The Pilgrimage: The Shepherd of Kedar: Book 1

By DeLacy A. Andrews Jr.

Imagine for a moment that you are living in a different time, a different place. You are a Jew during the period of the Old Testament, and you live far away from the Promised Land. Your neighbors worship idols and hold you in contempt. You long to live justly and to walk in peace, but those who surround you speak lies and make war. Is there any refuge for one who believes in Jehovah, yet lives in a foreign land?

Josiah was such a man, a shepherd in the land of Kedar. Tragedy has struck his family, causing him to cry out with the psalmist, Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war. (Psalm 120:57).

Is there respite for the singer of that psalm? Yes, that rest is found at the end of a pilgrimagea journey that leads him to the House of God. Come with the shepherd as we make the pilgrimage together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490820675

DeLacy A. Andrews Jr.

DeLacy Andrews is the regional home missionary of the Presbytery of the Southeast in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He teaches theology at Graham Bible College in Bristol, Tennessee. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys hunting and fishing in the mountains of southwest Virginia, where he resides with his wife, Debbie.

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Copyright © 2014 DeLacy A. Andrews, Jr..

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Psalm 84:5 is the author’s translation from the Hebrew.

All other Scriptures are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-2068-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-2069-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-2067-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013923145

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/07/2014

Contents

Acknowledgements

About Historical Fiction

Preface

Chapter 1       Dwelling in the Tents of Kedar

Chapter 2       The Blessed Man

Chapter 3       The Feast

Chapter 4       The Bloom of Love

Chapter 5       An Old Man and a Baby

Chapter 6       From Utter Joy to Abject Sorrow

Chapter 7       If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there.

Chapter 8       No Longer Home

Chapter 9       The Lord of the Storm

Chapter 10       My Name is Ishmael

Chapter 11       Who Made the Morning Star?

Chapter 12       Coming Home

Chapter 13       Mercy

Chapter 14       The Battle

Chapter 15       My Name Is Isaac

Chapter 16       The Lost Sheep

Chapter 17       The God-Fearer

Chapter 18       The Pilgrimage Begins

Chapter 19       Wadi Rum – A Beautiful Creation

Chapter 20       The Synagogue of Elath

Chapter 21       Deliverance from the Fowler’s Snare

Chapter 22       False Idols or the One True God

Chapter 23       The Blowing of the Shofar

Chapter 24       The Waters Healed

Chapter 25       Ascending Mount Nebo

Chapter 26       Prophet, Priest and King

Chapter 27       To the Water’s Edge

Afterword

Scriptures Cited

Glossary of Terms

To My Mother

Wanda Andrews

She taught me the Shepherd’s Psalm when I was a boy.

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

Proverbs 31:28

Acknowledgements

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to many who helped me as I labored to write this book.

Special thanks to my daughter, Christine Parker, without whom the book could not have been written. She is my sounding board, my editor – and a rather brutal one at that. I have to admit I lost practically every argument I had with her as we edited the book.

To the members of the mission works of the Presbytery of the Southeast of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, among whom I labor, for their patience with me as I rambled on and on with story after story from the book. They listened with smiles on their faces. I hope they weren’t just humoring me.

To the students of a course I taught at Graham Bible College on the Songs of Ascents, who endured reading an earlier version of the book as part of their required reading for the course. Their insights were invaluable to me.

To Dr. Philip Blevins, president of Graham Bible College, for reading and critiquing the book, offering his expertise, especially regarding the passion narratives.

To the Board of Graham Bible College for their generous support in the publication of this book.

To the family of Jon and Emma Davis, members of Heritage Presbyterian Church in Hartwell, Georgia, for their special interest in the book. The children read the book before their parents could get their hands on it.

To the family of Seth and Sheryl Long, members of Neon Reformed Presbyterian Church in Neon, Kentucky, for reading it together during family devotions, and especially to Seth for his expertise in animal husbandry. It thrilled my heart when he told me that his children would often bring him the book and ask him to read it to them.

To my father and mother, Buddy and Wanda Andrews, for their unceasing encouragements.

To my mother-in-law, Lillian Allen, who eagerly read an early manuscript of the book.

To my sister, Lori Mosher, and her husband Marty, along with their son, Brett, who patiently listened as I read excerpts from the book at the deer camp, and for Lori’s willingness to be among the first to read it.

To my family, my son, Josh and his wife, Megan, my son-in-law Ben, and my three wonderful grandchildren, Garrett, Brianna and Warren.

Finally, to my loving wife, Debbie – she has more patience than I could ever have and was always the first to see each chapter once finished. I could not have written it without her unwavering support.

Ultimately, I want to thank God for the Songs of Ascents and for creating in my soul the desire to ascend Mount Zion to worship and honor His name, through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

About Historical Fiction

The writer of historical fiction faces a challenge. Actual events provide the context of the story, but many of the characters and the details of the story-line are the invention of the author. The goal is to provide an interesting and intimate depiction of the historical event to enable the reader to experience it vicariously through the characters. However, care must be taken to keep from embellishing that which is historical fact and altering what really happened.

This danger is compounded when the historical context comes from the infallible, inerrant Word of God, because the author’s contribution certainly cannot share those attributes. The Bible is inspired of God, while the details of the story supplied by the author arise from his imagination.

In doing the research for this book, I found something unique about the Scriptures. God is amazingly concise in His revelation. His revelation is sufficient, but sometimes we are left wanting more details. This is especially true when we try to harmonize the events as depicted in the various Gospels. In our study of the Scriptures it is not necessary to find answers to all of our questions, however the writer of a story based in the events recorded in Scripture must make definitive decisions. I was surprised at how difficult this was to do at times.

The Approach I chose:

1.  First, I sought to study the text for myself and come to a conclusion about what I believe the Bible is teaching. If I came to a decisive conclusion, that was the interpretation I used in the book.

2.  If I was unsure, I considered those interpretations that seemed plausible and are held by noted commentators, and always made a decision from those options.

3.  Finally, if I was still unsure, I picked the interpretation that best fit with the telling of the story. It was my deep desire to always be faithful to the text itself. If I erred, which is certainly possible, it was unintentional and in spite of these safeguards. I ask your forbearance as you read the story.

Preface

I magine for a moment that you are living in a different time, a different place. You are a Jew during the period of the Old Testament, and you live far away from the Promised Land. Your neighbors worship idols and hold you in contempt. You long to live justly and to walk in peace, but those who surround you speak lies and make war. Is there any refuge for one who believes in Jehovah, yet lives in a foreign land?

I spoke these words to the congregation of Reformation Orthodox Presbyterian Church of Gastonia, North Carolina on February 14, 2010, as I began a sermon series on the Songs of Ascents. I wanted desperately to find a way to help the members of that church experience these glorious psalms. One of the things I love about the psalms is that they are true reflections of the human heart in every condition imaginable. Some are psalms of thanksgiving and praise for all of God’s benefits, such as in Psalm 126:5, The Lord hath done great things for us and we are glad. While others reflect the sorrow of a lamenting soul such as in Psalm 120:1, "In my distress I cried to the Lord." The psalms are meant to be sung, but they are also meant to be experienced.

The Songs of Ascents comprise fifteen psalms, beginning with 120 and ending with 134. All of them bear the same title, and they are the only psalms so titled in the Psalter. While many theories as to the meaning of this title abound, most commentators believe that these psalms were especially sung by God’s people while making pilgrimage to ascend Mount Zion to worship God on the Feast and Festivals prescribed in the law. For a Jew of the diaspora such a pilgrimage might happen once, maybe twice, in a lifetime.

In the first of these psalms the singer certainly paints a bleak picture of such a life, Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war. (Psalm 120:5-7, KJV).

Is there respite for the singer of that psalm? Yes, that rest is found at the end of a pilgrimage – a journey that leads him to the House of God. As I preached through these wonderful psalms, Josiah was born in my heart. He is a shepherd, who lives in the desert of Kedar; and his great zeal is to take his family on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, even as his father had taken him when he was a boy. The book describes that journey. Come with the shepherd as we make the pilgrimage together.

Chapter 1

Dwelling in the Tents of Kedar

Psalm 120

A Song of Ascents

In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee? Or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper. Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.

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Isaac rose from his bed before dawn and slipped out of his father’s tent, feeling an unseasonably cool late autumn breeze blowing in his face. Thankful for his wool keffiyeh, he covered his cheeks to ward off the chill. His routine was the same every morning, and he smiled when he heard the bleating of his young rams. There were fifteen in the enclosure, and it was his duty to tend and to evaluate them. They were approaching maturity, and he would have to give counsel to his father soon regarding each of them. Only one or two would be added to Josiah’s flock of studs, while the rest would be castrated, and the wethers sold or eaten. Isaac loved them all and hated what would happen to most of them, but that was the life of a shepherd and his sheep.

