Unholy Empire: Chronicles of the Host, Vol 2: Chronicles of the Host, Book 2 (26 page)

Chronicles of the Host

Sarah

It is a bittersweet thing to watch the life and death of a human. Like a soft flower that springs forth in its glory and then disappears all too rapidly, so it is with humans, who never realize how quickly life passes until death is upon them. So it was with Sarah, who died and was buried by Abraham in a cave purchased from a local prince.

One of Abraham’s last actions before his death was to send for a wife for Isaac from his own people in Ur. He would not have Isaac marry one of the Canaanite women. Afterwards Abraham was buried next to Sarah, and we angels remembered him as a most faithful man.

With the birth of twins to Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, it was evident that a new phase in the building of the great nation was underway. For the word of prophecy spoken over these two brothers was that the elder brother would serve the younger. And so it was that when the children were delivered, the younger son, Jacob, grabbed the heel of his elder brother, Esau—an action that seemed to portray their relationship from that point on.

Jacob and Esau

Jacob was a rascal of a boy and man. With the encouragement of his mother, Rebekah, he managed to take both the birthright and the blessing of his older brother, Esau. This was puzzling to the angels, who deliberated as to how such unruly creatures carried within them the seeds of Lucifer’s destruction.

From that very day Esau swore murderous revenge upon his brother Jacob. It would, we thought, be our mission to protect Jacob from Esau’s murderous threats. The Lord, as it turned out, had a different plan for Jacob…one which we foolish angels did not contemplate…one in which a future nation was to be born out of a great struggle with the Lord’s Angel at Mahanaim…

Jacob watched as Laban said a tender farewell to his daughters. Leah and Rachel presented their children one by one, and Laban invoked a blessing over them. Tearfully, his eyes met the eyes of his beloved daughters, whom he would most likely never see again.

Leah, the eldest, who had become a pawn in a treacherous bid to keep Jacob within Laban’s hire, hugged her father and wept. Memories flooded Laban’s mind: how Jacob had agreed to work seven long and difficult years for Laban in exchange for Rachel’s hand in marriage; how Laban had substituted Leah for Rachel in the wedding chamber; how Jacob then agreed to work seven more years in order to also marry Rachel; and how God had blessed Leah’s womb to bear many sons to Jacob.

Rachel, the more beautiful of the two girls, next stood in front of her father. Having been barren for years, she had recently given birth to Joseph, who was instantly Jacob’s favorite child. Rachel was the woman Jacob had wanted all along. She too had become a tool in Laban’s hands to keep Jacob at work. Now both of his daughters were leaving for good. It was time to let them go. Laban tenderly kissed his daughter, Rachel, and blessed little Joseph.

Laban said his final farewells and blessed Jacob as he went, “May your God be with you always, Jacob, as He has proven Himself strong all these years. And may He ever be witness to the covenant made between us that we shall never harm each other again!” With that, Laban and his party headed back home to Haran.

The daughters watched their father disappear into the wilderness. Then, as if stirred out of a dream, they began preparing their children for the day’s journey. The activity of a camp on the move was comforting to Jacob. It seemed to him that he was always on the move. Always in search of the next well…or the next pasture…or the next dream. Always pursuing or being pursued—

—by an outraged brother from whom he had stolen a birthright and a blessing

—by an unreasonable father-in-law who had been tricked out of his flocks and did not want to allow his daughters to leave

—by a faithful God, who had made a promise to Abraham and his descendants that they should be blessed and was closing the ring on Jacob even now…

The company of animals, family, and servants made its way west. Jacob couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding as the land began to take on familiar features—they were getting closer to home…closer to Isaac…closer to Esau.

They were coming into the land…the very land that had been promised to his grandfather Abraham so many years before. His father, Isaac, had often told Jacob the stories of Abraham’s early wanderings in Canaan: how he met with God as one would meet with a friend; how he was willing to give up his son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice if that was what the Lord required; how Abraham was faithful in so much. Isaac had faithfully burdened the responsibility of leading the family in Canaan; of raising his sons Esau and Jacob and maintaining their closeness with God. Soon it would be Jacob’s turn to lead the family of promise in the Promised Land. His father had always led a simple life of faith in the Lord. Jacob felt so distant from the Lord these days.

