By Way of the Wilderness (28 page)

The sun beat down on Moses' bare head as he stood gazing away into the distance. Three months had passed since the Hebrews had left Sinai. It had not been an easy journey, for they had suffered hunger and thirst, but they had arrived at Paran, beyond which lay the wilderness of Zin.

Moses glanced to his right hand and thought of the tribes of Edom that occupied this territory. They were not a sophisticated people, mostly living in caves. They had some good land, however, and there were good roads through which Israel could pass. But the Lord had forbidden any invasion of Edom's territory.

The sound of laughter came to Moses, and he glanced back toward the camp. The people were content for the moment, but he himself was less so. He had thought much and prayed more on the journey from Sinai, and most of his thinking concerned the nation and what it would be like. It was like no other nation that had ever been, and now Moses had almost finished writing down the laws as they had been given by God. They would be a people of the law, a people of the Book. Other people had laws, but none handed to them by God himself!

Quickly Moses reviewed what had been accomplished up to this point. The elders now had been reorganized with various levels of overseers. It was like a military force, broken down into smaller units, each with its own officer.

But now at the very door of the Promised Land, Moses was apprehensive. He had prayed all night, and God had spoken to him plainly, saying:
“Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”

Moses knew little about the land into which he was to lead the people. He knew he would encounter resistance, but how much or in what form he was not sure.

“Moses, we are here.”

Moses turned and saw Joshua and Caleb approaching. His heart warmed, for these were the two men out of all of Israel he knew he could trust implicitly.

“I am glad you have come so quickly. I have much to say to you.” Moses moved under the shade of a tree, where the two men joined him. They were both seasoned and mature men by this time, Caleb tall and lean with hawklike features and Joshua shorter but more muscular. He had hazel eyes that would blaze in battle, and though he was mild mannered during times of peace, he was a fierce warrior in combat.

“God has given me a commandment to scout out the land,” Moses said. “I will choose one man from each of the twelve tribes, and you two will represent Ephraim and Judah.” He named off the other scouts he had decided upon and then said, “I know little about this land, except that it is filled with Canaanites, Philistines, and Hittites. They are strong men and good warriors. Their hard work has toughened them, and they will not be easy to defeat.”

Joshua nodded. “I have been talking with old Manon. He says there are walled cities in the land.”

“I am sure he is right.”

“It will not be easy,” Caleb said, “but God will be with us.”

“You will leave immediately. Over there is Edom, the descendants of Esau,” Moses said, pointing. “They should rejoice to hear that we are free, but we cannot know until we ask. Moab lies over there—the descendants of Abraham through his nephew Lot. They also should welcome us.”

“I doubt if any of these people will welcome us,” Caleb said wryly, “but it doesn't matter. The Lord is with us, and we will win the victory.”

“Yes indeed,” Joshua said with a grin. “We've been waiting for this for a long time, and now our men are ready.”

“I want you to go across the wilderness of Zin,” Moses instructed them. “Take forty days and go to the borders of the countries all the way to the sea. I want to know all that you can find out before we cross over.”

“We will bring you a good report,” Joshua said, nodding. “God has brought us this far, and He will take us in. He has brought us out of Egypt, and now He will take us into the land of milk and honey as He has promised.”

Moses was pleased. “If the other ten men were as good as you, I would have no fears. But come—you must set the example.”

The three men hurried back to the camp, where Moses called the people together and gave them a preview of what would happen.

“These twelve men will search out the land. When they bring back the information, we will be ready to move at the command of God,” he said. He held up his hands and cried, “The Lord is with us!”

A great cry of joy went up and Moses prayed, “Lord, let them keep their courage, for they will need it.”

****

Bezalel had washed himself at the small stream and had anointed his body with oil and his hair with another ointment.

“I take it you're going to the feast tonight,” Miriam said.

“Of course. It's about time we had a little recreation. It seems like those scouts have been gone forever.”

“Moses told us it would be forty days. It's only been two weeks.”

“Then I will go and enjoy myself. Come along, Shani.”

Shani was instantly at his side, wearing the green dress she had worn when the tabernacle was dedicated. She had washed herself, and her auburn hair caught the glints of the lamp. She waited for Bezalel to comment on her appearance, but he was talking with Miriam, loading up some food to take to the feast. She was disappointed, as she always was when he failed to notice her.

The two of them walked along toward the center of the camp, where the food had been put out. There was already the sound of music, and Shani said, “Look, they're dancing.”

“I expect they are.”

“I don't know how to dance.”

“Well, I'll teach you. I happen to be an excellent dancer.”

“That sounds like bragging, Bezalel.”

“No. Bragging is when you say you can do something, and you can't. If you can do it, it's not bragging.”

Shani laughed. “You're funny, Bezalel!”

“You look out now for some of these young fellows. They take advantage of young girls.”

“What do you mean?” Shani said, looking at him.

Bezalel was somewhat embarrassed. “You know what I mean. They will try to ask you to do improper things.”

“What's an improper thing?” Shani knew very well what an improper thing was, but she saw that such talk made Bezalel uncomfortable, and it delighted her. He teased her constantly, and she was glad to give a little of her own back. “Now tell me about it. I need to know.”

“Miriam will tell you.”

“Miriam's not here.”

“Well, I'm not going to give you a lecture right now. Just be nice, and if they ask you to do anything that sounds wrong, you come and tell me.”

“What will you do?”

“I'll rattle their ribs with a staff.”

“Are you going to ask any girl to do an improper thing?”

Bezalel turned and stared at her with astonishment. “What a question!”

“Well, it applies to you as much as to me, these improper things, whatever they are. Is it kissing?”

“Yes. Don't be kissing anybody except your aunt Miriam and me.”

“Just you two?”

