04 The Edge of Darkness (10 page)

TWENTY

The town of Shiloh, 1083
B.C
.

THE POUNDING
on the door woke Hophni from a dead sleep
. Who could it be at this hour?
he wondered. He had just pulled back his blanket and was getting out of bed when he heard his front door being broken down
.

Before his feet touched the floor, soldiers bearing torches rushed into his room. “I am Captain Gaddiel. Get dressed quickly. You must come with us immediately.”

“Certainly not!” replied Hophni with indignation. “Who do you think you are? I am the son of the high priest. You have no right to break into my home. I want you to leave this instant!”

Gaddiel’s voice became stronger. “Get dressed now! We need to take you and your brother, Phinehas, and the Ark of the Covenant to the valley between Ebenezer and Aphek. We have suffered the loss of many lives. If we
lose many more, our defeat is certain. We need the Ark to ensure our victory in the battle with the Philistines.”

“You can take the Ark, but I’m not going to any battlefield! I don’t want to be killed!” Hophni protested
.

“You and your brother are priests. Don’t you wish to serve your people? You will go and bless the troops. Half of my men are at your brother’s house right now. They’re getting him ready to leave with us. You will both go, or else.”

“Or else what?”

“Or else I will expose you to the people for what you really are. I know that you both are corrupt. I know that you both take the best meat sacrificed to God for your own families’ consumption. You act so religious and pious. You both are nothing but frauds. It makes me sick to even look at you. You and your brother claim to know the Lord but your actions deny it.”

Hophni hesitated. He did not want his surreptitious activities to come to light, but that still seemed preferable to marching onto a battlefield. But the captain wasn’t finished yet
.

“I also know that you both lay with the women who assemble at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Suppose your wife were to learn of your activities once she returns from visiting relatives? Doesn’t the law require that those who commit adultery should be stoned?”

Hophni was speechless. He had no idea how Gaddiel had gathered so much information about him and his brother. He did not say a word while he dressed and went with the captain
.

When the Ark of the Covenant arrived at camp early in the morning, the people cheered so loudly that the ground shook. Many danced around the Ark as it moved toward the battlefront
.

The noise from the camp of the Israelites startled the Philistines. “What does this great shout in the camp of the Israelites mean?” asked Commander Jotham. He ordered that spies be sent to determine what was going on. Within a couple of hours the word came back
.

“God has come into the camp of the Israelites. Woe unto us! Nothing like this has ever happened before. They have brought their Ark of the Covenant to help fight their battle with us. It is the home of their God Jehovah, the same God who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.”

Commander Jotham tried to calm the fears of the soldiers. “Be strong and conduct yourselves like soldiers, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Israelites. You need to act like men and fight for your country and families!”

He had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when a runner approached
.

“Commander! The Israelites are on the march!”

Jotham knew he would have to go to battle whether he wanted to or not. He gave the order to assemble and encouraged his warriors to fight with all their heart and soul
.

“Do not fear the God of the Israelites. Is not the great god Dagon more powerful? He will deliver us from these weak and cowardly warriors. We defeated them yesterday and we will do the same today!”

It was an impressive sight to see the Israelites marching to battle. The golden Ark of the Covenant stood at the front of their ranks. Flags and banners flapped around the Ark, and Hophni and Phinehas cut impressive figures in their formal priestly robes
.

Jotham and his aides were too far away to see the terror in the eyes of Hophni and Phinehas. They had always lived a life of luxury and sensuality. They had never set foot on any battlefield. They would have run away and hidden in a cave if Gaddiel and his elite soldiers had not kept them next to the Ark. But the men in the Israelite army never suspected the extent of the priests’ fear and corruption. They blindly trusted and followed their priests
.

Jotham spoke. “Take one hundred of the bravest warriors and seize the Ark. Be sure to kill the two priests following it. If we can capture their precious religious relic, it will demoralize the entire army.”

One hundred of the bravest Philistine warriors snuck into the ravine of a
riverbed that ran through the valley. They were able to work their way to almost the center of the battlefield undetected by the Israelites. They camouflaged themselves with bushes to conceal their ambush.

And then they waited
.

As the Israelites reached the middle of the valley, Jotham gave the signal for the trumpets to blast. The Israelite army was focused on the approaching conflict and did not notice the concealed warriors. When the Philistine arrows began to fly, the Israelites put up their shields, and the one hundred warriors in hiding launched a surprise attack on the Ark and the soldiers surrounding it
.

The surprise overwhelmed the Israelites near the Ark. Within a few minutes, the Philistines had captured the Ark. To the horror of those nearby, they watched as the Philistines beheaded Hophni and Phinehas. One of the Philistine warriors picked up the two heads, held them high in the air and bellowed a victory scream, sending chills down the spines of the Israelite soldiers
.

The capture of the Ark turned the tide of the battle. It was a slow retreat at first… but it didn’t take long before it was an absolute exodus of Israelite warriors. They dropped their weapons and ran for their lives in stark terror
.

