Mara stared at her father, unable to look away, and her mouth went suddenly dry.
"You can probably imagine," Gideon continued, "how honored I felt when Saul approached me about a betrothal between one of my daughters and his son. This is a great honor to our family, Mara. A very great honor. Ish-bosheth has asked for you to be his wife."
Mara felt the blood drain from her face. Then her knees buckled. She would have fallen to the floor except for her father’s quick steadying hands. The world seemed to swim around her, and it took several long moments before she had strength enough to stand on her own. Gideon, misinterpreting her reaction, beamed with open pride.
"I thought you would be stunned by this," he said, "and I must admit it’s a little overwhelming to me as well. I could hardly contain myself when Saul revealed his son’s interest in you, but rest assured the king’s offer is real and he’s prepared to give a handsome bride price once Merab’s betrothal is out of the way. He’s making arrangements right now to marry her to Adriel the Meholathite. Once that’s done, your betrothal to Ish-bosheth can swiftly go forward."
Mara couldn’t speak. She couldn’t think. But finally a few words found their way out of her mouth.
"Saul promised Merab to David. How can he give her to Adriel?"
"Things change," Gideon said, frowning. "And David won’t be around long enough for it to matter. What matters to us is that you – my daughter – are to become daughter-in-law to a king. I would expect a little more excitement from you. Some gratitude at least."
Mara stared helplessly at her father then turned with imploring eyes to her mother. The smile had now faded from Judith’s face, and she was staring at Mara with concern; but Gideon put a firm arm around Mara’s shoulders and steered her into an adjoining room.
"For the time being," he said, "you’ll need to keep this a secret from all but your mother and me. Michal is already mourning over David’s loss, and we don’t need to upset her by announcing she’ll be losing you, too. You’ll speak to no one about this great honor. Not until it’s officially announced by the king."
Mara numbly nodded. She didn’t know what else to do.
Bitterness. That was the meaning of Mara’s name. Naomi took the name upon herself after returning from Moab. "Call me not Naomi," she had said. "Call me Mara. For the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me."
Now Mara understood the meaning of bitterness and sorrow. It seemed a cruel prophecy her name should so perfectly reflect her life.
"Today we have cause to celebrate," Gideon said. "Come with me into the courtyard. I’ll call one of the servants to bring us drinks and refreshments. This is a great day in the household of Gideon ben Yeshua. A very great day!"
Mara followed, dying inside.
Chapter Twenty
כ
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Psalm 46:7
His lungs burned, his legs were covered with long bleeding scratches, and every muscle in his body screamed at him to drop to the earth and lie there gasping for breath. Under any other circumstance he would have done just that, but too many lives were at stake. If he didn’t warn David, no one would, so Tobiah ignored the stinging pain of another thorny branch and bounded across a desert wadi’s stony bed.
A thousand chariots. A thousand Philistine chariots, and he was racing headlong toward them! He might manage to make it to David before the Philistines sprung their trap, but his legs would never carry him safely back to the hills.
The first morning after camp was pitched, Tobiah had listened to a discussion between David and one of David’s officers. The soldier, who was familiar with this area, had explained they were encamped approximately four or five miles from the Plain of Philistia. Tobiah couldn’t know for sure, but he was fairly certain he had run half that distance already. Unless he was closer to David than he realized, David must be drawing dangerously close to the hidden chariots.
Tobiah’s world became confined to his pounding feet’s monotonous rhythm and his labored breathing. He wasn’t even certain when he finally caught up with the rear echelon of David’s marching troops; but, at last, completely spent, he was ushered to the head of the marching formation where an angry David waited for him.
"Tobiah! I told you to stay at the camp! What are you doing here?"
Tobiah didn’t immediately answer. He couldn’t answer. He was doubled over, gasping for breath, both hands on his knees and trying not to vomit on his own feet.
"Chariots!" He coughed out the single word between painful, heaving gasps. "The last two scouts… They returned to camp… You’re walking into a trap…"
"Trap?"
"A thousand Philistine chariots are waiting at the end of this valley…"
A nervous murmur passed through the soldiers, and David moved closer to Tobiah, his features softening a little.
"Are you certain of this?" he asked.
Tobiah coughed.
"There are also soldiers hiding in the hills. Benoni thinks there may be more hiding to the south."
David stood motionless, scratching his chin, and he stared reflectively at the sky. His men cast frightened glances at each other. They were all waiting to see how their young, inexperienced commander would handle this situation.
"We’ll be butchered if we continue down the valley," David said. "And if we turn back, they’ll run us down from behind. We have to hit them with something unexpected – something to turn the odds in our favor. Do any of you have ideas?"
He turned to his men, looking each of them in the eye; but all of them turned their eyes away. Several long moments of uncomfortable silence passed before one officer finally worked up enough courage to speak.
"You say we can’t turn back," he said. "But what other choice do we have? If we turn and run now, there might still be a chance for some of us to make it to Beth-shemesh alive. We might be able to stop their attack there. There’s nothing we can do down here in this valley."
David looked around once more, and Tobiah saw many were murmuring in fear. David needed to do something, and he needed to do it fast.
