. Let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom, so that they may assemble all the beautiful young women to the harem at the fortress of Susa. Put them under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women, and give them the required beauty treatments. Then the young woman who pleases the king will become queen instead of Vashti.” This suggestion pleased the king, and he did accordingly.”

And you and I thought the changing of the old model for a new, younger and a faster model was a new thing, but as dad always said the past is forever new, or there is nothing new under the sun.  King Ahasuerus’s rage had cooled down, and he was having regrets, but then the young men who took care of the king came up with a beauty contest of all the good-looking young babes of all 127 provinces.  And the king liked the idea, a new and better model would overcome all that he had done wrong.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A King out of Control

December 27, 2017

Esther Chapter One

Before we explore these verses, let me share a little irritation with some of the more learned men who point out how unique the book of Esther is, in that it never mentions God.  It is the only book of the Bible that does so, and yet its story is so much about God’s divine providence.  These scholars are troubled by who wrote the book, why they do not have more information about King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) who ruled Persia from 486-465 B.C. 

What this book has done for me is given thought to our God who is not seen, yet who is active in each of our lives.  We know the hope of the Jews as the plot thickens on removing them from the face of the earth the hidden hand of God was at work through both Mordecai and Esther.  My prayer for you is that you allow the Holy Spirit to encourage and establish your faith as you explore how the God Who is Spirit goes to battle using His servants.

In this chapter, you will find very foolish men, a king out of control who wants to display the vastness of his wealth, and all the good stuff he has acquired including his queen on display for all the area he controls.  It is a vast amount of real estate from India to Cush, 127 provinces was his wealth and all the good stuff he had acquired, and King Ahasuerus also wanted to show off his show pony, Queen Vashti.  It must have come as a surprise to all; the King, the wise men that gave him advice and the young men who had the King’s ear when she did not show up.

This is the account; on the seventh day of the feast, the king was in good spirits, and that means he had more than likely drank his fill and wanted to show off his queen.  This is the account from chapter 1:10-12. “On the seventh day, when the king was feeling good from the wine, Ahasuerus commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who personally served him, to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the people and the officials because she was very beautiful. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command that was delivered by his eunuchs. The king became furious and his anger burned within him.”

The wise men seemed to give him some outstanding counsel from a worldly view, and the reader must also understand that the men of that time viewed women as their property.  So much of the counsel is based on the fear of women voicing their thoughts and becoming independent or less dependent on the man.  This view came into my thinker, Jesus changed all of that for the woman, and I often wonder if ladies of faith share that with the ones outside of the faith?

Now getting back to the King, and the seven princes of both Media and Persia, who saw the king each day and all others had to be called before him or if they entered his presence without him requesting it was sure death.  With one exception, and you will want to remember this; you would be killed unless the king extended his golden scepter.

Picking up the account of the man the king and the princes listened to, Memucan, in verses 16-22, “Memucan said in the presence of the king and his officials, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but all the officials and the peoples who are in every one of King Ahasuerus’s provinces. For the queen’s action will become public knowledge to all the women and cause them to despise their husbands and say, ‘King Ahasuerus ordered Queen Vashti brought before him, but she did not come.’ Before this day is over, the noble women of Persia and Media who hear about the queen’s act will say the same thing to all the king’s officials, resulting in more contempt and fury.

“If it meets the king’s approval, he should personally issue a royal decree. Let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be revoked: Vashti is not to enter King Ahasuerus’s presence, and her royal position is to be given to another woman who is more worthy than she. The decree the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom, so all women will honor their husbands, from the least to the greatest.”
The king and his counselors approved the proposal, and he followed Memucan’s advice. He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to each province in its own script and to each ethnic group in its own language, that every man should be master of his own house and speak in the language of his own people.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God's Fantastic Plan

Ruth 4:13-22

So Boaz takes Ruth to be his wife, and right off the bat she becomes pregnant now it gets interesting, then the woman, Scripture did not say the women of Bethlehem, but the woman.  Was the woman, Ruth, for some reason I do not believe it was, and often in the Scripture, we are not told who a person is; but she must have been the one who helped Ruth in childbirth? Does it matter, I do not believe it does, but the message or blessing is of great value? “Then the women said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel? He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

A child is born, a son given to Ruth and God has a fantastic plan for this family, as he does for you and your family.  Ruth and Boaz had no clue what their faithfulness was going to produce, but it was all God’s plan.  Naomi is no longer a bitter woman; she no longer wants to be referred to as Mara, she is Naomi, the grandmother of Obed.  Pay attention to verses 16-17, “Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and took care of him. The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