The Philistines quickly sensed the fear and took advantage of it. They chased after the Israelites, yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs. They soon began to gain on the ranks in the back and slew them as they attempted to flee. It became an exciting game of hunt, chase, and kill for the Philistines. When the great slaughter at last came to an end, thirty thousand foot soldiers lay dead
.

Jotham and his aids commenced dancing and shouting as they surrounded their trophy. The Ark was now theirs. The general raised his arms and yelled at the top of his voice
.

“The Israelite God is powerless against our great god Dagon!”

A cheer went up among the Philistines. It was a glorious day
.

TWENTY-ONE

SHARI DIDN’T HEAR the door to the lab open and then close. The latest CD from her new favorite band blasted from a nearby boom box. In addition, she was deeply engrossed in a papyrus manuscript that Murphy had found in an out-of-the-way curio shop in the seedy part of Cairo some time ago.

She had just taken some pages out of the humidifier and begun to carefully unroll them. The normally porous white paper had turned brown and was still a little brittle. She bit her lower lip as she carefully unrolled and separated the pages. This was one of the things she liked about her job. She had a curious mind and could hardly wait to discover the hidden mysteries in these ancient pages.

Paul Wallach watched Shari in silence. His face was expressionless as he observed her … but deep inside his emotions ran wild.

It had been several months since he had seen her and during that time he had come to realize what a fool he had been. He missed her warm smile and playful spirit. The lure of a job offer by Shane Barrington had clouded his thinking as he was overcome by thoughts of wealth, fame, and power.

Wallach had come to believe that Barrington really cared for him. He looked at Barrington as a father figure and mentor … especially since his own father was gone. At first, Barrington seemed to be genuinely interested in him. The visits to his hospital bed after the bombing at the Preston Community Church. The paying of his tuition at the university Barrington had, on more than one occasion, indicated that Paul was like his own son, whom he’d evidently lost in an accident.

Paul watched as Shari bent over the manuscript and gently unrolled it. The two ponytails coming out of the sides of her head were almost touching the papyrus. Her jet-black hair was contrasted by her bright white lab jacket.

He thought back to the time in the hospital. Shari had sensed something about Barrington. She had told Paul that he wanted more than just a father-son relationship. Her intuition had told her that Barrington was a phony and a hypocrite, even though Paul couldn’t—or wouldn’t—see it. Of course she had been right.

Paul was ashamed now of his own greed. Barrington didn’t care about his desire to become a writer for his news network. All he wanted was someone on the inside to write about Murphy and what he was teaching. It had never dawned on Paul that he was being used as a spy … until now. He felt angry, cheap, and used.

For a moment, Wallach flashed back to that fateful day in Barrington’s office. He had felt like Barrington was looking through him rather than at him.

“I was curious as to what my responsibilities would be. We really haven’t had a chance to talk much about it after you gave me the assignment of reporting on Dr. Murphy’s archaeology class. How have you liked my writing so far? What does the future hold for me with Barrington Network News?”

Paul remembered how Barrington had just sat there in silence for the longest time. It was almost unbearable.

“Well, Paul, I have a reputation for speaking frankly. Are you ready for a man-to-man talk?”

Paul had the same feelings come over him as he did when Barrington first said those words. He felt scared and helpless in the face of such a powerful man, a man who controlled millions of dollars and the lives of thousands of people.

“We’re going to have one today. Your writing stinks. I only needed you to get information on Murphy, but I no longer care about him and I have no use for you anymore. And, oh, by the way, your scholarship is discontinued.
”

In an instant, Paul felt his whole world come crashing down.

“But, Mr. Barrington, you told me that you thought of me as a son.”

Barrington’s response destroyed him.

“Oh, grow up, Paul. If you want to know the truth, you haven’t got skills enough to drive a nail—let alone survive in this kind of business. I’ll spell it out slowly so you’ll understand: You’re fired.”

Paul’s attention was drawn back to the lab as Shari started singing along with the music. He smiled to hear her voice. He had missed hearing it.

Shari finally sensed his presence and turned. A look of shock came over her. Paul Wallach was the last person she had expected to see. The last time they were together it had ended in tears. Shari could hear her last words as she looked at Paul.

“Let me try to explain. You and I think differently about God, eternal values, how to conduct one’s life, and what’s important in life. It’s like water and oil. They can’t be mixed together. Try as hard as I would like to, it’s just not going to happen. If we were to continue our relationship you wouldn’t be happy
with me and I wouldn’t be happy with you. I think it’s best if we stop seeing each other. It’s evident that you and I are walking down separate roads. I can’t reject all that I believe in, no matter how much I care for you. Trying to do so will only end in disaster. I wish it didn’t have to end this way, but in the long run it will be the best for both of us.”

“Hi, Shari. I was in the area and thought I would drop in and say hello.”

Shari was tongue-tied. “Hello, Paul,” she finally managed.

“I know you’re busy… but can you break away for a little bit?”

“I … I guess so.”

“Great. Could we go for a walk?”

Shari nodded her head and took off her lab coat.

What’s this all about?
she wondered.