He surveyed the arid land around him, peering into the vastness of the open terrain. The sun was beginning to descend into the western horizon, though it was still light enough to see. But it was getting colder as the day gave way to darkness. Jacob searched the twilight sky with his heart and mind.

He could almost feel Abraham looking down upon him from the heavens as he retraced the steps that the patriarch had made so many years earlier.
Are you disappointed in me, Father Abraham?
Jacob thought in a half-serious-half-cynical frame of mind.
I’m sure my father, Isaac, is wondering what ever happened to the family of great promise
, Jacob continued in his thoughts.
Such promise…two great sons to carry on the heritage!

Jacob chuckled to himself. “What sons of promise! One marries out of the nation—what a scandal
that
was. The other son is a schemer returning to a land promised to him, but that he hardly even knows!”

Jacob shook his head and laughed a little…then he sighed. And yet, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of destiny in all of this…as if events that had great purpose were overtaking his life in a way that he could not understand. Had not the God of Abraham and Isaac prospered him even while he had been under Laban’s bondage?

God had remained faithful all the time he was away from his father and mother, hiding from the wrath of his brother Esau. The reality of the living God began to encompass Jacob in a way that he had never before realized. His heart was pricked a little as he wondered whether somehow he could know the Lord as his grandfather had…as a friend.

He shook himself from such a foolish notion. How could one whose name meant “deceiver” be a friend to the God of his fathers? Perhaps Esau should have received the birthright after all. Just maybe God would choose another family…another Abraham. Then Jacob could live out his days a wealthy shepherd with family and privilege.

But he knew too much about the promises of God from his fathers. That God would make good on His word to the family…that there was much more at stake than Jacob’s little concerns…that somehow the world was to be blessed through the holy covenant that God had made with Abraham.

If only there
was
a way to be a part of all this
, Jacob thought. He then did something he hadn’t done with real intensity in a very long time.

He prayed.

“God of my father, Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham. If You are truly wanting my family to be blessed, and to be a blessing, I pray You would give me a sign that You are leading me…”

“There he is,” a voice said from the darkness. “There is Jacob.”

“And what are we to tell him?” asked another.

“
We
are not to say a word,” came the answer.

Before he could even finish his prayer, Jacob saw several figures appear before him on either side of the roadway. Expecting his mount to become frightened, he gripped the rein a little tighter. The animal passed on, totally unaware of the angelic presences. Jacob rubbed his eyes, blaming the sighting on the twilight dimness that was closing in. He passed one of the figures on his right and looked around to see if anyone else could see them. He then turned to see if the apparitions were still there—expecting them to be gone. But there they stood!

“This is where we will camp tonight!” Jacob shouted to the caravan. “This is the camp of God!”

He turned again to see the angels, but they were no longer there. He squinted his eyes to make sure and looked one more time. Only darkness.

“My lord, there is water nearby,” said a servant. “We will go and fill the jars and water the animals.”

“Good,” said Jacob. “Tell me. Did you see anything a few minutes ago?”

“Not that I know of, my lord,” said the servant. “Should I have?”

“Apparently not,” mused Jacob. “Thank you.”

The servant turned to leave, puzzled by his master’s question. The noise of the camp being set up brought Jacob out of his reverie. He found his wives and began telling them everything that had happened. He called the place “Mahanaim” or “double camp,” because, in addition to his own camp, it was quite obvious that there was an unseen camp nearby—of the Host of Heaven. They were indeed a “double camp”!

The fact that he had seen angels gave Jacob a greater confidence that whatever happened to him and his family, the Lord was watching over the situation. He surveyed the camp as it settled down into the evening’s routine. How fortunate he was to possess such capable and loyal servants. He watched as the men divided up the night’s routine of watching, waiting, and securing the animals.

Later that evening, the smell of a meaty stew served by Leah jolted Jacob’s memory. He looked at the thick red mixture of meat and herbs and, as the steam entered his nostrils, his mind took him instantly to another time…another place…another stew…a very costly stew…