Refuge

V. Jacober Sarah

Description

Accused of murder, Joel fled from Bethlehem to Hebron, an ancient Judean city of refuge appointed for the Israelites. There he met Sarah, the priests daughter, and later Seth, the man he allegedly had killed! Both men were judged in court and sentenced to remain in the city until the priests death. How he died remained a mystery, but automatically the two men were free to return to their homes in Bethlehem. Because they each wanted to marry Sarah, shocking events followed: abduction, rescue, a crippling accident, repentance, forgiveness, and love.

Sujets

• Historical fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Inspiring Voices
• Date de parution: 10 décembre 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781462408283
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Refuge
 
 
 
 
 
Sarah V. Jacober
 
 
 


 
Copyright © 2013 Sarah V. Jacober.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
Inspiring Voices books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:
 
Inspiring Voices
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.inspiringvoices.com
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Bible quotes are from the King James Version.
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4624-0827-6 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4624-0828-3 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013920833
 
Inspiring Voices rev. date: 12/04/2013

Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgement
 
1. Escape
2. Questions
3. Another Refugee
4. Breakfast
5. Enemies
6. Plans
7. The Court Case
8. Alone
9. Two Proposals
10. Guidance
11. The Journey
12. Explanations
13. Vengeance
14. Abduction
15. Rescue
16. An Accident
17. Forgiveness
18. Refuge
 
Bibliography

Dedication
If you like a bit of mystery, intrigue, love, and a taste of what life might have been like in the ancient Holy Land—this story is fo r you!

Acknowledgement
I deeply appreciate the help of my son Daniel with his technological expertise, and my friend and critic Mary Jones, in facilitating the preparation of this manusc ript.

