Josiah, The Boy King Chapter 7 Part 2

Josiah, The Boy King  Chapter 7  Part 2

“The scoundrel,” King Josiah shouted as Benjamin and Shaphan told him about the merchant.  “Historical artifacts, indeed.  He’s a liar and a heathen to boot.”

“But what are we going to do?”  asked Shaphan.  “The meeting below the temple is tonight.”

“We’re going,” said Josiah.  “We are going to that meeting to see first-hand what is going on among the Baal worshippers in our nation.”

“But Josiah,” protested Shaphan.  “You can’t go there.  They’ll recognize you and may even try to kill you.”

“I’ll go in disguise.  We’ll hide our swords under our robes.  I just have to know what is going on so I can decide what to do about it.  Will you go with me?  Or do I have to go alone?”
            “Of course, we’ll go,” answered Benjamin.

“Shaphan, how about you?”

“I’ll go.  But I still think you should stay here and just let the two of us attend the meeting.”

“Oh no.  I wouldn’t do that for the world.”

The sun went down early that night and the evening turned quite cold.  Josiah had smeared black chalk into his hair and beard and had used betel nut juice to turn his face a dark brown.  With a faded and threadbare robe covered from head to foot he looked anything but a king.  No once could see the sword which hung from his belt inside the outer robe.

Just as it grew dark the boys slipped out the back door of the palace, headed down the valley to the gate of the city and darted through just before the gate closed at the beginning of the Sabbath.  For the next twenty-four hours no one would be allowed in or out of any of the gates of the city.

Once inside Jerusalem they mingled with the crowds which were rapidly thinning out as people made their way home for the  Sabbath holy day.  Not wanting to appear anxious, they gradually worked their way up the Tyropean Way toward the western wall of the temple.  There they stood in the shadow of al large olive tree and watched as small groups of two and three people walked past he house of Aasrah and disappeared under the wall.

Finally Josiah motioned to the others to join him and they crossed the street and approached the wall.  They couldn’t see the hole until they were right on top of it.  But was they came closer they could see that part of the wall jutted out into the street and just behind it was an entrance completely hidden from view to the casual observer.

They stepped quickly through the entrance into a cave-like hall and began to follow it to where a light shone at the end of the corridor.  The room at the end of the tunnel was large and brilliantly lit.  Its walls were all covered with paintings of strange animals and birds to whom oddly garbed priests offered sacrifices.  In the middle of the room was a large platform with steps approaching it from every direction.  On the platform sat an altar and a large image of Baal.  One by one people would walk up the steps from all four directions, bow low before the idol and hand whatever they were carrying to one of the men standing by the top of each staircase.  Watching over the entire scene was a tall, brightly clad figure who the boys recognized immediately.

“Bar-Abel,” Josiah muttered under his breath.  But Shaphan quickly jabbed him in the ribs to keep him from saying anything aloud and giving them away.

As the boys watched, the line they were in kept moving closer to the stairs.  None of them had brought anything to sacrifice and Benjamin and Shaphan thought they had probably seen enough.  They wanted to get out of there while the getting was good.  But Josiah had other ideas.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs and were next in line, the procession suddenly stopped.  Bar-Abel stepped forward and raised his hands high over his head.

“All you who are faithful to the great god Baal, hearken,” he cried in his deep, full voice.  “We have with us tonight a special guest.”

When he said that Benjamin and Shaphan reached under their robes to grasp the hilt of their swords.  He must have recognized Josiah in spite of the elaborate disguise.

Bar-Abel continued.  “This special guest is very pleased to be in our midst.  And I take this visit to be another sign from the great god Baal that he is bestowing his blessing on our efforts to perpetuate his worship.”

The boys crowded close to Josiah on either side, prepared to defend him with their lives.

“Our guest tonight is a member of the royal family.”

At that, Benjamin and Shaphan began to draw their swords, but Josiah laid a hand on each of theirs and nodded toward Bar-Abel.  The boys realized that he was not looking at Josiah at all. Instead his eyes focused on a door in the room which led up to the stairs on the opposite side of the altar.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the faithful.  Welcome to our time of consecration tonight the noble, the wise, the honorable—Queen Hamutal.”

