Tobiah hesitated then nodded.
"Why didn’t you tell me?" he said. "Why didn’t you tell me Saul tried to kill you?"
David stiffened. "What are you talking about?"
"You know what I’m talking about. He threw a javelin at you."
David gave Tobiah a long, piercing look. For several moments, he didn’t speak. When he opened his mouth again, his voice came out in a strangled whisper.
"Who told you this? Who was watching when it happened?"
An image of Mara’s fear-filled eyes flashed through Tobiah’s mind, and he slowly shook his head.
"I can’t tell you. I promised to keep it secret. In fact, I probably shouldn’t have said what I’ve already said."
"You’re right," David agreed. "You shouldn’t have said it. If Saul were to find out he and I weren’t alone that night…" He stopped, not bothering to finish his sentence.
"You should have told me," Tobiah said. "You should have told someone. I shouldn’t have had to find out about it from another source."
"What would you have had me do?" David demanded. "Put you in danger, too? It’s best Saul thinks the secret is safe between him and me. Besides, what could anyone else possibly do to help?"
Tobiah placed a hand over his sword’s pommel, and a scowl darkened his face. "I can think of several things," he said in a low, angry voice.
"The sword should always be a man’s last resort. Revenge isn’t the Lord’s way, and it isn’t my way either. Killing Saul wouldn’t fix the problem. It would only make things worse."
David paused, and a look of pure dejection spread across his face. "Besides," he said, "I don’t think my life is in danger any more. Saul seems to have other plans for me."
"You mean Merab?"
David nodded. "Maybe the king feels guilty about what he tried to do to me and is making up for it by giving me his daughter. Maybe he and I are on good terms with each other again."
"And you don’t want to offend Saul and rekindle his anger," Tobiah said, understanding now. "That’s why you’re going to marry Merab even though it’s Michal you love."
David looked up, the pain shining clearly in his eyes.
"What else can I do?" he asked. "You know now what a precarious position I’m in. What would you do if you were me?"
Tobiah stared at his toes and shook his head. "I don’t know, David. I don’t know what I’d do. I’m glad I don’t have to make those choices."
"I imagine the men would like to get this mission over quickly and return to their homes and families," David said. "But I wouldn’t mind if it took months or even years for the Philistines to make their move against us. I don’t look forward to returning to Gibeah. I don’t see any way out of marrying Merab."
"The Lord of Hosts is a God of miracles," Tobiah offered. "Maybe He’ll provide a solution to your problem. You can always pray He will."
"Yes," David glumly replied. "I’ve been doing plenty of that."
Both young men fell silent again until Tobiah, to change the subject, asked, "Have you come up with a plan for dealing with the Philistines?"
"No. Saul sent us here so suddenly I haven’t really had much time to think about it. I’ve left it in the Lord’s hands, which is what I guess I should be doing with my marriage as well. God has never abandoned me. I shouldn’t lose faith in Him now."
Tobiah nodded, trying to be as encouraging as possible, but David’s prospects truly seemed utterly hopeless.
"I’ve sent out scouts to get a feel for the area," David said. "I’ve also sent messengers into Beth-shemesh to ask about the Philistine raids. Hopefully the city elders will be grateful enough for our presence they’ll offer supplies and extra men if needed. Once I’ve gathered enough information, I’ll organize regular border patrols to monitor Philistine activities in the area. If all goes well, I’ll soon have a better idea about when and where their attacks can be expected to come."
"It sounds like a good plan," Tobiah said. "Will I play a role in any of it?"
"For the time being," David replied, "I want you to stay here in camp and help Micah with the supplies. You’re not a soldier yet. I don’t want you involved with anything that might be dangerous. I have other, more experienced, men for that."
Tobiah fought to keep a frown from forming on his face. He’d anticipated David would say this, but it didn’t make hearing the actual words any less disappointing.
