Army of God

by Dennis Bailey

  * * *

  Shechem sat in awe at the preparations provided for the more than one hundred elite guests gathered at the prince’s palace shortly after dark. Sounds of the timbrel, harp, and lute filled the gathering hall. Servants with wineskins stood at the ready, eager to ensure no one’s cup ran dry. A dozen women in transparent silks whirled and skipped before the prince and his guests in sync with the music.

  Bohar lay alone in a corner on several pillows, eyes closed, mouth agape, wine staining his chin and the front of his tunic. Seated on a throne, Ramalech turned to Malluch and Shechem. “Your friend is quite the winebibber.”

  “Yes, he does just about everything with gusto,” Malluch said.

  Ramalech wrinkled his nose. “I couldn’t help but notice bathing isn’t one of them.”

  “No. But then a faithful dog that smells is worth more than an unfaithful one that doesn’t, don’t you think?”

  “Well put.” Ramalech rose from his throne and raised a chalice. “Men and women of Enoch—a toast to our friends from Eden. May this mark the beginning of increased trade and prosperity for both cities.” Cheers and clapping erupted from the gathering, and those with goblets drank at the prince’s invitation.

  “Thank you, prince,” Malluch said, standing. “This is indeed an historic occasion. Enoch is renowned across the land of Nod. Eden shall carry Enoch’s fame to the west and make her feared throughout the world.” More cheers rose from the crowd.

  As the ovation subsided, he moved to a nearby lampstand and stared into the flames. Ramalech addressed Shechem. “I see the fires still haunt him.”

  “Yes. It’s been twenty years, but for him it is yesterday.”

  “To lose both a father and a brother in the same battle is—is, well—unthinkable.”

  “Vengeance is a strong comforter.”

  “Indeed. There are twenty-five families here who beseech me continually to avenge them for that day. I’m surprised Malluch allowed his adversary to escape.”

  “He would have preferred to see him dead, but to take his city proved a fitting consolation.”

  “Then he has given up his desire to return to the garden?”

  Shechem shook his head. “It’s stronger than ever. He still has a score to settle with the angel. And he craves the tree of life.”

  “Perhaps I can provide a bit of a distraction, if only for an evening.” Ramalech spun back to him. “My friend.” Malluch remained fixated on the lampstand for a moment longer before returning to the throne. “My friend,” Ramalech said. “Tomorrow there is sport I think you and your men will find entertaining.”

  “Sport?” he said, a smile returning to his lips.

  “Two slaves and a lion are placed in the arena with the promise of freedom to the one who survives. A fascinating dynamic unfolds as each man seeks to defend himself against the lion and his fellow slave. Quite the spectacle.” Ramalech nodded to a servant across the room. “But now.”

  Nine parts later, the servant returned with two of the most beautiful women Shechem had ever seen, along with an incredibly handsome young man. The man’s beauty may have exceeded that of the two women. Ramalech gestured to Malluch. “Your choice, my friend—or you may have all three.”

  “The prince is most generous.” Malluch licked his lips.

  Ramalech turned to Shechem. “And what about your friend here? Would he care to indulge?”

  “A woman, I think.” Given his wife’s recent coldness, the prospect of knowing another woman didn’t bother him much. What did surprise him was the twinge of guilt his conscience carried because of Elisheva. Can’t fool the heart.

  As they rose to leave, a soldier entered the hall carrying two medium-sized bags made of animal skins. When he reached the throne, he raised the distended bags to the prince.

  “Are these the—” Ramalech said.

  “Trophies, my lord.”

  “Yes. Very good, Commander. Place them here.” The prince pointed to the right of his throne.

  The bottom edges were darker than the upper portion of the two bags, as if a moist item or substance had settled there. The army commander confirmed Shechem’s suspicions when he set them on the floor, their sloshing impact reminiscent of a man’s foot stepping in wet mud.

