Queen of Sheba (34 page)

Later he heard her remark to her priest that Israel had no image of their God. They had only a golden box that sat in the place usually reserved for an idol.

He had been careful to explain nothing before she asked. He wondered how long it would take her to ask about the acacia box covered with gold in the small, square room of beaten gold, which was so holy it could be visited only once a year by the high priest. He also wondered if they would ever get back to the idyllic relationship they experienced in Jericho.

T
he solemn Day of Atonement was celebrated on the tenth of the seventh month of Tishri. At the full moon on the fifteenth of the same month, the joyous Feast of Booths was to be celebrated. Bilqis had been fascinated by everything she learned about the feast days. Each new discovery gave her insight into Solomon’s faith, even though he himself seemed reluctant to explain even the simplest tenets. She wondered if it was too private to be shared. Just as she couldn’t go inside even the Holy Place, let alone the Holy of Holies, so now she wondered if she would ever get answers to her questions.

From the rooftop of her house she had seen large groups of people dressed in festive finery with palm branches, banners, tambourines, and drums wending their way over Olivet from Bethany, the “house of dates.” They were also streaming through the city gates, and all of them seemed to be laughing and singing as though some wonderful event were about to take place.

From the window in her house that opened onto the large courtyard, she had seen the construction of gay shelters covered with palm branches and myrtle. She sent one of her maids down to investigate. On her return she told the queen that they were booths with tables spread and cushions prepared for Isreal’s most joyous feast of the year. “The harvest for the year is over and now it’s time to celebrate,” one of the king’s pages had told the maid.

As it turned out, Bilqis and all her company were invited. She found herself in the seat of honor. Not sitting by Solomon, but by a prince she found most charming.

“I’m Solomon’s brother, Nathan,” he said.

Bilqis was surprised. She hadn’t really thought there was an actual person named Nathan. “So the king does have a brother named Nathan after all.”

Nathan laughed. “Yes, and I’m the one to blame for the unpleasant meeting in Jericho.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say it was unpleasant.”

“You see, it had been decided that I would go and meet you, then at the last moment I persuaded my brother, the king, to go.”

“Perhaps it was partly my fault. I just took for granted the person I met was the Nathan mentioned by the messenger.”

“And he didn’t tell you he wasn’t Nathan.”

“I don’t understand.”

“If you’ll excuse me I can explain. The king has told me that the time in Jericho was so wonderful, he didn’t want to spoil it. To tell you he was the king could have made everything suddenly very formal.”

Bilqis understood and promptly regretted her reaction. She quickly reminded herself, however, that this king with his seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, was not someone she dared lose her heart to. Of course, as she had discovered, they weren’t all living in Jerusalem. Many of them had gone back to their villages to live with their families while others languished uncalled for in the harem.

She didn’t intend to be added to his collection. However, that didn’t mean she had to continue her hostility. “The two of you must be very close,” she said trying to change the subject. “Are you one of his counselors?”

Nathan laughed with the same unaffected charm that characterized his brother. “I’ve studied with the prophets. I suppose I’m an adviser of sorts.”

“Then perhaps you can tell me what is being celebrated. Is it a religious festival or a national festival?”

“It’s a little bit of both. It’s a harvest festival but it’s also a time when we remember how we were slaves in Egypt and our God brought us out and freed us. Our people lived for years in the wilderness in booths just like this.”

“So you build the booths to remember.” Bilqis looked around and saw the clay lamps giving off a soft glow that made everyone’s face mysteriously luminous. Looking up she could see the full moon and the stars through the palm leaves. There was a beauty and serenity that was conducive to conversation and simple entertainment. Bilqis found herself wishing that Solomon were there. With such a man perhaps one could be happy living in an arbor on the edge of the desert.

“I’ve wondered,” she said, trying to stay on a safe subject, “if you can tell me how your city got its name.”

“It’s a bit involved; are you sure you want to hear it?”

“Of course,” she said as she began to feel it was indeed difficult to get even the simplest questions answered.

“Long ago when the father of our people came here to sacrifice his only son and God provided a ram instead, he called this place Jehovah-Jireh. Jehovah provides, or the place where Jehovah provided. Tradition says that Shem the son of Noah, who survived the great flood, called it Shalem or “peace.” It was our God who put the two together and it was called JirehShalem or Jerusalem.”

Bilqis sat very still and pondered the story. Everything she heard made her want to ask more questions. Finally she asked, “It seems that every people in every nation sacrifice human beings to their god.”

Nathan was startled. “I didn’t mean to imply that. In fact, ever since our God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son and provided the ram instead, we have known that he doesn’t want us to sacrifice human beings.”

“Even if you were losing a battle or had a very bad famine you wouldn’t sacrifice someone?”

“No, never. We have had famines and have lost battles, but we have never sacrificed either our own people or the slaves that we’ve captured.”

Now some entertainers appeared and after them would come the feasting. There was just time for her to make one observation. “How strange. Most other people resort to human sacrifice in time of trouble.” The flutes trilled and the drums began to beat, the dancers appeared with joyful songs, and everyone waved palm branches and joined in the singing. It was a scene never to be forgotten of a happy, prosperous people who were free to enjoy a whole week of celebration without the usual work schedule.

