The Strength of His Hand Read online

  “If you want your own son to inherit your kingdom,” she continued, “then you’d better renounce me as your wife, because I’m barren.” She covered her face and wept, shaking with the force of her sobs.

  For the first time Hezekiah understood her suffering and shared her disappointment. He, too, wanted a son. It wasn’t fair. But in spite of his inner turmoil, he knew that right now Hephzibah’s suffering exceeded his own. She needed him.

  “I can’t divorce you, Hephzibah,” he said quietly.

  “Why? Because Yahweh forbids it?”

  “No. Because I love you.” Hezekiah gathered her in his arms, ignoring for the first time the law that forbade him to touch her. He stroked her soft hair and whispered again, “I love you, Hephzibah. You mean more to me than having an heir.”

  She lifted her head, and the desolation in her eyes as she pleaded with him wrenched his heart. “But I want you to have an heir. I want the next king of Judah to be your son, not Gedaliah’s. I love you so much that I’m willing to give you up in order to make that possible.”

  “No, Hephzibah. I won’t divorce you.”

  “Then can’t you find another way? Isn’t there an exception somewhere that allows you to have a second wife if I’m barren?”

  “I don’t know—I really don’t know.” He had come to Hephzibah’s room tonight filled with faith for the future. But now he felt as though God had snatched the future from his grasp and handed it to Gedaliah.

  “It’s not fair that you should have to choose between staying faithful to me or having a son,” she continued. “How could a loving God demand such a choice from you?”

  “There’s a lot I don’t understand …” he began, but once Hephzibah had unleashed her bitterness, she couldn’t seem to stop.

  “Why would Yahweh forbid you to worship Him tomorrow simply because you felt sorry for me and held me in your arms tonight?

  Why is your God so unfair, Hezekiah? After everything you’ve done for Him, is this the way He repays you? By making you choose between divorcing me or giving your kingdom to Gedaliah?”

  Hezekiah pressed her tightly to himself. “Shh, Hephzibah … stop.”

  Her bitterness fed his own, and the force of it frightened him. He knew that God wasn’t unfair. But he didn’t know how to reconcile his confusion and disappointment with his belief in God’s goodness. He needed time alone to think everything through. He couldn’t afford to listen as Hephzibah angrily voiced her resentment and doubt.

  “Hephzibah, listen to me now. A few years ago Shebna tried to talk me into forming a marriage alliance with a foreign king. He was convinced that the Law didn’t prohibit more than one wife, and he insisted that my grandfather’s interpretation of the Law was wrong. He tried to show me what the Torah said, but I wouldn’t listen to him.”

  “You mean you might not have to divorce me? Maybe you can have a son, too?”

  “I’m not sure. I need to find out the truth. I’ve put you through a lot of heartache over this, haven’t I? I’m sorry.”

  Her arms tightened around him. “It doesn’t matter—as long as you have a son.”

  “The priests and Levites are experts in the Law, and if there’s a solution to this dilemma, they’ll know what it is. I can’t believe that God would be unfair to us.”

  But in spite of his words of assurance, Hezekiah’s gnawing uneasiness refused to go away. Why hadn’t he realized long ago that God had promised David an heir, not him? All these years he had comforted Hephzibah through her disappointment, never doubting God’s promise. He had condemned her lack of faith, but she had been right all along. She would never give him the son he wanted.

  He had believed God’s promise to provide an heir, just as Abraham had believed, but God had betrayed Hezekiah’s trust. After everything he had done for Yahweh—all the reforms, all the years of faithfulness to His Law—God could give Hezekiah’s throne to Gedaliah, an idolater. The injustice of it infuriated him.

  “Don’t cry anymore; everything will work out,” he soothed. “I’ll talk to the priests and Levites tomorrow morning, and by the time I come back tomorrow night I’ll have their answer.” He held her tightly. “I could never give you up, Hephzibah. Never.”

  Hephzibah remained seated before the window after Hezekiah left, unable to stop her tears. When her handmaiden returned, she rushed to Hephzibah’s side. “Ah, my poor lady. I tried to tell the king not to come here. I knew he would upset you.”

  Hephzibah shook her head, smiling as she wiped her eyes. “No, Merab. I’m weeping for joy. He held me in his arms tonight. He really held me.”

  “But the Law says—”

  “I know! Tonight he finally realized how unfair Yahweh’s rules are. He told me that he would find a way to break the Law so he could have a son without divorcing me.”

  “The king said that?”

  “Yes! Merab, do you know how long I’ve prayed for this? How long I’ve been asking the goddess to change his heart?”

  “A long time, my lady.”

  “Well, tonight it happened. I owe Asherah everything!”

  Hephzibah stood and hurried over to the wooden chest she kept beside her bed. She lifted out the golden statue of Asherah and cradled it for a moment, as a mother would a beloved child, before setting it on a small table. Then she lit the oil lamps and incense burners for the nightly ritual to the goddess. But tonight it didn’t seem like enough.

  “Merab, where is the incense King Hezekiah gave me?”

  “Do you think you should burn that, my lady? He wanted you to take it to Yahweh’s Temple.”

  “I don’t care. Bring it to me. The goddess deserves the best I have.”

  As Merab bustled off to fetch the incense, Hephzibah picked up the small funeral urn she had prepared a few years ago. The words of the vow she had made, pledging her firstborn child, were still clearly written on it in charcoal. Maybe now the goddess would answer all her other prayers, too, and finally open her womb so she could fulfill her vow.

  When she finished lighting all the oil lamps and incense burners, Hephzibah bowed down with her forehead pressed to the floor and began her prayer of praise and thanksgiving to Asherah.

  ————

  Hezekiah dug through the collection of scrolls he kept in his chambers until he found his copy of “The Instructions to the Kings.” Then he drew a lampstand close and sat down to read it carefully.

  “He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.” He read the words over and over. Many wives. Shebna was right—the Torah didn’t say “only one.” Would two be considered many? And what about concubines? Legally, they weren’t wives at all. Hezekiah hadn’t called for his concubines since he had become king, and they no longer lived in the palace harem. He had moved them to a villa he had built inside Eliakim’s new city walls.

  When Hezekiah had studied these instructions years ago, his grandfather had said that if he obeyed these laws, he would never succumb to a king’s three greatest temptations: power, pride, and pleasure. But Hezekiah knew that he wouldn’t be taking a second wife for selfish pleasure. He simply wanted an heir.

  He laid the scroll down and stared into space while his servants moved silently around the room lighting all the remaining lamps. Taking a second wife made sense to his rational mind, yet the thought made him uneasy. Knowing he wouldn’t rest until he resolved this dilemma, he called his valet.

  “Go see if Joah the Levite is still in the palace, or else Eliakim ben Hilkiah. Ask one of them to come here.”

  While Hezekiah waited, Hephzibah’s question continued to nibble at the edges of his faith: “Do you know how many years it has been?”

  For more than ten years he had waited, trusting for an heir. Ten long years. He could understand Hephzibah’s bitter accusations toward God.

  He looked at the scroll again. “He must not take many wives.” Why had he stubbornly interpreted the Law to mean something God never intended? Why hadn’t he listened when Shebna sh
owed him this passage several years ago? He could have saved Hephzibah years of frustration and sorrow. He could have had several sons by now.

  A few minutes later his valet returned, followed by Joah and Eliakim. “I found them both, Your Majesty.”

  “Good. Have a seat, gentlemen.” He motioned to his couch, then took a seat opposite them and passed the scroll to Joah. “I need an interpretation of this law. Read the section about kings’ wives—here.”

  Hezekiah pointed to the place, then leaned forward anxiously, his elbows on his knees, watching Joah’s face as he read. When the Levite finished, he passed the scroll to Eliakim, who squinted at the tiny letters and tilted the scroll toward the light to read it.

  “Now, according to that Law, is the king allowed to marry only one wife?” Hezekiah asked when Eliakim finished reading. “Is that how you interpret this passage?”

  Joah pondered a moment. “No—it doesn’t say only one. But I think it’s important to examine the reason Yahweh gave us this law.”

  “And what would you say that reason is?”