"We could run," David said. "That’s the easiest thing to do. But since when do Israel’s armies run from Dagon’s idolatrous worshipers? Our God is the true and living God. I say we ask Him what He would have us do. And when He tell us, we commit fearlessly to whatever course He directs."
David’s soldiers stared at him with blank expressions. None of them seemed to understand what he was saying until he knelt quietly on the valley floor, motioning for them to join him.
Tobiah was the first to kneel at his side. Perhaps they would die today, but if Tobiah was going to die in battle, this was the leader he wanted to die next to.
—
Tobiah looked down and saw the hand he’d placed next to his sword was pale and shaking. He knew David had instructed all the men to act normal – not to stare at the hills to either side of them – but he couldn’t seem to keep his own eyes from straying in that direction. It was quiet – too quiet – and he sensed the Philistine attack would come at any moment.
"Remember to stay close to me," David whispered, walking near him as they made their way through the tall valley grass. "Their approach is going to be a terrifying sight; but if we stay with our plan, we should come out of this alive."
Tobiah nodded, but it was still difficult to believe – even with the Lord of Hosts on their side – this could turn out right. They were surrounded, they were outnumbered, and he realized with shame his own faith had already begun to waver.
"Stay close to my shield bearer and my personal guards," David said, sensing his fear. "They’ve been instructed to protect you as if they were fighting to defend me. They’ll get you back to Beth-shemesh alive. Don’t worry. You’ll live to see another day."
"And what about you?" Tobiah asked. "Are you planning on being alive at the day’s end?" He tried to grin – tried to lighten his own mood by putting
a humorous tone in his voice –but his words came out dry and cracked like a dying frog’s strangled croaks.
"I would like for all of us to come out of this alive," David said, and a troubled shadow passed over his face. "I don’t know if that’s going to happen. But whatever the Lord chooses for us today, this battle’s outcome will be in His hands. I’m willing to die if it’s what He chooses for me."
He paused for a moment, as if collecting his thoughts, and added, "But I won’t go without a valiant struggle. I don’t think it’s part of God’s plan for us to lose the battle today. My heart tells me otherwise. It tells me He will provide a way for us to march out of this valley victorious."
Tobiah tried once more to smile. He searched for something appropriate to say but didn’t get his chance to speak. A muffled roar suddenly arose from the north, and David’s entire army came to an abrupt, startled halt.
"You all know what to do!" David shouted. "We fight in the name of the true and living God! The Lord of Hosts is with us! He will guide our swords this day!"
David’s troops answered with a cheer, but it somehow lacked the enthusiasm Tobiah heard in the attacking Philistine’s voices. He drew his sword and whispered a silent prayer. He felt strangely calm considering the danger he was in.
A multitude of thoughts raced through Tobiah’s mind as he followed David through the brush. He thought of his mother and how he still hadn’t fully reconciled his differences with her. He thought of the peaceful days spent tending the flocks in Bethlehem’s hills. Most of all, however, he tried to picture the beautiful, dark-eyed girl he might never see again. If he died, his biggest regret would be losing the life he might have had with Mara.
"Please allow me to live," he whispered, and, as he did so, he wondered how many other men were whispering the same simple prayer.
The Philistines’ roars were growing louder, and Tobiah felt a rumbling in the earth. The tremors vibrated through his sandals’ soles all the way to his knees. Chariots! A dust cloud rolled toward David’s army, and David began to shout out orders.
"Hold your positions! Wait until I give you the signal! Do not fear our enemies or their chariots!"
Tobiah noticed motion in the hills to his right. The Philistine soldiers who had concealed themselves there were readying to cut down any fleeing Hebrew soldiers. Then the chariots appeared, the charioteers whipping their horses into a frenzy. Thundering wheels would be rolling over him at any moment.
He shifted his eyes uneasily between David and the chariots. Nervous beads of perspiration trickled down his face. His body still ached from his mad dash across the valley, and he feared he wouldn’t have strength to do what came next; but David looked back and nodded encouragingly before pointing his sword at the sky and shouting out the tensely awaited order.
"Retreat! All troops retreat!"
Chapter Twenty-One
כא
Have mercy upon me, O Lord,
for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed
with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
Psalm 31:9
"You’re a golden ray of sunshine today."
"What?"
Mara looked up from the table, realizing her mind – yet again – had wandered. She tried not to look flustered but knew she was failing.
"I was just commenting on how depressing it is to be with you," Michal said. "You won’t say a word unless I pry it out of you. It’s not polite to make others suffer just because you’re feeling a little miserable."
"I’m sorry."
Michal scowled, shook her head and reached across the table to scoop up the two sheep bones they were using for their game. She shook them noisily in her cupped hands before tossing them onto the table.
"I win again!" She clapped and grinned with satisfaction. "That’s what you get for not concentrating on the game. Are you ready for another round, or are you too busy moping?"
"We can play again if you’d like," Mara answered. It was difficult to put any enthusiasm in her voice. It had been difficult to feel good about anything since her latest conversation with her father.
"So what is it anyway?" Michal demanded, rattling the knucklebones once more. "What’s bothering you? I suppose I’d better let you tell me or you’ll never get over it."