Everyone in the room bowed very low then, but Benjamin had to practically tackle Josiah to even get him to dip his head enough so they wouldn’t be obvious.  Hamutal slowly walked through the crowd and up the stairs to where Bar-Abel stood in front of the altar to Baal.  There she paused and whispered something in his ear and then bowed low before the image of Baal.

As the young queen fell to her knees before the idol, Bar-Abel once again raised his hands over his head and turned to face the crowded room.

“Praise be to Baal,” he intoned and the crowd responded, “Praise be to Baal.”

“Know ye the faithful that Queen Hamutal brings no sacrifice to the great god Baal this day.  She wants me to tell you why.  The queen is even now with child.  She has promised that her first son will himself be her offering to Baal.  As soon as her son is born she will bring him here to be given in person to Baal, creator of the heavens and ruler of all…”

“No,” roared Josiah.  “Never!”  Before Benjamin and Shaphan could do anything to stop him, Josiah drew his sword from beneath his robe and charged up the stairs in the direction of the false priest.  “There is a God in Judah,” he yelled as he ran.  “Jehovah is God.”

Before  Bar-Abel could do anything Josiah was upon him and had plunged the sword deep into the false prophet’s heart.  In absolute silence the vast crowd watched as the high priest of Baal crumpled in a heap on the altar before them.  Then the silence was pierced with a heart-rending shriek of terror as Josiah pulled out the sword and turned toward the young queen Hamutal.

At that instant the other priests on the platform recovered their senses and grabbing up swords and knives which were there for the sacrifices advanced on the king.  With a scream of defiance Benjamin and Shaphan charged up the stairs to protect their beloved king.  With Josiah’s attention deflected by the priests who were attacking him, Hamutal gathered up her robes and fled in terror through the door out of which she had come.

The people watched in amazement as the three young noblemen battled the four priests.  Sword clashed upon sword and the stacks of sacrificial gifts were scattered throughout the crowd as the fighting swept over the platform, destroying everything that was in the way.

One of the priests went down quickly and each of the young men battled with another.  Josiah fought like a man possessed.  His opponent retreated all over the platform until Josiah finally backed him up against the statue of Baal with no place to go.  Just as Josiah prepared to deliver the final blow he heard Benjamin scream, “Josiah, behind you.”

Quicker than you could say “Mephibosheth,” Josiah ducked.  A dagger, thrown by the priest who went down early but still wasn’t dead whizzed over his head and planted itself in the throat of the priest with his back to Baal.  With a gurgle he fell forward on the altar and died.

The battle was over almost before it started.  When the people crowded into the room realized that the king was there they stampeded for the doors only to find that Josiah’s bodyguards were waiting to arrest them and lead them off to prison.

But Josiah still wasn’t done.

“Come on fellows,” he called to Benjamin and Shaphan.  “Let’s get rid of this fellow once and for all.  He doesn’t even have the power to protect himself.”

Going around behind the big statue of Baal they began to push.  Slowly the statue started to tip and then faster than a flying arrow it toppled down, hitting first the altar and then the platform.  It skidded down the stairs and smashed into a thousand pieces on the rock floor of the cave.

The next day Josiah issued a proclamation and sent messengers to every corner of the land.

“By order of Josiah, king of Judah and servant of the Most High God Jehovah.  Be it known to all the people in Judah and Benjamin and in all of Israel.  Worship of any god except Jehovah is a crime punishable by death.  In every city where this proclamation is heard, let it be known that the third week of next month will be a week of cleansing.  Every image of Baal is to be destroyed, every high place and altar is to be cut down and every grove where false gods are worshipped is to be burned.  Those who refuse to heed this proclamation will be punished with death and their graves will be strewn with the dust from the stone idols which are broken in pieces.  Let everyone know that there is a God in Judah.”

In Jerusalem Josiah caused a great fire to be lit.  There the bodies of Bar-Abel and his four priests of Baal were burned right down to their bones.  They were buried outside the city and just like the king had said, their graves were covered with dust from the images of Baal from all over the city which had been captured and destroyed.

