Pearl in the Sand (21 page)

Lord, You know we are innocent. We’ve done our best to honor You. And it’s still not enough. Can we ever please these people? Can we ever vindicate ourselves in their eyes?

Like a whispering wind, a thought came into her churning mind.
You only need to please Me. And I am satisfied. Leave your vindication in My hands. I have called you and I am faithful
. A sweet and inexplicable peace descended over her. God would be her vindicator. She didn’t need to be defensive. She didn’t need to point out her neighbors’ hypocrisy and unkindness as a means of making herself feel better. She wouldn’t have to put them down in order to raise herself up. God would take care of them. He was faithful. She smiled
as she nestled deeper into the covering of peace He had bestowed upon her. Lifting her head, she looked up, her eyes shining with a joy that their precarious circumstances could not rob, and found herself staring straight into Salmone’s eyes. The frown lines around his brows smoothed as his gaze locked with Rahab’s. He crouched in front of her.

“I was worried about you.” His voice was husky and low.

“About me?”

“About all of you, I mean. I assume the neighbors aren’t being friendly?”

She grinned. “Not that I could tell. If looks could kill, you’d be digging fresh graves.”

“It will be sorted out tomorrow. I know you are innocent of any wrongdoing in this matter. They will be ashamed of themselves by nightfall tomorrow.”

Salmone believed them innocent. Without explanation, without a plea, he believed. A kind of warmth filled Rahab’s heart; she knew that something frozen and old was starting to melt. Her mouth tasted dry. She swallowed convulsively. “It’s all right,” she said, though it came out a whisper. “God has given me His peace.”

“I saw it in your eyes when you looked at me. More than peace; His joy rests on you.”

Rahab nodded. “It was the most astonishing feeling. He gave me such reassurance. The load of my fears and anger and need for vindication seemed to evaporate. I only need to please Him, He said. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“He spoke to you?”

“In a manner. Not out loud, in an audible voice. More like a whisper within.”

His eyes widened. “Perhaps His Spirit came upon you for a moment.”

“Is that normal?”

Salmone shook his head. “You’ve been more blessed than most.”

She couldn’t help grinning like a fool. “Right now I feel more blessed than most. It’s wonderful.”

He rose up in a graceful motion. “I’d better get back. You don’t seem to need my help.”

“What will happen tomorrow?”

His face lost all expression. “Whatever is necessary.”

Rahab didn’t sleep that night. Wrapped in the security of God’s reassuring words, she hugged the sense of His presence close to her. Contentment enveloped her. Once in a while Salmone’s face flashed before her, his eyes dark as he whispered, “I was worried about you.”

The next morning, the sun made short order of rising, as if impatient to get the anguish of judgment over. Before long, Rahab saw Hanani’s solid form striding toward their makeshift settlement.

“Salmone sent me to fetch you. He thought that you might find today’s events confusing, being so new to our ways,” he said, his expression subdued. His manner lacked its usual cheer. The weight of last night’s news clearly pressed on him like a millstone, and Rahab’s heart went out to him.

“That was thoughtful,” Imri said. “I worried about what we were supposed to do.”

“We are to gather by family. Each family stays within their clan. Clans gather in their tribes. So you stay with the tribe of Judah, which is under Caleb. Joshua will call the leaders of the tribes forward first, in order to determine to which tribe the guilty one belongs.”

“Do we follow Salmone?”

“Yes. Stay near me and my family. We too belong to the same clan.”

Again, Rahab was impressed with the extraordinary order with which Israel gathered about Joshua. After some prayer and words
of consecration, Joshua called the twelve heads of the tribes forward. They filed before Joshua solemnly, leader after leader. Each one came forward and waited until he was dismissed with a nod from Joshua’s salt-and-pepper head. Then Caleb stepped forth, his back ramrod straight, his face grim. Joshua stared at his old friend and comrade for long moments. “Judah,” he said, his voice sounding suddenly old. “God has shown me it is the tribe of Judah.”

A loud murmur rose up in the crowd. Rahab became aware that those standing closest to her and her family were throwing them dagger looks. “Filthy dogs,” a faceless voice shouted. Out of nowhere, a small rock hurled through the air. Before Rahab had time to react, it struck her cheekbone and glanced off onto the ground nearby. Instinctively, she lifted a hand to the sting at the side of her face and was alarmed to find her fingers come away bloody. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hanani bolt toward her. He shoved her behind him with a protective gesture and shouted something that Rahab didn’t catch. But the crowd’s vindictive fury was not appeased. Rahab realized through a fog of disbelief that many near them were bending to pick up rocks.

“Stop!” Salmone’s roar ripped through the buzzing of the people around them. “What do you think you are doing?” He stationed himself next to Rahab, his face a mask of rigid disbelief. These were Salmone’s own people, she realized. He probably knew every one of them by name. “Have you lost your minds?” he bellowed again.

“Salmone, it’s them,” one man spat, still clutching a stone in his hand. “Joshua picked the tribe of Judah, you saw for yourself. And these Canaanites are the latest addition to our tribe. You know it’s them!”

“I know only one thing, Jakim. It’s God’s job to choose the guilty party. Now unless He has given you information He hasn’t yet revealed to Joshua, you’d better drop that stone. All of you!”

He faced all of them with a ferocity they’d not often seen in him. For some seconds nothing happened. Salmone took a step forward. One simple step, Rahab thought, and yet it carried in its
stance such suppressed menace that Jakim loosened his grip on the stone and it dropped to the ground. Others surrounding them did the same.

Salmone turned to Rahab’s family. “Come with me. You must remain near me until the true culprit is found. You won’t be safe until then.” Even through the fog of shock and pain that engulfed Rahab, she noticed that his face looked ashen with tightly controlled anger. As he walked, he maneuvered her so that she was sandwiched between her brother Joa and himself.

“Were you hurt?” he asked without looking at her.

“It’s of no account.” With some effort she managed to keep her voice steady.

An explosive breath escaped Salmone’s lips, but he said nothing. When they arrived where his family were stationed he turned toward her. “Let me see,” he said.

“It’s nothing. Just a minor cut,” she said, desperate to avert attention from herself. Embarrassment at her public denouncement tangled her belly in knots.

“Let. Me. See.” Salmone said, enunciating each word through gritted teeth. Rahab assumed he was angry with her for causing him trouble. He had objected to them joining Israel from the first, saying they would incite bad feelings by their presence and behavior. She supposed he was proven right enough, though it was through no fault of hers.

Feeling stiff with shame, with injured pride, and with the unfairness of Salmone’s resentment, she considered walking away. That was childish as well as dangerous, she decided. Resigned, she turned her face toward him. Carefully, he examined the wound on her cheek. His touch was feather-soft and gentle. Still, she flinched with pain.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice clipped as he removed his hand. “The bleeding has stopped, but you’ll have a nasty bruise. When we go home Miriam will give you some ointment to make sure it doesn’t become infected.”

“Did you call my name?” Miriam crooned as she joined them. She gazed at the scene about her—Rahab’s swelling cheek, her family’s tense countenances, and Salmone’s barely checked rage. “What’s happened?” she exclaimed.

“Someone threw a stone at Rahab when Joshua announced that the thief was from the house of Judah,” Salmone grated. “They were ready to stone the lot of them, if you can believe it.”

“It wasn’t our fault,” Rahab cried out, unable to hold her tongue any longer. The idea that Salmone blamed and resented her became unbearable.

“What do you mean?” Salmone turned on her, his eyes wide with astonishment. “Who said it was your fault?”

“You! You’re angry!”

“Of course I’m angry! My people have committed a terrible wrong. They could have hurt you badly if I hadn’t stepped in. I’d like to knock a few of their heads together right now!” He paused, and then asked more quietly, “Why would you ever think I was angry with you?”

Rahab turned her head away. “You wouldn’t have had this additional trouble if we weren’t here.”

