Song of Redemption by Lynn Austin Page B

start by purifying the Temple and reopening it for the daily sacrifices. Then, when it’s ready, the whole nation will hold a sacrifice and reaffirm our covenant with God.”
    Hilkiah cried out for joy and leaped up to embrace Eliakim. “Praise God! What a glorious day! It’s too much. It’s too much to even believe.”
    “You’d better sit down, Abba. I’m just coming to the best part.”
    “What could be better than reopening Yahweh’s Temple? And the sacrifices? After all these years, all our prayers? What could be better than that?”
    “The king hired me to oversee the structural repairs at the Temple.”
    Hilkiah stood blinking, his eyes wide. “Oh, Eliakim. God’s holy Temple? You?”
    “Yes, Abba, me. I’m in charge of the reconstruction. Not only that, King Hezekiah asked me to serve as a member of his advisory council—among the nobility. He said he’s appointing only those men who’ve remained true to Yahweh and who never took part in idolatry. Apparently your old friend Zechariah recommended me, and of course Micah endorsed me, too.”
    “And you didn’t want to help Micah. You told me to mind my own business the day of the riot.”
    Eliakim rolled his eyes. “Let’s not go into that again. I’ve already admitted that I was wrong and you were right.”
    “‘Kings take pleasure in honest lips,’ Eliakim. ‘They value a man who speaks the truth.’ ”
    “I know, I know…”
    “Oh, son, I’m so proud of you.” He grabbed Eliakim again and kissed both his cheeks.
    “Abba, you’d better sit down. I want to tell you something else.”
    “There’s more?”
    “When the king asked me to serve on his council, I recalled an incident that happened a long time ago. Remember when I was a boy and you sent me to Isaiah’s house late at night with a message from Zechariah?”
    “Yes, I remember.”
    “Well, something happened that night. I think you would say Isaiah prophesied over me.”
    Hilkiah stared in stunned silence, waiting.
    “I don’t recall the exact words, Abba, but he said that one day I would be God’s servant—that God would summon me to be ‘a father’ to the house of David. He said I’d have absolute authority, second only to the king’s—like the palace administrator, I guess.”
    “And you never told me all this?”
    “Well, it seemed pretty farfetched at the time, Abba. I was only a boy. In fact, it still seems highly unlikely. King Hezekiah appointed his former tutor, Shebna, to the position of palace administrator.”
    “Who is this Shebna? That’s a foreign name?”
    “Yes, he’s Egyptian. That was the only appointment the king made today that didn’t make any sense to me. Shebna isn’t a Jew, and from what I’ve heard, he doesn’t believe in any gods at all. Personally, I don’t trust the man. There’s something about him—”
    “If King Hezekiah follows the Torah, and if you’re right about Isaiah’s prophecy, then maybe you’ll replace Shebna someday. Remember, ‘Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.’ ”
    Eliakim grinned. “Well, I’m content just to work on Solomon’s Temple. It’s amazing!”
    Hilkiah gave another cry of joy and clapped his hands. “Call all the servants. We’re going to have a feast. We’ll sacrifice a thank offering and praise God for the great honor that He’s given this household. We’ll invite Uncle Moshe and—”
    “Oh no, please, not Uncle Moshe.”
    Hilkiah stopped midsentence, frowning. “Why not Uncle Moshe?”
    “Because he’ll bring Aunt Hannah, and she’ll have a long list of all the lovely brides she’s picked out for me.”
    “So? Is that so terrible? Aren’t you ever going to get married and give me some grandchildren?”
    “Not to one of Aunt Hannah’s brides, I’m not. Every one she chooses is as fat as she is.”
    “So maybe some of them are a little chubby. So what? What’s wrong with chubby?”
    “What’s wrong with beautiful,