Preserved for Purpose Part 3

Triumph Over Tragedy

Have you experienced tragedies in your life that you cannot seem to overcome? We serve a God who triumphs over tragedy.

The Scriptures are filled with examples of men and women that God strategically and intentionally preserved for His purposes greater than themselves. Many of them found triumph over tragedy. Each one went through hardships and tragedies but God brought them out on top. Many of them faced everything from the hand of Pharaohs who sought to kill them to the fiery furnaces of kings who demanded they bow to pagan gods. But one of the most profound is that of an unassuming young woman named הֲדַסָּה‎ Hadassah ("Myrtle"). Now maybe you think you know this story well. But you may be extremely surprised.

Hadassah is her Hebrew name which means myrtle. The myrtle tree is significant in Scripture. Isaiah 55:13 states,

Isaiah 55:13 ESV

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

This is prophetic of not only Hadassah and her life’s story, but the Messiah, Yeshua, as well.

In the book of Esther, Hadassah was being raised by a relative because she was orphaned. The queen of Persia had rebelled against the king and was banished. The young women of the kingdom were summoned to present themselves before the king.

This brings us to where I want to start in Esther chapter 2:3.

Esther 2:3 ESV

And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them.

I found it interesting that they provided “cosmetics”. The word here is תַּמְרוּק (tam-ruq) and it is reference to a therapy to adorn or enhance. It also means to stop or cease a behavior for cleansing to remove. Remove what? In Hadassah’s story, it was a process to ensure the women were not or had not recently been pregnant. It was to ensure the king could not be accused of being a father to one of their children. Confused? Stay with me.

The root of this word for “cosmetic” is מרק (mrq) which means to fill a vessel. As you will learn, Hadassah’s life was full of tragedy. But God would fill her life with great purpose in spite of it all.

When Hadassah and the others where brought into the kings harem, one of the things given them were choice perfumes. It is interesting to note that the myrtle tree emits a strong and beautiful fragrance richer and more pleasant than that of a rose.

This speaks volumes to the favor of the king given to her by the Lord as Esther 2:17 declares:

Esther 2:17 ESV

the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

Now, there is a lot to her story of how the evil Haman sought to annihilate her and all her people through his evil schemes. In fact, in verse 17 it says that he loved her more than all the women gathered. According to Rashi, Jewish history records that he gathered young married women as well for his choosing. This makes this even more extraordinary and paints a little different picture than we have been told.

But what I want to point out is how she had been preserved for such a time as this, long before she ever entered the kings house. As well, through all her tragedies, God was still preserving her for a great purpose.

Let’s look at some facts that you might not know about Hadassah, or Esther as you know her. So often, we perceive that she was this sweet and beautiful young girl who had it all together and lived a wonderful life with uncle Mordecai. She then happens upon this wonderful opportunity to become the queen of this handsome king. But that is not the case. As you will see, our focus is eschew.

First, Hadassah ,and most of the other Jewish people, were scattered throughout Persia as a result of the Babylonian exile. They were the survivors of a horrific war. Many remained in exile rather than return to a war-torn Jerusalem.

Second, she was an orphan. The Midrash states that her father died during the mother’s pregnancy and the mother died after. According to Esther 2:7, Mordecai מָרְדֳּכַי is her first cousin, not her uncle. Some Jewish traditions believe that he had taken her as a wife, not a daughter. However, what I find in the text is the word bat בַּת meaning “daughter”.

Third, she was a captive. The Jews, though they had liberties, they were still captives or slaves to Persia. In addition, as a result of the king’s edict, she is now a double captive.

Fourth, she risked execution when she came before the king unsummoned. She should had been put to death immediately.

Finally, we come to Esther 2:14. What is really happening here is quite disturbing and contrary to the love lottery we often portray in this story.

Esther 2:14 ESV

In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

Keep in mind that this is a pagan nation with a pagan king. This is not about a young muscled up hunk with beautiful long flowing hair!

These women are basically sex slaves. Hadassah is brought in for her one night with the king. She had been segregated in one harem as a virgin. After her one night with the king, she is not taken back in with the virgins but placed in the second harem of non-virgins. Basically, she was raped. If she was not later chosen as “the one”, she and the other women would remain property of the king and never allowed to marry another man.

This is the horrific part of this story we so often gloss over and turn it into a glamorous love story. But the only love Hadassah had was for her God. Her God did not fail her or abandon her, as tragic as this may seem. You might ask, “But I thought God did this and did that? Why did He allow this or the other?” Even in our own lives, we often take it upon ourselves to pick and choose where and in what ways the hand of God did or did not, will or will not do as we perceive.

As a result, we often we cannot see the purpose of God even in our tragedy. God takes what the enemy meant for evil and turns it for good.

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Through all of her life’s horrific tragedies, she never lost her faith, her faithfulness, or her God given identity. Like Moses, like Joseph, like David, like so many others, she remained steadfast that God was good no matter what happened to her. As a result, her identity could not be shaken, changed, or stolen from her. Her identity was in the goodness of her God. Even in the tragedies of this flesh, she lived a life of faith. The flesh of the Christ faced horrific tragedy and He gave His life, that you might live in true faith no matter what you may face in this life.

Hadassah’s faith in her God brought true deliverance for her people. They went from being slaves with liberties to citizens of the land. God wants the same for you. His desire is not for you to just have liberties as a Christian but still enslaved to iniquity. He wants you to be a full citizen of the Kingdom of God.

Surrender the trauma of your tragedies to Him today. For He triumphs over tragedy.