  Shechem waited for the prince’s servant to return with his gift, a woman of near equal beauty to the two presented to Malluch. When she took him by the hand to lead him away, he turned for a last look at the two bags. Dark crimson seeped from the bottoms onto the floor next to the prince’s throne.

  Whatever was in those bags, they’d be missed by their owners.

  * * *

  Shechem made his way through the streets of Enoch in the early morning hours to a surprising level of activity. Eden would be dark by now. But here, burning torches on buildings gave light to the city’s night denizens.

  Voices of men cheering or arguing over games of chance rose and fell each time he passed by a window or the occasional open door. Sweet perfume hit him like he’d dove headlong into a lilac bush when he passed another. “Anyone out this late must be looking for company,” a woman said, beckoning from the darkened doorway.

  He paused at the sound of the woman’s voice. “Not tonight.”

  “Some other night, perhaps?”

  He gave the woman a noncommittal smile before continuing down the street.

  “My name’s Rachael. Remember this doorway.”

  How could he forget it? It would take another hour for the spikenard to clear his head.

  Farther down the street, he propped one drunk against a wall and stepped over another. Down a side street, a group of adolescent young men beat and robbed some helpless fool. Bohar? No such luck.

  Near the center of the city, an altar rose eight cubits high. Though he’d seen it before, he’d never given it much thought, other than a rumor about it having been built over the tomb of Cain. Except for its immense size, it appeared much the same as any other altar used by the people of Eden to offer their sacrifices. Staircases cut into the center of each of the four sides of the pyramid provided access to the top. He grabbed a torch from one of the buildings and climbed the staircase to examine the charred pyre.

  Scattered bones and partial skeletons littered the pit, along with the pungent smell of old death. Nothing unusual there—he’d figured the altar for use in some sort of animal sacrifice. But these bones looked different, unlike any he’d seen before. He stooped to take a closer look, lowering the torch into the pit, but still he couldn’t make out what kind of bones they were. Too small for oxen, sheep, or goat. Even the partial skulls scattered throughout the pit were too fragmented to identify. Some kind of smaller animal he deduced. Or—or. No, that’s too sick to even think about.

  He descended the stairs. Rachael had looked like a woman not easily dissuaded, so he chose to return to the palace up the opposite side of the street.

  At the sound of running footsteps, he quickened his pace after crossing the intersection. A sharp pain at the back of his head sent him tumbling to the ground. He struggled to push himself up, turning his head to see the sole of a sandal coming toward his face. Blackness filled his senses.

  Chapter 10

  Noah paused fifteen cubits from the front door. Burning lamps shining through a window provided the only contrast to the blackness surrounding him. Inside, Miryam helped Shiphrah and Elisheva wash and dry dishes. Outside his view, Ariel provided accompaniment to the women’s labor with a song that would shame a mockingbird. He basked in the tranquility of the moment, hoping to brand forever in his mind the untainted view. The world had already changed for him. And he loathed the responsibility of having to change it for his family . . . and for one member in particular. He reached for the door, and his heart sank.

  “Father,” Japheth said, rising quickly from the floor.

  Miryam dropped a plate she was drying and rushed to him. “What on earth has happened?” She brushed grass from his head and tunic while the rest of the famil
y gathered around him.

  “Look at his face,” Ariel said. “He looks like he’s seen the dead.”

  “Shem, bring your father a cup of water,” Miryam said. “Come, husband, sit.”

  Japheth escorted him to his usual place of honor where the family shared their meals.

  Shem handed him the cup, and he drank voraciously.

  Ariel leaned into Elisheva. “He’s so pale.”

  Miryam touched his arm. “What is it?”

  He scanned the curious faces of his family, and words caught in his throat. Tears blurred his vision, signaling he had better speak or risk losing his composure. “The end of days is coming. And only this family shall be saved.” Wide stares and slacked jaws answered him.

  “The end of days?” Shem bent over Noah as if he hadn’t heard him correctly.

