That night after the worship celebration, Baara had trouble falling asleep. Rather than tossing and turning on her mat, she arose and went into the courtyard. She quietly entered the empty alcove and gazed at the altar where the fire had consumed the sacrificial meat. Stooping, she lifted a handful of the soil Naaman had brought back from her homeland.

With the soil still in her fist, Baara left the alcove and sat on the bench under Maacah's favorite olive tree. She slowly rotated the fingers of her fist so that the soil broke up and fell into her other palm. As she languidly sifted the soil from hand to hand, she began to pray, thanking God for the healing and conversion of her master.

Lifting her eyes heavenward, she beheld Maacah's and Naaman's special star shining like a beacon in the dark night. As she focused on the star, her thoughts slowed, and she allowed her mind to be filled with the awe and majesty of Yahweh. Words ceased to express her gratitude, and her worship became an emotional response to her God. As she allowed her feelings of gratitude and love to overwhelm her other senses, the star seemed to grow brighter and closer.

Suddenly a shining being stood in front of her. The being appeared like a man, but its body was more vaporous. The light that surrounded it seemed to emanate from within. Dropping the bit of soil and covering her face with her hands, Baara cowered against the trunk of the tree in front of what could only be a supernatural being.

"Be not afraid," the apparition said to the frightened girl. "You have found favor with Yahweh; He is pleased with your faithfulness. I have come to bring a message from Him."

Taking her hands from her face, Baara stammered, "Yahweh sent you to talk to me. Who am I to be so honored? I am just a poor slave girl."

"True," the angel responded. "But you have found favor in the sight of God. Even though your family was killed and you were dragged to a foreign country and made a slave, you have stood by your faith. You have prayed for your enemy and asked Yahweh to demonstrate his power by healing your master. Yahweh heard your prayers and granted your petition when you sent your master to the prophet Elisha for healing. Because of your faithfulness, Yahweh's name is on the tongues of the men of Damascus. Because of your faithfulness, an altar to Yahweh now stands in this house. Because of your faithfulness, the most powerful warrior in the Aram army is a worshipper of the one true God. So now, Yahweh has sent me with a message for you. Because of your faithfulness, you and your descendents will live your days on the land near Kedesh given to your father as part of the inheritance of the children of Judah. In due time, you will return to the land of your ancestors. You will invoke the custom of Mahlah so that you, although a woman, can inherit the land of your father. Your husband will be of your tribe and lineage and will gladly leave his ancestral home to settle with you on the land God has promised."

"How will all of this come about?" Baara asked, standing and leaning toward the angel. "How will I find this man you have promised to me?"

"Your faith has brought you this far," the angel said. "Trust God to do as he has decreed. When the time comes, you will know. At the appropriate time, say to Naaman: 'Michael said, Yahweh is pleased with you. Go and do what you have promised.'"

Thus saying, the apparition disappeared as suddenly as it had come, leaving Baara standing staring into emptiness. As she searched the heavens for some sign that the vision had been true, Maacah's star twinkled brightly in the constellation, and a breeze stirred her garment. As it sighed through the branches, it seemed to whisper, "Yahweh, Yahweh."

Returning to her room, Baara lay on her sleeping couch and went straight to sleep. Strangely enough instead of dreaming of shining angels with heavenly messages, she dreamed again of the blue-eyed giant. Once again, Baara and Maacah were in the Damascus market shopping for pottery. As they had actually done earlier, the two were shopping for a basin for Maacah's newest grandchild. As they looked at a blue basin, Baara's mind reminded her that they already owned such a basin, but she was unable to break the spell and inform the women in the dream. Instead, she watched as the girl in the dream looked around, searching for a pair of blue eyes. She wanted to shout to her, 'He's not there. I already looked,' but once again she was powerless to interrupt the dream. As she watched the dream, the merchant filled the blue basin with water to demonstrate that it had no leaks. Peering over Maacah's shoulder into the water, Baara saw reflected in the basin a pair of laughing blue eyes. Gasping and whirling around to find the owner of the eyes, Baara threw off her cover, shocking herself into wakefulness.

Sitting on her sleeping couch as the sun penetrated her lattice window and the cock began to crow, Baara shook herself to rid her mind of the remnant of the dream. Still, the blue eyes haunted her as she tended Maacah and then went to fetch water from the city well.

When she met Serah on her way to the well, the other woman looked at her, exclaiming, "My goodness, girl, you are pale. You look like you have seen a ghost. What's up?"

"Nothing," Baara replied. "I just didn't sleep too well last night."

Looking at her friend shrewdly, Serah questioned, "Why not? From what I hear, you should have slept peacefully. Didn't Naaman lead your household to worship Yahweh last night? A corporate worship experience should have soothed your soul and put you in a frame of mind to induce a peaceful sleep."

Shaking her head in wonder, Baara said, "How do the gossips do it? Naaman only renounced other gods yesterday and held one worship service last night in thanksgiving for his healing. How do the tongues of the city gossips already wag?"

