David and Bathsheba by Roberta Kells Dorr

Author:Roberta Kells Dorr [Dorr, Roberta Kells]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8024-8494-9
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2013-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

It had been a full year and a half since the Ark had been brought back to Urusalim and placed in the Tabernacle near the Gihon spring. Once again the people had begun to observe the morning and evening prayers, the Sabbath and the special feasts. With fall came the full moon of the autumnal equinox, and many families in Urusalim looked forward to the fifteenth of Tishri, the Feast of Succot. All of Urusalim was to enter into the celebration in a way that had not been done for years.

In the house of the Hittite, Uriah ordered his servants to build a small Succot booth of palm branches on the roof of his house. It had little or no meaning to ImAshtah other than that it could be seen from the house of David and would prove how devoted Uriah was to the traditions of Israel. Since Uriah had gained a reputation among David’s men for his loyalty and devotion to duty, he intended to take all such religious observances seriously.

ImAshtah was nettled by Bathsheba’s interest in the booth and her eagerness to be involved in constructing it. “I used to help in making the Succot booth at home in Lodebar,” she said. “We would sit in it every evening for a week remembering all the difficulties our ancestors endured as they fled across the Sinai living in tents and booths much like this.”

ImAshtah stiffened. “I’m sure I will feel strange sitting on my own roof pretending to be an Israelite slave fleeing from Pharaoh, but if this is what Uriah wants I will not object.” She walked over to the edge of the parapet to see if the booth could be observed from the king’s roof. Satisfied that it was in full view, she turned and went down the stairs.

That evening Uriah and his mother were already seated when Bathsheba returned to the roof. They looked uncomfortable and strange sitting under the fringed palm roof decorated with bright gold citrons. “My dear,” ImAshtah said, “the evening prayers have been said, and we have been sitting here waiting to eat.” Accustomed to ImAshtah’s ill temper Bathsheba sat down next to her mother-in-law, raised her hand and kissed it respectfully. ImAshtah curled her lips in a forced smile and motioned for the food to be served.

All through the meal Uriah’s brooding silence made Bathsheba wonder if there had been bad news. She ate slowly, choking down the foreign food so alien to this feast. Tears came to her eyes as she heard the laughter and singing coming to them over the rooftops of the houses around them. She glanced first at ImAshtah and then at Uriah and thought how far they were from any real understanding of this feast.

The silence was broken suddenly by the sound of the gong at the front gate announcing a visitor. ImAshtah excused herself to answer it leaving Bathsheba alone with Uriah. Uriah hardly looked up. He did not seem to notice that his mother had left.

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