  “I think this particular passage warns Israel’s kings that a lack of self-control in their personal affairs can lead to a lack of self-control in other areas of their lives. And this can threaten their relationship with Yahweh.”

  “I see. And is that how you interpret it, Eliakim?”

  “Yes, I think King Solomon’s troubles with his many wives and the idolatry that resulted is a good example of the dangers this warns against.”

  Hezekiah stroked his beard thoughtfully, then leaned forward with his elbows on his knees again, his fingers laced together in front of him. “Then if I married a second wife, one who worshiped only Yahweh, would I be in violation of the Torah?”

  “No, Your Majesty,” Joah said after a pause. “I don’t think you would be. But again, obeying the purpose of the Law is just as important as obeying the letter.”

  “Then I want to make my reasons for taking a second wife very clear. I love Hephzibah, but after all these years she is still barren. If the Law allows it, I would marry again to provide an heir to the throne.”

  “That’s a valid reason,” Joah said. “But there’s another law I should warn you about. It’s found in the fifth book of Moses, I believe. It says that if an unloved wife bears a son first, the rights of the firstborn belong to him, even if the favored wife has a son later on.”

  “You mean once my new wife gives me a son, Hephzibah’s son cannot inherit the throne of Judah, even if God miraculously opens her womb?”

  “That’s right, Your Majesty.”

  This law seemed unfair, and again Hezekiah recalled Hephzibah’s accusations that Yahweh’s laws were unfair. But the alternative might be no heir at all.

  “I see,” he said at last. “Anything else, Joah?”

  “Only a word of advice. For the sake of domestic harmony, you’ll need to give both wives equal time and attention.”

  “I understand.” But Hezekiah wondered if Hephzibah would. She had offered to share him so he could have a son, but did she realize that she would have to continue sharing him for the rest of her life?

  “Eliakim, would you like to add anything?” Hezekiah asked.

  “No, Your Majesty. Joah knows more about the Law than I do.”

  “Then I won’t keep you. Thank you for coming.”

  Hezekiah pondered Joah’s interpretation for a long time after the two men left. Although it seemed as though the Torah would permit a second marriage, he found it difficult to accept the idea after believing differently for so many years. He knew he could never love a second wife as much as Hephzibah, and it would be hard to treat them equally—even harder to share his time with another woman. And deep inside, he still longed for a son of Hephzibah’s to inherit his throne.

  As he struggled with these thoughts, he wondered how Hephzibah would react to what the Levite had told him. Would this news cheer her and offer her hope or enflame her bitterness and jealousy? She would have a lot to think about, and Hezekiah would need to talk everything over with her carefully before he made his final decision.

  But why wait until tomorrow night? He would go back to Hephzibah’s room and tell her tonight.

  He quickly walked the short distance to the harem and saw a beam of light shining under her door. He knocked softly. Then, not waiting for the maid to answer, he opened the door and stepped inside.

  “Hephzibah, I—”

  But Hezekiah never finished what he had come to say. Hephzibah was kneeling in worship before a golden statue of Asherah.

  2

  THE FLOOR SWAYED BENEATH Hezekiah’s feet as he slowly walked toward his wife. He stared at the shrine, then at Hephzibah, unwilling to believe what he was seeing. He had stepped into a nightmare. This wasn’t his wife kneeling before an idol. It couldn’t be. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. He fought the urge to be sick.

  Please let this be a dream.

  But it wasn’t a dream. It was real. And an agonized cry rose from deep inside him.

  “No! Oh, Yahweh … please … no!”

  He grabbed the front of his tunic with shaking hands and tore it down the middle. Then he ripped the fabric to shreds, crying out in anguish as he pulled it again and again, “How could you do this to me? How could you?”

  All the blood drained from Hephzibah’s face as she cowered before him. Hezekiah seized her by the shoulders, but his hands shook uncontrollably as rage pounded through him, and he quickly let go, afraid he would kill her.

  “How long have you had this in my house?” he shouted. “How long have you worshiped an idol?”

  “I-I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I-I can explain—” Hezekiah couldn’t look at her. He turned away in revulsion, and his eyes fell on the shrine she had made. Fine olive oil from his storehouses filled the silver lamps. The royal incense intended for Yahweh’s sanctuary burned in the incense stands. The smiling goddess with her swollen belly and heavy breasts gazed up at him with contempt.