In the two months that followed Solomon made every effort to acquaint the queen with the various aspects of his kingdom and reign. He even ordered her throne be placed next to his own so she could observe his dealings with various problems. He also carefully planned a series of excursions for her benefit. Some of the time he rode with her, being the perfect host, but he always maintained a formality that discouraged the
repetition of the happy time in Jericho. At other times he sent one of his brothers and again there was careful attention to her slightest wish.

First she visited the quarries and saw how the stones were cut and shaped so when they reached the site they were simply fitted into place. She laughed. “So nothing was built by the Jinn from magic.”

“Nothing,” she was told. “It was all done by hard work and careful planning.”

Next she visited most of the chariot cities and was told, “The king had twelve thousand stalls for horses and twelve thousand chariots that he bought from Egypt. For the chariots he paid six hundred shekels and for each horse one hundred fifty.”

She traveled through the rich valley of Jezreel and heard how Solomon had divided his country into twelve sections and appointed stewards over each section. The stewards were responsible for supplying the food for the king on their assigned month.

She talked to the priests and heard how different ones went up in regular succession to serve in the temple. In one village she visited in the home of a priest who was making a harp of the berosh and prized almug wood. He told her the harp would be used in the temple service to praise God for His goodness. She pondered this. She had never heard of people praising any god. She wondered what this God had done for these people. She resolved to ask further about this later.

She visited the sea coast and saw the dye vats where the murex shellfish produced the rich purple dyes that made the king’s best garments. She watched with great interest as craftsmen inlaid mother of pearl in furniture and carved wedding chests made of cedar.

As the time passed she traveled to the source of the Jordan, then to Tadmor, the new chariot city being built in the desert beyond Damascus. Finally, coming down the Jordan, she saw the place at Zarethan where Solomon’s most accomplished craftsman, Huram-Abi, molded in the natural clay all the brass objects used in the temple and the king’s house.

Solomon had planned all of this so that instead of just asking questions and getting answers, she would see his kingdom and how it prospered. He tried to refrain from joining her and enjoying her company, since he was determined to forget the madness he had experienced in Jericho. Instead he found that he thought about her all the more. Her face,
her gestures, her way of smiling all conspired to make him even more anxious to see her again and to experience the lighthearted happiness he had known at their first meeting.

Against his better judgment he planned to meet her for a few days in Jericho. He reasoned that she would soon be returning to her country and then this strange attraction would be ended. However, at the very thought of her leaving he felt such pain that he was ready to throw all caution aside and arrange the meeting earlier than planned.

When Bilqis finally arrived in Jericho and met Solomon at his winter palace, she was speechless with wonder at all she had seen. There was no longer any misunderstanding between them and it seemed that once again they were to enjoy the carefree, relaxed relationship they had shared at their first meeting. “Have all your questions been answered?” Solomon asked as they sat in the cushioned retreat on one of the balconies and ate from a tray of fruit and dried dates.

“Most of them. But you never did tell me what was in the golden box behind the woven curtains and golden doors of the Holy of Holies.”

Solomon laughed and reached for another cluster of lush, sweet grapes. “And what do you think is in the chest?”

Bilqis grew pensive. “I’ve thought about it all the way to Mount Hermon and down the Jordan and I’ve decided it must be the most important thing you or your people own. It must be something you and your God value very highly.”

“Yes. And so what do you think it is?”

“I have thought it might be all the images you’ve collected in battle with other nations. Think of the power you would have if you could lock all those gods up in a chest and hide them away in your temple.”

Solomon frowned. The very idea of pagan images in the temple was a terrible thought. “No, no, you’re wrong. Guess again.”

“Perhaps you have some of the evil Jinn locked up in the box so they can’t harm your people.”

Again Solomon was astounded by her thinking. “Never, impossible, the Jinn would pollute God’s holy hill.”

“Then it must be the heads of your worst enemies.”

“No, no, no. It is blasphemous even to think such thoughts. I can see you’ll never even come close to imagining what it is.”

“You’ll have to tell me. It must be the most guarded secret of your happy kingdom.”

Solomon blushed. He was ashamed that he had been so reluctant to tell her all she wanted to know of his faith. Actually it was just that she was, after all, a woman and usually women weren’t supposed to think about such things. “I suppose there’ll be no peace until I tell you,” he said. “I hope you aren’t disappointed. It’s two tablets of stone given to us by Moses who led my people out of slavery in Egypt four hundred eighteen years ago.”

“Two stone tablets?”

He could see she was very surprised. “They have writing on them,” he said.

“Oh!” Her eyes were wide with wonder.

“They have laws carved into the stone. Rules to be obeyed if a people are to be happy and wise.”

“Ah, the laws that your trader Badget said even you must obey. I thought it very strange that even a king must obey laws. In Sheba whatever I say is the law. How awful to have laws that must be obeyed.”