Caleb Vigilant

by Brian Godawa

  “Even still,” she said, “They did not return me to Israel, they returned my family.”

  “I owed that to Caleb as well,” he said. “And so I am here to protect you.”

  She smiled. “You look like you need protection more than I.”

  He shared her smile. “Now, there you speak the truth.”

  He paused a moment to decide how he would say what he would say next.

  “Rahab, I was a fool to reject you at first.”

  “You have already apologized and more than made up for such mistakes, my lord.”

  “But there is more to it than that,” he said. “I have sought to be a holy and righteous man. I have followed the law of Yahweh with rigorous devotion. I thought that my obedience was my assurance and security. Until I met you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Yahweh has shown me through you that he accepts goyim from any nation who repent and turn to him.”

  Her eyes began to tear up. “Goyim” was the word used of those who were not Israelites and were under the judgment of Yahweh; such as she had been.

  Now he was looking at her, looking right into her penetrating eyes.

  “He has also shown me through you that I am not the holy man I thought I was.” He hesitated. It was very difficult for him to get it out. “I am as much a man of flesh and weak desire as I am of spirit and faith.”

  Suddenly, in her heart, Rahab knew what he was saying—what he was trying not to say. She wanted to hold him. To share the forgiveness that she had felt. But she dare not.

  For she knew that she too felt the flesh and weak desire he was speaking of.

  For that moment, Joshua felt the urge to reach out and grab her, draw her to himself and embrace her as a lover. But he turned instead and moved to the iron bars of the cell. “I am as much deserving of judgment as any other alien to the covenant.”

  She said, “Do we not all labor under the conflict of flesh and spirit? Is this not what makes us human?”

  Was she offering him an excuse? Was she trying to tell him something?

  “It is what makes us human,” he said. “But what makes us holy and separated unto Yahweh, when we have such blackened hearts?”

  “Faith,” she said. “It is all I have.”

  They were interrupted by the arrival of a contingent of Anakim guards.

  One of them said, “The king wants to see you two.”

  Joshua and Rahab were taken into the king’s throne room by the giant guards.

  Ahiman was seated on his throne of bones, Sheshai stood to his right as usual, and Talmai to his left.

  Joshua saw Sheshai whispering to Ahiman when they stepped near the throne.

  Sheshai then spoke to them, “Joshua ben Nun, you stand before the mighty King Ahiman of Kiriath-arba. I am his Right Hand, Sheshai of Arba, and this is the general of his forces, Talmai of Arba.”

  Joshua did not want to let Sheshai know that he had met him and Talmai forty years ago when they had been captured spying out the land. Any secret he could keep may become an advantage later—if there was a later.

  Instead Joshua stood firm and announced, “King Ahiman, I beg of you to release this simple pregnant woman.”

  Rahab gave Joshua a dirty look. Simple?

  “She is of no value to you. I am the Commander of the forces of Israel. With me, you hold the advantage in this battle.”

  Ahiman spoke in his booming voice, “If she is of no value, then why did you seek to trade yourself, the “strong and courageous commander of Israel” in exchange for this “simple harlot.”

  Joshua said, “She is not a harlot.”

  Though they were facing certain death in the hands of the enemy, Rahab’s soul rose with hope at the words of Joshua. To hear that pronouncement from the very leader of Israel’s lips made her believe her identity had been transformed. She was a daughter of Israel, an adopted child of Yahweh, the living god. Her past was dead and gone.

  But now her future did not look much different.

  Sheshai butted in. He was overly eager to be the spokesman and it was obvious. “Many generations ago, your ancestor Abraham and his family infested this land like a plague. He invaded this very city of King Arba, and slaughtered every one of our ancestors with impunity—save one. Abraham did not know that our queen Naqiya would give birth in her death to the child within her womb. That child was Anak, the father of my people. For over four hundred years we have waited for the opportunity to exact revenge upon our enemies, the Seed of Abraham.”

  Joshua responded with equal confidence, “The War of the Seed goes back farther in time. In the Garden of Eden Yahweh pronounced a curse upon the Seed of the Serpent at war with the Seed of Eve. He prophesied that Eve would crush the head of the Serpent. King Ahiman, the creator Yahweh has claimed your land and he will possess it for his people.”

  Sheshai and Talmai laughed. Ahiman did not. He remained rock faced. He stood and walked down to Joshua and Rahab, still staring at Joshua with hardened eyes.

  Joshua looked up at his fifteen-foot tall frame. Massive. Twelve hundred pounds of muscle. Joshua stood in front of Rahab, as if he could protect her from this titan of maleficence.

  Ahiman reached down and grabbed Joshua by the neck, lifting him up in the air to be eye level with Ahiman.

  Joshua choked and sputtered. He held onto Ahiman’s six-fingered hands so he would not break his neck as if dangling from a noose.

  Sheshai spoke behind Ahiman, “There is only one problem with your zealous bravado, Joshua. We have the Seed of Eve in our hands at this moment. We will crush it, and we will eat it in the face of Yahweh.”

  Rahab trembled with horror at her fate.

  “King,” said Sheshai, “I have a question for the Commander.”

  Ahiman dropped Joshua to the floor and returned to his throne. Joshua and Rahab could see who was the real ruler here in this kingdom.

  Joshua rubbed his throat as Rahab helped him back up.

  Sheshai said, “This Caleb, who leads in your absence, does he have your full authority over your forces?”

  Joshua said, “Yes. And he does not need me to grind your army into dust. He is my mightiest gibbor and Yahweh is with him.”

  Rahab spit out, “He will destroy all of you! He is a Karabu warrior!”

  The moment after she said it, she regretted it. She had let her emotions get the better of her. She had stupidly given away a secret that she knew would endanger her beloved. She felt sick to her stomach.

  Sheshai grinned and said, “Thank you for the intelligence, wench. It will help secure our advantage.”

  “I have an idea,” said Ahiman. The brothers looked at him. He rarely had ideas of his own. This should be interesting.

  “I will propose a face off of singular champions. I am the mightiest of the Anakim, Caleb, of the Israelites. I will challenge this Caleb to a duel.”

  Joshua gulped. Rahab went white.

  “If Caleb wins, we will return you two worms. If I win, we will flay and gut you both, and eat you on the walls before your armies.”

  Ahiman looked at Rahab, “And your child shall be my dessert.”

  Rahab’s entire body trembled at the thought. She wanted to vomit. But she would not give them the satisfaction.

  Sheshai and Talmai were pleasantly surprised at the political wisdom of their otherwise nonpolitical sibling. There could be nothing more demoralizing than losing their two leaders and their seed of hope.

  Caleb would not stand a chance.

  Chapter 54

  “Caleb, you cannot do this. It is madness!” said Othniel. He had always felt in the shadow of his older brother’s reputation, and had therefore constantly sought to prove himself worthy of the family name, sometimes by taking dangerous risks. But this time he was the reasonable one.

  The commanders of thousands and hundreds surrounded Caleb in his war tent. He had just received the challenge by Ahiman to a fight of champions at the base of the city walls.

&n
bsp; Another commander added, “This Ahiman is the most feared Anakim in the land. He is eighteen feet of pure sinew and muscle.”

  “That is an exaggeration,” said Caleb. “He is only fifteen feet tall.”

  “Oh, you are right, brother,” interrupted Othniel with sarcastic anger. “That should be an easy kill, then, only fifteen feet tall. Do you know Ahiman is rumored to have killed an entire platoon of fifty men with his bare hands? He has been reported to have ripped a bear’s body in half.”

  “He will not touch me,” said Caleb. “His size makes him slow. And I am trained in the way of the Karabu.”

  Othniel said, “Angelic warfare. All fine and good, except this titan is an Anakim, a hybrid of angel and human. He comes from the Nephilim. They are not mere humans, like you. They have the advantage of both earthly and heavenly realms.”

  “But I have Yahweh on my side.”

  Yet another commander complained, “Caleb, if we lose Joshua and you, we will surely never see the possession of this Promised Land.”

  Caleb answered him, “You could lose me in any of our battles. I am not indispensable.”

  “We would rather you face twenty average soldiers on the field than this giant monstrosity.”

  Caleb sighed, “Men of Israel, be strong and courageous. We do not win our battles by our own strength, but by the strength and might of our god, Yahweh. You should not be trusting in me anyway.”

  “We are not discrediting Yahweh,” said Othniel. “We are trying to be discerning and wise, to use the minds Yahweh gave us for strategy.”

  Caleb said, “This is not a time for safety and caution. You forget whom you are talking to, brother. That is my Commander and friend in there. That is my wife and child and the hope of Israel in there. I am fighting Ahiman in the morning.”

  Another commander offered, “What if it is a trap? What if they lure you in and capture you?”

  “That would be no better than killing me. You would still have to trust Yahweh.”

  “You think you are being faithful, Caleb,” said Othniel. “But you are being foolish and stubborn. Is that your faith, or is it pride that guides you?”

  “Enough” shouted Caleb. “Counsel is adjourned. Good night, my commanders. I will fight in the morning, and Othniel will lead the armies in my place.”

  Caleb went back to his tent, where Achsah and Rahab’s siblings were staying until they could be brought safely home.

  He entered the tent and hugged and kissed each of Rahab’s siblings. They looked at him strangely. He was an affectionate brother-in-law, but he had never been this demonstrative. It worried them.

  Then he said, “Achsah, let us go for a walk.” He held up a bow and some arrows in his hand. “I brought a gift for you.”

  The two of them went for a walk in the cedar forest where they were encamped. They always had several guards following them just out of earshot.

  The brush was light under the towering timber. The moonlight broke its way through the thin foliage above to shed some light on their path. They followed a well-worn trail.

  Caleb smiled. “Your mother and I used to go for walks in the evening. It was the only way we could get some peace and quiet sometimes.”

  Achsah smiled. “Was I a problem baby?”

  “You were never a problem for us. You were always a joy. This was just our way of maintaining our communication. Time alone. To refresh our souls with adult conversation.”

  He paused. She could see him tearing up.

  “But now you have become a fine adult woman. And you will one day marry a man and have a family of your own. I just want to get a little of your time now before you have so much less of it.”

  “What is wrong, father?”

  “Nothing is wrong. Can I take a walk in the woods with my daughter?”

  She said, “It has been a long time since we did target practice together.”

  “See? That is my fault, and I am trying to rectify a bad habit. Besides, you need to get used to your new weapon. Practice sighting.”

  She sidled up to him and put her arm around him, hugging him.

  “You have been busy with the war. I do not hold it against you.”

  He held her as they walked.

  He asked, “Do you like Rahab?”

  “Yes. She is the most sensitive yet strong woman I have ever seen.”

  “What about as a mother?”

  “You are speaking as if she is here with us. She is a hostage in the Anakim camp and we do now know if she…” She choked up. She could not finish the sentence.

  “She will return. Have faith.”

  “How do you know? Is there something you are not telling me?”

  Caleb would not answer her. He kept walking, kept holding her tight.

  She started to cry.

  “Father, I am scared.”

  “Do not be scared, my Achsah. Yahweh will deliver us.”

  He could not do it. He could not tell her what he was about to do. But he had to. It would be the most horrible betrayal not to let her face his last possible moments on earth without the opportunity to face them together, truly together.

  “Tomorrow I am going to fight their champion warrior alone on the battlefield.”

  “No! No! No!”

  She stopped and clung to him like she was not going to let him leave the forest.

  “Shhh,” he whispered to her. “Yahweh will deliver me.”

  “Then why are you talking like I will never see you again?”

