Dinah

Chapter 12

Papa never again mentioned my pregnancy, but Mama assured me he would come to terms with it. Her insinuation that only a male child would be conclusive proof of God's blessing did not shake my certainly. I knew God had blessed me and was positive He would do whatever necessary to convince Papa. Papa was a stubborn man, but his limp proved he was unable to best God.

When Papa had first told us of his experience with Yahweh, which resulted in a dislocated hip, I was skeptical. How could anyone defy God and come away with only a limp? Surely God would not indulge such insolence. Those doubts preceded my personal encounter with Yahweh. Now I recognized what I had considered weak indulgence as mercy. I was sure God would eventually prove my child blessed.

Our life at Bethel settled into a predictable routine. Because of the drought the men often grazed our herds long distances from camp requiring them to be away for days, even weeks at a time. I was relieved. My expanding waistline seemed to make others uncomfortable. Despite the forgiveness expressed at our repentance service, I was afraid the visible results of my humiliation would rekindle my brothers' anger. It was difficult enough to live with the gossip of the servants. I was aware of the sly smiles, whispered comments and knowing looks cast in my direction, but I chose to ignore them.

Prayer became a daily necessity. The assurance of God's support kept me from once more descending into despondency. Sheerah too was a comfort. I marveled that she could so completely accept my family when we had been responsible for the destruction of hers. One of our many conversations revealed her reasoning. She held some animosity for Simeon and Levi, but viewed them as human pawns of a powerful god and therefore not responsible for their actions. Since the rest had been initially unaware of the massacre, they had no guilt. Her passionate hatred was now directed to the gods who had failed her.

Her wrath was similar to the anger I had felt towards Yahweh after Shem's death. I took every opportunity to compare Yahweh's loving response to the disdain of Baal. I hoped Sheerah would recognize the difference between the typical response of her gods and the response of mine. Although she had an intellectual grasp of the difference, she was unable to believe God would respond to her as He had to me. She told me more than once that I was lucky to have been born into a family protected by such a powerful deity. My explanation that Yahweh would accept anyone into His family could not overcome the ingrained belief that one inherits the protection of the family gods. Sheerah simply said wistfully that perhaps one day she would marry into a family protected by Yahweh.

It was during this time that we first met Necho, a trader from Egypt. Since Bethel was on a major trade route, it was not unusual for caravans to pass by, but we had no contact with most. One day, though, Papa came home from the market with news that we would be sharing our hospitality with a stranger from Egypt. While engaging in the usual amenities before proceeding with business, Papa had discovered Necho was a Yahweh worshipper. Eager to discover how he had come to know our God, Papa had invited him to share our hospitality

The next day the camp was buzzing with excitement. The Egyptian would be staying for several days until his caravan left. Necho's father had met my great-grandfather Abraham when he had lived in Egypt during a time of drought. Despite his family's protests, he had embraced Abraham's God. Necho had been reared to worship Yahweh, but we were the first clan of Yahweh worshippers he had encountered. He wanted to spend as much time as possible discussing religion with Papa.

For a week this short, dark-skinned man was seen around camp with Papa. We wondered how a merchant could have so much leisure time. One morning we watched in awe as a camel caravan paused near our camp. Necho approached followed by two other men. Bowing to Papa, he waved to his followers who deposited their burdens at his feet. After watching the caravan move off, Papa beckoned to servants who took the bundles to his tent. Soon Aunt Rachel, Mama and I were summoned.