Keepers of the Covenant

by Lynn Austin

  Ezra felt as if he’d done a full day of hard labor as he returned to his seat. He listened as the other men deliberated, relieved when they decided that Reuben’s marriage clearly followed the biblical precedent. “This woman is considered a Jew,” the foreman decided. “The marriage stands. Call them in, please.”

  Ezra stood. “May I tell them?” he asked. He could see how shaken Reuben and Amina were as they entered, their faces drawn and pale with worry. Ezra smiled as he tried to put them at ease. “Amina, the Almighty One rewards your faith and trust in Him. In God’s eyes and in ours, you are a true daughter of Abraham by faith. Therefore, yours is not a mixed marriage between Jew and Gentile and does not need to be dissolved. May the Almighty One bless you both.”

  They fell into each other’s arms, weeping.

  Chapter

  61

  JERUSALEM

  Amina leaned on Reuben’s arm as she limped up the steps to the temple mount. People from Jerusalem and all the nearby villages were walking up to the temple’s outer courtyard today to celebrate the Thirteenth of Adar. The joy Amina felt on this warm spring day matched the festive atmosphere all around her as men and women of all ages came to hear the story of Queen Esther. There would be parties and celebrations afterward, with feasting and gift exchanges and food for the poor.

  “I didn’t realize there would be so many people,” she told Reuben.

  “Me either. I know they used to celebrate this day in Casiphia, but I never went. Back then, I didn’t want to remember the events of this day.”

  “I always stayed home while Hodaya and the others celebrated,” Amina said. “I was so ashamed of what my father and the other people in my village plotted to do.” But now the jury had declared her a daughter of Abraham, and Amina finally belonged. From now on, the Thirteenth of Adar would be the day her old life ended and her new life began.

  They chose a place to sit in the sunny courtyard after stopping to greet dozens of people—Amina’s friends from the House of the Weavers, Rebbe Ezra’s wife and family, Reuben’s Levite friends, and his uncle Hashabiah. When it was time to begin, the excited crowd hushed as Governor Ezra climbed onto a raised platform with a scroll in his hand. He was such a distinguished-looking man with his white beard and hair, yet he seemed so humble, an unlikely leader with none of the swagger or ego found in most men of power. Amina would never forget how happy he’d looked as he’d announced the jury’s decision: “You are a true daughter of Abraham by faith. Therefore, yours is not a mixed marriage . . . and does not need to be dissolved.”

  Now he wore a faint smile on his face as he addressed the people. “This is the story of God’s miracle of salvation,” he said. “We will share it with our children and grandchildren each year for generations to come. We call today’s holiday Purim because of the lots our enemy cast to decide which day to destroy us. But the Almighty One had a different plan. As the proverb says, ‘The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.’”

  Amina sat back to listen as he unrolled the scroll and began to read. The story described the grand banquet King Xerxes held for all of his royal officials, and told how he called for his queen to attend. Amina was shocked when the queen refused his request. How dare she refuse to come before the king? Xerxes was so enraged he took away her crown, and then held a beauty contest throughout the empire to find a beautiful, worthy wife to replace her.

  “I’ve never heard this story before,” Amina whispered to Reuben. “Have you?” He shook his head.

  Governor Ezra unrolled more of the scroll as he continued to read. “‘Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem. Mordecai had a cousin named Esther who was lovely in form and features, and he had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.’”

  Amina listened in amazement. This heroine who saved the lives of the Jewish people was an orphan, like her. The Holy One had been faithful to both of them, making sure a loving family adopted them. “If only we could see the end from the beginning,” Amina whispered to Reuben. “If only we had eyes to see how God can weave all the broken strands of our life into something beautiful.” On the tragic day when Amina lost both her parents, she never could have imagined that she would end up here, a daughter of the Holy One, with a wonderful husband by her side, and his child fluttering inside her as if it wore butterfly wings.

  “‘When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed,’” Ezra read in his calm, eloquent voice, “‘many girls were brought to the citadel of Susa. And Esther was also taken to the king’s palace.’”

  “How terrible!” Amina whispered. “I can’t imagine being taken from my home against my will to become part of the king’s harem.” She wondered what might have become of her if Uncle Abdel had forced her to go home with him. By God’s grace, Amina had gone from an abusive home to a loving one, while poor Esther had been locked away from all the people she loved for the rest of her life. Esther surely must have thought God had abandoned her. She couldn’t have known His plan and purpose for her life—a plan like the one taking shape so beautifully in Reuben and Amina’s lives.

  “‘Esther was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month in the seventh year of his reign. . . . Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen.’”

  If this had been the end of the story, it would have been a wonderful one—an orphan who won the king’s love and became queen of the entire empire. But there was more to Esther’s story, and Amina leaned against her husband to hear the rest.