And from this marriage someday after waiting 700+years in the city of Bethlehem a son will be born by the name of Jesus, and this is what Isaiah recorded about Him. “For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on His shoulders.  He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”  (Isaiah 9:6)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Ruth of 2018

Ruth 4:8-12

Now I’m willing to bet the farm that the majority of women in the United States of America would take up arms before agreeing to allow a near or far relative to call the elders of the town to decide how and who her land is going to be sold to.  But property is one thing; I cannot come close to imagining in a public hearing when she is not present for two men to make a deal about who is going to marry her and now she and all her resources are that man’s property.  

Would you like to be the fly on the wall to hear how the modern man of 2018 is going to share that information with his new bride?  How does it go; maybe something like this, you will never guess who I saw today at city council, “Mr. So & So” you know your relative that is much closer kin to you than I am.  And your name came up, and you know that land and 401K you have from your husband and sons, he was very interested in buying it so we all agreed maybe it would be good for him to marry you also.  He is very fond of you but he was sure that Betty, you know Betty his wife, and their kids, all six of them might not agree, so he turned down the offer. 

Do not let that trouble you in the least, and I know that Betty would drive you crazy after a while with those six kids.  I agreed with the guys, the preacher, the mayor, and the city council that I would do the deal, in that I’m the only other relative you have.  Murder is the charge that the Ruth of 2018 would consider.

Now back to what does happen at the time of Boaz in the area of Bethlehem, and no more of how it might play out in 2018, in the USA.

Verses 8-12, “At an earlier period in Israel, a man removed his sandal and gave it to the other party in order to make any matter legally binding concerning the right of redemption or the exchange of property. This was the method of legally binding a transaction in Israel.

So the redeemer removed his sandal and said to Boaz, “Buy back the property yourself.”

Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon. I will also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man’s name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his home. You are witnesses today.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

More than a business deal

Ruth 4:1-7

Now Gentiles and folks from the United States might have a harder time getting our arms around this chapter.  It has many terms that do not fit our social understanding, and especially our culture.  Removing a brother-in-law's sandal and spitting in his face, or taking your sandals off and giving them to the other man to seal a legal agreement, we do not understand these customs today.  What about getting the land and a younger wife in the deal but being required by Levitical Law to give the children born to her another man’s name and the title to his land that you received in the agreement?

We do understand that Boaz is a man of integrity and a kinsman of Naomi and her dead husband and sons.  We also know that Ruth the daughter-in-law has found favor with Boaz but he cannot redeem her for another man holds a closer relationship to Naomi.  Let’s continue the account in chapter 4 of the book of Ruth verses 1- 6, “Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. ² And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. ³ Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. ⁴ So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you ^[a] will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” ⁵ Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth ^[b] the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” ⁶ Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

It sounds like at first it was just a business deal and yet as he got more information the social cost was too high and he backed out of the deal.  The sad news about  “Mr. So in so” is that we never hear of him again, yet Boaz and Ruth were in the lineage of both King David and Jesus.  If we go back to Deuteronomy 25:5-10 we grasp how serious it was to propagate your family members wife so that she has a future and her husband’s name is passed on.  This is not a requirement in the USA, in fact having two or more wives will get you in a lot of trouble.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Knowing a man's Character

Ruth 2:12-18

Yesterday we evesdropped on Ruth and her mother-in-law’s conversation an also listened to what Ruth and Boaz talked about around midnight, so shall we enjoy the remainder of their discussion.

The first speaker is Boaz, and then Naomi and Ruth have the least input in these conversations, enjoy.  “And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I.  Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”  You have to like Boaz, a man who values Ruth’s love for her mother-in-law, who was willing to come to a foreign country, leave her friends and family and work in the fields gleaning grain, putting her safety aside to support her mother-in-law, who is not a fun person to live with.  She is also a risk taker in that much could have gone wrong in following Naomi’s advice.

So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” She replied, “Wait, my daughter until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”

I do believe Naomi knew the character of her close relative Boaz, who first and foremost was a man of honor, and what he did in the darkness would hold up in the light.  Yes, he was a man of integrity and a man who valued his workers and was a take-charge businessman who made things happen.  Verse 18, makes this very clear; ” She replied, “Wait, my daughter until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice