The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  MORE VICTORIES.

  The heathen in the fort observed the return as they had observed thedeparture of the expedition that had ended so disastrously. Their salliesbecame fiercer and more frequent, and Azariah, his forces weakened by theloss of two thousand men, found it difficult to repel them. Nothing couldhave exceeded the energy with which he devoted himself to this duty, orthe courage with which he executed it. Night and day he was at his post,for it was here only that he found a refuge from the anguish and doubtwhich tormented him; here only the reproaches of the widows of the slaincould not follow him. He allowed himself no rest; sleep he seemedabsolutely to do without, and food he hastily snatched at any moment whenthe opportunity offered.

  One remission only from this task he allowed himself, and this because itwas a duty. He paid a daily visit to his children. They, too, poor littlesouls, had not escaped a share in the trouble. The life which they had ledfor the last two years had developed their understanding beyond their age,and they felt, if they did not fully appreciate, their father'sunhappiness. One consolation they had, the care of two little orphans--thefather had fallen in the expedition, and the mother had been struck downby the news of her husband's death--who had been taken into the house andput under the charge of the elderly kinswoman who looked after Azariah'shousehold.

  On one of these occasions he found the aged Shemaiah. His first impulsewas to avoid the old man, but a few words of sympathy overcame him; hisself-control broke down, and hiding his face in his robe he shed the rareand painful tears of a man.

  When the first outburst of grief was over he spoke.

  "Tell me, father, why has God forsaken His servant who trusted in Him. Iwent out in faith--and see the end. Would that I had died in the battle!"

  "My son, may it not be that you tempted the Lord? Did you count the costwhen you went forth against Gorgias, whether you had force sufficient forthe attack, or skill to handle it?"

  "Does faith, then, go for nothing? Had Judas men enough, as soldiersreckon in such matters, or skill enough, seeing that he had had noexperience in war, when he overthrew Apollonius? Yet the Lord gave him thevictory because he trusted in Him."

  "My son, God gave the victory to Judas, having first given him notstrength only and courage, but skill also and understanding. He gives notthe same gifts to all: to Moses wisdom and learning, but to Aaron eloquentspeech; to David the arts of war, but to Solomon the arts of peace. Thinkyou that because you are a servant of the Lord, you are therefore tochoose the service that you will do? You would be captain of the Lord'shost like Judas. Would you also indite psalms with David, and deviseproverbs with Solomon? The Spirit of the Lord divideth to every manseverally as He will. To Mattathias He gave discernment to see in Judasthe leader and commander of the people, and the people were obedient tohim. And so Judas discerned in you one who might be entrusted with thedefence of the city, but not with the warfare against the heathen that arewithout. This was your service, but you were not content with it. Thinknot that the Lord has forgotten you, but rather that you have left theplace in which you were set."

  This was plain speaking, but given with such gentleness and sympathy thatthe rebuke healed more than it wounded. Humbled yet comforted, Azariahreturned to his post before the fortress. But he could not forget that hisgreat trial was yet to come. Nor was it long delayed. The next day it wasevident that something was happening that had attracted the attention ofthe garrison. The highest tower was crowded with soldiers who wereintently watching something that could not be seen from below. And indeedit was a remarkable spectacle. Judas was returning with his victoriousarmy, escorting at the same time a vast crowd of non-combatants, men,women, and children, the whole population of the country beyond Jordan,which could no longer be inhabited with safety, and all Jerusalem had goneout to meet the champion. Then, in a moment, the tower was deserted, thegates were thrown open, and a furious sortie, the last that could beattempted with any hope of success, was made with the whole force of thegarrison. It was with a desperate courage that Azariah repelled theattack. Never had he exposed himself so recklessly. He could almost havewished to fall in the fight; for now the dreaded meeting was at hand, andhe had to render up to his chief the trust which he had so abused. Theattack was repelled, and then Azariah had to remain in an inaction thatwas almost unbearable till he should be summoned to the interview with hischief.

  The sun was just setting when a soldier presented himself, and, aftersaluting, said, "The general seeks you."

  "Has he summoned the council?" asked Azariah, who dreaded a publiccensure.

  "Nay," said the man; "he is alone."

  And Azariah followed him to the captain's house, with such a tremor in hisheart as no dangers of battle had ever caused.

  What followed at the meeting was never known, save as far as the resultwas concerned. Shemaiah was awaiting his return, and the first glanceshowed the old man that things had gone well with his friend. The burdenof trouble was gone. Azariah looked brighter and more cheerful--so great isthe force of reaction--than he had done since he had lost his Hannah.Shemaiah felt that there was no need to question him, and waited insilence for what his friend should please to tell him. What he heard wasthis:

  "The captain would have kept me in the office to which he appointed mewhen he departed. He said--and I repeat his words, not for my own glory,but for a proof of his generosity--'No man could have better kept theheathen from the fort in check than you have done. Therefore, I would haveyou stay where you are. I must go again to the wars, for the Idumeans andthe Philistines have to be subdued. And I shall go with a lighter heart,leaving the defence of the city in your hands.' But I said to him, 'O mylord, let me rather go with you. You have accomplished to the full thework unto which you were sent of God, and have come back, having redeemedfrom captivity and death our brethren from beyond the river, nor lost oneof your own people. But I, going in the presumption of my heart to awarfare unto which I was not sent, have accomplished nothing; I havewrought no deliverance for my people, and the bones of two thousand of mybrethren lie scattered on the plain. Henceforth I am but a sword in thehand of the servant of the Lord.' But the captain said nothing. Let it beas he will. As for me, I am content, for I know that he has pardoned me."

