Daughter of Deliverance (26 page)

Rahab shook her head vigorously. “I've not thought of marrying anyone, Ardon.”

“Most women think of that.”

Rahab laughed. “I haven't had time to think much of anything lately. It's been a difficult time, and I believe more difficult times lie ahead. Isn't there going to be another battle?”

“Not just one but many. The whole land has to be conquered.”

“Well then, I don't think it's time for people to be marrying.”

Ardon was puzzled. “Most women think of that first. Don't you want a husband and a family?”

“I always thought I did, but …” She could not explain her feelings to Ardon. Her life felt too complicated right now to contemplate marriage. She simply smiled and said, “Thank the man for me, and tell him I'm not thinking of marrying at the present time.”

“I'll tell him. But he'll be disappointed, I'm sure. He's not a rich man, but he's a good fellow.”

Rahab's eyes had gone back to the sheep. Ardon watched her as she walked away and said under his breath, “Well, Ezra will just have to take her answer whether he likes it or not.”

He hurried on then to the meeting and found that it was well under way. Joshua had drawn a primitive map in the dust and was pointing out the various strongholds of the tribes. “And over here,” Joshua said, “are the Hittites—over here are the Amorites.” He continued to name off the different kingdoms that had to be conquered, and when he was finished, Caleb said, “It's going to cost something to take this land.”

“Yes.” Joshua nodded, looking around at his captains. “It's the Land of Promise, but it's not going to be easy to make it ours. God will have to be with us, as He has been all the way.”

Ardon stood at the back. He was not one of the major captains and he just listened. Finally, the discussion was interrupted when a scout came running in and announced to Joshua, “Sir, a group have come!”

“Who are they?”

“They are from Gibeon, sir. They insist on seeing you.”

“Are they soldiers?”

The scout laughed, his white teeth flashing against his bronze skin. “They look more like tramps to me.”

“Well, bring them on, then.”

Ardon agreed with the scout. The five men who came all looked much the worse for wear. Their animals were worn, and the wine bottles on their backs were torn and bound up with leather strings. Their sandals were practically falling to pieces, and their old tattered garments were in a pitiful condition.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Joshua demanded.

The leader, a tall man with a narrow face scored by a thousand wrinkles, bowed low. “Sir, we be the men of Gibeon. We come from a far country just to see you.”

“What do you want?” Joshua repeated.

“We have heard,” the old man said, “of all that you and your soldiers have done to the Amorites beyond Jordan. We have heard of how you annihilated Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan. Our leaders know that we cannot stand against you. They have sent us to make a peace treaty with you.”

“How far away is your land?”

The leader waved at the sorry animals and said, “This bread was warm on the day we started. Now, as you can see, it's dry and moldy, and these wineskins? You see how cracked they are? And our sandals are worn out because of our long journey.”

Joshua studied the men and said, “And you come seeking peace?”

“Yes. At all costs.”

Joshua said, “We will speak of it.” He turned to one of his aides and said, “See that they have food and drink, and we will meet and talk terms.”

****

The visitors from Gibeon stayed for three days, during which time the whole camp came to see them. After much discussion, an agreement was made, and Joshua said to his leaders and to all the people, “We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. We will let them live according to our agreement.”

That seemed to end it, but almost at once two scouts came back and gave a report to Joshua. “The cities of these men are not far. They have deceived you, sir.”

A cry went up from the captains, and Joshua called for the Gibeonites and said sternly to them, “Why have you lied to us?”

“Because,” the old man said, confident now that he was safe since the agreement had been made, “we have indeed heard how you conquer all who stand before you. Let us be your servants. We ask no more.”

Joshua was angry at the deceit, but he agreed to their request. “You will have what you ask. Now, therefore, none of you will be freed from your bondage. You will be woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the Lord.”

This did not seem hard to the men of Gibeon, for they only smiled and said, “We will serve you, for now we know that we will live and not die.”

****

The five kings who met together were usually enemies of one another. They were from Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

The king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek, had called them together, and now he told them for what purpose. “We have all been concerned about the Hebrews that are coming to fight against us. I have news now that one of our number, the king of Gibeon, has made an alliance with the Hebrews.”

Angry words arose among them, and Adoni-Zedek said, “Come up and help me attack Gibeon because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”

The king of Eglon was a burly man with tiny, glittering eyes. “We will kill them all,” he said with evident pleasure.

****

The tall Gibeonite who had negotiated the peace came scrambling into Joshua's presence. They had been gone now for two weeks, and his face was sallow and his hands were shaking. “Sir, you must help us. Amorite kings that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.”

Joshua listened as the trembling man spoke of the armies of the five kings that were headed toward Gibeon.

“I will ask God's guidance,” Joshua said.

“Sir, there is no time.”

“There's always time to seek Jehovah.” Joshua went at once to his tent and prayed for a brief time.

The Lord said,
“Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”

Joshua jumped up and ran out of his tent, shouting, “Captains, get your men together! We will fight at once!”

****

Othniel was shaken out of sleep by a rough hand. He looked up to see Ardon standing over him. “What is it?” he asked, sitting up abruptly. He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus them, for he had been as drunk the previous night as he had ever been.

“There's a battle and you're going. I don't know why, but my father still has hope for you. Now, get your weapons and come on.”

Othniel opened his mouth to speak, but there was no denying the hard look on Ardon's face. He scrambled to his feet, gathered up his weapons, and left. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“We're going to fight five armies.”

“Five! That's insane! We can't whip five armies.”