Jekameamshobab never did collect his thousand shekels because by the next week he didn’t have any images left at all.  They had all been confiscated by Josiah’s soldiers.

And Hamutal?  Well, she ran back to the palace, collected a few of her things and fled back to her mother’s place in Libnah.  She wasn’t about to stay around when Josiah was bent on destroying all the followers of Baal.  When her son was born she named him Jehoahaz.

Hilkiah the priest and Jedidah arranged another marriage for Josiah, this time to Zebudah,  the daughter of Pediah of Ramah, and Josiah agreed.  But in his heart he knew he would never forget Hamutal.

Josiah, The Boy King Chapter 7 Part 1

Josiah, The Boy King  Chapter 7  Part 1

            The news that Bar-Abel was the uncle of his new queen almost ruined Josiah’s wedding day for him.  He had been so carried away with Hamutal’s beauty that he had refused to listen even to his mother and Hilkiah as they tried to warn him that she might not be a follower of Jehovah-God.

            Because he was now king and because he worshipped Jehovah, Josiah believed that everyone else in the kingdom was doing the same thing.  But such was not the case.  In the days after the wedding reports began to filter in from cities all over the land that many people were still worshipping Baal in spite of the fact that the law of the land said they were to worship God in the temple.  And every report he received said the same thing—Bar-Abel was behind it all.

“I just can’t believe it’s really as bad as the people are saying,” Josiah told Benjamin and Shaphan one afternoon while they were out hunting with their bows.  “But every day another visitor comes to me with a story about how people are worshipping Baal openly in the areas of Manasseh and Ephraim.”

“You have to expect that,” Benjamin said.  “The northern tribes have worshipped Baal for years.  That’s why most of them were carried away into captivity.  The few people who are left are just like the ones who were taken captive.”

“But didn’t they learn their lesson when they saw what God did to their nation?  And haven’t our people, the people of Judah learned the same lesson?  It’s not just up in the cities of Israel.  I’ve had reports of Baal worship in Judah, even right here in Jerusalem.”

“That’s terrible,” said Shaphan.  “Why, if our people insist on worshipping Baal, God will have to punish us just like He did Israel.  He won’t spare us just because we have the temple.”

“I’ve got to find out,” said Josiah.  “I’ve got to know what is going on in my kingdom.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Listen, here’s my plan.  You fellows keep your ears open in the market-place the next couple of days.  If this false worship is as open as people tell me it is, sooner or later you’ll hear something about a meeting-place or a place of worship.  As soon as you hear something, let me know and we’ll go from there.”

For the next several days Benjamin and Shaphan spent a lot of time in the markets which lined the street running the length of the Tyropean Valley through the center of Jerusalem.  They sat in the sheep market at the Sheep Gate on the northern edge of the city.  They wandered through the encampments of the camel merchants who stopped on the outside of the wall to sell the carpets and knives and silk, the gold and silver bowls and beautiful scarves they had purchased on their travels from India to Ethiopia and back.

Josiah had indeed been right.  Small images of Baal were being sold openly in the marketplace.  The sheep merchants complained that even though the temple was open and sacrifices were again being offered to Jehovah, few of the people of the city came to buy sheep for sacrifice.  The camel merchants, who were worshippers of false gods themselves, told the boys that they couldn’t see any difference between the way things were now and the way they had been under Amon and Manasseh.

“Look at it this way,” one grizzled old camel driver told them.  “Last time I was through this way Amon was king.  The people I sold my goods to didn’t care if I worshipped Molech or Baal or Ashtaroth or no gods at all.  Now Josiah is the king and he worships Jehovah. But the people?  Why they still don’t care.  The way I see it, none of the gods have done anything for them anyway so why should they do anything for the gods?”

What the boys listened for most of all was some indication of where the Baal worshippers were meeting.  The fires of Molech where they used to offer children had long since ceased to burn.  But they had to be meeting somewhere to encourage each other to disobey the orders of the king.

By the end of the week they had decided that one of the merchants in the marketplace, a sly-looking gold merchant by the name of Jekameamshobab, was selling more images of Baal than anyone else in the city.  They decided that if anyone knew where the Baal worshippers were meeting, it had to be Jekameamshobab.

