"The
battle went sore against king Saul. King Saul died; and all his sons;
and his armourbearer; and all his men, that same day together."
In
a forest, there were sounds of a furious battle. King Saul, seriously
wounded, was carried by two of his four sons. The other two, with
swords drawn, attended, on guard.
Abinadab
and Ishui had their swords sheathed as they helped their father to a
comfortable position on the ground. Saul did not have a sword.
Melchishua
and Sheth held their swords ready to fight. Every one of the four
showed signs of having been engaged in brutal battle.
Saul,
struggled to speak: See if there's blood.
Not
much blood, Dad.
Very
little, Dad.
I
am in a lot of pain. They struck me from the back with the points of
their sword handles. Cowards!
We
got them, Dad.
Both
of them.
Dad,
your injuries are internal. We see very little blood.
Melchishua
spoke softly to Sheth: Is it safe to rest here?
Check
Dad. See if he can move.
Melchishua
went to Ishui, and whispered: How serious is it? Can Dad walk?
There's
internal injury. He is in a lot of pain. We should rest for a few
minutes.
Are
you okay?
Just
bruises. Nothing serious.
Melchishua
looked at Abinadab; Abinadab gave him a thumbs-up.
Jonathan?
Jonathan
is not here, Dad. He was not with us when we were ambushed. He is
safe.
The
one mumbled to the other: We were at his side in battle, and yet he
asks about Jonathan.
Shhh.
Come, now. Jonathan’s our next king.
Come
near, all of you. I have to warn you, just in case I die in the next
few minutes.
The
four of them gathered in.
You
are not going to die, Dad.
Just
in case. Do not trust the High Priest. Samuel.
What
has he done, Dad?
In
secret, he has anointed someone else to be king.
The
sons exchanged looks of puzzlement.
Dad,
everyone knows that cannot be.
Two
kings at the same time, Dad?
That
is treason, Dad.
Blasphemy!
A
High Priest would not dare do that.
Dad,
you are the first king we Israelites have ever had. All the other
peoples around us have had kings for centuries, but none has ever had
more than one king at a time.
At
your coronation, Dad, Samuel the High Priest, said God chose you in
order to unite all the tribes of the Israelites. Two kings will
divide us, Dad. That cannot be God's will.
The
High Priest would not dare.
The
reports I have are from eye witnesses. Samuel is plotting revenge
because I had his sons executed. They were stealing from the Temple.
He knew that, but did nothing.
There
were seconds of silence. Ishui gave Saul water to drink from a
pocket-size container.
What
do you want us to do, Dad?
Kill
him.
The
brothers exchanged worried looks.
Dad,
Samuel is the High Priest. Killing him will bring down God's wrath on
us.
A
curse on us, forever.
Not
Samuel. Kill whoever Samuel has anointed king.
Dad,
there's a curse on anyone who kills God's anointed. You taught us
that, Dad. If the High Priest has anointed him, we dare not harm him,
whoever he is.
Melchishua,
God would not anoint two kings to rule over one nation. Samuel is
trying to stir up civil unrest against Dad. He is hoping that in the
commotion of a civil war, Dad would be killed, and nobody in
particular could be blamed. For whatever reason, the High Priest
prefers Dad die in a civil war, rather than as a hero fighting
against the Philistines.
A
High Priest trying to
thwart
the will of God? Dad was hand-picked by God Himself to be the first
king of the Hebrews.
In
that case, I don't think we need fear the will of God if we kill
Samuel.
God
will reward us.
Let's
go for the other anointed king at the same time. Since Samuel cannot
be acting on God's orders for a second king, there will be no curse
for killing whoever that second king is.
Uh,
guys, there we might have a problem with Merab.
Merab?
Our sister?
How
is she involved?
She
told me she was excited because her secret boyfriend told her he was
anointed by the High Priest to be our next king.
Her
secret boyfriend is not as secret as she thinks. The rumor is he is
nothing but a stinky sheep farmer.
Where
and how in blazes did a princess like our own sister meet a stinky
sheep farmer?
Dad,
where do we start looking for Samuel's co-conspirator?
Endor.
There
was stunned silence for seconds among the sons.
Witches,
Dad?
The
Witches of Endor are outside the jurisdiction of the Gods. Gods'
curses and blessings are neutralized by Endor charms, in Endor and
everywhere else.
God
allows the Witches to live, Dad?
Gods
have no powers against Witches. All the Gods are not threatened or
challenged by the Witches of Endor. The Witches do not want power.
Most of the time they are not here. Most of the time they and the
Gods are like ships passing one another in the dark.
Dad,
how do we get Witches to give us charms?
Gold,
son. It is the only element of our dimension that mystifies them.
Mesmerizes them. They cannot resist it. Buy charms to reveal who
Samuel's second anointed king is.
And
then we will slow-death kill the traitor, Dad!
Good.
Remember that if he is around after I die, there is a real
possibility that none of you will inherit my crown. Now, we have been
here long enough. Help me up, and let's be on our way.
Abinadab
and Ishui supported Saul as the three moved. Melchishua, whispered to
one of his brothers: Sheth, I will stay here on guard for a few
minutes.
The
two brothers moved out of sight with Saul.
Sheth
softly addressed his brother: On guard, Melchishua? The enemy took
the town. They will not be coming this way.
I
know. I did not want Dad to hear what I have to say. Sheth, that High
Priest Samuel is dead.
They
stared at each other in silence for seconds.
Melchishua,
Dad is king. His spies are everywhere.
Not
in the temple. One of Samuel’s sons who has been asking me to
help him get Dad’s permission to marry one of our sisters, told
me on the battlefield yesterday.
The
High Priest died in battle?
No.
One of his sons brought the news to me on the battlefield.
How
did the High Priest die?
He
went to sit on a bench in the innermost Sanctuary in the temple. The
bench does not have a backrest. Samuel fell backward to the stone
floor. He broke his neck. The temple officials are going to keep it a
secret as long as they can.
Our
High Priest dying by such a common accident in this time of war is a
very, very seriously bad sign. Melchishua, we have to tell Dad. It
will help him since he already wants us to kill the High Priest. He
will see it as a good sign from God.
Sheth,
we have lost the war. The High Priest was our direct line to God. Dad
is bound to see Samuel’s death by a silly accident that God
could have so easily prevented, as sure proof God has abandoned us.
It will kill Dad.
“So
Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men,
that same day together. And the Philistines came on the morrow. They
cut off Saul’s head, and stripped off his armour. They
published it in the house of their idols. They put his armour in the
house of their god, Ashtaroth, and they fastened the body of Saul to
the wall.”
King
Saul’s severed head has never been found.
Contact
Ezra (Unless
you
type
the
author's name in
the subject
line
of the message we
won't know where to send it.)