Ardon shook his head. “This is your chance to redeem yourself, Othniel. I want you to fight by my side. I'll be watching you and so will everyone else. You've proven yourself a drunk and a coward. Now Israel needs every man.”

Othniel did not answer. His head was splitting, and his knees were unsteady. He could not help but think about his failure at the battle of Ai and knew that Ardon was speaking the truth. It was his one chance to make up for that disaster.

****

The battle turned out to be furious. The five kings had united their armies into one force, and the army of Israel had fought them with a fury they had never seen.

But the Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, and the battle went well for a time. Othniel was on the right flank while the main force of the enemy was in the center of the line. He did little more than keep up with Ardon, and now Ardon yelled, “Look! They need help in the center. Every man, come on!”

At that exact moment, however, a large enemy force appeared on their own flank. Othniel's heart went cold as he saw the soldiers headed his way. He looked around frantically, and seeing how few Hebrews there were, he yelled, “Ardon, we'll be surrounded!”

“Fight! Fight to the death!” Ardon was already engaged in the battle.

Othniel did not run forward but fell back as the attack was made. He managed to fight off several of the attackers, slaying one, and then his sword was struck from his hand. He looked up to see a huge soldier grinning at him. “Now I've got you, Hebrew dog!” the soldier yelled. He leaped forward and Othniel threw himself backward. He felt the tip of the sword graze his chest and he scrambled to get up. The soldier was joined by others, all intent on killing him.

There was no hope, Othniel thought, and he turned and ran away. He could hear the yells of the enemy all about him and the cries of the dying. His only thought was to get away, and he did not even hear Ardon's cry, “Don't run away, Othniel!”

He ran until he could run no more, and the sound of the battle faded behind him. Then he fell on his face, gasping for breath. He gripped the earth, and all he wanted was to get away from the battle.

****

The Hebrews were outnumbered, but God came to their aid. He hurled large hailstones down from the sky, killing more of the enemy than had died by the Israelite swords. Joshua was everywhere. Finally he encountered Caleb, whose sword was dripping with blood, and his face was smeared with gore.

“It's getting dark,” Caleb yelled. “They'll get away.”

And then God spoke to Joshua very plainly. Joshua was stunned, but he obeyed God without hesitation. He raised his sword toward the setting sun and cried out with a voice that everyone close to him heard, “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”

Caleb stared at Joshua. He had seen miracles by the hand of Moses, but now Joshua was God's man. He looked up at the sun, shading his eyes, and grinned. “If the sun stands still, we'll kill them all!”

And the sun did stand still in the sky, and the men of Israel fought until they could barely stand.

The day went on and on, seemingly forever, and finally Caleb came and gave his report, barely able to speak. “They are all defeated, Joshua. We won.”

“What about the kings?”

“They've hidden themselves in a cave.”

“Go, bring them here.”

Caleb gave orders, and a few hours later the five kings were brought. Joshua, still bloodied, called his soldiers so that all might see. He said to his captains, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.”

The five kings were made to kneel, and the captains of Israel went around and put their feet on their necks.

Joshua was exultant and said to his captains, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.”

Then Joshua struck and killed the kings and hung them on five trees, and they left them hanging until the sun went down.

****

When the soldiers returned from the battle, Ariel rejoiced at the sight of her father and brother. She hugged them both and began to demand the details of the battle. She listened with delight and shock at how hailstones had fallen from the sky and how the sun itself had stood still.

Finally Caleb said, “The one flaw in our victory is Othniel.”

“Othniel?” Ariel said. “What happened to him? Is he dead?”

“I wish he were,” Caleb said in disgust. “He ran away and left his fellow soldiers.”

“I can't believe it,” Ariel said. She looked at Ardon and asked, “Did you see him run away?”

“I saw him,” Ardon said. “He ran like a rabbit. He's a coward. A disgrace to Israel.”

The camp was filled with music and singing. The soldiers had returned triumphant, having suffered few losses. Joshua had declared a feast, and the smell of cooking meat laced the air as the soldiers were embraced by their families.

Rahab was as excited as anyone else. She joined in the celebration and fed some of the soldiers who had no family.

Late that afternoon she saw Phinehas and ran up to him, exclaiming, “What a wonderful victory!”

“It is indeed.” Phinehas smiled broadly. “The Lord has delivered them into our hands—exactly as it was in the days of Moses!”

The two stood talking about the battle, and although Phinehas had not been there, he had heard all about it from Joshua and Caleb and some of the other captains. Finally he shook his head sadly. “Too bad about Othniel.”

“Othniel?” Rahab said, worried. “Was he hurt? Is he dead?”

“No, he's not dead, but he's a disgrace.”

“What did he do, sir?”

“In the heat of battle he ran away—and left his fellow soldiers to fight the battle themselves.” Phinehas shook his head sadly. “I think a lot of that young man, but that was a very bad thing to do.”

Oman was standing beside Rahab and spoke up. “Well, I like him even if he did a bad thing.”

“Try to help him, won't you, Phinehas?” Rahab pleaded.

“I have tried,” the priest said, shaking his head, “but he's beyond help—beyond my help, at least.”

“Did he tell you why he ran off?”

“No, he's too drunk to talk. I don't usually give up on people, but Othniel is a lost cause, I'm afraid. I have no hope anymore that he'll change.”

****

All night long Rahab thought about Othniel. She had liked the young man ever since the first time he had come to her house in Jericho. At that time he had been far more friendly than Ardon. Her family had also learned to appreciate his good humor and cheerful ways during their difficult time.

Finally Rahab knew she had to do something. She went to Caleb's tent and lurked outside until she saw Ardon leave and start walking among the tents.