CHAPTER FOUR
Lane made progress, and he was on the road by the sixth hour of the following day.
He had left ZIBA in charge at the house and, thinking back on it, he was certain his cousin would care for the animals.
His mom was on her way to Shiloh to look after Maria. It is good to have a place in the world, and the Lord has created a beautiful country.
Lane could not see anything familiar anymore.
That’s not exactly true, for he could see the mountains to the west; that is to say, he could see them by turning back. Turning back was not in the mission statement.
That is how he felt now, as though his family had sent him to find out what was going on in Joppa.
He had a duty that went beyond finding out what his father had gotten himself into. Maybe his father was dead.
It wasn’t often that his mind went morbid. And, Lane shook it off. He was going to find out about Joppa, and the Lord will be with him. “Thank you, Lord.”
From reports his uncle had shared with him, both men and women had gone missing in Joppa. They entered the city, but they wouldn’t return to their families.
Lane walked on, but he wasn’t in a hurry. His few belongings, the things he brought along, were strung over his shoulder. The excess weight slowed him down, and it had stopped him once, but he learned to handle the problem.
Clouds moved past him, rushing on their journey to the sea, as though the sea could be their goal.
Lane’s imagination went to work, over seeing so many clouds. He considered them to be soldiers from the Lord. Some were large, but others were small and swift. They would all make it to the sea before him.
In his mind, he decided that the Lord’s support would come. It was in his heart, too.
Lane wanted to believe that the Lord was watching him closely, as his feet carried him on toward the water, but more certainly into the city.
He had a few coins hidden on his body, not a lot, and not in all the same place.
His uncle had told him about robbers on the road, and he had also suggested this mode of protection.
The idea was actually a simple one.
If a guy encountered a thief, the guy might have a weapon. It wasn’t worth getting killed over a few coins.
Most of these types of people, those willing to steal rather than to work, are in a hurry. They won’t waste a lot of time going through all of their victim’s belongings. So, it is possible to give them only a part of one’s true amount of money.
“Alright, Lord.” Lane prayed, as he moved on toward the city. “I’m trusting in you to watch over me. I know the heart of men is mostly wicked. And, there’s every chance that I’ll find more than one thief in Joppa.”
Another traveler was visible in the distance, but it wasn’t possible yet to determine much about him.
“There’s another man up the road, Lord. Please look out for him, too.
He is obviously going to Joppa, at least it looks that way. Maybe he doesn’t know about the dangers there, about people arriving and then being lost somehow. He could probably use your help, Lord.”
It’s another fact that wild fruit grows at this time of the year, so Lane looked around for signs and the chance to eat something he didn’t have to pay for.
Flowers were everywhere, there in yellows, blues, and even some purples.
And, maybe a thousand birds were singing love songs to God. It was such a very beautiful day.
Another thing was ever more clear. Lane made a lot better time than the man ahead of him. His present estimate, arrived at by pure guess work, was that he would catch the man in about fifty steps.
It was about the ninth hour of the day, when Lane pulled up even with the other man. He saw, too, that the man was Jewish.
A while back, Lane thought that maybe he would find himself walking with a Turk, or maybe somebody from one of the northern provinces.
Israel had been overrun so many times and by so many different peoples.
This revelation of another Jewish man going into the city relaxed Lane.
“May the Lord be with you.” Lane blessed the other man, and he could see the man was much older.
“Matthew’s the name.” The older man returned the friendly greeting. “And may the Lord bless you for acknowledging me. Where you planning to spend the night? I can see you are on your way to Joppa.”
Lane slowed his pace, so as to match up with the elder man. And, he responded. “I haven’t really thought about it much, but the Lord will help. I trust in him.”
Mention of the Lord brought a smile to the older man’s face. He echoed Lane’s thinking. “Trusting in the Lord is the first step. I like that.”
“Have you been to Joppa?” Lane asking, as he sought information about the city and what he had seen there.
Matthew nodded. “I work off a schooner named the Palisade Princess, or the Princess. Been on her for fifteen years.”
“A schooner?” Lane had never heard of such a vessel. But, he was bubbling with interest.
“Yeah. It’s a two-mast vessel. She’s able to navigate any port in the sea.” The old man said this with pride.
Very interested now, Lane continued. “You’ve seen other ports?”
Nodding again, Matthew confirmed it. “I’ve been to nearly every land in Numidia, And across the Med, all the way over to Gallia.”
“It’s my first time into the city.” Lane confided. I haven’t seen much of anything, not yet. But, the Lord is with me on this trip.”
Those words got Matthew’s attention. “You say the Lord is with you, and I don’t doubt that. But, what are you hoping to find in Joppa?”
