12 HE LIVES
“Melzar, what did you say about your dream
about Herod and the castle?”
Melzar’s lips trembled a little, then
pressed tightly together. Hathach saw the old Melzar right away—this was not
good. Going back to Herod’s place would open the scars of trauma.
“We are not going back to Herod;” Hathach
announced. “Yahweh has sent a dream warning us; we cannot go back.” Almost
visibly, Melzar relaxed. “We’ll go on west to Egypt—where Beorn looks like a
native anyway—and get on a ship back across the Great Sea to go home.”
“By sea?” Melzar’s eye grew wide.
“I don’t want to chance meeting Herod’s men
scouting the desert between us and Babylon. Do you, Melzar?” Hathach had quickly,
surely, thought through this one.
And when he looked over at Beorn, —since it
was to Beorn Herod had spoken—it looked like Beorn had been wanting an excuse
not to go to the castle; he was already turning his camel around.
Hathach rode up to Beorn. “That was simple
enough. I expected you to give me a hard time—at least ask why we weren’t going
to Herod’s.”
Beorn looked straight ahead, and with a
smile answered, “Melzar.”
“Melzar?”
Beorn nodded, pat his camel beneath him.
before continuing. “He went to the castle--altho’ at first he didn’t want
to—and found Frankincense. He tied up
Tassie even though he thought it was cruel, and that led to selling him--well,
that was unthinkable—but…”
Here, Beorn had to stop his camel. “He told
me that was the only way to get a gift
worth giving the King of all his heart. He said the smartest thing was to
do whatever Yahweh said.”
The men rode on in silence.
The silence was broken by Melzar’s cry:
“Someone’s coming!”
Herod’s men? Already?
But no, as the three strained their eyes,
they could see it was not a group of soldiers but a man and wife…Joseph and
Mary!
Joseph explained to Hathach, “I too had a
dream last night, warning me to flee from Herod, telling me to take the family
to Egypt. Last night, you didn’t say where you were going, but I was wondering
if you…if this gentleman”—he said, looking towards Beorn—“I am sorry if I am
wrong, but if he might be…”
The three couldn’t help smiling at Joseph’s
embarrassment. “Quite all right. Many people think I am an Egyptian. And we are
headed there anyway.” Beorn told them.
“Won’t you join us? I think Herod’s men
might be after us too, so we’ve no time to lose,” Hathach offered.
“Yahweh has sent you for us,” Joseph said,
and Melzar smiled happily as he and Mary with her little bundle joined the
group.
That “little bundle” gave new life to our
Babylonian caravan; everything the men learned from their desert travels, they
now threw into getting Jesus safely to Egypt.
Hathach showed surprising leadership, knowledge of
the stars, and even hidden medical knowledge the rest of that trip. Yahweh had
told them to keep baby Jesus safe, and that seemed to give life to anything
Hathach did and make him a new man.
Melzar rode up to where Mary was and spoke kindly
with her then played with the baby. Between watering holes, Melzar looked after
animals—thirsty, tired, or hurt. And Joseph and Mary couldn’t get over how he
seemed to understand them—even the wild, dangerous ones.
Beorn, seemed to know everything about desert
life. Sandstorms, wildlife, finding water, various danger/beauty… Joseph and
Mary had no way of knowing he was a former nomad from Arabia. They found out he
wasn’t an Egyptian; he was a prince… from Babylon? Now they were totally
confused. But Beorn was just the person to help the family set up living once
they got to Egypt.
When Herod realized he was “stood up” by
the wise men, he got furious. Tassie had died of a strange disease, leaving
nothing to encourage Herod to be warm or temperate. He ordered a slaughter of
male babies 0-2 yrs. old. But the life he was really after—Jesus--was alive and
well out in Egypt!
The wise men, saw YAHWEH as a Living,
Powerful, Wise, Gentle, Loving God; He had sent His Son Jesus in the form of a
little baby so that we could bond with Him. They loved Him and had to let
others know: “Yahweh wants to be on a
first-name basis with YOU.” (Yes, even eunuchs or foreigners; it doesn’t
matter what has happened to you or whether others say you belong; He wants to
know you!)
Melzar bonded best with children or older folk.
And he ended up doing a lot of simple “goodwill” things people today don’t do
anymore since they’re not tied into neat group activities. Melzar was never a
society person from the beginning, but moved around by himself in the shadows;
that never really changed.
Hathach found that his love-bond made him teach. Teaching
must never be just to stand for truth but be burning with passion and adoration
for Him Who is Truth. (ICor.16:22). As with the Apostle Paul, Hathach too,
said, “The love of Christ constrains us” (IICor.5:14) to do all we do. It is
known Hathach taught until he died, but no one knows anything more specific
than this.
Beorn, bonded with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus in
Egypt for a few years. Seeing Herod was dead and they were all right, they
returned to Palestine. There, they said goodbye, and the family went up north
to Galilee, while Beorn went down south to the
Wilderness of Paran.
Back in Babylon: Arla, Beorn’s mother, had been called in
for an experimental surgery. Because she was “just a slave” and she “did not
have a family”, she was seen as a life worth risking, a human guinea pig.
However, when she was told about what the doctors wanted to do, she was told
she would be given her freedom after the operation, even if it failed. To be
totally honest, doctors thought the patient would die if it failed, but they
didn’t tell the patient this. However, she survived the surgery with only the
temporary loss of her eyesight; so she was given her freedom as promised and
sent to her homeland, the Wilderness of
Paran.
Beorn, when he reached his birthplace, saw
an elderly woman dismount a camel in front of his home. It couldn’t be…could
it? Voice trembling, he said, “Arla?”
Dare she believe her ears? That was Beorn’s
voice! Always the strong one--she nodded, “Hairoi!”
END
This is the end of the story, but tomorrow’s Christmas post will include a simplified version of the entire story for those who already have read this as well as an epilogue to the story.
Thank you for reading all of this. It was originally written for my sisters or some close friends from college, who have already heard all the stories about Daniel, Esther and Shushan, anything to do with the Babylonian captivity, David’s encounter with the lion, Naboth’s vineyard, Christmas and the slaughter of the babies, Moses and “What is that in your hand?” etc…, so I didn’t retell a lot of those stories here. It wasn’t originally going to be put on a blog!
ALMOST FORGOT: MERRY CHRISTMAS. Isn't it unthinkable a God of Heaven would find a way to make us His children?! That is astounding yet wonderful! HALLELUJAH!
