Pearl in the Sand (10 page)

“I promise I shan’t prove disloyal to you and to God.”

“You’re an extraordinary woman,” Hanani exclaimed, and Ezra nodded.

“And you two begin to grow on me,” she replied with a pleased grin.

“We must move quickly before it grows light,” Ezra interjected. “It’s too far down for your ladder. Do you have any sturdy rope, Rahab, or were you expecting us to fly?”

“The Lord parted the sea for you. He can provide you with a pair of wings, surely?”

“Yes, but while we wait for them to sprout, perhaps you would be good enough to fetch some rope,” Hanani growled.

“Rope you shall have, my Hebrew friend.” Rahab rummaged in a chest until she found her rope, and Hanani, wasting no time, tied it about his middle with a secure knot. Ezra lowered him outside the wall, his chest heaving with strain as he carried the weight of his friend’s body. Hanani’s feet touched the ground just outside Jericho.

Ezra tied one end of the rope around his waist and looped the other through a hook in the wall where Rahab normally hung a lamp. His brow became more knotted than the rope as he handed her the free end. “Do you think you can bear my weight? The hook might break my fall if you lose your grip, but at that speed, I suspect my back would snap anyway.”

Rahab’s mouth went dry. “I won’t let go. Just … don’t dawdle on the way down. Don’t stop to see the sights or anything. Get down as fast as you can.”

Ezra sputtered. “Don’t worry. I’ve seen enough of Jericho. But I’ll be back to fetch you and your family on the day of war. Now, hold tight to this rope; my life rests in your hands.” He gave Rahab one final encouraging smile and climbed over the window ledge. He hung there by the tip of his fingers for an infinitesimal moment as Rahab wedged her feet against the corner of the wall and wrapped the rope several times about her arm. Then he let go. Rahab gave a muffled screech as she was pulled forward with a wrenching force.
Her body slid across the floor, yanked by Ezra’s dangling weight, and she pictured him falling toward the ground. Holding on with her whole might, she jammed her feet against the doorway and held on.

“Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, help me!” she choked. Then she found her balance, caught her breath, and started to loosen the tension bit by slow bit. Ezra tried to help when possible by wedging a hand or foot in the cracks between the rocks, but these were few and far between, so Rahab ended up bearing his whole weight most of the way down. Never had she borne such a burden. That man weighed two of Rahab on a well-fed day. Planting her feet more firmly, she hefted the rope until her palms bled and her arms were bruised with the friction she tried so hard to control. She ignored the blood and ignored the sting and kept at it. Ezra had made it halfway down the wall when the rope slipped from Rahab’s arm, peeling a good portion of her skin with it. He shot down with alarming speed and Rahab had no breath left with which to exclaim. Using her whole might, she grabbed the rope and held on. She gulped. Ezra dangled a man’s height from the ground, and then slowly touched down, the most gentle part of the entire descent.

The men began to run toward the hills as soon as Ezra freed himself from the rope’s tangled knot. In the predawn darkness, Rahab lost sight of them before she had a chance to blink twice. With an alacrity inspired by danger, she pulled up the rope and stored it away as fast as she could in case the soldiers returned to examine her house again. Then the ladder, and finally she tended to her burned and bloody arm and hands. At least the men had remembered to take all their belongings this time, God be thanked.

What remained now was to convince a family from Jericho that they were safer in the Lord’s hands than in the hands of their own gods. To convince them to place their lives in the promises of their most dreaded enemy.

A
re you mad?” her brother Joa exploded. “Have you lost your entire mind?” Karem bellowed. Rahab opened her mouth, but Joa had more to say. She appreciated the interruption. She did not feel qualified to defend herself with any great gusto.

“If they find out you harbored Hebrew spies, they’ll kill you. And they’ll kill us for having had the misfortune of being your family.”

A stretch of shocked silence followed Joa’s comment, and Rahab swallowed hard. Although she could not blame them for being resentful, it still hurt to be chewed up and cast out.

“Why should they find out?” she asked, straining to keep her voice steady. “Look, what do you have to lose, any of you? If you say nothing, no one in Jericho will be any the wiser. But if the Hebrews do come and overrun our walls as they have done to all the other cities, our lives will be spared.

“Next week you and your families come and stay with me for a while. You can go to work as usual, but not too far. An alarm will be raised if their army is sighted, and you will have time to run
back here to safety. And if they don’t come you can go home without loss. Only think what would happen if they come and defeat our army and you are not here; think of what you would forfeit then. For weeks you have spoken of little but your fear of the Hebrews. Now you have no need to fear. Your lives shall be spared no matter what happens.”

“How can you trust them? You’re taking the word of lawless pagans! What good is that?” Joa spat out.

“Their God treats oaths with gravity, and they obey Him most strictly. Again, I put it before you: what shall you lose by following my suggestions?”

In the end, everyone decided to stay with Rahab for a few weeks. They spent the next seven days buying necessities, which the rest of Jericho was also doing for fear of an impending siege. It made for long lines, astronomical prices, and frustrating and sometimes fruitless waits. At least they were one of the few places in Canaan that need not worry about water; Jericho boasted plenty of natural springs, which had grown abundant again since the drought year.

