Caleb peered down at
his arms, his battle scarred muscles remained strong although he had grown
tired. He had remained faithful to God and to the cause and now it was time to
enjoy his inheritance. To bask in the sunlight and enjoy the cool breeze that
rustled the leaves of the Palm trees that lined the city of Hebron. And yet he
felt as though he could still put an army to flight, he could still run with
the young men and warriors he had trained. But the still small voice came to
him again, “Caleb it is time to enter in to my rest and enjoy my finished
work.” It was time to rest. Caleb glanced over at the young warriors who stood
before, each one had gathered eager to hear their leaders announcement, what
war still awaited them? What battle orders would be theirs? Which nation was
due to be excommunicated! What was next? Before his final announcement could be
made, Caleb breathed in deeply and gazed over at his family, his wives and
children. His breath caught in his throat – there she was, his first born, his
beloved daughter Achsah. Who would care for her in his absence? Who would
provide for her? He knew her heart and her love for the God of Israel, who was
worthy enough to stand beside her and temper the flames of zealousness? Caleb
felt an odd sense of fire burning within his stomach, his arms started shaking
and before he could gain control of his feelings, his final announcement came
swiftly and without thought... “I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to
the man who attacks and captures Debir!”
Excitement and restlessness
filled the air as men began scrambling for their horses, each one fighting a
personal battle, each one desiring to be the husband of Achsah and the son of
Caleb.
Achsah’s eyes were
fixed upon her father, he glanced over at her calmly, the appearance of his
face whispered to her – “Trust me; I know what I am doing.”
Othniel rode on to
Hebron triumphant, he had undone the Royal, Canaanite city and had secured the
hand of his cousin, Achsah. He had known Achsah his whole life and had enjoyed
her company and presence. Dismounting before his uncle he bowed low and
presented his blood – stained sword before the family. “Uncle, the Canaanite
city is undone; I have obeyed YHWH’s commands and have destroyed whatever was
found in the city. I present my sword to you and appeal to the witnesses of my
men and personal friends, they will attest to my conquest of Debir.” Caleb held
back a smile, he knew Othniel, he was a scholar and warrior, fierce and calm
all at once. He knew that he could not part with his daughter to someone less
worthy, Caleb thanked the God of his fathers who had heard his prayers, his
daughter would be safe in the arms of his nephew. Achsah’s strong eyes fell
upon the face of her cousin, she moved to meet him as he took her hand.
“You” she smiled.
“Me” he replied.
“Do you love me?” She
asked him innocently. “Has a bride price of blood such as this ever been paid
before?” He replied hoping to convince her of his affection. “I guess not”
Achsah mused.
“I do love you Achsah,
I have for some time, I thought only of you when I rode out to defeat the
Canaanites. Warriors stronger then I could have taken the city, but they were
not fuelled by something greater then conquest.”
Caleb moved to meet
them and then declared in a loud voice, “Come let us dance and celebrate the
wedding of my daughter and her groom, Othniel. Let us rejoice and feast!
And then loudly and
boldly Caleb joyfully announced, “Achsah my daughter, you are a true daughter of Israel as a gift I present
to you all the land South of Hebron, the land in the Negev I present it to you
as an eternal inheritance. Dwell in it and feed off it, let your children – my
grandchildren be the ones who will enjoy it and who will establish it.”
The crowd gasped in
disbelief, a young woman inheriting such vast land was not unheard of in Israel
but neither was it a regular occurrence. Achsah bowed in acceptance before her
father, Caleb embraced his daughter and whispered “make your own decisions my
child and know that your father has been pleased to provide for you so that
whatever happens you will always have an inheritance in Israel and no one will
ever be at liberty to take that away from you.”
Achsah smiled as she
rested her head on her father’s chest, overwhelmed by her father’s love. “Thank
you Abba, thank you.”
******************************************
It had been months
since she had last seen her father and her family, working the land had been
fulfilling and yet at times she missed her family. Appealing to her husband to
request springs of water from her father had not turned out the way she had
hoped and so she had to take matters in to her own hands. As she turned the
familiar corner on the road to Hebron she neared the low, wall beside her
family home.
Her father sat beneath
a palm tree on the hill closest to the road, it had been his favourite place
ever since his conquest of the city. Caleb glanced out at the road and noticed
a donkey coming up the street, puzzled he watched as the animal drew nearer.
Achsah! It was his daughter Achsah. Something must be wrong he thought, for he
had not seen her in some months. Caleb jumped to his feet and ran the length of
the field to the gate where Achsah was waiting. She ran to embrace him, “Abba!”
she smiled and ran into his arms. Sensing the expectation within her he asked
“what is it that you want my child?”
“Father the land you
gave me is a blessing to me and I am grateful. But Abba the land is dry and
arid and nothing grows there. I ask of you for springs of water, the ones
adjoining our land, so that the crops may grow and that the cattle may be
refreshed.”
Caleb’s heart was
settled before his daughter had ceased speaking. “My daughter anything you ask
me is yours, I will give you the upper and
the lower springs in the Negev. The water runs freely between the springs
and it will be enough to water your crops and flocks for many years. Take these
with my blessing.”
“Thank you abba!”
Achsah declared jubilantly.
“My child, why did you
not come to me sooner? You know I would never deny you anything.”
“I know abba, I was
hoping Othniel would come and ask but he thought it was best that I should come
and see you.”
“Well, he was right
and I am glad you did. Come let us go inside and you must stay a few days, your
mother will be pleased to see you.” Caleb held his daughter and together they
walked towards the house, content and refreshed to be together once again.
Aliyah,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story - well written. I found you on Playdates. I have a blog at www.janiscox.com.
Blessings,
Janis