Lane didn’t just blurt it out. But, he explained it. “Do you know the prophet, Hosea?”
“Hosea, the son of BEERI. He lived in the northern kingdoms.” Matthew was right. His words confirmed his knowledge of the prophet.
“It was written by the prophet,” Lane continued. “The Lord desires mercy, not sacrifice. And, he wants men to acknowledge him, not a series of burnt offerings.”
Matthew didn’t speak now, but he was following.
Lane explained his thoughts more. “Mercy is what this trip is all about.”
“I don’t follow you.” Matthew really wanted more information, for he was thinking about helping Lane.
The young man tried to communicate his thinking. “It’s where our people got things wrong. We lacked mercy for each other, and we mistreated those few foreigners living here. But, more than that, we didn’t acknowledge the Lord.”
“So, what are you saying?” Matthew sought now to argue, for it just came out of him. “We had the temple in Jerusalem.”
Lane acknowledged that with a nod, but he continued. “That’s part of the problem. Our people were so hung up on the temple, and it’s rites and ritualism, that we lost sight of the Lord.”
Now, Matthew was shaking his head. “I don’t agree. Life was given to us, so we might celebrate it with the Lord. We were to go to Jerusalem every year to share His blessings with Him, and we were to share them with each other, too.”
Lane agreed, “That’s what we were to do, but it’s not what we ended up doing.”
He hesitated.
“Go on!” Matthew encouraged Lane. He wanted more dialogue on the matter, and he liked the boy.
“At the time of Hezekiah, for example. Our people were already on their way to the door.” Lane began.
Matthew couldn’t quite understand, so he asked. “What do you mean by saying were on our way out the door?”
Nodding his head, Lane explained it. We had been praying to rocks and worshipping false idols. The prophet, Isaiah, came along and said the Lord had had enough.”
“So, what’s that got to do with your trip today?” Matthew wanted to get back to Joppa and why Lane traveled alone into the city.
“I’m going to look for my father. He went into Joppa about three years ago, and he loved to acknowledge the Lord.” Lane was in the middle of explaining.
Matthew prompted for more information. “This is connected to the prophets?”
Lane smiled. “It’s connected to the Lord. My father was a man of mercy, and he wanted to reach out to those called by the Lord.”
“You think Joppa, or you think he went into Joppa looking for those called upon by our Lord?” Matthew is puzzled now.
“Yes.” Lane supplied the missing link. “He went down there to talk to some representative of the Romanists. You’ve heard of them?”
An actual cloud came over the face of the older man, for it turned a few shades darker. A moment passed, And then he addressed Lane. “I don’t advise you looking for mercy in the hands of the Romanists.”
Those words surprised Lane. And he asked. “What do you mean by that? Is there something I ought to know about them?”
Matthew pointed to the fact that they were almost into the city. He told Lane this by wagging a finger and pointing, not by words.
“I didn’t even notice we were this close.” Lane had to admit.
Matthew nodded his agreement. “That’s the beauty of walking with the Lord.”
“Walking with the Lord?” Lane questioned Matthew about this interesting phrase. It was new to him.
Matthew did his best to explain it. “When you’re doing anything, think about him. Talk to him; talk about him. That’s what I mean.”
Lane didn’t want to be led away from the subject, so he went back to it. “What about these Romanists?”
The older man pursed his lips, rubbed his chin, and filled his lungs with fresh air. Then, he continued. “Let’s just say I have my hands full with other things right now, but those people brought a lot of pain to this city, to our people.”
“In what way?” Lane challenged this. He did not want to let things go.
Matthew exhaled rapidly. “It’s not that they are from foreign lands, Boy. That’s not the way my mind works. It’s not in my heart. But, I’ve watched these people, and not just here in Joppa. They say they love the Lord, but they lack mercy.”
“Mercy?” Lane was surprised by this.
“Yeah. They don’t have any mercy, not true mercy. If they do you a kindness, it’s to gain something they value, or some object their mind is on, something hidden and not yet spoken of.” Matthew let this go.
Lane provided the rest of the thought. ‘You’re saying they keep secrets?”
Matthew nodded, but he also corrected. “It’s more than that. These people are seeking power and their own glory. Watch yourself around them!!!!”
“May the Lord be with you and guide you. May he watch over you and provide those things you will need to follow his steps.” Lane thought this would be the last time he saw Matthew, and he wanted to share any blessings he could with the older man.
“And, may the Lord abundantly bless you, Lane. May he keep you safe and guide you to your answers.” Matthew said these words before taking Lane by the right hand. It was a friendly gesture in parting.