“We're your family. You can kiss us.”

“All right,” Shani said, then added with a glint of humor in her eyes, “and you can kiss me and Miriam but nobody else.”

The sound of the music grew louder. There were pipes and timbrels and harps of various kinds, and already people were spinning around doing the dances that went back centuries.

“Teach me how to dance.”

“Later. We've got to put this food with the rest of it.”

They went over to where the food and drink was being collected, and as he put it down, a young woman turned and said, “Why, hello, Bezalel.”

“Oh, Yona, it's you!”

“I thought you were too serious to come to frivolous things like celebrations and feasts.”

Yona was the daughter of Elhanan, of the tribe of Dan. Her father had served as a slave in the home of a wealthy Egyptian, and she was richly arrayed in some of the silks and jewelry they had carried out of Egypt. She was not a tall woman but was well shaped and knew how to make the best of her appearance. Her mouth was broad and rather sensuous, and her eyes were large and lustrous.

“Why, I'm as frivolous as the next fellow.”

“Are you frivolous enough to dance with me?”

“I should think so,” Bezalel said with a grin. He put the food down and took Yona's hands, and the two of them went out to join the dancers. Shani stood there and watched them, her face clouded with disappointment.

Oholiab stopped by and said, “You look like you just bit into a sour pickle. What's the matter?”

“Nothing.”

“Well, I think there is.” He looked out and saw Bezalel dancing with Yona. “They make a good-looking couple, don't they?”

“I think she's ugly.”

“Ugly! You must be blind. She's a beautiful young woman. I wouldn't mind dancing with her myself.”

“Her nose is too big.”

Oholiab peered sharply at the young girl and laughed. “Well, it looks like Bezalel's busy, so you can dance with me.”

“I don't know how to dance.”

“Well, you've got the best teacher in all of Israel. Come along!”

****

“I don't think I've ever danced so much in my whole life,” Bezalel said. He was strolling along under the light of a full moon with Yona. The festival had gone on for a long time, and they had stayed until the very last of the musicians had left. Now as he walked back to her tent with her, he was stirred by her appearance. He had always been easily influenced by pretty girls, and this one was much more than that.

“I can't tell you how much I admire your work, Bezalel.”

“Do you really?” Her words pleased him, for he took great pride in what he did.

“I used to come around when you were working on the furnishings for the tabernacle. Of course, I knew no one could see it once it was taken inside. That candelabrum you made was a stunning work of art.”

“It was very difficult. Moses told me exactly what it was to look like, but it was hard to get it just right.”

“You did a beautiful job. I never saw the ark, but I know it must have been beautiful.”

“I don't suppose anyone will ever see it again except for Aaron or the next high priest.”

Indeed, no one except Aaron did see the ark after it was finished. As soon as Bezalel had finished it, it was carried into what was called the Holy of Holies, which was separated from the Holy Place. All that was in there was the ark. As soon as Bezalel had placed it there and left, Moses said, “No man will see the ark except the high priest.”

So it was. Whenever the tabernacle was to be moved, Aaron went in and covered the ark; then young men of the tribe of Levi put poles through the rings on the side, and they carried the covered ark to the next camping place. Aaron himself was commanded only to go in once a year on the most holy day of all and sprinkle the ark with the blood of a sacrifice.

“Everyone is talking about how clever you are to make all those things and the tabernacle as well.”

“Well, Oholiab had a lot to do with it. He's a clever fellow, and Moses gave all the details of the work, exactly as God gave them to him on the mountain.”

They walked along, and Yona continued to speak of how beautiful Bezalel's work was. When they reached her tent, she turned and faced him squarely. She smiled and Bezalel was suddenly aware of the perfume she wore and found himself drawn toward her.

“You're so beautiful, Yona!”

“Come, now. You're much too serious a man to be making pretty speeches to girls.”

“Not at all.” Bezalel was admiring the strong lines and planes of her face, the smoothness of her cheeks in the silver glow of the moonlight, and the way her head smoothly joined her strong but graceful neck. Her lips were well shaped, and he could not seem to take his eyes off of them. Suddenly, without really meaning to, he reached out and pulled her to him. She came to him easily, and he was acutely conscious of the pressure of her soft body against his. To his surprise she did not pull away. Her lips were soft beneath his own, and suddenly long-hidden feelings stirred him, deepening his sense of loneliness.

Yona drew back and whispered, “You shouldn't have done that.”

“I'll probably do it again.” He made an attempt, but she laughed and put her hand on his chest. “That's enough. I enjoyed the dancing.”

“I'll come and see you again.”

“That would be nice,” Yona said with a smile. She touched his cheek, turned, and went into the tent.

Bezalel made his way back to his own tent as if he were treading on air. When he went inside, he was grinning foolishly, and Shani, who was sitting on the mat she used for a bed, stared at him without expression. “Hello, Shani.”

She did not answer but got up and stalked out of the tent.

“What's the matter with her, Miriam?”

“She's jealous, Bezalel.”

“Oh, that's foolish! Young girls often get attracted to older men. She'll get over it. She's just a child.”

Miriam turned to face Bezalel and shook her head scornfully. “She's at least fourteen years old, maybe more. Many of our maidens are married when they're that age.”

Bezalel was still living in the memory of Yona's soft lips. “Well,” he said absently, “I'll look around for a husband for her.”

Miriam threw up her hands and gave a short, bitter laugh. “It's a good thing you can makes things, son, because you are ignorant beyond belief!”

“Come on, everybody—the scouts are back!”

Miriam looked up from where she was working on a pair of sandals, a light of pleasure in her eyes. She got up, saying, “Come along, Shani. You wouldn't want to miss this.”

Shani had been cooking over the fire. She put the pot to one side and joined Miriam.