  Then he saw the urn bearing his own seal. He picked it up and read the damning symbols of Hephzibah’s vow. Oh, Yahweh, no—not this. Horror rocked through him. She had pledged to murder his child.

  “Hephzibah, you would sacrifice our son?”

  “But I made the vow for you—so the enemy wouldn’t invade your nation.”

  “No,” he moaned, fighting tears. “No!”

  His father had sacrificed his sons to Molech for the same reason. Hezekiah remembered his brother’s terrified screams as he had rolled into the monster’s flaming mouth. He shuddered in horror at the thought of Hephzibah throwing their son into the flames.

  He stood paralyzed. Time had frozen, and it seemed as though he would be trapped in this chilling moment forever. But gradually his blood began to flow through his veins once again, transforming his shock into uncontrollable rage.

  Hezekiah slammed the urn against the far wall with all his strength, shattering it into dust. He saw the obscene goddess smiling at him, mocking him, and he lost all control. He picked up the table as if it weighed nothing and hurled it across the room with a savage cry. The golden idol crashed to the floor, breaking open, spilling sand from its hollow center. What had appeared to be a solid gold statue had been a fake, molded from clay and thinly coated with gold.

  The table and lamps and incense burners he’d overturned flew in every direction, knocking over one of the blazing lampstands. Before Hezekiah could react, the puddles of splattered oil quickly ignited and burst into flames. The fire licked across the carpet, engulfed a pile of reed mats, then spread to the silken floor cushions.

  He heard a whoosh as dried palm branches in an earthenware jar caught fire, then the angry crackle of flames as they jumped to a tapestry banner hanging above the jar. Beside him the woven lattice screen that shielded Hephzibah’s bath erupted in flames, and from there the fire quickly leaped up the gauzy curtains that enclosed her bed. It was spreading out of control. He had to do something.

&nbs
p; Hezekiah tore off his outer robe and used it to fight the rapidly spreading fire. Hot smoke choked him as he swung the robe into the middle of the flames, over and over again, beating with desperate strength.

  But the fire spread faster than he could fight it. A wall of flames surrounded Hezekiah, following the arc of spilled oil. Heat seared his chest where he had torn his tunic; flying sparks singed his arms and face. He ignored the pain as he battled on.

  Suddenly he heard Hephzibah scream. She had backed into a corner beside the flaming bed with no way to escape. He tore the blazing curtains from the canopy to clear a path for her, shouting, “Run, Hephzibah! Get out of there!” She didn’t move.

  Before he could grab her and pull her out, a piece of flaming debris suddenly fell onto his clothing, igniting the hem and tassels of his tunic. He wrestled to extinguish his burning clothes, crying out in agony as the oily flames burned off a large patch of skin on his leg.

  Dizzy with shock and pain, Hezekiah fought for his life and for Hephzibah’s, desperate to bring the fire under control. When he could no longer use his robe to beat the flames, he bailed water from the bath to soak the carpet. He scooped handfuls of sand from the toppled idol to douse burning puddles of oil. He grabbed the flaming tapestry banner and tore it down so the fire wouldn’t spread to the ceiling beams. Choking on acrid smoke, he yanked the curtains off the windows before the fire reached them and used the heavy cloth to smother the flames. After what seemed like many hours, the fire was finally out.

  Hezekiah sagged with exhaustion. His lungs ached from breathing smoke. His blistered hands burned as if still immersed in the flames, and the shin of his right leg where his clothes had caught fire was a throbbing, open wound. But it was better that he suffered, better that he burned in the flames than his firstborn child.

  The smell of burnt flesh and hair lingered in Hezekiah’s nostrils, and it seemed appropriate to him. It was the smell of idolatry.

  Hephzibah’s shattered Asherah lay among the ashes where it had fallen, its severed head smiling as if nothing had happened. Hezekiah bent down and painfully scooped up a fistful of sand, then walked over to where Hephzibah still cowered beside the bed. He grabbed her hand and forced it open, pouring sand into it.