  Reuben listened with interest as Rebbe Ezra read how their enemy Haman came to power in King Xerxes’ court. Each time the rebbe said Haman’s name, the children in the audience booed and hissed and made noise to try to drown it out. It was amusing—and yet it wasn’t. Why had the Almighty One allowed evil to triumph, even for a short time? Reuben thought of his father, as he always did on this day. “It’s the highest form of praise,” Abba had said, “to keep believing that God is good even when it doesn’t seem that way.”

  “‘When Haman saw that Mordecai the Jew would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged,’” Rebbe Ezra read. “‘Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead, Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom.’”

  Rebbe Ezra read the king’s edict next, and Reuben closed his eyes as he remembered the day he’d stood beside his father in the house of assembly in Casiphia and heard it read for the first time: “Destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and little children—on a single day, the thirteenth of Adar.” Everyone who’d heard the decree had been stunned. Reuben had been just a boy, twelve years old, yet he’d been sentenced to die in a less than one year’s time. He remembered battling tears as he’d worked in the smithy with Abba, watching time trickle away. He hadn’t wanted to die, but there seemed no way out. “Why don’t we blend in with the Babylonians,” he’d asked his father, “and go to their temples and festivals so they won’t know we’re Jews?”

  “If we deny God, our lives aren’t worth living,” Abba had replied.

  The truth of Abba’s words was now very real to Reuben. When he’d turned his back on his Jewish community and had tried to blend in with his Babylonian friends in Casiphia, he had ended up feeling empty and alone. And his life would still be meaningless if the Holy One hadn’t found him and drawn him back and given him direction and a purpose. God loved him even more than his own father had. What an astounding thought! For that reason alone, Reuben wanted to worship the Holy One for as long as he lived.

  Amina was a gift from God, and so was the child she carried. Reuben vowed to be the kind of father Abba had been—fearless and brave, trusting in the Almighty One no matter how hopeless thi
ngs appeared. Reuben knew the inheritance he had as a Jew and as a Levite was more valuable and enduring than Abba’s blacksmith shop and all his tools—an inheritance no one could ever take away from him and his sons.

  Devorah thought her heart would burst with love and pride as she listened to her husband read the scroll of Esther to the gathered crowd. Yet along with her happiness she remembered the devastating grief she’d felt as her beloved husband Jude had died in her arms. That grief had nearly consumed her. But God in His mercy had provided a way for Jude’s memory and heritage to live on through her son Judah. He was seated beside her today, and she reached to ruffle his dark hair, grateful to God for him and for the marriage the Almighty One had arranged.

  As she listened to Ezra read, it occurred to her that Queen Esther also faced a loveless, arranged marriage to King Xerxes, a marriage that had fulfilled God’s purpose in the end. Devorah knew she never would have chosen to marry Ezra on her own. Nothing about the quiet, scholarly man had appealed to her at first, except that he could provide a son to carry on Jude’s name. But God had clearly chosen them for each other, and His choice had proven to be a blessed one.

  “‘Mordecai sent Esther a copy of the edict,’” Ezra continued to read, “‘that called for their annihilation. And he urged her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. Esther sent back this reply: “Any man or woman who approaches the king without being summoned will be put to death. The only exception is for the king to extend his gold scepter and spare his life. Besides, thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”’”

  Devorah imagined how terrified Esther must have felt. How could Mordecai expect her to leave the safety and seclusion of the harem and enter the official throne room unbidden? It was as unthinkable for Esther to approach the king without being summoned as it was for his first queen to refuse his summons.

  Ezra Read Mordecai’s blunt reply: “‘Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?’”

  Devorah remembered her astonishment when she’d first learned a Jewish woman had saved her people. Their deliverance was even more amazing than the victory won by Devorah’s namesake against the Canaanites. How amazing that God used women of faith, just as He used men of faith! She listened as Ezra read Queen Esther’s courageous reply: “‘I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.’” Devorah wondered if she would have had Esther’s courage.

  The story built in suspense as the queen prepared to beg King Xerxes to save her people. Devorah watched her children’s faces as they listened to their father read the story. Her two daughters by Jude were both married and expecting children of their own. Her twins, Judah and Shallum, so alike in looks and temperament, were studying to become priests like their ancestors. And her three youngest daughters, born to her and Ezra after the twins, would grow up in Jerusalem and probably never remember their life in Babylon. Devorah’s greatest wish for all her children was that they would become men and women of faith like Esther and Mordecai. Like their father.

  “‘Esther pleaded with the king,’” Ezra read, “‘falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman, which he had devised against the Jews. “For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?” King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Now write another decree in the king’s name on behalf of the Jews and seal it with the king’s signet ring—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”’”

  Devorah remembered the day her community received word her people could defend themselves against their enemies on the Thirteenth of Adar. Jude had been relieved and eager to fight. Devorah often described his bravery to her children, and also told them of Ezra’s courage as he’d led their people in prayer and into battle. She was proud of both men.

