The Strength of His Hand (32 page)

“Read it to me.”

Eliakim unrolled the page and read it aloud. “‘This is a day of trouble and frustration and blasphemy; it is a serious time, as when a woman is in heavy labor trying to give birth and the child does not come. But perhaps the Lord your God heard the blasphemy of the king of Assyria’s representative as he scoffed at the living God. Surely God won’t let him get away with this. Surely God will rebuke him for those words. Oh, Isaiah, pray for those of us who are left!’ ”

The prophet stared silently at the floor for several minutes without speaking. Eliakim slowly rolled up the parchment and laid it on the table. The room was suffocating with so many men crowded inside it, and the scratchy sackcloth robe made Eliakim squirm with discomfort. “‘O Lord, be gracious to us,’ ” Isaiah prayed softly. “ ‘We long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.’ ” Eliakim saw that in spite of the one hundred thousand enemy troops surrounding their city, this great man of God was at peace.

“Why do you say … ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’? ” Isaiah asked. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his under- standing no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

The prophet’s words nourished Eliakim’s hope. He felt Isaiah’s peace begin to flood through him, as well, and he smiled faintly.

Isaiah continued speaking, his voice confident. “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Listen! I am going to put a spirit in him so that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.’ ”

Eliakim felt limp with relief. God had spoken through His prophet; they had nothing to fear. He knew that Isaiah’s prophecy would come to pass.

__________

Hezekiah knelt on the royal dais at the Temple with his forehead pressed to the ground, trying to calm himself enough to pray. God was merciful. He had answered Hezekiah’s desperate prayers before, allowing him to live. Now he prayed for his nation’s life, for his people, young and old, whose lives would all be lost unless Yahweh intervened.

Once again he stood helpless before an overwhelming enemy, and he remembered Yahweh’s promise to him, long ago:
“When you pass
through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.”
He closed his eyes and cried out to God in prayer using the words of his ancestor David.

“ ‘Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

“‘You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you. May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the Lord Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel… .

“‘But I pray to you, O Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

“‘Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes… .

“‘Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them. May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents… . I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me.’ ”

When Hezekiah finally lifted his head and looked around, Eliakim had returned. Hezekiah dreaded to ask the question.

“What did Rabbi Isaiah say?”

“It was good news, Your Majesty. Yahweh said not to be afraid of the Assyrians. He is going to cause them to return to Assyria, where Emperor Sennacherib will be slain.”

“Do you think that means the Egyptians will come to drive them back?”

Eliakim shrugged. “I don’t know. What else could it mean?”

Hezekiah closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to the ground in prayer once more. “ ‘I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving… . The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.’ ”

When he finished praying, Hezekiah stood and began walking back to the palace with Eliakim. But as they passed the Women’s Court, he heard the sound of women wailing as if in deep sorrow and mourning. It sent shivers through Hezekiah. He stopped to listen. The women of Jerusalem were weeping and praying for their families and for their lives.

“Is the entire city this fearful?” he asked Eliakim.

“Yes, my lord. Morale is very low. The Rabshekah’s words, the sight of such a powerful army outside our gates—they have everyone terrified. General Benjamin had to put some of his own soldiers under guard after they threatened mutiny.”

“Then it’s up to us to convince them that God is able to deliver us. Come on.”

He stepped up to the gate of the Women’s Court, and the wailing stopped abruptly when the startled women realized who he was. “Listen,” King Hezekiah said. “You don’t have to be afraid. I know the King of Assyria has a vast army with him, but there is a greater power with us than with him. He only has the arm of the flesh. But we have the arm of the Lord our God to help us. He will fight our battles for us.”

“But the Assyrian leader spoke the truth,” one of the women cried. “No one has ever escaped from them!”

“What will happen to our children?” another wept.

Hezekiah wondered how he could calm their fears and restore their faith; then he recalled how his grandfather had reassured him and strengthened his faith so long ago.

“‘The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?’ ” he quoted gently. “‘The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? … Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident… . For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock… .Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.’ ”

He saw that his words had calmed them. The women wiped their tears and bowed to him in gratitude. “Come with me, Eliakim,” he said, and instead of returning to the palace, they walked down the hill into the city. As they mingled with the frightened people in the streets, a large crowd quickly gathered around them.

“What’s going to happen to us?”

“Your Majesty, the Assyrians promised they would take us to a land like our own. They’ll let us live if we do what they say.”

“King Hezekiah, why don’t you accept the Assyrians’ offer and surrender?”