Mara looked at Michal, remembering all the times she had given sympathy to her cousin. It was obvious she would get little of the same in return.
"It’s nothing," Mara murmured. "I’ve just been searching for a solution to a problem."
"Well," Michal said, "whatever it is, it can’t be all that bad. It’s not like you ever have any real problems. Not like I do, at least. Look at my miserable life! The man I love is risking his life to fight the Philistines. And, even if he does manage to make it back alive, he’ll marry my evil sister. What will become of me then? I’ll tell you what! I’ll probably end up as the unfortunate wife of some boorish man twice my age! You have nothing to be depressed about. It isn’t like you’ll ever have to experience the awful kinds of problems I face."
"No," Mara said, struggling to hide her emotions. "No, I suppose I won’t."
"Have you heard what my idiot brother Ish-bosheth is planning?" Michal said it as she again rolled the knucklebones across the table. "It seems everyone but me will be having a wedding soon. Ish-bosheth is taking a second wife. He’s been badgering my father about it, and it’s finally going to happen."
Mara tried not to cringe at mention of Ish-bosheth’s name. It took all the self-control she possessed to hide her inner anguish.
"He’s been coming around the fortress a lot," Michal continued, "and I think it was so he could look over the female servants to see if there were any here to his liking. He disgusts me! He already has one wife, and I don’t see why he needs another. Mother never says much about it, but I know she isn’t happy about sharing her husband. She certainly doesn’t approve of Ish-bosheth’s plans. Sometimes I don’t understand how men think. They wouldn’t want to share their wife with another man, so I don’t know why they think we’d want to share a husband."
She paused, shook her head, then looked at Mara and motioned toward the knucklebones.
"Your turn."
Mara scooped up the playing pieces, shook them, and tossed them.
"Whoever I marry," Michal went on, "I want it to be a man who loves me so much he never wants another wife. I pity my brother’s current wife and whoever it is he marries next."
Mara felt a hard knot form in the center of her throat. She too pitied these women. Especially the second one.
"I…I need to go," she stammered, rising suddenly – unsteadily – to her feet. I don’t feel well. Do…do you mind if I go to my quarters to rest?"
Michal scrutinized Mara and frowned.
"You do look pale," she admitted. "Perhaps you should lie down. Do you want me to walk with you?"
Mara hastily shook her head. "No," she replied. She didn’t know how much longer she could contain her emotions, and the last thing she wanted was for Michal to see her cry. "I’ll be fine. I think I just need a few minutes to rest. I’ll come back and find you when I stop feeling lightheaded."
"All right." To her credit, Michal actually looked a little worried. "But come back the moment you start feeling better. It gets boring around here if there’s no one to talk to."
Mara nodded, turned, and quickly made her escape. She wasn’t sure she could have lasted one more second with Michal. Tears streamed down her face the moment she stepped into the corridor.
Why was fate so bitter and cruel? And why was it her life could be filled with such happiness one moment only to be plunged into darkness and misery the next?
She thought about Tobiah – about his warm eyes and friendly smile. She’d been a fool to entertain – even for a moment – the notion she might find love and happiness in this life.
"O Lord," she whispered, turning her eyes to the heavens. "Have mercy upon me! I can’t solve this problem on my own. I don’t know what to do.
"
She didn’t know if God heard her prayer. All she could be certain of was her destiny rested in His hands. She could do nothing but wait in darkness for an answer to come.
—
The chariots were close now – so close Tobiah expected to feel a javelin’s sharp point in his back. He was surprised therefore when he safely passed the designated spot and staggered into a defensive position beside David.
"Move behind me and my guards," David commanded. "Now is when we see just how much help the Lord will give us."
Tobiah was reluctant to leave David’s side, but he fell back as the Philistine charioteers lowered their weapons into attack position.
"Now!" David shouted.
On the chariots’ flanks, two rows of slingers and archers rose suddenly from the grass. They had stationed themselves there before the largest part of David’s army continued to the valley’s end. The charioteers were caught completely by surprise.
A hailstorm of stones fell upon the Philistine horses, causing some to stumble, others to fall, and still others to rear up in terror. Chariots collided. Charioteers fell to the earth. Those who weren’t trampled by their own horses or run over by the chariots behind them were quickly cut down by a piercing flight of arrows. Only a few managed to wheel around to make their escape. For several crucial moments, the enemy’s forces were in confusion, and David took advantage of those moments.
"Attack! Now!"
With a collective hoarse cry, David’s soldiers rushed forward. In a matter of moments, they wiped out the Philistines’ first wave of attackers.
But the battle wasn’t over yet.
"Fall back!" David bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Fall back and form up! Prepare for the second wave!"
The bowmen and slingers rejoined the army’s main body, this time positioning themselves behind a long, bristling line of pikes. The first few moments of battle had gone flawlessly in David’s favor. At least a hundred charioteers had been taken down without one loss of Hebrew life. But nine hundred or more chariots remained. The odds were still overwhelmingly in the Philistines’ favor. Though their plans had been disrupted, they were quick to remount the attack. They cracked their whips over their horses’ backs and thundered like a dark, foaming wave toward the hated Hebrews.
A Captain in Israel Page 17