  “A great flood is coming upon the earth, to destroy everything, both man and beast.” Noah’s children and Shiphrah exchanged glances, but Miryam’s gaze remained fixed on him.

  “How—” Shem said.

  “I was in the field when the Lord spoke to me out of the wind.”

  “Father, surely you were imagining. The wind often plays tricks on our ears.”

  Miryam’s head snapped, eyes narrowing. “Better bridle that tongue.”

  “Mother, he’s—” Shem said.

  “He’s your father and the master of this house.”

  Shem softened his brow. “Father. I’ve seen 329 years in this house, and I know you to be a righteous man led by the Spirit of God. But haven’t you told us many times, YAH hasn’t spoken to man since the time Cain slew Abel? That’s over 1500 years.”

  “I’m not learned enough to discern the Lord’s timetable,” Noah said. “As for His choosing to break His silence, could it be it is only now the arrogance of man rises to heaven?”

  “But why you?”

  “Why He chose to spare this family, I cannot say. I only know He said He would establish His covenant with me. Tell me, is it not enough for you to know you have been set apart for salvation?”

  “But it’s so incredible.”

  “Wait, Shem,” Japheth said. “Father, you said only this family will be saved. How is it we will escape the coming floodwaters?”

  “The Lord commanded that I should build an ark—an ark large enough to hold two of every kind of animal on the earth, male and female—and that we and the animals should go into the ark to keep us alive.”

  The furrow returned to Shem’s brow. “An ark. Animals. Mother, is he feverish?”

  “Shem!” Miryam said.

  Noah covered her hand with his. “His question is understandable. It is not every day one is confronted with such news. Had I not heard it from YAH Himself, I, too, would have been skeptical.” He rose to address his younger son. “Place your hand here.”

  Shem reached to touch his father’s neck.

  “Fever?”

  Shem shook his head.

  “I assure you, neither am I mad or drunk.”

  “And Grandfather?” Japheth said.

  “Your grandfather will be gathered to his fathers before the flood.”

  Japheth gritted his teeth, and his cheeks flushed. “That’s why he refused to come with us, isn’t it?”

  “It’s possible—”

  “He knew, didn’t he?”

  Noah ached for his eldest son. “It’s possible your grandfather had been granted some insight into the plans the Lord has for him. Who can say?”

  “He knew,” Japheth whispered.

  A few moments later, everyone turned to Elisheva, who with a whimper struggled to speak. “But why? Why does the Lord want to destroy the earth?”

  This is what Noah had feared most waiting outside their door to bring them the news—Elisheva’s reaction. Of all his children, she was far and away the most tenderhearted. Not that she was weak by any means, but she had an inherent sweetness and humility rare among women. Perhaps it was related to her being an orphan and having to depend on people other than her natural parents growing up. He understood early on what had drawn Japheth to her. While her unadorned, natural beauty may have captured his attention, it was her loving spirit that captured his heart.

  “Because of the violence of man,” he said. “Surely, daughter, you bear witness to the wickedness of your own countrymen, of how they have turned their backs on the God of their fathers. Were we not forced to flee for our lives and dwell in this strange land because of them?”

  “But the whole earth?”

  “Long ago, when Cain fled to the land of Nod after killing his brother, our fathers hoped the evil he’d done had fled with him. A righteous heir had been born in his stead, and for hundreds of years the sons of Seth kept themselves unblemished from the sin of that one lawless act.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Our fathers were naïve to think evil could be contained by a mere expanse of desert or a range of mountains. Since then, the seed of Cain’s nature has spread back across the land like a miasma, touching—yes, daughter—every corner of the earth.”

  Ariel scowled and raised an arm to her adopted sister. “Shiphrah is from that land. Isn’t she a descendant of those who brought this curse upon us?”

  Shiphrah ran out the door into the darkness. Noah went after her, stopping in the doorway. “Ariel, none of us is without sin. And lest you need reminding, Shiphrah saved our lives.” More than a year later, Ariel still hadn’t warmed to Shiphrah. Elisheva at least treated her civilly. Moreover, he was certain Ariel’s animus toward Shiphrah was due more to envy over the young woman’s beauty than her lineage.

