Song of Redemption by Lynn Austin Read Free Book Online Page A

“and I trust that he’ll continue to hold us all accountable.”
    “Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” Micah replied. He wore his left arm in a sling, and his many bruises had discolored to a deep, purplish black. With his tanned face and simple clothing, he looked out of place among the wealthy nobles.
    “I have ordered the priests and Levites to reconsecrate the Temple,” Hezekiah said, “so that the regular daily sacrifices can be offered once again. But first the Temple will need repairs as well as cleansing from everything that wasn’t commanded by Yahweh. I’ve asked Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, to join our council.” He motioned for him to come forward, then paused for a moment while he bowed low. “Eliakim, you’ve been recommended to me as a capable engineer as well as a faithful follower of Yahweh. I’m putting you in charge of the structural repairs to the Temple. You’ll also serve as a member of my advisory council from now on.”
    Hezekiah detected a murmur of surprise, or perhaps discontent, as a newcomer lacking royal credentials was given such an important commission. Eliakim’s speechless expression covered a wide range of emotions including astonishment and awe, but he quickly recovered and bowed again.
    “I … I am honored, Your Majesty. It will be a great privilege.”
    “As for the repairs,” Hezekiah continued, “I’ve recovered a small sum of gold that Uriah stole from the tribute to Assyria. Since this treasure originally came from the Temple, I’m using it to finance the repairs. When the Temple is ready, I plan to offer a sacrifice for the sin of our nation and to renew our covenant with God. I’ll be contributing animals from the royal flocks, but members of my court and city officials are welcome to participate, as well as everyone in Judah who wants to ask forgiveness for his sins.”
    He gazed at the faces assembled before him, trying to discern their thoughts. He believed there was discontent, mistrust, perhaps even conspiracy among them, but he saw no outward signs of it. He wanted to shock them into speaking their minds, coax them out of hiding and see where the battle lines were drawn. Zechariah had helped him choose an explosive topic beforehand, and he decided to raise it now, hoping to elicit a response and discover where the divisions lay.
    “I have one final question that we need to discuss. The Law of Moses requires the people to give a tenth portion to the priests and Levites so they can devote themselves to the Temple and its sacrifices. But the people are already heavily taxed to pay the Assyrian tribute demands. It seems that the Law of God and the demands of Assyria are in direct conflict. If our nation is to have any future, we need to consider what to do about that. I’d like to be free from Assyria’s control and put our trust in God, but first I must consider what would happen if we stopped sending the tribute payments.”
    “You would be committing suicide!” one of Ahaz’s former advisors shouted. He was an experienced statesman who had served under King Jotham as well as Ahaz. “The Assyrians would begin marching their massive army toward Jerusalem as soon as they heard of our rebellion.”
    “That’s right,” another advisor added. “You would be needlessly endangering the entire nation.”
    “But our nation is called to be a servant of Yahweh, not a servant of Assyria,” Azariah said. Hezekiah had asked the new High Priest to deliberately draw out the opposition, but a third advisor turned on him sharply.
    “Listen—all the nations around us pay tribute, as well. Do you think they’re all fools? There’s a very good reason why our taxes go to Assyria and not the Temple.”
    “He’s right, Your Majesty,” General Jonadab added. “I can prepare a detailed report on the Assyrians if you’d like me to. I think you will find it horrifying to read. They are a brutal, merciless, bloodthirsty people.”
    “And we can’t afford to pay more