Prince Beorn is actually a former slave, brought east during the Revived Babylonian captivity. (Because of his mixed blood, he looks black but is actually half Jew.) He cleaned washrooms until one day, a fluke accident caused a high-ranking Babylonian officer’s cart to overturn near the cesspool where Beorn worked (he was on duty indoors). The officer’s daughter, thrown from the cart, ended up clean and unharmed on a boulder in the center of the pool. The only way out was for someone to wade through the muck and carry her on his shoulders, which Beorn did.
Of course, those clothes and shoes could never be used again—but he was given a new tunic, pants, shoes...
And after that Babylonian officer’s wife had Beorn showered, shampooed, manicured, given the fanciest clothes and cologne…that little girl went and gave Beorn the biggest hug. For people who knew the whole story, well, they couldn’t not cry.
There will always be the group of people who will not be able to get past skin-deep taboos. They saw the favors shown Beorn and could only whisper about the “Black Magic he must have to be able to make people treat him kindly”.
The Babylonian officer wanted to do something more for Beorn. He couldn’t send him back to his former menial duties…he had been cleaning toilets before! But there were prejudiced people in high-ranking offices to deal with, Beorn couldn’t be placed there, either. So, what ended up happening, was:
Beorn was given the title: “Minister of Wilderness Development and Preservation” and given dominion rights extending over The Wilderness of Sarafi. “After all, Beorn grew up in the Arabian desert so knew about where to find water, how the wind blew, how to treat desert animals, adapt to heat changes, etc….; of course, Beorn was the best man for the post.” his friends said. Altho’ he was “prince”, he had authority in that land only.
Prince Beorn had heard from his mother how the God Yahweh is also the God Who sees. Even when other human beings do not see or understand, a God in Heaven, he had been taught, does. To the believing, trusting, searching…even to the sinner, this merciful Yahweh opened eyes to the water of life, she taught him, the way out even when there seemed no hope.
The older he got, the more Prince Beorn thought about this God.
One night when he couldn’t sleep (is this beginning to sound familiar?), he decided to read from something his mother used to read: the sacred writings. He had clumsily dropped the scroll on the floor, and when he bent over to pick it up, his eyes fell onto the words: “There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Num. 24:17). He could hear his mother’s voice. She had talked about these words. The people here in far away Babylon did not know the One True God, but Yahweh had His eye on His own, she had said, and would one day send His own special chosen One to help them. That Star would be a sign in the sky that He was coming. There would be hope then.
Beorn straightened himself and looked out the window. Could it be? There was a star, a magnificent star…and it seemed to be moving!
Someone behind Beorn seemed to be clearing his throat.
“Your Highness, there is someone here to see you.”
At a time like this? The star!
Hathach stepped into the room, and almost at the same time was on his hands and knees. “Prince Beorn – Your Highness – your most humble servant has no right to ask this…”
“Yes, yes; get up; please get up;” Beorn, once a wilderness nomad himself, never really had use for royal formalities and disliked hierarchy. He waved it away and helped Hathach to his feet. “What is it?”
Actually, Hathach had a similar distaste for formality. He liked this new prince better right away.
“My name is Hathach. My young eunuch and I, we were wondering if we…we might be given leave for a pilgrimage to the west…for an undetermined period of time.” This was harder to say than he had imagined, Hathach thought. But what he had started, he might as well finish.
“I know it sounds preposterous. It is just that there have been things we have been hearing about a Yahweh God…” but Hathach could see Beorn had not the slightest interest in what he had to say; his gaze had not left the window the entire time he had been speaking!
The prince muttered a short word softly, then pushed himself away from the window. Then he said it loudly, strongly: “Hope.
Hathach, you and Mel…zar, I think you said his name was, have full permission to go, only on one condition.” Hathach held his breath.
“You take me with you!
Do you see the star behind me?
“The regal star?” Hathach thought. Could the prince know about the King being born in Judea? Impossible! But he was undoubtedly pointing to it!
“It will lead us on our journey;” the Prince was saying. “Tell Melzar to get packed; get dressed; get his good-byes said; we head west in the morning. Meet me at the back gate of the city in eight hours—I will bring camels, supplies, and an explanation. Well, don’t just stand there Hathach; there’s much work to do, yes?”
“Mysterious” was not strong enough a word to describe this man, Hathach thought, as he made his way down the hall.