Early Friday afternoon they arrived at Jekameamshobab’s booth on the busy Tyropean Way and sat down next to the merchant with a pot of tea between them.  They were hoping he was in a talkative mood, and they weren’t disappointed.

            “What can I interest you young fellows in this afternoon?  A golden mug from Egypt?  Or perhaps a silver looking glass for that new bride you will be taking soon.  The way you fellows have been hanging around all week I figure you must be looking for a gift for some young lady.”

Benjamin and Shaphan grinned at each other.  They had been looking at a lot of things they would never think of buying for themselves.

“Well,” said Shaphan.  “We are interested in something made of gold, but not for our brides.  Our fathers have not yet made arrangements for that blessed event.”

“Then it is a gift for a mother you are seeking?  Let me show you these fine silks from Araby and this string of Babylonian lapis lazuli which they mined on the slopes of the far-off Afgan steppes.”

“No, not for our mothers either,” said Benjamin.  “This is something for ourselves.  If we seem hesitant it is not because we desire it any less, but because we have heard of the commands of our king concerning its purchase.”

A quick glance of recognition passed over the merchant’s face and to cover it up he took along drink of the strong tea which had been brewing all day over his little coal fire.

“Ah,” he sighed.  “You are seeking historical artifacts, perhaps.  You have developed a great interest in the history of our nation, could it be?”

The two boys nodded eagerly, sensing he was on the verge of telling them about the very items they were seeking.

“As you have already stated, our king, bless his good and holy name, has decreed that for the good of our people there should be no more worship of the false gods our people served in days gone by.  I’m certain that everyone sees the value of such a law.”  Jekameamshobab stared out at them from eyes that were closed to a narrow slit.

“Yes, yes.”  The boys agreed with him, feeling that was probably what he wanted to hear.

“But---,” the merchant took a long sip of tea.  “There are those in our nation who realize that worship of other gods was a part of our history.  That fact cannot be changed.  These individuals who value history would not want us to lose contact with our heritage.  And so they are trying to preserve some of the old ways—simply for the purpose of historical accuracy, mind you.”

Again the boys nodded in agreement.  They could see how the whole thing was a lie made up to justify his selling of the statues, but they had to find out the information which Josiah wanted.

“It is to help these people in their historical studies that I have laid in store a small stock of the artifacts you fellows are seeking.  But, tell me?  Am I right that your interest is in these religious artifacts of historical value?”

“Oh, yes,” agreed Shaphan.  “Please allow us to see what you have available.”

Glancing up and down the street several times, Jekomeamshobab looked as if he had forgotten about them.  But then he saw who he was seeking and called loudly.

“Tobiah, over here, quickly.”

A little fellow about eight years old appeared from somewhere in the crowd and crouched down on his haunches to watch the booth.  Jekomeamshobab lifted a curtain over a door in the wall behind him and gestured to the fellows to follow him.

It took a short time for Benjamin and Shaphan to adjust their eyes to the semi-darkness on the other side of the door.  But soon they were able to see that the room in which they were standing was literally crowded with idols.  Most of them were quite small, the kind that people hung in the doorway  or set up in a corner of the room when the whole land had worshipped Baal.  But not all were small and not all were of Baal.  There were statues of Nimrod, the hunter and large flat disks which were painted with the image of the sun-god Ra.  There were statues of Ashtaroth and Molech and Tammuz.  Some of them were of clay and stone, but many were made of gold and silver.

Benjamin picked out one of the largest gold images of Baal and asked the price.  He had no intention of buying it, but he had to convince the merchant that they were really serious about Baal worship.

“That one I will make you a bargain,” Jekameamshobab rubbed his hands together greedily.  “you may be the proud possessor of that genuine gold artifact for the measly sum of 50 gold shekels.  It breaks my heart to part with it for such an insignificant amount of money, but for you, I will do that.”

The boys knew that 50 shekels of gold was more gold than was in the entire statue and that it was in no way a bargain.  But they never hesitated.  “A fair price for such a precious item, but tell us, do you have more of this quality artifact?”

Jekameamshobab nodded his head so fast they thought he was going to lose his last tooth.  “I can get more, surely I can.  Just tell me how many you want.  Two?  Three?”