"It’s going to be dark soon," David said, looking again at the horizon. "I wish I could sit here and talk, but I need to make a camp inspection and give assignments for the evening watch. Stay with Micah for tonight; but, first thing in the morning, meet me at my tent. I might have unexpected tasks I need help with."
Tobiah nodded and watched David walk away. David was changing. His exuberant, fun-loving personality was being replaced by a more serious, introspective quality. Maybe it was caused by the dread of an unwanted marriage. Or maybe it was brought on by the stressful reality of life as a military commander. Either way, the change bothered Tobiah. David was moving in a new direction, leaving Tobiah behind.
Tobiah slumped against the donkey cart. Things were nothing like he’d expected them to be. He wasn’t sharing a grand adventure with David. He wasn’t winning any glorious battles in the Lord’s name. His future wasn’t as clear or defined as he’d once thought it was.
Chapter Eighteen
יח
For thou, O God, hast proved us:
thou hast tried us as silver is tried.
Psalm 66:10
Mara stood atop the servant’s quarters’ flat roof and stared anxiously toward Beth-shemesh. Three days had gone by since David and his thousand marched away – three days of mental and emotional agony. Her first thought after speaking with her father had been to run after the departing troops to warn them. David and his men were lambs walking into a hungry lion’s jaws. They knew nothing of the actual danger they faced, but there was nothing Mara could do to help them. Nothing but wait, hope, and pray.
"There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you."
Michal’s voice tore Mara away from her unpleasant thoughts. She turned just as Michal stepped onto the roof. There was an annoyed expression on Michal’s face, and Mara realized she was supposed to have been at the citadel nearly an hour ago. No wonder Michal looked so unhappy.
"I’ve been trying to find you all morning," Michal said, a petulant frown pulling at her lips. "I had no one to do my hair or help me pick out my clothing. I’ve even missed my breakfast because of you. Where have you been all this time? Up here? Hiding on the roof?"
Mara opened her mouth, but Michal cut her off before she could speak.
"Your father has been looking for you," she said. "He wants to speak with you again. I might as well not have a maidservant if he intends to constantly distract you from your duties. What does he want, anyway? What’s so important he’s had to discuss it with you twice in three days?"
"I have no idea what he wants," Mara replied. "The last time he spoke with me, it was about political matters I have nothing to do with. I’m sure whatever it is he wants to talk about won’t take him long to say. I’ll find him this evening and talk to him then. He wouldn’t want to pull me away from my duties."
"It seems you’ve already pulled yourself away from your duties," Michal grumbled. "You’d might as well go now and get it over with."
"I won’t be long," Mara promised. "I’ll tell him I need to be back as soon as possible."
Michal didn’t answer. She merely shook her head and trudged grumpily down the stairs. David’s and Tobiah’s lives in jeopardy. Trouble with Michal and her father. It didn’t get any worse than this. It was going to be another exceptionally unpleasant day.
Chapter Nineteen
יט
Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4
Tobiah watched, envious, as the last soldier followed David down the hills’ chalky slopes. He felt intense conflicting emotions about being left behind. On the one hand, the memory of a dying Philistine kept inserting itself into his mind. He didn’t relish the idea of meeting another face to face. He also didn’t like the thought of using his own sword to spill another man’s blood. But he didn’t see what harm it would have done for David to let him tag along.
Twenty minutes earlier, two of David’s scouts had arrived back at camp, announcing the presence of a small band of Philistines near the valley’s western edge. The Philistine force was at least a hundred men strong, but this was nothing David and his thousand couldn’t handle. It would be a simple matter to surround the Philistines, take them captive – or kill them if they refused to surrender – and celebrate a quick victory. Tobiah had no intention of doing any fighting. He just wanted to observe. He just wanted to be there to partake in the thrill of success.
But David would have none of it. He was adamant about leaving Tobiah behind.
"Guarding the supplies may not seem glorious," David said, "but it’s necessary. I need you here, Tobiah. Your day will come when you’ve grown a little older and more experienced."