  Even in the dark, Shiphrah’s sobs guided him to a location fifty cubits from the house. He stood beside her. “I know this is difficult, but try to overlook Ariel’s ignorance.”

  She caught her breath. “She’s right. I am an Enochite.”

  “Which makes you no more guilty than a citizen of Eden. Adam’s sin was passed down to all men, not just to the descendants of Cain. Was it not with your own ears you heard the men of Eden plotting against us?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “The Lord pronounced judgment on the whole earth.”

  “But you said only this family shall be saved. Doesn’t that mean I also am condemned?”

  Noah turned Shiphrah toward him. “Child, hear me now and do not doubt. No daughter of my body could have a more secure place in this family. In the year you have been with us, have you not proven your worth many times over?”

  “But what if God—”

  “Shiphrah, do you not know the hand of the Almighty is already upon you, that He has chosen you for His service?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Did God not work through you to save us?”

  “I don’t—”

  “Think back a year ago. Why did you warn us?”

  “You were kind to me. When I heard what the men of Eden were planning, I had to do something.”

  “Were you frightened?”

  “Terrified.”

  “Yet you warned us nonetheless, knowing if you were caught you would probably be killed along with us. I tell you the Spirit of the Living God gave you the boldness to do what you did—to risk your life to save ours.”

  “Still, I fear—”

  “This judgment may seem harsh to you, but believe me when I tell you our God is a just God. Would He allow to perish the one He used to save us from the wrath of Malluch? As He did not command me to exclude you, I think not.” She buried her face in Noah’s bosom and cried. He didn’t know if his assertion of God’s intention would come to pass. He only knew the ark wasn’t going to be built tomorrow. Each day would be another opportunity for him to make supplication to the Lord on Shiphrah’s behalf. “Come back inside. I fear this will be a long evening.”

  Noah and Shiphrah walked through the door to the quieting of the other’s voices. Shem stepped forward. “Father, I still say the whole thing sounds crazy, and why the animals?”

 
“Without knowing the mind of the Lord, I would say His purpose is clear. He wishes to preserve a remnant to replenish the earth.”

  Japheth placed a huge arm around Elisheva. “Father, an ark large enough to hold two of every animal on the earth would have to be—would have to be—”

  “Three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.”

  Shem slapped the heel of a palm against his forehead. “Father! “Three hundred cubits? The three of us? It’ll take forever to build. When is this great flood coming?

  “The Lord did not say. But I trust it will not be until the ark is complete.” He understood full well the reason for the Lord’s silence here. Not knowing the time of the flood would serve as motivation for him and his sons to remain vigilant in the ark’s construction.

  Shem paced the room, stopping to lean against a window opening. “Where will we get the plans for this ark?”

  “He has written the plans on my mind.” Noah said. “Are there not three men in this family sufficiently skilled in the carpentries to undertake such a challenge?”

  Shem swept his arm around the room. “Erecting this house is one thing. But none of us has ever built so much as a raft to go on the water. Where will we obtain the skills needed to construct such an enormous craft, or more importantly, to make it seaworthy?”

  “The Lord will teach us.”

  “Father, what about the cattle and sheep?” Ariel said. “Who is going to tend them and cultivate the fields while you are building the ark?”

  “We are,” Miryam said, the conviction in her voice drawing everyone’s attention. “There are four strong women in this house capable of caring for livestock or driving a plow.”

  Pride swelled in Noah’s chest at his wife’s boldness.

  Noah’s prediction to Shiphrah had been correct. The evening extended well past midnight. Raised voices, accusations, and sporadic tearful outbursts marked the discussion. Except for Miryam and Elisheva, the other members of the family remained doubtful, but agreed to obey their father. Construction of the ark would begin in the morning.