  The story came to a triumphant end: “‘The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder. Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.’”

  Tonight Devorah and her family would celebrate the Almighty One’s faithfulness and His salvation with feasting and singing and joy.

  Ezra sat with his family on the roof of the governor’s residence that night, watching the festivities in the streets below. Songs and laughter filled the air as Jerusalem remembered God’s miraculous deliverance. “Listen . . .” Ezra told his sons. “Hear how joyful our people are tonight? You can’t imagine how different the atmosphere was when we first received news of Haman’s decree. We were in shock, engulfed by hopelessness and despair. The only thing we could do in our helplessness was fast and pray and beg the Almighty One for mercy.”

  “And He answered, didn’t He, Abba,” Ezra’s youngest daughter said.

  “Yes, He surely did. If things ever look hopeless to you, remember how the Holy One answered our prayers. Don’t ever forget to call on Him in your time of need.”

  “Mama says we should remember my father Jude, too,” his son Judah said. “He died protecting her and Abigail and Michal.”

  “That’s true. Your mother’s right. Along with our happiness, we will always grieve for my brother Jude on this day.” Ezra reached to encircle Devorah’s shoulder and draw her close, marveling how joy and love had come from a time of great pain. “But tell me,” Ezra continued, “did you listen closely as I read the story today?”

  “Yes, Abba.” Judah and Shallum answered simultaneously, the way they had since they’d first learned to talk. They made Ezra smile.

  “Did you notice anything missing from the story?” he asked.

  “What do you mean, Abba?” Shallum asked.

  “I’ll put the question another way—how many times was the Almighty One mentioned in Queen Esther’s story? What part did He play?” The boys looked at each other as they tried to recall, both frowning the way Devorah did when she was deep in thought.

  “How many times?” Shallum repeated. “I don’t think . . .”

  “Wait! You’re right!” Judah interrupted. “I know what’s missing! The story never mentioned the Almighty One at all.”

  “Are you sure?” one of Ezra’s daughters asked him.

  “I’m pretty sure . . .” Judah said. “Am I right, Abba?”

  “Yes, you’re right. God is never mentioned or even referred to in the scroll. His name is curiously missing, and He seems to play no part at all in the events. Now, we know Mordecai was a God-fearing man, so why do you suppose he had the story written and passed along to us this way? Why is the Almighty One never mentioned? Any thoughts?”

  Ezra sat back to listen as his children discussed the mystery for several minutes, giving various reasons for His absence. Even Devorah joined in, offering a few guesses of her own. But as time passed, they all decided that none of their reasons was satisfactory.

  “We give up, Abba,” Judah finally said.

  “Do you know the real reason, Abba?” Shallum asked.

  Ezra shook his head. “No, Mordecai didn’t provide an explanation. But I’ve given it a great deal of thought, and I think I know a possible reason why God is hidden behind the scenes in this story.” His children sat forward, listening intently. “I believe Mordecai wrote it this way because this is how we most often experience the Holy One in our own live
s. God’s plan is often hidden from us in such a way that we can’t see what He’s doing. We may feel abandoned by Him and wonder what He is doing and why He has left us all alone. But of course He isn’t ‘missing’ at all, just as He isn’t really missing in Esther’s story. He’s always right beside us, only a prayer away, working out events for our salvation. He wants us to trust Him in faith, even when we can’t see or understand what He is doing.”

  “I remember how abandoned we felt when we first heard Haman’s decree,” Devorah said. “No one could understand why He allowed evil to win.”

  “Yes. But now we know from Esther’s story that God hadn’t abandoned us after all. He was hard at work behind the scenes, arranging to save us through a Jewish queen.”

  “I think you’re right, Abba,” Shallum said. “I think that’s why the Holy One is ‘missing.’”

  “Your father is the wisest man in Jerusalem,” Devorah said, smiling up at him. She rose and passed around a tray of sweets to all their children.

  Ezra leaned back and relaxed as he listened to his family laughing and talking among themselves. Never had he known such joy and contentment. He closed his eyes for a moment as he whispered a silent prayer of thanksgiving for the Almighty One’s goodness and deliverance. God had used the events of Purim to not only give him this beautiful family, but to bring them here to Jerusalem.

  Ezra had studied the Scriptures all his life, seeking to know and understand the God who loved him. But even after all these years, he knew he had barely begun to learn about Him—the God who balanced justice and mercy, law and grace. Tomorrow, when the celebration ended, he would return to his study and open the Torah scrolls to learn even more about his awesome God.

  Glossary