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The Tishbite
The Untold Story of Elijah

By Kurt W. Schuller (USA)

Chapter 7

This manuscript (currently titled "the tishbite" but I am considering "A Man of God") is unfinished This Is a fictional account of the life of Elijah. It is raw and powerful reflecting the actual state of life at the time.It has a strong sexual theme which is necessary because of the story it tells. It is both inspirational as well as entertaining. It was written to entertain the reader first.` Your feedback is welcome I hope you enjoy.

Part one: A Man Of God

Chapter Seven

Chapter 7
Obadiah was still stinging from his encounter with the king. Indeed Ahab was far more ruthless than his father. Obadiah had underestimated his new master and it had nearly cost him his life.
When he had finished with his morning routine the stress from his encounter was still with him, so he sought relief from it in the Palace baths. As he slowly immersed himself in the steamy water it did melt away some of his worries.
He thought to himself how best to work with this new king.  Even though previous kings had allowed Baal worship to flourish in the past, they also continued to worship Jehovah as well.   Yet Ahab had offered no prayer of thanks to Him at his anointment as king.
He floated on his back, closed his eyes and meditated, listening to the white noise of the water in his ears.
No, he thought to himself, he had never dealt with anyone like Ahab. This was the first time that any king of Israel was going to have one of Baal’s rituals performed right here in the palace.
The sound of muffled voices brought him out of his musing and he lifted his head out of the water to listen. They came from the cooler pool, which was located in a room off to the side. He recognized it as the voice of Rabah, Baal’s chief priest.
Obadiah heard the sound of triumphant laughter. “At last, we will be rid of these priests of Jehovah. She has finally convinced him to approve of their executions.”
Even though the water was very warm, a chill went through Obadiah. While he was floating and meditating so quietly, they must have missed the fact that he was in the main pool. Rabah must have thought he was alone, that he would speak of murder with such ease. Obadiah fought against panic. After his encounter this morning, If Rabah thought that Obadiah had heard of this plot he would murder him on the spot and there would be no one brave enough to ask any questions about one old man’s death.
Slowly, trying to make no noise as he moved through the water, He made his way toward the pools steps, trying to time his movement to their conversation so that he would not be heard.
Suddenly the voices grew in volume. The sound of splashing water told him they were leaving the pool. He drew as deep a breath as he could and plunged himself under the water. He grabbed at the stone floor for a handhold to keep himself submerged, but the slimy stone caused his fingernails to slip. In desperation he slowly let some of the breath out of his lungs, so that he would sink to the bottom like a stone. He lay there motionless as his lungs started screaming for air. Fear of death overcame his instinct to breath and shimmering flashes of firelights began to dance behind his closed eyes signaling that loss of consciousness was very near.
When he had pushed himself as for as long as he could, he raised his head out of the water and tried hard not to gasp for air. As he brought the life giving oxygen into his lungs, his head and heart pounded together to make a thunderous roar in his ears.
 He listened. There was only silence. Opening his eyes a surge of fear flashed through him at the sight of someone standing the poolroom in front of him.
His eyes fought to focus.
When he finally realized who it was, Obadiah closed them with a sigh of relief. It was the bathhouse janitor.
“Have you seen Rabah?” he asked quietly.
“Sure, he just left, do you want me to call after him?” The janitor turned toward the exit.
“No” he whispered forcefully. “I was just… just.”
Obadiah stood up out of the bath. “I have been meaning to talk to you about your work. In all my years I have never seen the bath kept so clean. My compliments to you.”
The janitor beamed with pride and forgot all about his question of Rabah’s whereabouts.
“Keep up the good work.”
With that Obadiah hurried naked from the bath. He grabbed a robe from the shelf stocked with clean ones and rushed to his private quarters, where he closed and locked the door. “What an awful day” he thought, safe and protected behind his locked door. The feeling of security was fleeting, as Obadiah began to think of Jehovah’s priests, many of whom he knew well. These were good family men, like him.
He had to try and save them or he would be unable to live with himself. Whatever he was going to do he knew one thing for certain.
He would have to do it soon.
And then a decade old secret was remembered.

Continued Next Week