“Yes, please! Before we’re all slaughtered!”

“Listen to me,” Hezekiah said. “The Torah says, ‘When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you … to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’ ”

“But the Assyrians have battering rams and siege towers! What if the city walls can’t keep them out?”

“‘God is our refuge and strength,’ ” Hezekiah replied, “ ‘an everpresent help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea … The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.’ ”

All afternoon Hezekiah walked among his people, calming their fears with words of assurance, soothing them with the psalms of David. Eliakim took over for the king after his voice went hoarse and gave out. Gradually, the two heard less talk of surrender, more words of faith and trust.

“‘Do not fret because of evil men,’ ” Eliakim told one group in the marketplace, “ ‘or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away… . Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him… . For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.’ ”

“But how can God possibly save us?” someone cried from the crowd. Before Hezekiah could answer, Isaiah suddenly stepped up beside him and rested his hand on Hezekiah’s shoulder.

“May I answer his question, Your Majesty?”

His sudden appearance stunned Hezekiah. He hadn’t seen Isaiah since their confrontation on the palace steps. “Certainly, Rabbi!” He took a step back and waited as the power of God filled the prophet.

“‘Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath!’ When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, ‘I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasuries; like a mighty one I subdued their kings… .”’

“Therefore, the Lord Almighty will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame… . In a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick man wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down.

“In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel… . Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, says: ‘O my people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod… .Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.’ ”

The crowd stood in hushed silence when Isaiah finished. The Assyrians would be destroyed in a single day. That could only mean the Egyptians would defeat them.

“Thank you, Rabbi,” Hezekiah murmured. Then he and Eliakim began the long walk back up the hill to the palace.

__________

The light of thousands of campfires twinkled in the darkness outside the city walls when the urgent message came for Eliakim in the council room: His family needed him at home.

“Why? What’s wrong? Did they say why?”

“No, my lord.”

“Go ahead,” Hezekiah told him. “There’s nothing more you can do here tonight.”

Eliakim hurried down the hill, fighting panic. Was something wrong with Jerusha? His father? One of the children? They had never disturbed him at the palace before, so it must be urgent. He burst through the door and found Hilkiah waiting for him in the front hall.

“What is it, Abba? What happened?”

Hilkiah gripped his shoulders and pushed him down onto the bench by the door. “Sit down. Listen to me first.”

After all of the stress he had endured that day, Eliakim wondered why his father’s pale face frightened him the most.

“Jerusha… ?”

“She’s upstairs. She needs you.”

“Just tell me what happened, Abba!”

“She went to the wall.”

“Oh, God of Abraham—no!”

“She was watching when you came through the gate. She collapsed.”

“But why did she go there? I told her not to. Is she all right?” He tried to stand, but Hilkiah forced him down again.

“You have a new son.”

“But it’s too soon—”

“I know. The baby is very small. And it was a difficult birth. He was positioned backward.”

“Oh, no … Jerusha! Is she … is the baby… ?”

“We think Jerusha is all right, but there’s no way to tell. She won’t let the midwife come near her. She’s terrified that someone is going to take her baby away from her.”

Eliakim moaned. “She thinks she’s back with the Assyrians, doesn’t she?”

“We didn’t know what to do, son. I’m sorry.”

“Let me see her.”

Hilkiah gripped his arm. “Go slowly, son.”

Eliakim bolted up the stairs, then slipped quietly into the room. The bed was empty. He found Jerusha huddled in a ball in the corner, rocking back and forth, making the eerie, keening cry of mourning. The baby lay motionless in her arms, still smeared with dried blood. Eliakim couldn’t tell if he was dead or asleep.

“Jerusha?” he said. The keening stopped.

“Stay away from me!” she said in a voice he had never heard before. This was someone else, not his beloved wife.

“Bring me a basin of warm water,” Eliakim whispered to the midwife hovering behind him. Then he began to pray.
God, help me. Show
me what to do
. He had faced the leader of the most powerful army in the world hours earlier, but now Eliakim was more terrified than he had ever been in his life. He couldn’t lose Jerusha. But how could he pull her back?

The midwife handed him the basin and clean cloths, and Eliakim edged slowly into the room. Jerusha clutched the baby tightly to herself, and he saw one of his son’s tiny hands fly open, then slowly close again. He was still alive. Eliakim looked down at the floor, avoiding Jerusha’s wild eyes, not wanting to frighten her.

“I’ve brought you some water—to wash him with.”

She didn’t reply.