  Whatever the kind of service in which Judas might see fit to employ hislieutenant, it was clear that there would be no lack of work for him todo.

  The victories of Judas in Gilead had been followed by successes won bySimon in Galilee. And from Galilee, as from Gilead, there had been a greatmigration of the inhabitants, who sought in Jerusalem a safer home thanthey could find in their own country.

  And now, at the head of a more powerful army than he had hitherto beenable to collect, Judas set out. His first object was Hebron, which had forsome time past been in the possession of the Idumeans. He took it byassault; it might almost be said, so unexpected was his coming, bysurprise. Indeed, one cause of his success was the extraordinary rapidityand secrecy of his movements. Almost the moment that his plans wereformed, he was on his way to execute them. Even if there had been traitorsor spies in his camp--and such were almost unknown--any information whichthey could send to the enemy was outstripped, so to speak, by his action.Hebron had to be abandoned after its capture, for he could not spare asufficient garrison to hold it. All that could be done was to take carethat it should not, for some time at least, become a stronghold of theenemy. Its citadel was destroyed; the towers on the wall burnt, and afurlong of the wall itself broken down.

  From Hebron the Jewish leader marched southward, and then turning eastwardinvaded the country of the Philistines. Azotus, which was supposed to besafe on account of its maritime position, and was, in consequence,negligently guarded, was assaulted with success, and its temples andaltars destroyed, though Gorgias was still in force at Jamnia, only ninemiles to the north. Several of the smaller Philistine towns were taken onthe return march to Jerusalem; an
d altogether this people received alesson which they were not likely soon to forget. All this wasaccomplished with very little loss. Joel, the priest, however, was killedat Azotus, where he had recklessly exposed himself in the attack.

  Great as was the popular rejoicing at these victories, it was nothing tothe exultation caused by the next tidings that reachedJerusalem--Antiochus, the oppressor, the blasphemer--Antiochus was dead!

  The day after the return of the army a Syrian runner was caught whileendeavouring to make his way into the fortress through the lines of thebesiegers. He had been sent by Lysias with a despatch to the commander ofthe garrison. The document was of the briefest. It ran thus:

  "_Lysias, the Governor, to the most valiant Eucrates._

  "Know that our most excellent Lord and King, Antiochus, surnamed the Illustrious, is dead in Persia. Let the soldiers that are with you swear allegiance to the son of our departed master by the name of Antiochus Eupator, which he has taken to himself in remembrance of the glories of his father."(20)

  The man, when questioned by Judas and the council, was able to supplementthe bare news of the King's death with some interesting details. He hadhad some talk with the messenger who had brought the tidings to Antioch,and had heard all that was as yet known. His story ran thus:

  "The King was in Persia when he heard how his armies had been defeated,not once or twice only, in the land of Judaea. Great was his rage--so greatthat for the space of three or four hours none dared to come near him.Then he summoned his counsellors to him, and said, 'I will destroy thisnation of rebels till there shall be not one of them left,' and giving upall other plans he marched westward with all his army. But on his way hecame to the city of Elymais, where there is a temple, the treasury ofwhich is reputed to be more wealthy than any in the whole land of Persia,for it has never been spoiled within the memory of man. Even the greatAlexander left it untouched, adding also much of the spoil which he hadtaken himself. This temple the father of the King had sought to plunder;but the people of the city rose against him, and drove him away. When theKing came to this city he said, 'Here is another nest of rebels. Did theynot rise against the King, my father? Verily I will avenge his memory uponthem.' So he went into the city, having some five hundred soldiers withhim. And the magistrates received him with honour. And when he said, 'Iwould see your temple and its treasures,' they consented. 'Only,' theysaid, 'it is our custom that no armed man may come within the precincts.''Will you strip me of my sword?' said the King. 'Not so,' they answered,'but your followers must be without any, and not more than ten in number.'When the King heard this he was greatly wroth, and said to the magistratesof the city, 'I will come in despite of you.' So he went, he and his fivehundred, to the square in which the temple stands. But he found the wholeplace filled with an armed multitude, and when he would have forced hisway into the precincts he was beaten back, losing not a few of hissoldiers, and being himself struck on the head with a stone. After this,whether it was from his rage, which became more terrible than ever, orfrom any other cause, I know not; but the King was smitten with somedisease, and could no longer ride, as he had been wont, but was carried ina litter. And they say that the stench of his wounds was so great that themen who bore the litter could scarcely endure it, but were changedcontinually. So they brought him to Tabol, in the land of Persia, andthere he died, being terribly tormented with pain. And I heard that whenhe was dying, he cried out with a most lamentable voice repenting him ofthe wrong that he had done against the gods in robbing their temples."

  "Of what did he speak?" asked one of the council.

  "Nay," said the man, "that I know not. Some said that he spoke of thisTemple in Jerusalem, and some that it was the temple in Elymais, where menworship the moon-goddess, that was in his mind. But more I do not know."

  Judas rose up in his place and repeated the last words of that greattriumphal chant in which more than a thousand years before Deborah andBarak had celebrated the overthrow of another king who had mightilyoppressed the children of Israel.

  "So let all Thine enemies perish, O Lord, but let them that love Him be asthe sun when he goeth forth in his might."