King Solomon's Ships
A novella of a voyage west for King Solomon's
Gold
Judges 5:17 Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches...
Why did Hebrew tribe
of Dan remain in ships? The Jewish historian Josephus era 80CE says in his book “The Antiquities of the Jews”
book 5 chapter 3 that the Cananites drove them from their inheritance after the time of Joshua, and they founded their new
city on the Sidonian plain a days walk from the Phoenician city of Sidon. It was natural, therefore , for them to voyage with
the Phoenicians whereever they went.
This may also be
why King David was a friend of Hiram King of Tyre, who helped Solomon build GOD's temple in Jerusalem.
This is their story:
The long low ship with a high stern and pierced for many oars glided effortlessly up the long narrow bay towards the
cities of the Maya and Yucatán. Jason stood on the bow next to the seaman throwing in the lead line calling out the depth
under the ship. "And a half three" the man chanted, meaning the depth of water under the boats keel was 3 1/2 times the height
of a man. Still plenty of water under the ships keel, Jason thought. The Phoenician sailors were bold and cautious, his father
has said with a smile. Bold To cross the great ocean to get gold for Hiram and Solomon, and cautious making landfalls.
Thing is you can't trust them out of sight of land, so we of the tribe of Dan are with them in their ships. After
all, as Solomon financed the voyages, Solomon wants his share of the gold too.. Whether it's sailing Through the Nile canal
and down the Red Sea East to India, or West out of the pillars of Hercules and to the Western world and the Maya, we are together.
One hand washes the other.
Jason could see a bustling Quay side and the tops of - what were they? pyramids or temples? In the distance. It was
a magnificent harbor, the nexus of Empire, the focus of trade from the great river draining the continent a week sail to the
North, to the gold and silver mines along the coast of the Western Ocean to the far south. From the continent to the North,
the nations along the great River Sent furs, metals, grain, a multitude of things. They also, he had heard, had built great
earthan pyramids to worship their pagan earth gods.
Jason smiled at that thought as the Quay side grew larger. They worship their imaginations, rather than the true God.
"Boy, get out of the way," the ships officer growled at Jason, "get back to the Stern where you will be out of the way”.
And of course Jason went, rather than risk a backhand from that hulking red-skin lout. The captain shouted, "men loft to furl
sail"
and
several ran up the shrouds to the main yard. Then came the order "let go sail halyards and furl sail". Then as the sail was
clued up, the command was given "out oars, bo'son, start the cadence". A minute later, the 30 sweep oars were pulling in unison,
ghosting the ship toward the dock. When 50 paces away, the command came, "ship Starboard oars, back port oars, left steering
oar " and the ship pivoted gracefully and stopped just a few feet off the dock. The dock hands deftly caught the lines to
pull the ship into the dock. Presently, the port officer came aboard and Jason, with his father, Abram Ben Thomas, walked
down the gangway over to the merchants brokerage to trade. Jason saw hundreds of men carrying large burdens to the slave lash.
Along The Imperial Highway. North to South, long trains of strange pack animals were led to and from the port. To his amazement,
they were the size of small donkeys but had wool like sheep-really strange. And not a wheel in sight. No wagons no carts no
nothing, only slaves and animals carrying burdens. It took a few minutes, but they finally reached the trading Plaza in the
shadow of a large pyramid. As his father started haggling with a long robed Mayan merchant, Jason could see that something
was happening around the pyramid. Long rows of savage looking warriors with glazed fanatical eyes lined the road from a temple
to the steps of the pyramid and he could see what were likely priests escorting several prisoners bound with ropes to the
pyramid. As Jason watched, these unwilling doomed souls were dragged up the pyramid steps and disappeared into a small temple
at the top. Many drums marred the silence, then chanting began as the victims were led out to the altar and one by one dismembered
alive, their blood draining away in channels down the sides of the pyramid. Jason's father put his hand on Jason's shoulder.
"Barbarism, my son, bloodshed to appease their god, whomever he may be. But it least they don't yet throw babies onto red
hot idols as our precious Phoenician shipmates do. Let us hide our eyes from this pagan sight, and be about our business."
Together with their bodyguards, they strolled along the marketplace purchasing cargo for the return voyage before making their
way to their lodging.
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