True Beauty

The king's personal attendants suggested, "Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom, so that they may assemble all the beautiful young virgins 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 reign in place of Vashti." This suggestion pleased the king, and he did accordingly. – Esther 2:2-4 HCSB

Many believe that biblical King Ahasuerus was known by another name, Xerxes the Great. If so, then Ahasuerus was an important king indeed. Herodotus records that in 480 BC Ahasuerus had a huge fleet and an army of 2,000,000 men - a massive army in any age!

When such a man wants a beautiful queen, he has his pick of the litter. His empire ranged from Greece to Egypt, from the northern half of the Arabian peninsula to the western edge of India. He could pick from hundreds of thousands of women in dozens of countries. Of all the women, he chose a Jewess named Hadassah. Hadassah[1] was probably renamed Esther[2], as many the Hebrew children were renamed after Babylonian gods.

It’s interesting to note that although the Scriptures record that Esther “had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking”[3], it was her humility that won her approval in the sight of everyone who saw her.[4] Her beauty drew Ahasuerus’ favor; her attitude brought his approval.[5] Most of the other women spent one night with the king and then never saw him again. Ahasuerus could have done the same with Esther. Or, he could have kept bringing her back without confirming her as his wife. Instead, he publicly declared her to be his queen.

His choice proved to be fortuitous because it saved him from an assassination attempt, the political machinations of Haman and the loss of a substantial minority in his kingdom.

What are the elements of true beauty? How do we draw others to ourselves? How can we transcend mere sexual reflex to achieve real relationship? The following virtues found in the book of Proverbs are not merely designed to help us draw or search for a mate. A person who practices these virtues will draw humans, male and female, to themselves. This is a blueprint for friendship. It is a plan for the development of leadership.

Aptitude for teaching (31:25-27)
Business Sense (31:13-16, 24)
Capability (31:10-12, 28-29)
Compassion 31:20)
Craftsmanship (31:13-19, 21-22, 24)
Dignity (31:25-27)
Diligence (31:13-19, 25-27)
Discretion (11:22)
Empathy (25:20)
Energy (31:17-19)
Experience ( 20:29)
Faith (31:25-27)
Foresight (31:13-16, 21-22, 25-27)
Frankness (28:23)
Fear of God (31:30-31)
Gratitude (21:19)
Helpfulness (31:10-12)
Homebuilding Skills (31:13-16)
Honesty (19:22; 28:23)
Kindness (31:25-27)
Loyalty (19:22; 31:10-12)
Majesty (31:21-22, 25-27)
Passion (20:29)
Peacefulness / a yielding spirit (21:9)
Provision (31:21-22)
Prudence (31:13-16, 25-27)
Servant Spirit (31:20)
Strength (20:29)
Skill (31:13-16)
Sweetness (21:19)
Thriftiness (31:13-19, 24)
Trustworthiness (31:10-12)
Virtue (31:10-12, 28-29)
Watchfulness (31:25-27)
Wisdom / Wise speech (20:15; 31:25-27)

[1] Hebrew for “myrtle”
[2] A Persian name derived from the word “star”
[3] Esther 2:7
[4] Esther 2:15
[5] Esther 2:17