The general repeated, “Pekah, you had a dream?”
Affected by the general’s calm demeanor, Pekah felt relieved. “Yes, two nights ago. I dreamed I stood here, in the presence of the emperor, showing him the scepter. As I told you, it was sent with me by the Danielite heir to purchase the prisoners.”
The general scratched his clean-shaven chin thoughtfully, and then waved the Gideonite captain over.
“Thank you, Pekah.” The general touched the captain’s shoulder. “My name is Jasher, and this is Captain Amon. Amon, tell this man about your dream.”
Amon stepped forward, crossing his arms across his bulging belly. His heavy breathing sounded as though he had just run a foot race. He answered in a deep, cavernous voice. “Just two nights ago, I dreamed that I was here, and saw a man bring the scepter of Daniel. But I did not see what I see now.” He swept his hand over the area of destruction.
Light danced in Jasher’s eyes. He again put a hand on the captain’s shoulder, but spoke to Pekah. “I, too, saw this day. My dream and Amon’s were one and the same. I dreamed that the war would end because of the man who would bring the scepter of Daniel.”
Jasher let go of Amon. The general’s head bobbed up and down, his eyes sparkling.
Pekah held his breath. The occurrence of the same dream between the two Gideonites, and the similarity of their dreams to his own, sent a shiver down his back. Feeling unnerved, he gulped.
“My brethren,” Eli interrupted. “This cannot be mere coincidence. The hand of the Great King of Heaven has been made manifest here. Pekah came to bargain for the lives of the Danielite and Uzzahite prisoners in the city. He offers peace under the authority of Jonathan, son of Samuel, heir to the throne of Daniel. Because this day was foreseen by all three of you, I am convinced the dreams pertaining to this strange event have been inspired by the Holy One.”
Eli paused as if to gauge the reaction of his audience. Pekah looked at the general, who still appeared to be excited, and then Eli added, “It is also apparent to me that Manasseh’s refusal to comply with Jonathan’s sincere request, delivered through his messenger, cost him his life.”
Pekah flinched at Eli’s blatant statement of fact. He nervously watched Jasher and Amon, wondering if they were offended by Eli’s claim, but to his surprise, the general stepped forward and offered his hand in friendship. “I am Jasher of Bezek. I regret the actions of our emperor, which were unjust. I pray your forgiveness.”
Shocked by Jasher’s apology, Pekah hesitated, but then frankly forgave the man. He turned to see Amon’s mouth open as if he wanted to speak. All eyes fell on the captain in anticipation.
“I believe,” Amon said, “we will need to gather all those we can, and invite them to come and witness for themselves what has happened. I can only hope they will see and understand what we have seen. This truly is almost unbelievable. Had I not seen it with mine own eyes.. ”
Shaking his head, Amon stepped off the wooden platform and advanced to the closest group of onlooking soldiers. He said a few words to them, and directed them toward the platform. Pekah watched with interest as Amon continued around the plaza, gathering all who were nearby.
By the time Amon finished, there were over ninety Gideonite soldiers of various rank milling around the platform, talking in hushed tones. Many stared at Pekah. Some appeared to be afraid. Made uncomfortable by their gaze, Pekah turned away to see Jasher pull a wooden chair to the front, then climb upon it to address the crowd.
“Men of Gideon, you have witnessed a strange thing this day,” the general shouted in a commanding voice. “I mean to enlighten your minds with truth, that your hearts may be at peace. Captain Amon of Gilad is also a witness of all that I have seen and heard. The emperor is dead-not by the hand of any man, but by power from above, which I have seen and cannot deny.”
The crowd murmured. Jasher put up his hand to quiet them, then proceeded to tell the gathered troops all he knew about the arrival of the two messengers. As he told of the terrible and frightening force that leveled the building when light stormed from the heavens, filling the room with power and brilliance, many of the Gideonite soldiers sank to the ground with heads bowed low. Others whispered amongst themselves.
Jasher’s voice trembled as he told the gathered Gideonites of the dreams experienced by Pekah, Amon, and himself. He emphasized that the entire event had been foreseen. When Jasher stopped his narrative, a hush of profound silence came over the listening group.
Almost a minute passed. Not a soul moved. As if by coincidence, even the breezes of the summer morning stilled, giving loud punctuation to the news that the emperor was indeed dead. The silence was interrupted by the noise of several soldiers who entered the plaza escorting a captured Danielite woman. Her captors craned their heads over their shoulders at the strange scene near the wooden platform, but continued on their errand and disappeared down another narrow street. Pekah guessed the street led to the quarantined sector of the city where the prisoners were being corralled, similar to what he saw at Hasor before the Danielites were herded away.
Captain Amon approached Jasher and whispered in a tone just loud enough for Pekah to hear: “You will need to act quickly if you wish to maintain control of the situation. Otherwise, the army will disband.”
Amon’s quick assessment impressed Pekah. How will Jasher do that? Pekah wondered.
“Men of Gideon,” Jasher thundered, “I remind you-you have sworn yourselves to the service of Gideon and his people. The emperor is now dead, but his desire for war against Daniel and Uzzah will continue to be carried out until the armies of the Gideonite people have been led to different paths. You must choose the path you will take,” he emphasized. “Will you help me to end this war? Will you follow me on a path to stop bloodshed? Will you assist me in restoring peace to the land?”
Pekah felt hope well up in his breast as the idea was accepted by the troops. Where he had seen distrust and caution in the faces of those who listened, Pekah watched as a yearning for peace bloomed in their eyes. Many who had fallen to the ground rose to stand again before the general. A few of them offered their verbal pledges to Jasher. Several more put their right hand forward, and Jasher walked among them. He went from man to man, touching his outstretched palm to theirs in token. This covenant was eventually accepted by all but one soldier who stood apart from the rest.
Calling the man forward, the general placed a hand on the soldier’s arm and led him to the edge of the platform. “Do you see the dagger in Manasseh’s hand?” Jasher asked.
“Yes.”
“Manasseh tried to kill this man,” Jasher said, pointing to Pekah. “In fact, the emperor ordered me to kill him, but Pekah had done nothing worthy of death. I swear to you by the heavens that everything you have heard today is true. Will you not accept the signs you see before you as proof that my desire to end this war is just?”
The soldier looked at the emperor, then at Amon, and then again at the general. He nodded. “Yes. I will follow you.”
Jasher smiled and received the man’s pledge. Then he took his makeshift stand again, lifted his hands in the air, and addressed the group with excitement. “I can see you have come to the same conclusion I have. The war between the tribes must be stopped. I intend to end this war. All captains of ten, or captains of fifty, please stand forward!”
Eight men stepped closer to the platform, waiting to receive their orders. From his perch on the chair, Jasher gazed down at Amon with a smile, and then at Eli and Pekah standing nearby. He waved to them, as if to say that all would be well, then turned to the soldiers again.
“Men of Gideon,” he began again, “Rezon marches upon the northern cities of Uzzah, searching for the heir of Daniel. He has sworn an oath to Manasseh that he will not rest until the Heir has been killed, and the scepter of the tribe has been captured. Rezon is on a mission that he cannot be permitted to finish, else we as a people will incur the hot displeasure of the Great Creator, who has sent this man of Uzzah with one of our own brethren to plead for the end of this conflict. Rezon will not find the Danielite in the lands of Uzzah, for he is here, near the city of Ain, in hiding. Rezon also will not find the scepter of the Danielite kings that he seeks, for I have also seen the scepter, this very day!”