Salmone rubbed the side of his face. “I’m not so unreasonable as to hold that against you at such a time. You are the one harmed. Do you think I’m a madman that I should blame you for this?” he said, gesturing toward her discolored cheek.

Relief washed through Rahab. Her sister Izzie walked over and hugged her, and Rahab clung to her for a long moment, avoiding Salmone’s narrowed gaze that watched her with hawklike attention. In the periphery of her mind Rahab was aware that the different clans of Judah were still walking before Joshua, being dismissed one at a time. Then the Zerahites came. With a lifted arm, Joshua detained them. Rahab knew that this choice, though not identifying the thief, instantly cleared her and her family from any wrongdoing. They had no connection with the Zeharites. After this, events moved at a rapid pace. The families belonging to the clan of the Zeharites began
coming forward, and Zimri was detained. In the end, it was Zimri’s grandson Achan who was taken.

Achan confessed his guilt within the first few moments of questioning, knowing perhaps that denial was futile. Bursting into tears, Achan said, “It’s true. I’ve sinned against the Lord.” Hidden in the ground inside his tent they found his forbidden treasures: gold, silver, and a beautiful Babylonian robe.

Joshua laid a hand on Achan’s shoulder. “Son, was it worth soiling your heart for such useless treasure? What needless trouble you have brought on us and on everyone who loves you,” he said and sank down, holding his head in his hands. After a few moments of silence, he raised his chin, saying, “And your own life too shall be wasted because you disobeyed God and lied about it, and would have gone on lying about it if you hadn’t been caught. Too cheaply have you sold your life.”

Rahab, confused by Joshua’s words, looked over at Salmone, knowing he comprehended Joshua’s implicit judgment. Salmone bent his head back and stared unseeingly into the sky. “Miriam.”

“Yes?”

“Miriam, you know what must happen?”

Miriam nodded, her expression grim.

“His sons and daughters must have known about it; the loot was right under the ground of their tent. And yet they said nothing. They too will partake of the punishment, no doubt.”

“Oh, Salmone.”

“You don’t have to stay here. Why don’t you go home. Rahab, you can leave with Miriam. Let her tend to your face. It’s swelling and must be painful. Perhaps your family might wish to join you as well.”

Rahab bit her lower lip. “What will happen now?”

“The sentence is death. By stoning.”

“Oh.” Her hand crept up to her throbbing cheek. She had learned a little too personally what such a sentence would mean. “In Canaan thieves are put to death as well.”

“The theft of property among us isn’t usually punished by death, but Achan had the gall to steal from God’s share. That shows not only exorbitant greed, but also a total disregard for the Lord. Did he think he could get away with it? Anyway, that’s why the punishment is so severe. This is no ordinary robbery.” He turned to look at the citizens of Jericho for a moment. “Quite a first day for you. Please feel free to leave; you can wait in my tent. It will be more comfortable than being outdoors in this sun.”

Relief flooded through Rahab at the thought of going. She was beginning to tremble in the aftermath of the ugly attack on her life. Her cheek throbbed with constant pain, and if it weren’t for Izzie’s comforting arms, she would have collapsed with weakness. Salmone’s cool tent with its stuffed cushions and serene atmosphere beckoned like an oasis. With most of Israel absent from the camp, there would be unparalleled peace and quiet. “Thank you. I would like to go.” She looked at the members of her family to ascertain their preference. As if by prior consent, the women banded together and chose to go back, while the men elected to stay with Salmone and see Achan’s fate through.

Miriam, who appeared relieved to miss this part of Achan’s trial, led the way back through the confusing maze of Israel’s camp. They walked in heavy silence, each stewing in her own thoughts. Inside the tent, Miriam tended the cut on Rahab’s face, cleaning it with delicate care before treating it with a soothing ointment of her own making. “A little deeper,” she said, “and I would have had to sew it up. As it is, the mark will fade in time. I will give you some of this ointment, which you must rub on the cut every day for the next week. Which one of those bovine wretches did this to you, did you see?”