Everyone worried about a long and tedious besiegement. Rahab prepared for a short and conclusive one. She bought little, for she knew if the Hebrews won she would only be able to take what could be carried on her back. How Israel would accomplish this feat, she knew not, merely that they would bring down the walls of her native city. The Hebrews would win.

Hanani and Ezra lingered in the hills for three days as Rahab had advised. Hanani rationed their small store of food to ensure it would last until they returned home. A delicate brook provided plenty to drink, and as the days remained warm, their lack of blankets proved a small inconvenience. They took turns keeping watch at night, vigilant for evidence of an approaching attack. But Rahab showed herself reliable once again, and no enemy came.

Early the fourth day they came down from the hills and set out for Israel’s camp at a jog. It took most of the day to reach the Jordan, and when they arrived Hanani stared at its turbulent waters. The river frothed and danced with perverse maliciousness, as if laughing at their attempt to cross. The flooding was even greater than before.

Ezra jumped in without hesitation, and Hanani, not about to remain behind, took a deep breath and followed suit. He found it tough going from the first step, but realized he had to keep moving or the current would bury him. He pushed on, barely able to see through lashes matted with water. As he squinted toward the opposite shore he spotted Ezra, slightly downstream. Ezra was in serious trouble. He was closer to land, but clearly in the grip of a fierce eddy, which was pulling him under.

Hanani groaned. He had to find a way to reach Ezra. Up ahead, he noticed a long branch hanging in the water. Sending up an incoherent prayer, he made for the branch. He had no choice but to trust that it was sturdy. He intended to use it like a rope with which to anchor himself while pulling his friend out. Keeping one eye on the branch and one on Ezra, he pushed himself harder. There! Just as he reached for the branch he saw Ezra go under. Clinging to the branch he allowed the current to pull him toward where he had last seen Ezra.
Where are you, my friend? Come back where I can see you!
Suddenly, a dark head popped up.

“Ezra!” he shouted, and reached out. Ezra seemed only half conscious and disoriented. Hanani grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled with all his might.

“Aghh!” Ezra came to himself enough to realize what was happening and turned and clung to Hanani’s arm. They hung there until both caught their breath, then fought their way to the shore. Collapsing, the two men panted and spluttered, grateful for the air that filled their lungs. After a few moments, Hanani stood and pulled Ezra up beside him.

“Thank you,” Ezra managed, then threw up. Volumes. Hanani grimaced and turned away to give his friend some privacy.

“All right, now?” he asked when Ezra’s heaves had subsided. “Yes. Thank you for saving my skin.”

Hanani held up a hand. “The river Jordan has nothing on the wrath of your sister should I have carried your dead body home.”

Ezra’s bluish lips broke into a grin and he sat up, moaning. “Home sounds good—let’s go. I’ve had enough spying.”

Hanani was elated at his first sight of the familiar tents dotting the arid landscape. As he suspected, word of their return quickly spread, and Joshua came to meet them in person.

He rushed through his greetings before getting to the point. “Come, come. Time runs short. I rejoice at your safe return, men. Now you must tell me what you found. We will meet in my tent.” With that he walked away.

Hanani, sore from nearly drowning and the long walk that came before, tried to keep up with the older man without betraying his fatigue. Out of the corner of his eye he spied a familiar form.

“Hanani and Ezra!” Salmone called out, running toward them.
“Shalom!
What a sight you are,” he said with a grin, pointing his chin at Hanani’s stained clothes and tangled hair, three days without the attentions of a comb. “How good to have you both back.”

“Yes, yes. It is good,” Joshua interrupted. “But we can celebrate later. This son of Judah has a report to make. Salmone, you can join us, since Hanani is under your leadership and a personal friend besides,” he said without slowing down.

Salmone fell into step beside them. Hanani, who had known Salmone since birth, noticed his friend’s taut muscles and pursed mouth, a sure sign of the knot inside his belly. Salmone was burning with curiosity. Hanani spared him a glance and a grin, trying through his tiredness to convey his elation.
The report is positive, my friend
, he expressed without words.
This is not a repeat of the spy report from a generation back
. Salmone’s mouth relaxed as did his
muscles. Among friends of old, friends who had waged war and cobbled peace alongside one another, words weren’t always necessary.

Joshua walked into his tent and flapped it shut. Evening was falling and the air was cooling. Still it was stifling inside. Hanani took no notice. Like other Israelite men, he was accustomed to harsh weather and nomadic inconveniences. Joshua spun around as soon as the tent was sealed and made private. “Well, speak up. What did you find out?”

Hanani’s gaze lingered for a long moment on the fluffy cushions covering a portion of the floor, and he wondered if it would be rude to sit down before making his report. Sighing, he decided against it and shifted his stance to take the pressure off his aching thighs. Perhaps after giving the good news, Joshua would invite him to sit. “The Lord has definitely given the land into our hands,” he began.