A month after Bat Gad had been mobilized to the kingdom’s secret police, Jezebel sent a letter to Judea. This time it was to king Ahazia himself. News like the success of Bat Gad to seduce Elisha, would be nice gossip news that would interest to Athaliah, but it had now become marginal. To remind the reader, it happens nowadays much more frequently, that you forget what were the news yesterday…
Jezebel revealed to king Ahazia- that her son Joram was in an urgent need of troops. Hazael, king of Aram, succeeded to conquer almost all the trans-Jordan areas. Though he now stopped his fight and agreed to an armistice, she was sure the battles would be soon renewed. . .At the end of the letter, which Ahazia showed to his mother Athaliah – there was her brother’s own handwriting. It was a surprise, as Jezebel wrote he had been in the frontline. He wrote: “I have returned home to Jezerel, being injured by an arrow in my arm. Let’s hope that I’ll be cured and recover very soon. We have excellent physicians and priests here.”
Athaliah suggested that Ahazia would travel to north Israel with a battalion to reinforce Joram’s army. The soldiers would be sent to the northern front, and Ahazia, - the king of Judea, would visit injured Joram. Both will be able to consult thoroughly about the hard situation…
Athaliah suddenly felt, that a heavy ominous cloud of had shaded the land. Her father Ahab had started to lose small areas to Aram. But now her valiant brother had been severly defeated by the Arameans. They captured many important positions in Golan Heights and beyond the sea of Galilee. Who could see the end of it?
What nobody had dared to imagine was - that a new enemy had suddenly risen in Northern Israel. Jezebel’s struggle with all the prophets and their faithful God believers- had broken down the army. Now was involved an offficer named Jehu in the internal politics. Jehu was one of the captains who had fought together with Joram in the northern front of Ramoth Gilead. When he saw his king’s severe injury, he decided to initiate a rebel. He was a devoted God believer, and once a disciple of Prophet Elisha, and received a message from him. The Bible describes that as follows:
“So the servant of the prophet went (to the frontier). When he came, the captains of the army were sitting – and he said: ‘I have a word to you, O’ Captain… Jehu’. And he rose and went into the house and he(the delegate)poured oil on Jehu’s head and said to him: ‘Thus says the Lord: I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, even on Israel! And you shall strike the house of Ahab- your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants, the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord- at the hand of Jezebel…And I’ll cutoff from Ahab every male…and the dogs shall eat Jezebel…” (KINGS2- CHAP.9, 4-10)
Jehu had a leader’s strong and unrelenting character. He persuaded his battalion quite easily- to gallop with him toward the center of the country:
The town of Jezre-el was the lounge of the royal family for automn and winter seasons. In that time Samaria would become too cool for an aging Lady like Jezebel, having rheumatic limbs and wrecking bones. She had made Jezre-el a second capital of the country, by confiscating a vineyard from the man Navot, in Elija’s time. Elija cursed Ahab and Jezebel for that mischief. Now the time had come for that curse to realizse.
Jezebel was at that time in Jezre-el, and saw that her son Joram quite recovering. No veins in his arm were hurt, and the arrow’s poison had not been strong enough to kill him. The doctor hoped he would be able to recover and return to the battlefield within a week or two.
But now he had to face a battle not far from the royal palace. Jehu and his men approached Jezre-el. The sight of the large tower of the town and the townskeepers seen on it- made Jehus’ men stop with hesitation. The small high royal mansion had been surrounded by a wall. It had towers with watchmen, and narrow vertical cracks for archers. King Joram was told by his watchmen, that they discerned “a dust of many horsemen and infantry group approaching.” Nobody in the palace knew who they had been.
Three times Joram sent horsemen to see who had been leading the large group, wrapped by a cloud of dust. Three times his man were detained and forced to join the comers. Then a wise watchmen told worried king Joram:
“The commander who is driving ahead of them - is driving mad, like Jehu.”
So, Joram - king of Israel, and Ahazia – his visitor, king of Judea – went out of the town by their chariots, to see what the comers would claim.
“Is it for peace that you’ve come forth?” King Joram asked Jehu, who had recognized him;
“What peace?” answered Jehu with a question: “So long as the harlotries of your Mom Jezebel and her witchraft are so many - what peace?”
So, Joram reined up his horses and tried to flee along the fields, after telling his nephew Ahazia: “There is treachery around, O’ Ahaziah! Run away!”
Joram as well as Ahazia had chariots without any canopy, that could hide the exact body positions of the drivers from Jehu’s arrowshooters. So, while they were escaping- Jehu drew his bow. He choose first to shoot Joram, sitting in his chariot. From far he pulled the string with full strength. He shot Athaliah’s brother between his two arms. The poisoned arrow went through his heart and he sank in his vehicle. Jehu told his men, that he had taken revenge of Ahab’s crime against Navot, the Israeli citizen of the kingdom, whose vinyard had been confiscated by Jezebel. It was a true fact: She liked to rob and loot the countrymen. She knew that Navot had been faithful to God – that she hated, and the Prophet Elijah, as well as his pupils Elisha- would teach their pupils to remember that social misconduct. God’s believers as well as Idols worshippers in Jehu’s battalion - had hated such vile acts. They justified their commander’s murder of the wicked (and weak) king.
