Consuming Abuse

“On the seventh day [of the royal banquet], as King Ahasuerus was feeling the effects of the wine, he ordered… the seven eunuchs who attended him, to bring Queen Vashti into the king’s presence wearing her royal high turban. He wanted to show the people and the officials her beauty, for she was very attractive. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s bidding conveyed through the eunuchs. Then the king became extremely angry, and his rage consumed him.” –Esther 1:10-12, NET

Deeply consider the king’s request. It was the custom of Persian royalty to cherish the lavish beauty of their queens to the extent they kept their beauty for the king’s eyes only. Notice that it was only women and eunuchs that attended her (see Est 1:10,12; 2:3; 4:4-5). Some suggest Ahasuerus’ request was for Vashti to appear in ONLY her crown. However, it is not necessary for this to be the literal meaning of Xerxes’ command. The king’s purpose was to prostitute his bride’s beauty before drunken men in order to incite their envy and lust. Either way, it was a demeaning, public exposure.

Men, do we see the indecency in such a request?

I don’t think I am properly appalled. We are so submersed in the debauchery of our culture that we have become numb to exhibition and exposure. Women are paraded in front of the masses every day to incite envy and lust—and we call it “marketing.” Women are urged in our culture to expose themselves before inebriated men, drunk on the cup of contempt (Psa 2:1-3)—and we call it “empowerment.” Women are treated as accomplishments to conquer, trophies to display, and objects from which to extract pleasure—and we call it “manhood.” We use and abuse those under our authority instead of cherishing and honoring more essential and intricate vessels (1Co 12:22; 1Pe 3:7), gifts of God (Gen 2:23): daughters, sisters, and mothers (1Ti 5:2).

These past few years seem to be a continual stream of abusive scandals. Stories break daily about a young starlet suffering bribes at the hands of a wealthy producer, or a young athlete who has been manipulated by her trusted coach, or another bride or daughter who has endured an abusive home for torturous years. Women now take to the streets in protest, or to social media to shout, “Me too!”

Do we care? Do I care?

Yet how does the LORD see such mistreatment?

“You devour my people’s flesh, strip off their skin, and crush their bones. You chop them up like flesh in a pot—like meat in a kettle.” –Micah 3:3, NET

God is giving us a graphic depiction of abuse, a physical picture of a spiritual reality. The objectification of those under our authority is like cannibalism. When we mislead people, manipulating them to serve our needs (Mic 3:5), perverting justice for selfish gain (Mic 3:9-11), and exploiting those in our care, we are seeing them as consumable commodities instead of precious image-bearers of God entrusted to our care.

Why am I not properly appalled? Why am I not grieving? Why doesn’t the abuse and bullying around me move me to tears? Why doesn’t it motivate me to stand tall and be bold, and to determine, “Not on my watch!”

O, God, help me. Break my heart for the carnage of abuse before me. Let me see reality with faith-filled, spiritual eyes. Help me see my own sin, and rid me of apathy and the tendency of my own flesh to demean those under my care. Transform this lump of clay into salt and light, a preserver who pushes back the darkness of this world (Mat 5:13-16). Help me not to ignore any trace evidence of abuse that leak out before my eyes, content with "minding my own business." Rather, help me expose the evil hidden in the darkness. Help me to hear the cries of the oppressed (Psa 10:17-18) and be a shield to the weak (Pro 30:5), an extension of Your protective hand (Psa 121:5-8).