A Tale of Two Cities

The day finally arrived, and it was a glorious one. All the emissaries, leaders, and generals of both Judah and Israel were present to witness this historical moment. Not one dignitary dared to turn down the invitation. Through struggle and strife, David was finally being anointed king of both Judah and Israel. Despite all the odds that were stacked against him, he still came out victorious. If ever he had any doubts about a living God, they were whisked away in the summer breeze. Joy and excitement filled his heart as he admired his wives standing together, with Michal, his first wife, standing in the most prominent position. The musicians played at every corner of Hebron and readied themselves for the celebrations that were to follow.

None of that mattered though, for he had to turn his attention to the present. The priests and prophets from both countries approached him, chanting prayers and calling for God’s blessing to fall on him so he would be a wise and strong leader. David lowered his head as prophets from both countries poured sacred oil over his hair. It was at that moment, his fate was sealed, him becoming the king of both lands.

The crowd cheered, and everyone joined in the festivities. Every house and store joined in, and the street was packed full of people, all wanting to be part of history. For three days and nights, they continued, and they would have still gone on if not for the day of Sabbath. When the sun fell, the streets became eerily quiet but still ready to burst back with life. Surprisingly, though, when the Sabbath ended, the people returned to their normal routine, and life proceeded as it had for the past five hundred years. Little did the people realize the world was about to change.

***

Three days after the coronation, David met secretly with his Judean generals.

“Hebron cannot be the capital of both Judah and Israel,” David declared. “We must find a place where neither land can call solely their own. I say we strike Jerusalem and reclaim the land as our own. The time is right, and we must act fast. We’ll strike now when the Jebusites aren’t expecting it. Jerusalem, and within its walls, the halls of Zion, will become ours.”

Most of the generals nodded, and muttered among themselves, but one spoke up above the others. “What you say makes sense my Lord, but why now? Why can’t Hebron be the capital, at least for now? And what about armies of Israel? Shouldn’t they be part of this plan? I say we should be patient and let time work to our advantage.”

David answered, “As for the Israel army, I’m not sure I want them involved in this plot. It hasn’t been that long since the Israeli generals and I were on opposite sides in battle. It will take time for them to earn my trust. As for the timing of the attack, I say there’s no time like the present. Speed is of the essence, and as I said before, I want to catch the Jebusites by surprise. The less time they’ll have to prepare for an attack the better our chances are of succeeding. The Jebusites will not be expecting any hostilities from us so shortly after my coronation, and if they have any spies among us, they won’t have time to become privy to this plot.”

“That’s quite understandable, Sire, but will the Judean forces alone be strong enough to take the city?”

“To be honest, it won’t be easy, but it is possible. We can deploy a small land force, light of foot. With Israel as our allies, traveling through their territory will give us an unrestricted route to the city, and along with the element of surprise, Jerusalem will be ours.”

“I agree,” one of the generals said. “Although the Jebusites brag about their great fortress, many parts of the city wall are in disrepair and should be easy to breach. Also, there is one hidden weakness of the city, which few know about. The underground waterways leading to the city are virtually unguarded. We should have easy access through those sewers. Once we’re inside, we can force open the gates and let the rest of our troops in. Then the Jerusalem will be ours for the taking.”

“Good,” David said. Then he smiled. “And I know just the person to put in charge to take through the sewers. Ready our soldiers. We’ll leave at first light.” The generals excused themselves and went to ready their troops. Life is good, he thought, but God is great.

David called for the sergeant of the guard. “Bring Joab to me.”

***

The sound of shouting in the streets of Jerusalem jolted Evanizedek from his sleep. As he opened his eyes, he observed the morning sun attempting to pierce through the window. It’s too early for the merchants to be selling their wares, he thought. Forcing himself out of bed, he peered at the empty streets below through his bloodshot eyes. As he wondered what the commotion was about, a loud knock on the door drew his attention.

Before Evanizedek could open his mouth, a messenger threw the door open and scurried into the room, saying excitedly, “Sire, the Israelites have returned. It seems they wish to be taught another lesson about breeching our city.”

Evanizedek spat on the floor. “Idiots,” he said. “Tell the guards to send extra men to the eastern side of the city wall. They’ll obviously try to attack there.”

When the messenger left, Evanizedek got dressed and climbed to the rooftop of his palace. As he gazed at the oncoming army, he thought, why waste your time, Israel? I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve met like this. Even if I deploy only our deaf and blind citizens to defend our walls, you will still lose. You should go home and stop wasting our time. He was about to return to his chambers when he spotted a couple of the enemy soldiers near the wall and realized they were wearing blue and white arm bands. Benjamites, he thought. They’re part of the Judean army. Where are the Israelites? He looked at other soldiers in the distance and saw they were all wearing the same band. Has this alliance between Israel and Judah given me another enemy? Why haven't my spies in Hebron warned me of this danger? As if his thought was revealed to the world, his question was answered.

A single voice cried out from the distance, “I am David, son of Jesse, King of Israel, and Judah. You would be wise to surrender now. If you do, I will spare all your lives. But if you choose to fight, not one of you will be left standing at the end of the day. Which do you choose?”

Evanizedek shouted back, “Come, David of wherever you hail from. Come to our gates and meet the points of our swords.” Encourage by his taunts, his men cheered.

He watched David signal three hundred men to attack the western wall where it was lower than the rest. Go ahead, Judah. Run to your peril. You’ll find my soldiers waiting for you, thirsting for your blood. Evanizedek watched the Judean forces press an attack, then just as quickly they retreated. Again, they pressed on an attack, then retreated. And so, it continued.