A little older? More experienced? Tobiah was only two months younger than David! Tobiah kicked angrily at a round white stone then made his way back to the supply tents.
Other than Tobiah, only a handful of men remained at camp. Most of these were men who worked under Micah watching over the pack animals and supplies. But David had also left about twenty soldiers to man the watch posts and keep the camp secure. Tobiah glanced around and noticed none of the remaining soldiers seemed any happier about being left behind than he did.
At the supply tents, Tobiah found Micah, sitting cross-legged on the earth, examining several bundles of arrows. He was checking each arrow’s feathered fletching, wood shaft, and bronze tip. After examination, he placed them either in a small pile to his left or a much larger pile to his right. Tobiah stared quizzically until Micah, realizing he was being watched, looked up and smiled.
"I’m separating the bad arrows from the good ones," he explained. "Some of them were damaged during the trip. I’ll not have it be my fault if an arrow misses its mark and causes one of our soldiers to die."
Tobiah nodded. Was this how others viewed him? As a bad arrow? As someone who was a hindrance rather than a help? He felt a new burst of anger as he thought about this, and he sat glumly across from Micah.
"Do you think our men will even need to use any of these?" Tobiah asked. "The victory at Elah seems to have weakened the Philistines. Without their champion, the fight has been taken out of them."
"I don’t know if these arrows will get used or not," Micah replied. "But I’m not going to take the risk. The soldiers have their jobs and I have mine. I intend to do mine as diligently as possible."
"I wish David would allow me to do mine," Tobiah grumbled. He swatted roughly at a buzzing fly and leaned forward to trace a pattern in the dust. "I mean no offense to you, but I’m supposed to be a courier – not a supply worker. I could be of service to David today. I could relay orders to his officers. I could run back to camp and bring his requests for supplies. He’s taking nearly a thousand men to kill or capture a hundred. I don’t see what kind of danger I could possibly be in."
"Do you know what the difference between you and me is?" Micah asked, shaking his head at Tobiah. "I appreciate it when I’m given a less dangerous assignment – even if it’s only slightly less dangerous. There’s a girl I care about waiting for me in Gibeah. I’d like to live long enough to see her again. In fact, I’d like to live long enough to marry her. Maybe that’s what you need. Someone other than yourself to care about. Maybe it would change your perspective a little."
Tobiah felt as if he had just been slapped across the face. Was that his problem? Did he care only about himself?
"It looks like more of David’s scouts have returned to camp," Micah said, shading his eyes with one hand. "Benoni and Ezra. I wonder why they’re in such a hurry."
Tobiah followed Micah’s gaze, and they watched the two scouts signal frantically to one of the sentries. They called out something neither Tobiah nor Micah could clearly hear, and the sentry rushed to meet them.
"They’ve seen something," Tobiah said, rising quickly to his feet. "By the looks on their faces, it can’t be anything good."
He forgot about Micah and jogged over to the huddled group of soldiers.
"That’s right," Benoni, the taller of the two scouts was saying. "You heard me correctly.
Chariots! At least a thousand of them! The Philistines have set a trap at the other end of the valley. Anyone caught in the middle will be cut to pieces by their charioteers. Where’s David? We need to give him this information immediately!"
Everyone stared at each other in silence, and it only took Benoni a moment to realize what that meant.
"He’s already in the valley? He’s taken the army with him?"
One of the soldiers pointed a finger toward the Nahal Sorek’s western end where David and his troops could still be faintly seen. They would soon be at the point of no return – too far from the hills to run for cover and too close to the Philistines to avoid being seen.
"Some of the other scouts returned before you did," the soldier said. "They reported a small Philistine force was moving westward through the valley."
