for Jonah.”
It took a moment for the memory of the previous evening to reassemble itself. Jonah? Was he—oh, yes. Jonah. Their altercation sprang back into focus. Elihu’s jaw tightened as he recalled Jonah’s obstinacy, his adamant refusal to listen to reason. This was beyond all sense. God offered Israel the chance to subdue her age-old enemy and the key player refused to cooperate. Unforgivable! After all their years of friendship, after risking their lives together on the road to Samaria, how could he do this? Jonah had become as stubborn as a jackass.
“You’re as stubborn as a jackass!”
Elihu jerked open his eyes and stared at his sister. Hadassah sat with her arms folded and her face hard.
“What?”
“Eli, since you confided in Benjamin and me about Jonah’s call as a prophet, we’ve kept our peace. You paced the vineyards like a caged lion until the call to arms came from Samaria. When it did come, you dropped the family business like a hot coal and raced off to your beloved army. If not for Benjamin’s father, we’d have foundered long ago. But Amaziah is old, and he may not recover from his accident this time. It’s been months and the bone is just not knitting.”
“What’s this got to do with—”
“Listen! Israel is important to you, I know that. It’s important to all of us. But there’s also your family and your friends. We, and people just like us, are Israel. You seem to have forgotten that.”
Elihu shook his head. “You don’t understand—”
“No, you don’t understand. Jonah was distraught about something last night, more so than any of us have ever seen before. He needed someone to listen, to try to understand. And all you could think of was riding on his coattails into Nineveh, sword swinging and singing the glory of Mother Israel!”
Hadassah paused. Elihu broke eye contact and rubbed the back of his head.
She leaned forward, and her voice softened. “Eli, Jonah needs our help. We chased him out of our house, and maybe our lives, without giving him his due. If Assyria is to fall, Adonai will see that it does—Jonah or no Jonah. You may still ride into Nineveh. But when you return, when the dust settles, where will your best friend be? Will you know? Will you even care?”
Elihu dropped his arm to his lap and let go a heavy sigh.
“I think you do care, which is why you drank yourself stupid last night.” His sister reached out and brushed stray wisps of hair from her brother’s forehead.
Before he could reply, a silhouette filled the doorway, its shadow stretching across the floor and enveloping both of them.
Hadassah swung toward the door as Benjamin stepped into the room.
“I can’t find him.”
Hadassah’s shoulders sagged and Elihu pushed to his feet. He touched his sister’s arm. “I’ll go.”
She squeezed his hand without looking up.
“I tracked him as far as the main road, but the surface was too rocky to see which way he turned. I walked awhile north, and then came back and covered the same distance south. There were footprints, I think, but I don’t know how old they are. I’m really not a tracker…” Benjamin faltered and fell silent as he looked from his [B20] wife’s moist eyes to Elihu’s grim expression.
“Thanks, Ben. I’ll see what I can find.” Elihu strapped on his sandals and slipped his cloak over his head. He gave his sister a reassuring nod as he picked up his sword and stepped past Benjamin toward the doorway.
Benjamin moved to Hadassah’s side and stroked her hair. She sighed and leaned her head against her husband’s chest.
Once outside, Elihu quickly mounted and turned his steed toward the main road. He reined in at the head of the path leading onto the road to the Jezreel Valley. He scanned the surface for some clue of Jonah’s passage, but Benjamin was right. It was too rocky. He shaded his eyes against the bright sky and peered southward down the road, then back toward the north. Where else is there
It took a moment for the memory of the previous evening to reassemble itself. Jonah? Was he—oh, yes. Jonah. Their altercation sprang back into focus. Elihu’s jaw tightened as he recalled Jonah’s obstinacy, his adamant refusal to listen to reason. This was beyond all sense. God offered Israel the chance to subdue her age-old enemy and the key player refused to cooperate. Unforgivable! After all their years of friendship, after risking their lives together on the road to Samaria, how could he do this? Jonah had become as stubborn as a jackass.
“You’re as stubborn as a jackass!”
Elihu jerked open his eyes and stared at his sister. Hadassah sat with her arms folded and her face hard.
“What?”
“Eli, since you confided in Benjamin and me about Jonah’s call as a prophet, we’ve kept our peace. You paced the vineyards like a caged lion until the call to arms came from Samaria. When it did come, you dropped the family business like a hot coal and raced off to your beloved army. If not for Benjamin’s father, we’d have foundered long ago. But Amaziah is old, and he may not recover from his accident this time. It’s been months and the bone is just not knitting.”
“What’s this got to do with—”
“Listen! Israel is important to you, I know that. It’s important to all of us. But there’s also your family and your friends. We, and people just like us, are Israel. You seem to have forgotten that.”
Elihu shook his head. “You don’t understand—”
“No, you don’t understand. Jonah was distraught about something last night, more so than any of us have ever seen before. He needed someone to listen, to try to understand. And all you could think of was riding on his coattails into Nineveh, sword swinging and singing the glory of Mother Israel!”
Hadassah paused. Elihu broke eye contact and rubbed the back of his head.
She leaned forward, and her voice softened. “Eli, Jonah needs our help. We chased him out of our house, and maybe our lives, without giving him his due. If Assyria is to fall, Adonai will see that it does—Jonah or no Jonah. You may still ride into Nineveh. But when you return, when the dust settles, where will your best friend be? Will you know? Will you even care?”
Elihu dropped his arm to his lap and let go a heavy sigh.
“I think you do care, which is why you drank yourself stupid last night.” His sister reached out and brushed stray wisps of hair from her brother’s forehead.
Before he could reply, a silhouette filled the doorway, its shadow stretching across the floor and enveloping both of them.
Hadassah swung toward the door as Benjamin stepped into the room.
“I can’t find him.”
Hadassah’s shoulders sagged and Elihu pushed to his feet. He touched his sister’s arm. “I’ll go.”
She squeezed his hand without looking up.
“I tracked him as far as the main road, but the surface was too rocky to see which way he turned. I walked awhile north, and then came back and covered the same distance south. There were footprints, I think, but I don’t know how old they are. I’m really not a tracker…” Benjamin faltered and fell silent as he looked from his [B20] wife’s moist eyes to Elihu’s grim expression.
“Thanks, Ben. I’ll see what I can find.” Elihu strapped on his sandals and slipped his cloak over his head. He gave his sister a reassuring nod as he picked up his sword and stepped past Benjamin toward the doorway.
Benjamin moved to Hadassah’s side and stroked her hair. She sighed and leaned her head against her husband’s chest.
Once outside, Elihu quickly mounted and turned his steed toward the main road. He reined in at the head of the path leading onto the road to the Jezreel Valley. He scanned the surface for some clue of Jonah’s passage, but Benjamin was right. It was too rocky. He shaded his eyes against the bright sky and peered southward down the road, then back toward the north. Where else is there
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