The Fig tree, the Olive tree, the Vine and the Bramble bush.

Chapter 7

Purah burst into Gideon's tent.
"Master! The men from Ephraim are here. They don't look pleased. What should I do?"

"Seat them around the firepit. Serve them food and wine....I shall come momentarily."

Gideon arose from his cot. Rearranged his tunic. He sighed deeply and went to greet his Hebrew brothers.

"Greetings men of Ephraim. What brings you here? Are you not tired. I hear you slaughtered many Midianites. I must thank you for answering our call so speedily and effectively. I hear not one Midianite eluded No you. Forgive me, I speak too much. Your countenance is frowned, what troubles you?"

"You are a glory seeker, Gideon son of Joash!

"How so? Gideon answered.

"Don't act as if you don't know what we are talking about. We want our share of the spoils of war. You sent us home so you could have all the fame and glory of routing the Midianites all to yourself. What do you have to say for yourself, glory-seeker!? Answer if you dare!"

"I am sorry to hear your accusations, especially from men I considered my closest allies.
Firstly, go to our camp. You will not find one piece of armour, one helmet, a sword or a spear belonging to the enemy in our camp. What you will find are men scrubbing themselves to rid themselves of the stench of burning flesh. If you consider it glory to work tirelessly for three days and nights without sleep, cremating rotting corpses, then we are guilty as charged. When we left the valley, even though I did not forbid it, not one man took even a buckle from a belt as spoils of war. They all agreed that the victory was the Lord's and therefore the spoils belonged to him. Go! I say again, to our camp and find one sword with a trace of enemy blood on it. We did not use our swords. Yahweh wanted to claim the victory for himself. Except for sounding our trumpets and waving burning torches he had no help from us. If you want your share of the glory, complain to our God or go moan to the wolves and wild dogs who Yahweh used to help destroy the enemy.

In fact, the truth of the matter is that my men have come to me, complaining that as warriors, they have seen no action. They have mentioned you by name, saying "See the tribe of Ephraim, they have proved themselves in battle, they boast with the heads of Zeeb and Obel. They taunt us saying ' where are the kings you have slain? Come to the banks of the Jordan and see our trophies, come bring the heads of the Midianites you gave slain....let us compare!'.
Tomorrow morning I lead them out to look for deserters. Hopefully we will find some Midianites hiding somewhere so that my men may stain their swords with blood. They cannot return home like dogs with their tails between their legs."

Gideon sat down and stared into the fire. Nobody said a word. One of the older men of Ephraim got up and went to stand a short distance from the fire. The others soon followed and they huddled round, speaking in hushed voices. After some discussion, they filed back to their places round the fire. The leader who had accused Gideon, spoke up.

"You have spoken plainly and without malice. We regret having, so hastily and without knowing all the facts, accused you of wrongdoing. We see you have suffered much but the Lord will reward you for your faithfulness. With your permission we will rest tonight in the camp in the tents that are not occupied. Tomorrow we will also depart for our homes. We bid you and your men good hunting and safe travels.

~~~~~~~~

Trumah sat on a chair with a bowl in her lap. Deftly she topped and tailed the greenbeans she had planned to cook for the evening meal. Her thoughts were interrupted when Cia came waltzing down the street, humming to herself and carrying a parcel under her arm. Both women smiled broadly as they greeted each other. Trumah spoke.
"And where have you been, young lady? Looking very pleased with yourself, I must say!"

Oh Tru, I have run some errands for that lady who lives next door to the wine press. I also looked after her son, horrid little boy that he is, and in payment she gave me one of her old dresses. It isn't actually that old but she can't fit into it anymore. She's quite big so I'm sure there will be enough material I can use to make myself a dress. Will you help me?"

"And what will I get in return?"

"All the gossip from the market place, first hand and free of charge!"

"I can get that myself!"

"No you can't. I see how people shut up when you come along. I think they're scared of you. But me!.... I can roam anywhere, I'm just a little girl, nobody takes notice of me. I pretend to play with some stones and I am able to get real close. I can hear every word they say."

Trumah burst out laughing.
"Ooooo, you! You are incorrigible."

"What does that mean?"

"Never mind. I'm just glad I'm your friend and not your enemy!"

"Tru?"

"What?"

"Who was that man that spoke to you and your brothers yesterday?"

"He was a runner."

What's a runner?"

"It's a person who works for the army. They take messages and orders normally from the person-in-charge to army divisions that are far away. They are called runners because they run for miles and miles and don't seem to get tired. Nowadays, many runners go by horseback."

"What message did he bring? It must have been important, it looked like he had come along way."

"He said many things and answered many of the questions my brothers asked him, but the main message was that the war was over. The Midianites were defeated."

"Is that the same war that the master was preparing for, when we left?"

"Yes it was."

"And did he win?"

"Yes he did."

"Does that mean I must go home now?"

"Yes and no!"

Cia looked at Trumah with a puzzled expression.
"What sort of answer is that?"

"Come sit here next to me, I don't want to shout. I have something to tell you."
Cia gladly obliged.
"I know the original arrangement with Gideon was to keep you here, safe, till the war was over, and then send you home. Circumstances have changed. I sent a message with the runner yesterday asking if you could stay on for a few months. I suggested that he come in person, when the time is right, to fetch you."

"Huh! I can't see that happening. Why would he travel all this way just to fetch me?"

"He would if he wanted to see his son!"

Cia sat for a long time with her head in her hands. She was a bright girl but it took some time for the penny to drop. Suddenly she looked up,
"What son?"

Trumah smiled, and then patted her belly. Cia finally clicked. She jumped up and dancing around the pregnant woman, exclaimed.
"I'm going to be a aunty!, I'm going to be an Aunty!"

"Hush child.....I don't want everyone to know, not yet anyway."

Cia continued dancing, round and round, but suddenly she stopped, flinging herself at Trumah's feet. She looked at Trumah with her head cocked to one side and her one eye closed.
"How do you know it's a boy?" She asked.

"I don't!" Replied Trumah. "But the midwife says it's highly likely......something to do with the way the baby is positioned."

"Am I going to be the nanny?"

"I don't know about that. It depends on how long it takes Gideon to get here after it's born. But I will need help. You helped Andrica didn't you? I didn't think I would ever have children, but here I am, not so young anymore , and carrying my first child!"