"All a part of the trap," Benoni answered. "They must have known the valley was being watched and sent out bait to lure our army in. But I still haven’t told you everything. There are several hundred – perhaps several thousand – Philistine soldiers lying in wait in the hills to the north. I imagine there are more to the south of us as well. No matter which direction our soldiers run, the enemy will be waiting for them to cut them to pieces."
"Someone has to go down there and warn them," Tobiah said. "Someone has to go down there now!"
"No. It’s no good," another soldier replied. "None of us could ever reach them in time. Our best hope is to run to Beth-shemesh and save ourselves."
"What’s going on? What are you talking about?" Micah asked as he now joined the group.
"David’s in danger," Tobiah answered. "Our entire army is about to be annihilated! I’m going down there to warn them!"
"No." Micah clapped a firm hand on Tobiah’s shoulder. "David told me to keep you here. I can’t allow you to set even one foot in the valley, Tobiah."
"David didn’t know he was leading a thousand men to certain death," Tobiah growled, "and I’m the fastest man here. If anyone has a chance of reaching them in time, it’s going to be me."
Micah opened his mouth to protest, but Tobiah gravely shook his head. He started toward the valley but stopped just long enough to say one last thing.
"There’s a girl in Gibeah. Her name is Mara. She works at the citadel as Michal’s maidservant. If I don’t come back, tell her…tell her I was thinking of her. Tell her I’m sorry I missed our meeting at the well."
With one sweaty palm pressed against his sword’s hilt, Tobiah raced into the Valley of Sorek. He was all too aware he was probably running to his death.
—
Gideon ben Yeshua’s house was far grander than most Israelites’ humble homes. Unlike the one to two room structures owned by the city’s common folk, Gideon’s house boasted a garden courtyard surrounded by eight large rooms. All of them were floored with polished stone tiles and furnished with carefully crafted furniture. Loyalty to Saul brought its benefits, and it didn’t hurt that Gideon was one of the king’s blood relatives.
The house was only a short walking distance from the citadel. It rested near the hill’s base, surrounded by Saul’s other advisors’ lavish homes. Mara shifted uncomfortably as she knocked on the door.
The entire way here, she’d felt a curious sense of dread. She still had no idea what it was her father wanted to say to her, but it seemed it couldn’t be
anything pleasant. She wasn’t ready to hear of disaster in the Shephelah or of Saul’s new plans to destroy David. She already felt guilty enough she hadn’t been able to warn Tobiah and David. If anything had happened to them, she would feel even worse.
"Mara! You got your father’s message!"
Mara found herself enfolded in her mother’s warm embrace almost the moment the door came open. A huge smile warmed Judith’s face.
"I hardly ever see you since you entered Michal’s service," she said. "Each day you’re only a stone’s throw away from this house, yet I’m lucky if I see you or any of your sisters even once a month. Unfortunately some things have been just as Samuel predicted they would be. He warned us a king would take our sons from us and appoint them to himself – that he would take our daughters to serve in his household."
She paused, scowled, and added in a whisper, "But let’s not let your father hear me sounding so negative. Our family’s service to Saul means everything to him. And, in a way, that’s why he’s summoned you here today."
Mara did her best to smile, but an inexplicable chill made its way down her spine. Something definitely didn’t feel right.
"You’re probably eager to find out why you’re here," Judith said, taking Mara’s hand and patting it, "so I won’t make you wait any longer. Let me get your father. He wants to give you the good news himself."
She didn’t have to wait long for the news.
"You’re finally here!" Gideon exclaimed when he strode into the room. "I was beginning to wonder if Michal would allow you to talk with me."
"I came as soon as I heard," Mara replied. "But Michal will be upset if I’m away too long."
"Well, you won’t have to worry about Michal too much longer. Things are about to change for the better."
Her father was grinning now as if he had just discovered his own gold mine. Mara started to sweat.
"I had an interesting conversation with Saul today," Gideon told her. "He spoke to me about his son, Ish-bosheth, and mentioned Ish-bosheth is desirous to take a second wife."
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