They walked in silence for a little while, Shari trying to figure out what was going on and Paul trying to muster his courage. Finally he spoke.

“You know, you were right.”

“About what?”

“About Barrington. He didn’t care about me. I was just being used. He’s an expert in using people.”

Shari nodded her head in agreement.

“I don’t work for him anymore.”

“You don’t? When did that happen?”

“A couple of months ago.”

“What are you doing now?”

“Nothing. I have reenrolled at Preston and will start next semester. I’m looking for a part-time job until then.”

“Why are you coming back here?”

“I guess there are two reasons. The first is that I need to find out who I am and what I would really like to do in life. The second …”

He paused for a moment. “The second is that I would like to see if we could possibly begin dating again.”

“Well, I …”

“Don’t say anything yet. I know I’ve acted like an idiot. You were right and I was wrong. I hope that you can forgive me for hurting you. I’m so sorry.”

Shari hadn’t expected any of this.

“I can forgive you, Paul. But just because I forgive you doesn’t mean that we will go back to the way we were. My faith in God has not changed and we see life differently.”

“I know. I guess what I am saying is maybe you were right. Life isn’t just earning money and buying things. I’ve had a severe wake-up call. I’m trying to process everything and I think I’m more open-minded than I was before.”

“Paul, I hope that’s true. That would be wonderful. But if you’re trying to adopt a belief in God to win me back, it won’t last. Your decision to come to the Lord needs to be yours alone … regardless of whether we ever get back together or not.”

“You’re right, Shari. I’m not trying to pressure you. I just hope that you might consider it. I’ve gone through a tough time the past couple of months. It’s been lonely, and I’ve had to do some heavy thinking.”

“Have you been thinking about God?”

“Yeah. But if I’m honest, I guess I’m a little mad at Him.”

“For what?”

“For letting this all happen to me.”

“Maybe He didn’t let it happen to you, Paul. Maybe He tried to stop you and you wouldn’t listen. Maybe you brought it on yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did God tell you to take the job with Barrington?”

“No, I don’t hear voices from heaven.”

“Sometimes God uses the voices of other people.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe God was using me to warn you of the danger ahead. Maybe I became His voice to you.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way before.”

“Paul, I know that you were angry when you lost your father. You didn’t think it was fair that he died. Now you have lost another father figure in Shane Barrington. Not only did you lose him, but he used you and didn’t give a rip about your feelings. That’s enough to get anybody angry.”

“You’ve got that right.”

“I can understand why you’ve been depressed. I had some of those same feelings when I lost my parents. It took me a while before I realized that anger and depression are tied together. Of course, you can be angry and not be depressed … but you cannot be depressed without some form of hurt and anger. I wasn’t able to pull out of my depression until I faced my anger. I had to admit it… own it… and choose to let go of it.”

“That doesn’t sound easy.”

“No, it’s not. It was one of the hardest things I had to do. Is it possible that you haven’t dealt with your anger yet?”

“I think that’s safe to say.”

“That’s only natural. I would be hurt and angry too. But will your anger change the situation?”

“No, but I’d like to punch him in the face!”

“What if you don’t get that opportunity?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe then you will have to face your anger and let go of it.”

“How can I do that?”

“By making peace with the things you cannot change. By learning to not get into the same type of situations in the future. By forgiving.”

“By forgiving? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive him.”

“Didn’t you ask me to forgive you a few minutes ago for hurting me?”

“Yeah, but—”

“No buts. What if I had responded to you the way you’re responding to Barrington? Would you like that?”

“Of course not.”

“What’s the difference, Paul? You can’t harbor hatred in your heart and expect to ever heal emotionally. That was one of the hardest things I had to learn. I have to keep reminding myself of it all the time. Hurtful thoughts have a way of haunting us. We have to keep giving them back to God. He’s the only one who can give us the strength to do this, and the inner peace that comes from forgiving.”

“Pretty heavy stuff, Shari. I’m going to have to think about what you’ve said. Thank you for not hating me.”

“I haven’t hated you, Paul.”

“I hope that you might be open to talking again, Shari. I hope that we might be able to work through our differences. Would you be open to that?

“We’ll see, Paul. That’s all I can say for now.”

Shari’s eyes were fixed on the floor and she was deep in thought when she entered the lab. She didn’t see Murphy sitting behind a microscope at the side of the room.

“So?”

She looked up, startled.

“‘So’? What do you mean?”

“I saw you walking with Paul Wallach over by the pond. Is he working on some story for Barrington News Network?”

“No. He was let go. Barrington really didn’t have a job for him.”

“It doesn’t surprise me. He’s the type of person to use someone and then throw them away. What’s Paul doing now? Is he planning to come back to school?”

“He signed up for next semester.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“And are you going to start dating him again?”

Shari felt a mix of emotions beginning to swirl within. “Now who’s playing matchmaker?”

“I’m just asking.”

“I’m not sure. I don’t know if he has changed. I think I’ll have to just watch for a while.”

“You’re wise to take it slow. If he has changed, you’ll know it.”