Whenever he tended them, he couldn’t help but recall when Old Micah was a lamb. The boy had great respect for his father and never questioned his judgment until it came to Micah. The little ram was orphaned at birth, and Josiah wanted to dispense with him immediately, but Isaac interceded on the lamb’s behalf. Josiah gave in and let the boy raise him, but warned him that he better not neglect his other chores. Isaac was elated and gave special care to Micah.

The little ram was a survivor, and he had affectionately named him after the family’s most famous ancestor. Micah was one of the young men first taken from Judah into captivity by the Babylonians. Through the influence of his childhood friend, Daniel (the very same Daniel who rose to great power and influence in Babylon), King Nebuchadnezzar had appointed him over his massive flock of sheep. God prospered his hand, to the king’s pleasure, and that’s how Josiah and his family came to be sheep herders.

When the time arrived to decide which of the rams would join the other sires, Isaac recommended that Micah assume his place among the studs. Josiah looked him over carefully, along with all the others, and rejected him at first.

He’s too soft, the shepherd said, referring more to his personality than to his physical attributes.

Uncharacteristically, the boy argued with his father and pled for Micah, Father, he’s as tall as any of the other rams, and look at his coat and muscle tone.

Josiah knew his son loved the ram, but this was business.

You’ve made him into a pet. It would be better to cut him, the shepherd replied.

When the boy became more insistent, his father finally relented and put Micah with the other studs. The shepherd then firmly told his son that he would keep a close eye on the ram, and if he didn’t produce he would be cut and sold. Isaac assured his father that the young ram would do just fine.

After Josiah left, the boy had a serious talk with the ram, as if the animal could understand him. He told him that he better be a man when his time came with the ewes. Finally, he was ready, and the day of testing arrived. The shepherd didn’t make it easy on him. He released him into a pen of ewes in heat, along with one of his prized studs. He wanted to see what the young ram would do. To Josiah’s astonishment, Micah whipped the old ram, sending him reeling across the pen, before quickly mounting the closest ewe. Isaac whooped and cheered for his pet, and from that day forward, Micah became Josiah’s number one stud ram. Years of service had earned him the nickname Old Micah. The boy was ten years old when he took the ram to rear; now at nineteen, Isaac had truly become a man in his own right.

A clash of horns snapped him out of his day-dream, but he quickly saw it was just some friendly sparring going on between two of the boys. After feeding and watering the young rams, Isaac made his way back to his father’s tent. He was just about to enter it when his sister, Dinah, came out carrying a large water jar on top of her head.

Here, let me do that for you, Isaac said to his sister.

She looked at him like he’d lost his mind, but quickly handed him the jar. When he headed for the oasis, she was perplexed.

‘This is the third day in a row he’s offered to fetch the water for me,’ she thought to herself.

Realizing something else must be going on, she decided to investigate. Dinah let him get out of sight before she hurried after him, hiding behind the date palms that surrounded the oasis. She peeped at the opening up ahead, and suddenly found her brother’s true motive for collecting the water. Miriam, their cousin and her best friend, was at the water’s edge, filling her jar. As soon as she saw him, she dropped the jar and ran into his arms. Their encounter was chaste, yet full of affection.

Dinah had mixed emotions as she watched her brother with her cousin. She was upset with Miriam for not telling her about Isaac. They’d always been able to share everything with each other. In a sense, she felt betrayed. She was also more than a little envious. For a while now, she’d longed to have a similar relationship with Miriam’s older brother; but thus far, Caleb hadn’t shown interest. She’d been wondering if he would ever notice her. He was nineteen like her brother, and the two of them were best friends. When they weren’t working the sheep, you could usually find the two of them together. She looked back at her brother and Miriam as they exchanged a kiss.

Mostly, she was happy for both her brother and her cousin. She loved them very much, and couldn’t think of a better match. Their families faced a serious issue with regard to future mates for the children. In previous generations, their ancestors had been a part of a large and prosperous Jewish tribe in upper-Arabia. Their forefather, Jared, son of Micah, had migrated from Babylon with the permission of King Nebuchadnezzar to settle in this region. Through the generations, the tribe had grown, until the people who lived around them intensified their persecution. One by one, the families left under pressure from the Kedarites.

