By Way of the Wilderness (31 page)

****

Bezalel was so stiff and sore the next morning he could hardly move. Groaning, he got out of bed, but his mouth was so sore, he could barely eat the mush Miriam fixed for him.

All day he kept to his mat, and after more of Miriam's bitter medicine, he had another good night's sleep. The next day he still was in considerable discomfort, but he had had time to think.
I was a fool! Why did I have to act like that?
He began to consider what he might say to Shani to make it up to her. It was late in the morning when he heard a voice outside, and after a few moments Hiram came in. He seemed to fill the whole tent, and Bezalel got to his feet, trying to ignore the pain.

“I have come to ask your permission to speak with Shani.”

Everything in Bezalel urged him to cry out “No!” but he knew that was useless. “You have my permission,” he said. But then he added, “I'm … I'm sorry I thrashed you. I hope you'll forgive me.”

Hiram, who did not have a mark on his face, looked at the battered countenance of Bezalel, the maker of beautiful things. “Oh, that's all right,” he said, turning aside to hide his smile.

****

Shani was gone most of the day, and Bezalel knew she was staying away to avoid speaking to him. Finally that night, after the evening meal, he had a chance to speak to her alone. She was making a new dress, sewing by the light of the small oil lamp. The dim yellow light cast its glow over her features, and Bezalel cleared his throat. “I'm sorry about what happened.”

“It's all right.” Her tone was stark, without compassion.

“I just don't … I just don't want you to make a mistake.”

“We all make mistakes, Bezalel.”

“Not you.”

“Yes me. My mistake is wanting a home and a husband and children. That's a terrible thing, isn't it?”

Bezalel met her gaze, and he thought he'd never seen her green eyes more beautiful—or more angry. “We all want that,” he muttered.

“Is that what you want?”

“Well, of course.”

“When are you going to marry Yona?”

The question caught Bezalel off balance. “Oh, I don't know. We haven't talked about it much.”

“If you love her, what are you waiting for?”

“Well, I don't want to make a mistake.”

Shani looked at him and said again, “We all make mistakes. Now, leave me alone.”

Miserable and sore, both inside and out, Bezalel went over and lay down on his mat. He reviewed all that had happened and finally came to a firm conclusion. “Bezalel, my boy, you've always been a fool, but you're getting worse. You've got to start acting like a grown-up instead of a child.”

****

The days passed and then weeks after the beating that Bezalel took. Slowly the pain left, and the bruises, which had been a magnificent rainbow of orange, purple, and green, had faded. Hiram was a frequent visitor to Shani, and so were two other young men.

Bezalel was shocked by this, and he mentioned it to Oholiab. “I wish all those young fellows would stay away.”

“What are you worried about? They're all nice enough, aren't they?”

“I'm not sure.”

“You know they are. Hiram will be a leader in the tribe of Simeon one of these days. Why don't you mind your own affairs?”

Caleb gave Bezalel the same advice. He stopped by early one morning and delivered his counsel. “I've heard about this foolishness. I hope Hiram managed to beat some sense into you. He's a good young man, responsible. Shani could do no better.”

“Well, I just lost my temper.”

Caleb scowled. “Lose it over a better cause. If you want to lose your temper, lose it with the elders.”

Bezalel looked up quickly. “What's the matter with the elders?”

“The same old thing,” Caleb said. “They're all unhappy with Moses.”

“What is it this time?”

“It's that Korah faction. Korah's always seen himself as the true leader of Israel.”

“That's ridiculous. He couldn't lead a sheep to water.”

“But he can influence people. I don't know why, but maybe because he's wealthy, people like Dathan and Abiram, from the tribe of Reuben, listen to him, and now he's got them all stirred up.”

“What do they want?”

“I don't think they know. They just want to get rid of Moses.”

“Get rid of Moses! That can never happen.”

“I wish Korah knew that. They're having a meeting with him this afternoon. You be there.”

“All right. I don't know what I can do, though.”

“You love Moses. He'll need all of his friends.”

****

The meeting between Moses and the elders was a stormy one. The essence of it was that the elders wanted to take over the leadership of Israel and, of course, Korah, the most influential elder, would be, in effect, the ruler of the Hebrews.

At one point Joshua cried out, “You elders, give heed to me. The Lord himself has chosen Moses, not you, to be the leader. You are rebelling against the Lord.”

“We don't rebel against the Lord!” Korah shouted. “The Lord's curse is on us because of the sins of Aaron, who made the golden calf.”

“Yes,” Abiram agreed, “and He commanded the Levites to kill the idolaters. Why didn't Moses kill his brother? It was Aaron who made the golden calf.”

“You have gone too far!” Korah went on. “The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?”

When Moses heard this he fell facedown and said to Korah and his followers, “I have only done as God has directed me. Is it not honor enough for you that God has chosen you to be the elders of Israel? In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to Him and who is holy, and He will have that person come near him. The man He chooses He will cause to come near Him. You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”

Bezalel murmured to Caleb, “What will happen, Caleb?”

“Nothing very good for Korah.” Caleb's lips were drawn in a tight, angry line. “And it is time that he discovered it is Moses, not he, who is the true leader chosen by the Lord. Tomorrow,” he said angrily, “we shall see!”

****

The camp rose at dawn, and all were ready for the confrontation between the elders and Moses. Korah and his men, some two hundred fifty of them, filled their fire pans and added incense. They came to stand before the sanctuary waiting for Moses.