  “Because we do not know the will of Yahweh. And our faith must never become presumption. We must always prepare ourselves for the worst but hope for the best.”

  “I cannot lose, you, Abba, I cannot.” Abba was an adult term of endearment for a father.

  “I need you to be the mature woman of the household and watch over everyone for me until I return with your mother.”

  “Why are you doing this? Why can it not be someone else?”

  “It must be me, my sweet child. Only I can fight for the freedom of Rahab and Joshua. If I win, they will be freed. So you see, this is much bigger than me, than you, than our entire family. This is for our nation and its existence.”

  She could not argue with that. She could only let it sink in to her soul.

  He knew he could not stop there. “And if I do not return with your stepmother Rahab, I expect you to carry on the family name. To marry and have children. That would make me happy. Can you promise me that?”

  She could only cry harder into his chest.

  “Achsah, I need you to promise me. Or I will not have the strength to face my own challenge tomorrow.”

  She looked up into his face, and whimpered out, “I promise.”

  He kissed her forehead gently.

  “My little turtle dove. I love you.”

  She said, “I love you.”

  But her countenance suddenly strengthened and she added, “Father, Rahab has brought new love and life to this family. Bring her back.”

  “I will.”

  There would be no target practice tonight as father and daughter held each other in the forest and would not let go.

  Chapter 55

  The morning sun rose over the hills around Kiriath-arba. Its rays spilled out onto the clearing before the city gates, lighting what would be the field of battle for a contest of champions.

  Anakim giants lined up for a good view high upon the city walls.

  The army of Israel lined up outside the field with archers in ready position in case there was any betrayal on the part of the Anakim. But they were also there to cheer on their champion Caleb who stood before them.

  Othniel stood by his horse as field commander in Caleb’s absence.

  The large city gate opened.

  The giants on the wall howled wildly, accompanied by the percussion of war drums.

  It was a loud affair intended to strike terror into the hearts of their enemies. And it was working. Caleb had been stretching his legs, back, and
arms in preparation for combat when he saw the titanic colossus step out into the sunlight.

  The Israelites were silent with awe of the nemesis that stood in the morning light like a god of war.

  Caleb swallowed and took a deep breath. He felt Othniel’s hand on his shoulder. He turned to him and they grasped wrists with knowing eyes and solemn silence. No words were needed.

  Caleb dropped to one knee to pray.

  Othniel joined him.

  And then the Israelite’s secret weapon was brought to the fore of the lines: The Ark of the Covenant.

  The gold plated box called tebah, glittered in the sun. It was carried on its poles by priests and accompanied by the high priest Eleazer.

  Caleb rose and Eleazer pronounced a benediction on him.

  “Caleb ben Jephunneh, Yahweh is with you! Yahweh is with Israel! Trust in him with all your heart and lean not on your own strength, but upon the Spirit of Yahweh Elohim! He will fight for you! Be strong and courageous! Do not fear this Seed of the Serpent!”

  Caleb turned to address the soldiers with Othniel proudly by his side. “Let all of Israel stand in awe and wonder, for our god will deliver us!”

  The men cheered. They believed him for the moment, as all good soldiers do.

  “Shout to the Lord and praise his name before the shadow of thine enemies!”

  The army of Yahweh responded with a shout that rang throughout the valley in such thunderous unison that it was now the Anakim’s turn to have their confidence shaken. It was a predetermined praise of Yahweh that they had been taught. And it almost sounded like the indomitable voices of the Seraphim before the throne of Yahweh; the sound of many voices as one.

  The Anakim had heard of this golden box that was paraded before the front lines. They heard it was a talisman that brought devastation upon Jericho. The gossip was that it released powerful lightning bolts that struck the walls and collapsed them into dust. It was a container that their god Yahweh was trapped inside to be let out like a Jinn or “hidden daemon.” Legends claimed that Abraham had brought this god with him from the Arabian desert into Canaan.