Daughter Of The Sea.

Chapter 19

There were three things that Obadiah loved. Firstly, he loved God. He was a devoted follower of Yahweh and lived his life accordingly.
Secondly, he loved his family. His wife, although not young anymore, was an attractive woman who bore him three handsome sons.
Thirdly, Obadiah was happy in his job. He was in charge of the King's palace. He saw to it that everything ran smoothly. It had been somewhat of a challenge to satisfy the new Queen when her religious beliefs sometimes clashed with his work ethics, but in general, everyone liked him and he treated all the staff fairly.

Obadiah lived quite near the palace in a large double-storey house. The house stood on a large property that housed a huge carriage-house and workshop where all the royal carriages and supply wagons were housed and repaired.

The top section of the house was flat and served as a walled balcony which looked out over the city. It was on this balcony that Obadiah stood, enjoying his late morning refreshment, when he heard and saw the disturbance coming from the streets below.

His interest in what took place remained neutral up to the point where the prophet was killed. That shocked Obadiah. Many of the prophets of Yahweh were known to him. Some were his friends having grown up in this area. The order from the queen to kill the prophets had reached his ears only seconds after it was given. The implications of what would happen if all the prophets were killed would be disastrous. Obadiah reacted instantly.

He ran down the stairs and out into the courtyard. Stationed at his house was a small contingent of soldiers belonging to the king's guard. They were there primarily to guard the king's carriages. Luckily Obadiah had hand-picked them himself and knew them all to be devout worshippers of the One true God. He called them all to gather round, and hastily explained what had happened in the streets. He also implored them to help him in his attempt to aid the fleeing prophets. The soldiers had no love for the Baal temple guards so were only too happy to help.

The plan was that they would open the big gate where the carriages road in and out and when the fleeing prophets ran past, they would be guided into the courtyard and hidden in the large carriage-house. Once there they could be transported away under the cover of darkness.

It didn't take long before the first of the fleeing prophets appeared, running for their lives past Obadiah's house. They were easily convinced to enter and take shelter inside the property. In the distance the screams could be heard of the unfortunate men of God who were not able to outrun the temple guards and were murdered in the streets.

Obadiah managed to direct about eighty prophets off the streets before a problem arose. One of the soldiers approached him and explained the situation.

"Up to now we were able to guide the unfortunate men into the yard without anybody, especially the temple guards, knowing of our plan. Unfortunately the last of the prophets coming up the street are followed closely by the temple guards. If we show the prophets to enter here, the temple guards will see and know where they are hidden. Even if we close the gates, they will probably come back with reinforcements and damage or even burn down your property. This will endanger us all, even your family. "

Obadiah stood pondering this dilemma. They didn't have much time. The prophets and pursuing temple guards were nearing the house. He thought of the family morning devotions he conducted at breakfast. He told his sons to trust in God.... shouldn't he be doing the same at this very moment? He clasped his hands and prayed for a solution.

Just then, one of the other soldiers ran up and announced that they had a plan and his fellow guard should come and help. None of the soldiers, stationed on Obadiah's property, were archers but two men had used a bow before and there were bows and arrows in their arsenal.