As Evanizedek watched, he couldn’t understand the purpose of this tactic. This doesn’t make sense. The Judeans gain nothing. He thought of pushing the attack past the wall but decided against it. It may be just what the Judeans were hoping for. Let’s just leave things as they are.

A shout from one of his generals sounded an alert that the Judeans were attacking the low point on the northern wall. Is this Judah’s ploy? While my men are defending the western wall, they counterattack the northern wall? Sorry, David of nowhere, it’s not going to work. Evanizedek signaled his generals to place the rest of his forces on the northern wall to reinforce the weakness there.

As Evanizedek watched the battle unfold in the north end of the city, he saw the Judean soldiers repeating what they did earlier. They attacked, and when his troops repelled them, they would retreat. This whole thing is insane. What’s the endgame of this? He looked in the distance and saw there were still two thousand soldiers waiting. And what were they waiting for?

***

Joab led two squadrons of men through the sewers. The putrid stench of the slime on the walls was enough to make the hardest of men puke. As they crawled through the tunnels which were too small to stand in, he thought, I can’t believe I got myself into this. It’s suicide. Once we come to the surface, they’ll cut us down like wheat in the field. My Lord please give me a sign if we’re doing the right thing. A man vomited behind him. So be it. So, without looking back, he continued.

When David called me back from my isolation, I should have known better than to accept this mission. But now, I’m committed, and if we turn back, all the men who have already perished would have died for nothing. Joab tried to scan ahead, but all he could see was darkness. Is there no end to this sewer? The only answer he received was the sound of another man vomiting.

Joab recalled the time he was exiled to a pig farm. Day after day, he watched the farmers feed the pigs and slaughter them, ever waiting for a reprieve to rescue him from his fate, trapped among the unclean animals and fearing to become unclean himself. When the day arrived when he was to be set free, he was filled with glee. When I left that horrid place, I thought I would never smell anything worse than that farm. But to my dismay, I’ve found that something.

The sound of his men groaning and gagging was growing. “Let’s pick up the pace and stay together, men. It can’t be much further.” Joab almost believed his own lie.

Twenty more minutes of suffering through that stench passed before he gave the signal to stop. Pointing upwards, he whispered, “See that light? That’s the well shaft above us. I need a volunteer to scale the shaft and drop a rope down to us.”

A tall, muscular man staggered up. “I can do it, sir.”

Joab nodded and handed him a rope. “Go quickly, but carefully. If you get caught, it’s all over.”

The volunteer saluted and began shimmying up the well. Ten minutes later, the end of the rope dropped in front of Joab.

“Okay, men, let’s get out of this stench and breathe some fresh air.” One by one, they climbed out of the shaft and into a small shelter in the center of the city. By the time the last man stepped out of the well, the shed was packed. Still the air was refreshing.

Joab quieted the men and reminded them of the plan. “Okay, men. When we step out of side, we head south. If you’re not sure which way that is, make sure the sun is to your left. South is the strongest wall, and with their men at the north and west walls, it should be the least guarded. Our priority is to get that gate opened, and after that, we must defend it with our lives. It should be only a few minutes before the Jebusite reserves arrive, but I can guarantee you they’ll do everything they can to stop us. Have courage, and remember God is with us.”

As the men all murmured in agreement, Joab peered outside to see if the coast was clear. A few men were scurrying back and forth. Satisfied, he turned to towards his men and said, “It’s time. When I open the door, we all go as one. Ready, go!”

***

A sudden clamor near the center of the city drew Evanizedek’s attention from the northern wall. Blood drained from his face as he watched a swarm of Judean soldiers appear from nowhere, charging towards the southern gate. By the time his surprise wore off, they reached their destination and were attempting to open the gate. “Quickly!” Evanizedek shouted. “Defend the southern gate!” But the sound of the approaching enemy drowned out his warning cries. Fortunately for him, soldiers in the main court saw what was happening and charged after the Judeans.

Powerless to do anything, all Evanizedek could do was watch and pray. Sadly, his prayers went unanswered. The walls on the sides of the gate protected the Judeans from being flanked, and the frontal assault was ineffective. Precious minutes passed, then the gate was thrown open by Joab’s forces and the entire Judean army poured through.

Evanizedek fell to his knees and wept, for he knew his fate was sealed. Watching in horror, disaster unfolded in front of him. He was too late in realizing the two companies of men were only biding their time, positioning themselves, and waiting for the gates to be thrown open. Powerless to stop the inevitable, he watched his men being slaughtered like sheep.

It was over before it truly began. Broken, Evanizedek returned to his room and waited for the inevitable.

***

Before midday arrived, the fight was over. Every Jebusite soldier was executed or put in chains, and Evanizedek was dragged in front of David and forced to bow before him.

David gazed down at the fallen king. “Evanizedek, King of the Dead, what do you say now?” Evanizedek remained silent, so David nodded. “As you wish.”

Signaling to the guard standing next to Evanizedek, the guard drew his sword and decapitated the former king with one stroke.

“Take his head and put it on a pike,” David commanded. “Place it outside the city wall, so everyone who passes by, sees what happens when they defy the will of God.” The guards did as order, and David retreated to the palace. As he entered the hallways of Zion, he smiled to himself. This is perfect, he thought. Jerusalem, the new capital of Israel and Judah, the land promised to us by God, is now ours. Hebron, the current home of the Ark of the Lord Almighty, will soon be replaced by Jerusalem. David kneeled and prayed, “Thank you, God, for being with us always and bringing us home.”