1. Escape
Sarah stood on a high stone wall near the gates of Hebron. She loved watching dawn creep slowly across the rolling hills of Judea. A cool breeze teased the dark curls at the nape of her neck and gently tugged at her long, full s kirt.
At sixteen, Sarah was dreaming of marriage, a home, and children. Who would be her husband? What would he be like? She knew the man she wanted him to resemble—her honored ancestor, Job. Not because he was the richest man in the land, but because he was strong in faith, an honest man of courage who knew and loved God. She had memorized Job’s words: “God will do for me all he has planned. He controls my dest iny.”
Sitting down cross-legged on the wide wall, Sarah cupped her chin in her hands and meditated. Yes , she thought, God controls my destiny. I’m glad. He knows what is best f or me.
Suddenly she was startled by a movement on the horizon. Someone was running full speed in her direction. She watched intently and saw that a man was being pursued. That meant he was in trouble! He had probably killed someone—either accidentally or on purpose—and needed to get to the safety of Hebron before the victim’s accuser could catch and wreak vengeance on him by returning “an eye for an eye.”
Sarah jumped down and hurried to the city gates. They always remained open, but where was the watchman? He should be here right now to help the newcomer who was in trouble and perhaps wounded! With her fists she pounded on the door of the elderly man’s room and shouted, “Hurry! Someone’s co ming!”
To the girl’s intense relief, the stranger tumbled inside the gates, breathless and disheveled. She glimpsed the pursuer close behind; however, he could not follow into the suburbs or the city because they were a lawful place of re fuge.
Instead of immediately blaming whomever caused the problem resulting in a need for escape—like some of the refugees did—this man fell to his knees, folded his hands, looked up to heaven and gasped, “Thank you, O Lord God, for delivering me from my e nemy.”
Well, what a unique entrance, mused Sarah. I wonder if this man knows God like Job knew Him. Or was his prayer a spur-of-the-moment kind of gratitude? I’d like to know more about this handsome character. His clothes are dusty, but he looks tall and strong now that he’s standing up and brushing himsel f off.
“I’m Joel,” the newcomer introduced himself as his breathing began to return to normal. The old watchman was already moving away, so Joel smiled at Sarah. She responded with a quick glance and lowered her eyes. She wanted to welcome him warmly but modesty forbade it. Her father, the priest, must do that.
“Come with me,” Sarah spoke quietly as she turned and led Joel to a large stone house nearby. Jasmine bloomed along the walls, and date palms flourished in a spacious g arden.
“Father, someone is here to meet you,” the girl called. She always let him know she was coming, even though the elderly blind man instantly knew his daughter’s step and voice.
“Joel, meet my father. He is called Nathan,” Sarah explained, and she disappeared to fetch a gourd of cool water for the new comer.
The priest placed his hand upon the young man’s shoulder and motioned for him to sit down. “You are welcome here, my son.”
“Thank you sir,” Joel answered politely. He relaxed as he drank his fill. Refreshed, he turned to the priest, who said, “Tell us about yourself. Where is your h ome?”
“Bethlehem. I was born there. My father was a shepherd. He died a few years ago, and I support my mother and sister. I have come here because of an accident that I believe proved fatal to someone. A relative pursued me immediately—and legitimately—according to our laws.”
Nathan interrupted the explanation. “We can discuss that later. It‘s time for breakfast, and you must be famished. Let’s thank God for bringing you here to safety. Then we will eat.”
Sarah brought ruby-red pomegranate juice, hard-boiled eggs, olives, cheese and bread. While they ate, the priest said, “Tell me how you were supporting your fa mily.”
“I was my father’s assistant. I learned how to care for his flocks as well as his business and household rec ords.”
“So you were a number of things: shepherd, veterinarian, accountant, treasurer and manager.” Nathan smiled and tactfully questioned the young man in detail about his ability and exper ience.
“I can try to find work for you,” he offered. “This is the usual procedure, and most refugees are happy to be kept busy during their incarcera tion.”
Nathan knew it might be days, months, even years before Joel could ever return to his home. Meanwhile, the young man would be confined to the city and face a court case that would find him guilty or innocent of the alleged crime he had committed. Freedom depended upon the death of the priest, which automatically released refugees. And—he smiled as the thought flitted across his mind— this priest had no intention of dying in the near f uture!
“A job suits me fine, sir.” Joel’s deep voice sounded exhausted and reli eved.
After the meal, Nathan took the newcomer to the home of Abel, a wealthy shepherd, and introduced him. “You are continually grumbling about needing an assistant for your flocks, so I’ve brought you one!”
“Oh, word has already spread—and you know how quickly that happens—so I already know that another victim of tragedy has arrived. But by our rules, because he’s a refugee confined to the city and surrounding limits, how can he tend my sheep and goats? You know they graze out in the fields and mount ains.”
“But Abel, this young man knows how to keep them healthy. He’s experienced, and he could maintain your records as well. You are always complaining that keeping books is too much trouble, and then you wonder where the money came from and how it disappe ared!”
“You’re right, my friend. I’ll try him for a month, and we’ll see what he can do. Here, son, come with me, and we’ll find a room for you. Since my wife died, I’ve not taken care of household duties. Perhaps you can straighten out my financial affairs and keep the servants organized, too.”
“I’ll do my best, sir.” Joel remembered the story of Job, and how God had permitted him to suffer but eventually exonerated him. It was a relief not to have to explain in detail the reason he had fled to Hebron. That would come out during the court case. God would justify him, and He must have a very good reason for permitting the accident to happen in the first place, like He did in Job’s case.
Sarah had learned the beautiful story of Job from her grandmother Cassia, named after one of the daughters born to him following God’s lavish replacement of all that the wealthy patriarch had lost. When Sarah was a toddler, Grandmother would scoop her up into her arms, give her a bear-hug and deposit her in he r lap.
“Tell me the story, Grandmother,” the child would beg as she snuggled cozily into those warm, comforting arms. “What happened to Job? Please, I want to hear it ag ain.”
One day when Sarah was older, she asked, “Why does God let anyone suf fer?”
“God always has a very good reason for what He permits,” Grandmother explained. “In Job’s case, He had several very good ones. He proved to the enemy—Satan—that Job loved Him more than wealth or health, friends or family. At the same time, He taught Job some extremely important lessons: first, pride must be laid in the dust, because it is God Who created and controls the world and everything in it; and second, we are to pray for and forgive those who hurt us in any way.”
Sarah loved Job’s response to those friends who came to console him but actually criticize