The Kedarites had settled in the region long before Jared’s arrival. Kedar was the second son of Ishmael, the son of Abraham. His descendants never forgave Abraham for forsaking their ancestor and his mother, Hagar. In rebellion, they not only rejected Abraham and his descendants through Isaac, but also his God. The Kedarites were heathens, and a dishonest and violent people.

A year earlier, only three tents remained of the once great tribe, Bin-Micah; but now, just Josiah and his cousin, Nathaniel, stayed behind with their families. The third family had finally given up and departed in frustration the winter before. Without other potential mates, it was natural that there would be an attraction between Isaac and Miriam. Both Miriam and Dinah were developing into beautiful young women at sixteen.

Josiah and Nathaniel were sheep herders, and God had prospered them. Josiah was known throughout the region as the Shepherd of Kedar and his flock alone contained over five-thousand ewes and lambs, two hundred and fifty stud rams, and another hundred wethers. God had blessed him with seven sons, Isaac being the oldest, and Dinah was the eldest of four daughters. They lived a Bedouin lifestyle, moving from pasture to pasture with their massive herd, in a rotation that had been established for generations.

Nathaniel’s family maintained their own flock, and he and Josiah moved their herds in concert so that the families could keep a close fellowship. His flock was much smaller than Josiah’s. Though God had blessed him with seven daughters, he only had one son, Caleb. The two of them simply couldn’t handle as many sheep as Josiah and his sons. Certainly, his cousin assisted him, but it wasn’t the same as it would have been had Nathaniel had more sons.

After a short time, Dinah felt a little embarrassed watching them, so she backed away and returned to the tent. It wasn’t long before she saw her brother walking back from the oasis, carrying the jar against his chest. He was splashing water all over himself.

She ran to her brother and took the jar from him, lifting it almost effortlessly up on top of her head. Isaac couldn’t help but marvel at how women were able to do that. He followed her into the tent and helped her put it away, before the two of them stepped outside and walked over to his horse, Midnight. Dinah loved to pet the animal and gave him a date for a treat.

As the horse ate the treat from her hand, she asked her brother with a knowing smile, What made you want to fetch the water for me the last three days?

I… I just wanted to help, he stammered.

Well from all the water you spilt between the oasis and here, it’s pretty evident a man shouldn’t attempt to do a woman’s job, she responded teasingly.

Isaac just stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Finally, she looked her brother directly in the eyes and said without blinking, Would it have anything to do with the fact that this is about the time of day Miriam goes to the oasis?

He had the most astonished and embarrassed look on his face, and was momentarily speechless, when his sister came to his rescue.

Don’t worry, big brother. Your secret is safe with me.

Before he could answer, they were interrupted by the sound of hooves on the desert sand. It was Isaac’s younger brother, Michael, who’d recently turned seventeen. He had a look of desperation on his face.

We’ve been raided in the north pasture! He yelled.

Isaac sprang into action and literally jumped into the saddle over the rear of his steed. He was at full gallop in a matter of seconds. All the other men in the family rode mares, but Isaac’s horse was an Arabian stallion. Midnight was another of his orphaned-animal projects, and had become a great companion to him. The two boys took off for the north pasture, their keffiyehs blowing in the wind.

Midnight easily outran Michael’s mare, and Isaac had already dismounted by the time his brother arrived at the north pasture. His eyes moved over the landscape, and he immediately realized that about three dozen head were missing. He knew his flock well. Suddenly, he remembered he’d put Old Micah among the flock a couple of days earlier, just in case some late ewes needed to be serviced. Frantically, he searched for his prized ram. He jumped on his horse and began to ride among the flock, scanning the countryside for Old Micah.

He was just about to chase after the marauders, when a patch of white caught his attention, hidden in a nearby wadi. After kicking his heels into Midnight’s flanks, he took off toward the wadi. Isaac dismounted before Midnight came to a full stop and ran to the felled ram. In anguish, the young man held his dead pet, the white of his wool stained red with blood.

By the time Michael got off of his horse, Isaac had pulled an arrow from Old Micah’s body.

Kedarites! He yelled in anger.

Michael could see the resolve on his brother’s face and warned him to wait for their father, but he wouldn’t listen. He would have been after the murderous thieves all by himself, had not Josiah and two of his other brothers arrived just in time.

