Chapter Fifteen

It was the first day in the Temple Week. As usual, Zechariah awoke before the sun began to rise. Darkness still rested peacefully in their bed chambers. He listened to the rhythmic breathing of the other priests.

“You awake Zechariah?” Berechiah whispered.

“Good morning friend,” he replied.

Zechariah listened to Berechiah rise and go to relieve himself. He shuffled softly out of their chambers and out of range of hearing. Out of the range that Zechariah could still hear anyway. Sometimes that was a blessing at home. Elizabeth could be very talkative at times, and very bossy when she got in a mood. He smiled. Gone less than a day and who do I think of? My wife.

He slid his legs over the edge of his bed. The sleep chambers had beds hewn of stone carved ages ago. They rose about two feet off the floor. Each had become worn in it’s own curious way. No two were alike. Most of the younger priests allowed the elders, such as Zechariah, to select their beds first. Then they claimed one for themselves until there were none left.

The Ophel, the part of the city on the southeastern side of the Temple, was a mixture of permanent and temporary housing for priests in service to the Temple. Some priests lived their and the rest lived there during their Week of Service. Zechariah had lived here once a year for a full week since he was old enough to serve in the Temple. More than one year of his life had been spent serving in the Temple.

The Ophel sat at the foot of the staircase leading up to the Southern wall of the Temple. The steps were arranged in a pattern of broad-narrow step, intentionally meant to force the climbing visitor to the temple to look down in order to follow the steps – thus reminding them to bow to the holiness of the great temple.

The Hulda gates were located in the left and center sides of the Temple wall. On the bottom right side of the staircase lay some of the ritual baths and cisterns, part of the installations that were used by the visitors to the temple.

Zechariah watched as Berechiah came and sat down next to him. The straw mattress helped cushion the stone little.

“Perhaps this is the year you will be chosen by oots to enter the Holy Place my friend,” Berechiah said.

“We shall see. Whatever the Lord wills is fine with me. Maybe Jerimoth will be chosen”

“In his first week of service. Hardly.”

“It has happened before,” Zechariah said.

“Yes, but I feel this is the year of Zechariah,” Berechiah replied.

“That service is for one with younger legs for climbing the stairs to the Holy Place.”

Berechiah chuckled and said, “Maybe you are right, but we shall see.”

 The other priests began to stir.

Jerimoth rose and sat next to Zechariah on the stone and mattress.

“I can’t wait to see what we get to do. We are serving in the Temple. Can you believe it. Finally I get to serve in the Temple,” Jerimoth said.

Jahzerah rolled over and poked his head out from under his covers.

“Yes, yes, we all get to serve. You’ll be worn out by the end of the morning sacrifices,” he said. “Perhaps you will get to shovel the ashes from the altar. Or clean up the animals dung.”

“Jahzerah,” Zechariah scolded. “Do not mock your fellow priest. I remember your first morning. Do you remember Berechiah?”

Berechiah shook his head and laughed hard.

“Do I remember. No one will forget his first morning. He looked like a little lost sheep looking for its mother so it could sup on a nipple.”

“Yes. Jerimoth, you should have been here. He got so confused and frightened that he backed up to the altar by a little bitty goat and…”

“Little,” Jahzerah cried. It was the biggest goat I had ever seen. And, it was trying to eat my priestly robe right off of me. I had no choice but to back up.”

Zechariah continued, “Yes, you backed up so quickly that everyone around the altar thought you were going to offer yourself unto the Lord.”

“And he almost did,” Berechiah said slapping his knee.

“His father Samuel was nearby and quickly came over and subdued the wild beast attacking him,” Zechariah continued.

“Then,” Berechiah said, “Everyone stood, staring speechless at him.  You see, in his haste to backup, he backed up so far that the hem of his priestly robe lay upon the hot coals under the altar.”

“Next thing you know, my son is dancing before the altar like David before the Ark of the Covenant,” Samuel added. “No one quite knew what to do. We had never seen a burning priest dancing before the altar. Benjamin went running to fetch the High Priest. We didn’t know if a burning priest dancing before the altar was permissible by the law.”

“We did not know if we needed to stone him for his sin, put out the fire, or, just let him burn,” Zechariah said nearly falling off the stone bed.

“Very funny Zechariah. You are an elder. You,” Jahzerah said and pointed a finger at him, “You should be setting a holy example for your fellow priests this morning.”

“I am, I am,” Zechariah cried still barely able to speak. “Does not the scriptures say that laughter is medicine for the soul? I bring healing unto the House of God today. No, wait a minute, allow me to correct myself. Your story once again brings healing to the House of God this day.”

“Pay no heed to these old men Jerimoth,” Pashur said. “It would not be Temple week without a little story telling. Come, we must prepare for the day.”

Zechariah observed the puzzled look on Jerimoth’s face.

“What troubles you my young friend?”

Jerimoth looked at him and smiled.

“Does this mean that Jahzerah was on fire for the Lord?”

The chamber erupted in more laughter.

“He was burning with zeal for the Lord,” Ithamar shouted.

“Ohh, ohh” said Jahzerah’s younger brother Micah, “I believe it means he was consumed with a holy fire.”

Jerimoth threw a pillow at Micah and dove on him. The two wrestled around for a few minutes until their father Samuel called for them to stop.

“Come along boys,” Samuel said as he picked them up off the floor. “It is time to go to the Temple.”

The four of them exited followed by Pashur and Jerimoth.

Zechariah and Berechiah continued to laugh quietly as the priests left the bed chambers and headed for the bath to cleanse their bodies before entering the Temple.

“Well old friend, boys will be boys,” Zechariah said. “How the Lord must be smiling this morning. What a wonderful gift He has given to mankind. Laughter. I am very glad He thought that one up when He made all things. Come, let us go serve our Lord and His people.”

The two old friends shuffled out to join the other priests.

© 2011 John Pearson All Rights Reserved.