Party Decorations

I just started reading one of my personal favorite books of the Bible, Esther. I was struck this time by the amazing decorations for the party in the opening scene of the book. Now, I love decoration, and I love furnishings, and I love creating a mood with decorations, but I never in all of my life have seen anything that remotely compares with the party atmosphere that Ahasuerus planned for his guests. Listen to this:

            Cloth hangings in white, green and blue—fastened with purple and linen cords, attached to silver rings and marble pillars

            The couches for people to lounge on for the feast were made of gold and silver.

            The floor was made of red, blue, white, and black marble. (Were they mosaics, or some kind of a large pattern?)

            The glasses or chalices they drank from were all made of gold, but each was unique in design.

Since I live in Europe, I’ve been privileged to visit more than one royal palace. I’m always awestruck by their dining rooms. Each is designed to show off opulence to any visitor fortunate enough to get an invitation (and to us tourists who will pay for a glimpse without eating there). Just gorgeous! Many times, there will be seemingly endless tables surrounded by fancy chairs and topped with beautiful silver centerpieces and candelabra.

But this . . . . Can you imagine the scene? And, this wasn’t “just” a state dinner for one night. This party lasted seven days! (I wonder what they ate!)

Isn’t it interesting that God describes Ahasuerus’ party furnishings down to the most minute details—the cords that held the hangings! I’m glad He did! There’s something timeless about beauty, something impressive about such opulence.

Can you even imagine the troop of craftsmen working on the drinking goblets? (Don’t copy, now!) Each workman was free to express his own creativity while forming another gold chalice for the king. How fun!

All through Scripture, we read about creative people serving the Lord. Everyone from stone masons (who cut the stones for the Temple so exactly that they didn’t make a noise when put in place) to embroiderers, workers in furs, gold, silver, brass, dyes, weavers of linen, sculptors, woodcarvers, instrumentalists, and singers . . . . The list goes on.

I am thankful that God, the Original Creative Person has allowed us humans to be creative, to reflect His beauty in the things we do.

Moses prayed this prayer for creative people: And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it (Psalm 90:17).