The boys glanced at each other before Benjamin answered.  They could sense that the information they were seeking was near at hand.

“No, more like fifteen or twenty.  Let’s see, that would be one thousand gold shekels, would it not?”

At the mention of one thousand gold shekels the merchant’s eyes glazed over with a look of absolute rapture.   That was the largest sale he had ever hoped to make, more than he had made all of the last year.

“Do you think you can have them for us on the third day of next week?  It would please us greatly if that could be arranged.”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.  What a pleasure it will be to provide these items for you.  I am your most humble and obedient servant.”

Quickly the boys pursued their advantage while the time was right.  Jekameamshobab was so struck by the thought of so many gold shekels that he didn’t even realize what he was telling them.

“Is there a society for the preservation of history in our nation, Jekameamshobab?”

“Oh yes.  A large society.  Many are interested in my statues, but few are able to afford these beautiful gold images the two of you are seeking.”

“And where does this society meet?”  Shaphan dropped the question casually, as if they were still discussing the price of the twenty statues.

The merchant ran his hand over the smooth surface of the gold image he was holding, visualizing in his mind the fifty shekels of gold it would soon bring to him.

“Why under the temple of course.  Right underneath the holy place.  How that stupid Priest Hilkiah would be upset if he knew.”

“You mean there are rooms underneath the temple?”
            “Oh, yes.  Ancient rooms, dug when Solomon was constructing the temple and then lost for many years.  There is a hole in the Western Wall just beyond the house of the son of Aasrah, keeper of the wardrobe.”

“And when does the society meet?”  Benjamin tried hard to hide his excitement, but Jekameamshobab wasn’t even listening.

“Friday night.  When all the worshippers of Jehovah are in their homes preparing for the Sabbath. It is the perfect time because none of them are out to spy on our activities.  But I can expect you on the third day of the week to come?”

“If you have the twenty statues we will be here,” replied Shaphan.  “But don’t fail us or we will take our business elsewhere.”

“Oh, no.  Jekameamshobab will not fail.  Nothing will keep me from delivering those artifacts on time.”

The boys blinked as they reappeared in the sunshine.  Tobiah was still squatting in the same place where they had left him.  With many farewells and salutations they took their last sips of tea and disappeared into the marketplace crowds.

Josiah, The Boy King Chapter 6, Part 2

Josiah, The Boy King  Chapter 6  Part 2

            With Jedidah back in the queen’s chambers the palace settled into a routine.  Josiah would rise each day at 6:00 a.m. and go out to the courtyard for military exercise.  He trained with a select group of young men in their twenties who had been chosen by the captain of the host to be his bodyguards.  This was always an exciting time for Josiah because he enjoyed the thrill of the sword fighting with which they always concluded the exercises.  The swords were real, but they used a large rubber tip on the end so that no real wounds would be inflicted.  The rest of the men would watch and judge while two of them competed with the swords.  Points were scored every time you touched the opponent with the end of the sword.  A touch in the chest area near the heart was an automatic win.  In spite of the fact that the other goys were taller and older, Josiah won he share of the fights simply because his feet were so quick. 

            “As quick as the goat’s feet on the mountains,” Captain Jozadak would say.

            Then came breakfast during which he would visit his mother.  They would talk about how good God had been to them, and how Josiah could live a life that would please God.

            “I’m so glad that Benjamin and Shaphan have become your best friends,” Jedidah told him.  “They are boys who have learned to listen to their parents, and to God.  One of your ancestors also listened to young men his own age, but they weren’t as wise as your friends.”

            “Do you mean Rehoboam, mother?  Azaliah told us about him the other day.  I think it’s sad that our nation had to be divided in two parts because he took bad advice and made wrong decisions.  We’ve never been one united kingdom again ever since that time, have we?”

            “You’re right, son.  Now the northern kingdom has been carried into captivity because of their sin.  It’s so important for us to make the right decisions and not fall into sin’s trap.  I hope you will always listen to Priest Hilkiah and Azaliah and your good young friends, and not to the likes of Bar-Abel.”

            “I will mother.  And I will listen to you too.”