At first, Judean king Ahaziah succeeded to escape from Jehu’s pursuing fighters. He galloped his horses, leading his chariot back to Jezre-el and at its gate saw three of his men. They decided to leave the city to its defenders, and were riding toward Megiddo. Both Jezre-el and Megiddo are on the plain broad area of Jezre-el valley, having a hot weather all the year. Poor Ahazia was followed by those three horsemen officers, who had just come back to Jezre-el from the northern front, after having brought their Judean batalion there – to reinforce Joram’s army. They were said to ride with Ahazia back to Jerusalem on that day, but now came Jehu’s sudden rebel... Jehu’s men saw Ahazia’s chariot, and decided to gallop after it. When they arrived near Megiddo – they saw something on the way that made them rejoice: One of chariot’s wheels of Ahazia was broken. It dangled for a while, still hanging loosely on the chariot’s ax, then made the vehicle crash at the roadside. King Ahazia had fallen from it. In the last moment it seemed like he had succeeded to get out, his teeth bleeding from falling on his face…
Ahazia’s two escort horseriders were riding beside his chariot, and one in front of it. On the two sides of the way there had been green fields, growing wheat and barley. Not far from there were seen the houses of the small Isreali ancient town Megiddo, settled on a low hill. (In the new Testament there is a town named Anmmargadon, presumably derived from that name).
One of the side riders, who saw the king’s carriage copllapse, jumped from his horse. He tried to help the Ahazia by raising him from the hard ground of the way. He pointed on his horse and offered it to Ahazia.
The king and the riders suddenly heard clear gallop sounds, and saw a group of five horsemen approachung from behind. They knew that those pursuers were Jehu’s rebels. Colored flags which they were grabbing while riding - were waving in the air. An ox symbol was drawn on them, and under it there was a red script in Hebrew letters: ”Jehu - king”.
Two of the pursuers were faster than the others. They turned their horses straight toward the king and his escorts. They reached a distance of an arrow shooting from the chariot, and drew their horses to drive almost in parallel to it, on the field. One of them approached to the left of Ahaziah’s rider-escort, and shouted something, by that drawing his attention. The escort-rider of
Ahazia pulled out his sword, and a dual-while-ride had taken place. But another pursuer, who was leading his horse to face the chariot on the other side of the way, pulled out his bow. He had
shot very promptly two arrows at the limping king, who had not yet mounted his officer’s horse.
King Ahazia was now hurt in his back by the arrow, and blood was oozing on his gown. He was stretched out on the ground. His white, golden lined gown, was bleeding. The horse which was harnessed to the chariot had been hurt, too - by the attackers’ arrows. The Judean officers saw that they were fewer than their enemies, and feared they would be surrounded. So they drove away very fast, leaving their king, not even looking behind. They knew he was bleeding to death, and nothing could save him.
The Judean horseriders succeed to increase the gap between them and their pursuers, who slowed down, discerning that the king was the man who had fallen. They would be praised for that by Jehu, they thought, ‘and that is what matters’.
The three Judean warriors were riding toward a mountainous slope. The narrow way was leading toward Dotan valley. They knew well how to ride near villages and avoid being seen. The horses were slowing everytime they were coming to a dangerous curve. The ways were full of obstacles. The sun had already sunk in the west, and they were still riding. It was summer, and the moonlight and the stars’ winks enabled the tired horseriders to find their way south toward Jerusalem.
From time to time a voice of a jackal or noice of playing youths raised their tension. They spoke very few words, while driving one after the other on dangerous paths. Their leader, General Abner, was signaling them to stop by raising a hand, if he had become suspicious about some moves around.
They had found already the Royal Route to the south, and continued to drive on it, hoping that Jehu’s soldiers had not been so many. They assumed correctly, that their enemy had not been so quick to capture the area they now reached. When they passed near Beth El- where the Israeli Calf Temple had been erected - they saw no special tumult there. That was an invisible message, so they understood, that Jehu was still far. Otherwise he would have begun to celebrate a victory over Ahab’s regime..
Abner was desparate about the heavy loss. His king was dead. How would he explain that to the people and the royal family?… But there was no time for mourn nor for a profound consultation about the future. A soldier is used to think about- and solve- the momentry problem. His life is against all odds in so many situations and occurances. Rescue depends on cleverness and luck.
The riders discerned the extreme houses of the town Geva, settled on Jerusalem’as northern border. The light of a new day had been beamed beyond the morning clouds. It took them still an hour drive, till they had arrived the borderline between Judea and Northern Israel.
They were still facing a very narrow passage, and in order to pass it they had to dismount the horses- and walk by foot for a while. After having crossd, leading their horses reins in hands, they re-mounted their horses and were riding again. They were galloping toward Jerusalem’s suburb, and decided not to ride on the kings’ broad way – choosong to cross narrow paths and areas filled with bushes and small woods around.
They tried to avoid meeting people, knowing that their weary bodies and weak countenance may make people guess something. A young shepherd, however, who was walking nearby with his small herd – had caught their sight. He was gazing curiously at their shabby, wet from perspiring uniforms, and discerned their severe faces. He wondered to see the weird Philistine helmets that one of them was wearing on his head. As his sheep’s pasture was hided behind some bushes, they had not discerned him: He peeped through the planted fence - after having heard the horses’ gallop.
The shepherd recognized one of the commanders, General Abner, whose body structure remained athletic though he had become thirty five at that time. His grey trousers were dirty from mud, as they all had crossed on their way some drainage streams and small pools. Asbner’s cotton shirt had blood stains on it, which were smeared on him while trying to help the injured king Ahazia, unsuccesfully. . .
It was Abner’s head that was wearing the ornamented blue pigeon-feathers helmet- emphasizing his high rank. (Some historians said, that such kind of hat had been originally worn by the Philistine hired troops of king David). The two other officers were younger than Abner, and dressed like him, but instead of feathers’ hats, they wore grey Kafias… All the threee officers were carrying bayonets in their scabbards- and their long swords were hidden in sacks loaded on their horsebacks.
PART TWO
CHAPTER 8