The First King - Chapter 3

      The next day, Samuel awoke with an unfamiliar feeling of longing. His thoughts kept straying to his mother. He wondered if he would see her in the coming days. He knew she was growing older and he would like to spend a little time with her if he could, before she was gone.

        As he went to where they took their meals he heard voices raised in argument. He pushed through the entryway and saw Phinehas and Hophni standing, gesturing wildly. Hophni's back was to the door, but when Phinehas saw Samuel his eyes must have betrayed something, because Hophni spun around. When he saw Samuel his eyes grew wide and he backed away, bumping into his brother. Their feet tangled and they toppled to the floor.

        Making a strange whining sound like a wounded animal, Hophni kicked his brother and sprang to the corner of the room. Eyes bulging he cowered in the corner. Phinehas stood and dusted himself off, glancing between his brother and Samuel.

          Samuel stepped into the room and walked to the plate of bread and figs. He laced some figs inside the bread and folded the bread around it and began to eat, watching the brothers as he did so.

          He waited on them to say something, but they just stared in silence. finally, after finishing his food, Samuel spoke. "Shalom. I trust you slept well? Or maybe not. A sinful soul doesn't rest well, does it, Hophni?"

          He looked at Phinehas. "But I'm sure you slept like an innocent babe, pure soul that you are." When no reply was forthcoming, "Come now, men. Has your tongue been plucked out? Why the silence? Surely you have not been convicted of your immorality after all this time?"

          Still nothing. He stood looking at them for several more minutes, then strode out of the chamber. But when he reached the doorway, inspiration hit him. He turned and looked at Phinehas. "Your brother told you what was prophecied yesterday?"

          When he was met with silence Samuel seemed to grow and loom in the chamber. His voice slammed into them, causing Hophni to fall to his knees and Phinehas to stagger into the wall. "It shall come to pass. My Word will not return void. Make your peace with Me, if you can, for your doom approaches. Heed My Word." Then Samuel turned and continued on his way.

          When he had left, the brothers looked at each other for a long while. Then Phinehas spoke. "What happened to Samuel? I have never heard someone speak as he does. Where did the quiet, timid boy go? Do you think he really spoke for God, brother?"

          Hophni was trembling. "We're doomed. We're doomed. It's over. We're doomed."

          "You may be right, but I haven't heard of any Philistine raid, have you? I would think we would have heard something. I think Samuel is just trying to get back at us for all those times we made him watch our fun with the ladies."

          The smell of urine filled the room. Hophni had wet himself. His brother turned away in disgust and strode from the room. Left alone, Hophni curled into a ball, unmindful of his wetness and shook like a leaf in a hurricane. "We're doomed. No hope. We're doomed. Lost. Doomed." 

        As the day progressed toward the Sacrifice of Atonement, Samuel cleared his mind of all but his responsibility to offer this sacrifice. This was his first year to act as High Priest and enter the Holy of Holies. Eli had grown feeble and was now nearly blind and the old priest knew his sons were not worthy to offer this sacrifice, so he had trained Samuel.

        Now the moment had come. Samuel had been cleansed, he had sprinkled the blood around the inner court and he stood at the Veil. He sprinkled some of the blood in front of the veil and stepped through.

        The rope around his ankle scratched, but he barely noticed. In front of him was the Ark. The horns were black with years of dried blood, and streaks ran down the length of the horns. The cherubims gleamed faintly. Then he saw the Glory.

          It looked like a fine mist at first, but then it seemed to grow more and more opaque. He approached reverently and put the blood on the horns. As he did, the mist touched his hands and he felt what seemed to be fire race up his arms. He stepped away and backed reverently away, praying for atonement hte whole way until he passed through the veil and it fell, blocking his view of the Ark.

          "YHWH has accepted our sacrifice. Atonement has been granted. Blessed be the name of YHWH. Go in peace, my brothers and sisters, you are cleansed."   

            As he spoke these words the people began to rejoice. There was laughing, weeoing, dancing, singing. The celebration lasted deep into the night. Samuel met his mother. She had grown old and feeble, but her eyes shone with pride for her son.

          "My son, you have done your family much honor. You have redeemed the name of our family forever."

          This took him aback. " Mother, what do you mean, redeem our family's honor? What mark was against us?"

            She smiled and spoke. "In the time of the Exodus, a man named Korah rebelled against Moses. He was swallowed up by the earth as punishment for his disobedience and pride. But some of his children repented and thus escaped judgement. Even so, the actions of Korah have hovered over our family ever since. But now, my son, we have been redeemed."

            Samuel's heart felt like it would burst from the joyous proclamtion of this news. He thanked his mother, embraced and kissed her, and made his way to the edge of camp, where he spent most of the night praising YHWH and asking for guidance.

            But, even while the celebration was going on, an army of Philistines had crossed into Israeli territory. They sacked several small villages and were now on the march towards Shiloh. They knew this was when the Israelites were gathered, and they were coming to crush them.