The Promise

The promise was made before I was born, to warriorswho lived across the sea in Denmark. It was a simple promisefor protection from the new bride's brother in England to thenew groom in Denmark. My guardian--Lord Harold--was the brotherwho made that promise to Kormac the Dane. Truth be told, had heknown how his words would be twisted he would have chosen them morecarefully and saved us a whole heap of trouble.

The promise that nearly took my life was written on a parchment thatlater disappeared—twice falling into the wrong hands. Had I, Williamcalled Wiley, fallen into that first set of hands at the wrong time I wouldnot be telling you this story. Those hands belonged to Svein Forkbeard, thesecond meanest man I had ever met. He was certainly no friend of God,but rather, I suspect, a friend of Satan the Devil. This you may judge foryourself.

My life turned upside down on an ordinary spring day that suddenlybecame extraordinary. Strangers recognized me that day, when even Ididn't know who I was. One of those strangers, Halfdan, easily earnedthe title of the meanest man I had ever met. Those men changed me froman unnoticed nobody into a target they pursued in a deadly game of greedand betrayal. Now, many years later, I'm still not sure I understand allthat happened. No man can tell which events God, Satan, fate, destiny,man or chance arranged, though I'm certain God always rules over all.

When I was a child morning usually crept into my bed while I wasstill soundly sleeping and in need of more rest. My mother Gudrid alwayssaid, "Wiley, if you don't get out of bed you will rot under the covers tillthe trolls come to make pudding out of the pieces of you." So I would riseup, knowing that I would soon be able to fall asleep again during morningdevotions. Our chapel was wickedly stuff y with the whole householdcrammed into it, and Brother Timothy droned on through each servicelike a giant bumblebee carrying the weight of the Heavens.

"We must persevere," he was saying as I fought to keep my head up."We must carry on. Even in this year of our Lord 1013, much of the worldstill has not come to know our Lord, Jesus Christ. Therefore, our missionis clear. We must make the Prince of Peace known to our enemies, forwe are certain that the dreaded raids of the fierce Viking invaders willnot cease to bring terror to English shores until those heathen becomeour brothers in Christ."

As he started the Bible lesson I was in my usual stealth nap position.It had taken me years to learn to fall asleep sitting bolt upright so that Iappeared to be awake. I was just dozing off when fate I believe, happenedto send a mouse skittering across my feet. Perchance I kicked Luke onthe bench beside me. For that reason or no reason, he kicked me. Onany other day we would have played, quietly kicking each other back andforth—but on this day I wanted to listen. Brother Timothy had useda new phrase that sent my sleepiness scurrying away with the mouse.I watched as Luke skillfully captured the mouse, trapping it by its tailunder his foot. Yet I still heard Brother Timothy too.

The lesson was about Naomi of Bethlehem-Judah and her faithfulMoabite daughter-in-law, Ruth. It seems that Naomi's husband hadmoved his family to Moab to escape famine in Israel. Their two sonsmarried Moabite women, but while they were living there Naomi'shusband and sons got sick and died. Suddenly the three women had nohusbands to provide for them, and no children to support them in theirold age. Truly, these poor widows were sorely in need of the kinsmanredeemer that Brother Timothy was talking about. It was a story I justhad to hear—but Luke was bent on mischief. He had picked up themouse by its tail and turned toward his little sister Sukey.

Sukey had been watching Luke with wide-eyed interest, but now ashe moved the mouse over her lap, she was holding her breath and doingher best to keep from screaming. Brother Timothy, unaware, continuedthe Bible lesson as I listened with itching ears.

One of the young widows, he said, decided to go home to her family inMoab; but Ruth, who was loyal and kind, refused to leave Naomi. She toldNaomi she would follow her wherever she went and live wherever she lived.Furthermore, Naomi's people would become Ruth's people, and Naomi'sGod would be Ruth's God also. They would both die and be buried in thesame place, or else said Ruth, the Lord should kill me now.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that after those strong words Ruth andNaomi stayed together and went to Bethlehem in Israel. It didn't surpriseSukey. By my reckoning Sukey didn't even hear that part of the story.She knew from the roguish look on her brother's face that she was histarget. Meanwhile Brother Timothy might as well have been in Heaven,because the entire mouse drama completely escaped his notice. He wentright on with the story of Ruth.

Once Naomi was back home in Bethlehem she wanted to sell someland that had belonged to her dead husband. Then she and Ruth couldlive on the money the land would bring. In the meantime, in order toprovide food for herself and Naomi, Ruth was gleaning grain left behindby the reapers in a barley field.

Now Naomi knew that the owner of the field was Boaz, a rich relativeor kinsman of Naomi and Ruth's husbands. Luckily for the women, therewas a law in Israel in those days concerning a kinsman redeemer, butLuke and his wildly wiggling mouse almost kept me from hearing whatone did. Some of the nearby castle folk were staring at us as brotherTimothy droned on. I just knew Sukey would scream and end the story,but she—bless her brave heart—did not. Mercifully, she silently faintedagainst the side of the lady sleeping next to her.

Luke grinned, letting the mouse dance over me, and I held my breathas Brother Timothy, still in his own world, explained how Boaz theredeemer saved Naomi's family.

To keep land in the family, a kinsman would have the chance to buyor redeem the dead man's land before anyone else. The widow was partof the bargain; the buyer would take her too, and marry her as Boaz did.Under this plan the first son born to Ruth and the kinsman would begiven the family name of Ruth's dead husband, just as if he had fatheredthe child. Th at way the dead man's name would not die in Israel and hisfamily wouldn't lose property.

So it was that Boaz became the kinsman redeemer for Naomi andRuth. Through him the name of Ruth's first husband lived on, continuingthe line of Naomi's husband even though all Naomi's closest male kinhad died.

Luke poked me. The mouse wasn't fun anymore now that Sukeycouldn't be teased with it. "Take it," he whispered, but I made a face andshook my head. I had to hear the rest of the story. I already knew that Itoo needed a rich kinsman redeemer.

Thanks to Boaz, Ruth and her mother-in-law had a secure future.Yet there was more said Brother Timothy, smiling broadly and raisingboth hands to the Heavens. Obed, the future first...