            After breakfast came the trip to the temple for class.  The rest of the boys spent all day in the temple, but Josiah couldn’t do that.  He had other responsibilities as well.  At noon he returned to the palace and for several hours in the afternoon he sat on his throne and listened to all those who had appointments to see him.

            Sometimes they were foreign dignitaries who cam with gifts from their monarchs.  Josiah always accepted the gifts with many “thank yous” although some of them were quite strange.  One day a group of men from a country south of Egypt came with an animal that had long arms and legs and a tail.  When they set it down on the floor the animal ran up the stairs, climbed on the lions and then climbed right up the wall behind the throne, swinging by its tail and scratching its tummy.  The only way they could get him to come down was to hold out some kind of strange yellow fruit.  When they did that the animal chatter real fast, like he was mad at them, swung down and stole the fruit from them before they could catch him.

            The men who brought him were finally able to grab him, but when they gave him to Josiah’s guards it was an entirely different story.  Soon the animal was sitting on top of their heads and taking their daggers out of the belts when they weren’t looking.  He jumped from one soldier to another while they tried frantically to capture him.  All the time Josiah had to remain serious, although he really wanted to laugh.  Laughing at a gift which had been given to him would have been a terrible affront to his guests.

            Sometimes the visitors were people from his own country who were having arguments and needed someone to settle them.  That part of being king was the part he liked the least.  He didn’t enjoy hearing people argue.  But the king had always been the top judge in Judah, that was just the way it was.  Josiah was thankful that he didn’t have to make hard decisions alone.    A special group of twelve men listened to the arguments with him.  Then they would go to another room and discuss the case with him to help him come to a decision.

            If there were not too many visitors, Josiah would have an hour or two to himself before the evening meal. That’s when he and Benjamin and Shaphan would head out the back gate into the valley of Kidron to fish or hunt.  Sometimes they would wrestle, or just run over the hills whooping and hollering.  Only when he was alone with him two best friends did he feel that he didn’t have to act like a king, and it was great.  They never did anything he would have been ashamed to have people in the kingdom know, however.  Azaliah had taught them that Jehovah was with them all the time.  Josiah wanted to please God even when there weren’t any foreign dignitaries watching.

            For the next several years that was the schedule Josiah followed.  Exercise, school, the throne room and a little play time.  He grew fast during those years, the palace seamstresses were forever adding more bands of cloth to the bottom of his robes so they would touch the floor when he stood up.  It was embarrassing for a king to have his ankles showing.  He grew taller than his mother.  When he fought with the bodyguards during exercises, his sword arm was every bit as long as theirs.  He began to grow some fuzz on his upper lip, and then on his chin.  After looking like a fuzzy peach for a few months he was soon sporting a full beard that made him look much older than sixteen.  Sometimes it itched him terribly but he kept it so the people from other countries wouldn’t guess he was so young.

            About that time another group of visitors began to show up at the palace.  Every afternoon along with the foreigners and the arguers, several mothers would come with their daughters.  They guard at the door would call out, “Hannah of Hebron with her daughter Hadassah,” and the two of them would approach the throne.  There they would set down a bowl of pomegranates or a cluster of grapes.  They would curtsey and walk out of the room backward, smiling all the while.  Or they would leave a piece of needlework to show how talented the young girl had become.  Then the guard would call out, “Elizabeth of Shechem with her daughter Michal,” and another pair would enter with their gifts and grins.

            This happened for about two weeks, several times a day, and Josiah couldn’t figure out why.  So he mentioned it to Jedidah one morning at breakfast.

            “Oh!” she gasped.  “I should have realized.  But to me you are still a child.  These mothers all know that it is nearly time for you to take a queen.”

            “You mean…they want me to marry one of those girls?”

            Jedidah nodded.  “If your father were still alive they would have come to him.  Then if one of the girls pleased your father, her father would have visited and the two of them would have arranged the marriage.  I was promised to your father Amon when I was thirteen and he was fourteen.  We were married a year later.”

            “But what am I supposed to do?”

            “Let them come, my son.  When you see one that pleases you I will speak to Hilkiah the high priest and ask him to take the place of your father in making the arrangements.”