The Kedarites killed Old Micah! Isaac exclaimed bitterly.

When the angry young man started in the direction they’d taken the sheep, he was suddenly halted by a shout from his father.

Isaac, leave them be, he ordered.

Leave them be?! He responded angrily. They took at least three dozen head this time, and they killed Old Micah!

How many sheep do we have in the flock? His father asked.

Five-thousand, the furious young man retorted, not understanding what that had to do with anything.

That’s right. We’ve got five-thousand to take care of. If we go after the others, it will come to naught, as it always has, Josiah replied with a note of resignation in his voice.

He had tried on numerous occasions in the past to get justice among the Kedarites over stolen sheep. Again and again, the elders at the gate believed the lies of the thieves instead. The Shepherd of Kedar had learned to pick his fights. It was far better to defend the herd before the marauders could take them. Once the sheep were gone, there was no justice to be found in Kedar for a Jew. He knew if he pushed them, they would make slanderous accusations against him. He had a family to provide for and to protect. Though he grieved the loss of his sheep, especially Old Micah, he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

The Lord will avenge us at the last day, Josiah said to his elder son, intending to put an end to the discussion.

I want justice now! Isaac retorted.

Josiah looked carefully at his angry son before speaking.

"Isaac, the Lord has blessed us with many sheep. As the beleaguered Job said, ‘The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.’"

Isaac wasn’t satisfied, and believed Job’s often quoted statement to be a simplistic platitude. He was impulsive and frustrated over his father’s passive spirit. Secretly, he hoped to exact his own vengeance against the Kedarites for Old Micah’s sake.

Begrudgingly, he obeyed his father, and his brothers helped him hoist the heavy ram on top of Midnight. After securing the carcass in place, they all rode back to the tent. They knew the Kedarites had their hands full with the sheep they’d stolen, and that they wouldn’t be back until they’d dispensed with them.

Dinah and her sisters rushed out of the tent to meet them when they arrived. When she saw Old Micah, she ran to Midnight’s side. She loved the ram as well and began to weep. When Micah was young, she loved to help her brother with him. She often fed him goat’s milk, and it tickled when the little lamb licked the milk off of her fingers.

Deborah, Josiah’s wife and matron of the family, emerged from the tent with a look of sadness in her eyes. She was a beautiful woman, tender toward the children, and wise. Isaac had always been close to his mother.

His heart still breaking, he cried out, Mother, the Kedarites killed Old Micah!

I’m so sorry, Son, she replied softly.

Though he was now a grown man, he ran to his mother’s arms for comfort.

It wasn’t long before Nathaniel and Caleb arrived. Martha, Josiah’s second daughter, had gone to their cousin’s tent to tell him about the raid. Miriam was with them, and Dinah noticed the glances exchanged between her brother and her cousin, though there was no outward expression of their affection.

Isaac, you need to bury Old Micah," Josiah said in a subdued voice.

Isaac sent his youngest brother, Judah, to get a shovel, and the other boys went with him as he walked Midnight down to the oasis. The life of the family revolved around the oasis and its resource of water. The fertile soil there also served as the final resting place for Josiah’s parents. Dinah was determined to go with them and got leave from her father to do so. In silence, Isaac dug out a deep hole in the sand all by himself, near the graves of his grandparents. He felt like it was his duty. Without ceremony, the boys placed Old Micah in the hole and covered him up. Once their work was done, they all returned to the tent.

Isaac was furious with the Kedarites, and more than a little angry at his father. He wanted revenge. This wasn’t the first time they’d been robbed, but it was the first time the Kedarites had wastefully destroyed a prized animal. It didn’t make sense. Old Micah would have brought a high price at the market. Then Isaac thought about his ram. He was as gentle as a lamb around the family, but it is true that sheep know the voice of their shepherd. If the Kedarites tried to get him to do their bidding, he was apt to react like an angry goat. Isaac realized that he must have irritated one of the thieves, and that’s why he was killed.

It was unusually quiet around the table in Josiah’s tent that evening. Everyone was sad about Old Micah. As was their custom, Josiah led the family in devotions after they ate their meal. He reflected on one of the psalms of ascents, one that he’d always felt applied directly to him. It was as if he could have written it himself.

There was silence as he quoted the words, Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.

These words were never truer of our tent than today, he said to his family. "It is wearisome to the soul to dwell among those who hate both us and our God. Yet, this is our lot before God. It would be easy to