As for Moses, he and Aaron stood and watched, not knowing what would happen, and then the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly, and the voice of God spoke:
“Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once. Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.'”

Moses rose up and moved forward, speaking stridently to the congregation. “Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.”

The people who had been close to the tents of Korah, Abiram, and Dathan immediately fled, and when they were clear, the three leaders of the rebellion, with their wives and children, stood their ground, staring defiantly at Moses.

Moses cried out with a powerful voice, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea. If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.”

Even as Moses finished his speech, the ground underneath the tents of the three rebels was split, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their tents, all their families, and all their goods. They went down alive into the pit, screaming. Bezalel saw Korah meet his doom, screaming with a high-pitched voice like a woman, even as the earth swallowed him up.

Terrified, the congregation scattered, crying out, “The earth is going to swallow us too!” and as they fled, a fire from the Lord came down and consumed the two hundred fifty men who had offered their incense.

Caleb had not moved, and now he gripped Bezalel's arm with an iron grip. “So may it be with all who rebel against the Lord God of Israel. Come! Now that those troublemakers are out of the way, perhaps we will have some peace!”

The terrible punishment of Korah and his followers did not stop the murmurings of the people. Instead they blamed Moses for the deaths of the leaders and the elders. Many of them were bitter at what they felt was God's refusal to honor His promise.

A burly member of the tribe of Gad spoke plainly. “I want to live as well as my children and my grandchildren,” he cried out.

Others joined his cry and said, “I want to have my own farm, grow my own grapes. Instead the Lord has condemned us to wander in this desert. Only our children will go into the land.”

“Yes, and who knows whether even they will go in?” a man answered him. “The Lord might break His promise to them too, as He has to us.”

Moses, of course, was fully aware of all of the murmuring and complaining. It had been like this since they had left Egypt. Moses was terrified that the people might turn again to idolatry, or join themselves to the desert tribes, all of whom were idolaters.

He was constantly burdened by indecision. Where was he to lead Israel? The desert was a terrible place, and he lingered in Kadesh-Barnea as long as he dared, for the cloud had moved on. The wanderings were wearing the people down, at least the people of the older generation. Moses was desperately trying to find an answer to this when Shani came running up to him.

“Master,” she said breathlessly, “Miriam is very sick. I think she's dying.”

Moses' heart filled with anguish, and he turned at once. “I will go to her,” he muttered.

The two hurried back to the tent, and Moses, at his first glance, saw that his sister was indeed dying. She had been ill for some time, but now the shadow of death lay on her. She opened her eyes, and her voice was weak as she said, “My brother, why are you so disturbed?”

“I cannot bear the weight that is on me, my dear sister. It's more than I can bear to lead my people in the desert for forty years.”

“Moses, I put you in the basket and watched God's hand on you. He has used you as a mighty deliverer, but now where is your faith? Think of the generations yet to come, the seed of Abraham who will multiply and live because Israel was led out of bondage.”

“God's judgment is always true,” Moses murmured. He took Miriam's hand and knelt down beside her. He kissed the thin hand and began to weep.

“I remember,” Miriam whispered faintly, “how I put you in the little basket boat and how the waters carried you over the crocodiles straight to the Princess Kali. It seemed like death at the time, but it was life. So let it be with you, my brother.”

Miriam lived long enough to bless her family. She prayed for Aaron, for Moses, and then for Bezalel and Shani. “Love God and all will be well,” she whispered.

Shani's eyes were filled with tears. “You cannot leave me, Mother.”

“I must go, but God will lead you and put His hand on you, and on you too, my son, Bezalel. God is all.”

She passed away an hour later without saying another word, and Moses, his face contorted with agony, took her dead hand and held it to his cheek. “She was a mother in Israel and my comfort,” he whispered.

****

After Miriam's funeral, Shani went back to her tent. It seemed very empty without Miriam, and she knew it would be so for a long time. She was startled at the sound of her name being called. It was a woman's voice, and when she went to the door of the tent, she saw Yona standing there. “I must speak with you,” Yona said.

“Come in.”

Yona stepped inside but refused to seat herself when Shani invited her. “You must forgive me for coming so soon after the burial of your mistress, but something must be settled.”

“What is that?” Shani asked.

“As long as Miriam was alive,” Yona said, “it was good that you lived here with her and with Bezalel. But now an unmarried maiden and an unmarried male must not live together.”

“Of course not. I will be leaving at once.”

Yona's jaw sagged. She had expected an argument, and now she glared suspiciously at Shani. “It must be done at once.”

“It will be done today, and now if you will excuse me—”

Yona stared at Shani, who turned and was evidently packing her things. “I'm glad you have the sense to see it!” she said sharply and turned to leave. A smile touched her lips. “Now, that's one problem out of the way,” she murmured.

Yona went at once to Bezalel and said, “I have spoken with Shani.”

“With Shani? About what?”

“Why, about your new arrangements, of course,” Yona said. “Surely you know something has to be done.”

“I don't understand you, Yona.”

“You can't live with Shani. She is an unmarried woman and you are an unmarried man. It's not fitting.”

His anger flared. “I think I'm capable of taking care of my own affairs.”

“Don't be angry. I've already arranged it. She's leaving today.”

“Leaving today! Did you tell her that?”

Yona opened her mouth, but she had no time to answer, for Bezalel whirled and ran away, leaving her standing there.

****

Bezalel paused outside the tent, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. He was confused and angry with Yona, but did not want to let that show. He stepped inside and, in once glance, saw that Shani was packing her things. “You're leaving?”