"Servants were sent from your home to the herders. They easily passed along a message while they were out," she replied. "But that isn't all. Yesterday evening my master sent me to his family with a message. I waited for a reply and returned home after dark. As I passed in front of your master's dwelling, I heard many voices joined in melody. I knew the song from my childhood and paused in the street to listen as you sang the shepherd's psalm. I longed to knock and ask to participate with you all. It has been so long since I have had the opportunity to worship Yahweh with others." She sighed and then continued. "The melody floated on the breeze. I'm sure anyone nearby heard the celebration of worship coming from Naaman's abode. I doubt anyone else knew the psalm, but I had already heard the gossip that Naaman defied the gods by destroying his family teraphim and filling his altar space with foreign Israelite soil. I put two and two together."

"Well, your conclusion was right," Baara admitted. "We did hold a service of worship for Yahweh. Everyone was required to renounce all other gods and destroy any worship paraphernalia they had in their possession. Before the service many grumbled and tears were shed as they cast their treasured idols onto the trash heap. But as we sang the shepherd song, something miraculous happened. A peace and love seemed to descend on the group. When we finished singing the psalm, we began to sing again in a spontaneous act of worship. When the service ended, we all ate a meal together. There was no separation between master and slave. Women, men, and children all ate together. It was truly inspiring. It did put us in the frame of mind for a good night's rest."

"Then why the tired look?" Serah persisted.

"Don't you ever give up?" Baara laughed. "Just suffice it to say that my dreams were a bit unusual."

"You can't stop there," Serah insisted. "I will die of curiosity. Tell me more, Baara. You must, or I will waste away into nothing as I worry over your strange dream."

Laughing at the idea of the ample Serah wasting away, Baara countered, "Then perhaps I should leave you in suspense. After all, you said you wanted a slender body in the afterlife. Maybe I can help you gain one here."

"No-o-o," Serah wailed. "If my curiosity were heightened by hunger, there is no accounting for what monstrous nightmare I might conjure up for you. Now, be a good girl and tell Serah."

"Well-l-l," Baara said, drawing out the word. "I guess, but you can't tell a soul."

"My lips are sealed," Serah said, covering her mouth with a pudgy hand. "You know I do not add to gossip, Baara."

"So you say, but methinks you enjoy the chatter too much for a mere listener," Baara replied, smiling to take the sting from the words. Still, when she recounted her nighttime disturbance, Baara left out the angelic vision, only telling Serah of the recurrent dream with the pair of haunting blue eyes staring back at her.

"So," Serah said. "Perhaps you dream of your future husband. Since the dream always comes when you are shopping for pottery, you must be going to marry a potter."

"And I suppose because he is tall, you think I will marry a descendent of Goliath," Baara said with a laugh.

"I suppose he could be a Philistine from Goliath's branch of the family," Serah said thoughtfully, "but he could be an Amorite, too, since they were considered giants by the Israelite spies who went to check out the Promised Land."

Baara was taken with a fit of laughter and had to set down her water jar. Serah pretended to pout, saying sulkily, "If you're going to make fun of my interpretations, you can figure out your strange dreams for yourself."

Wiping tears from her eyes on the edge of veil, Baara said, "Don't be mad, Serah. I couldn't help but laugh. I suddenly had this vision of this huge man coming in his wedding finery to wed a woman whose face came only to his knee. He had to stoop over to take her hand, like a father bending to hold the hand of a child who is taking his first steps. To escort his bride for the customary walk from her house to his would be quite painful in this stance. So, to solve the dilemma, I could imagine him picking up his tiny bride in his big meaty hand, tucking her under his arm and unceremoniously carrying her, with her feet dangling to his knee."

As Serah's mind conjured up the picture painted by Baara's words, she too began to laugh, her hearty voice booming and her ample sides shaking with mirth. Her chortle was so contagious that Baara began to giggle and then to laugh again. The two stood blocking the street for a few minutes until the moment of levity passed, and they could continue on the way to the well without dropping the water jars balanced precariously on their heads.

As the two continued on, Serah said to Baara, "I envy you. You live in a household where you can openly worship Yahweh. I wish I could somehow sneak in for your worship services. How often does Naaman plan to hold corporate services?"

"I don't know," Baara admitted. "He asked me to meet with him and Maacah each evening to teach them some of the stories, psalms, and proverbs of our tradition. He said he wanted to know them so he could share them at worship experiences, but he didn't say how often he planned to lead in worship. Maybe I can figure out a way to get you invited to the next one, though."

Serah was doomed to disappointment, however. When Baara later mentioned to Maacah the possibility of inviting her, she was told that to invite anyone outside the household was impossible.

"Naaman can get away with instituting the worship of Yahweh in his own household," Maacah said. "But to invite others would be considered proselytizing. While the King will indulge Naaman worshipping as an act of gratitude for his healing, if we were to allow others to come too, the King might take it as a threat to the established worship of Rimmon. No, Baara. Even though your friend was a worshipper of Yahweh in her homeland, we cannot invite her to participate in our worship experiences."

Naaman didn't forget his request to learn the traditions of Yahweh. Every evening, Baara met with he and Maacah and told them stories, sang them psalms, and recited proverbs to them. Because hers was a rich and varied tradition, the days of instruction lengthened into months. She taught for the rest of the hot season and all of the rainy season. When early summer again came to the land, she finally told Naaman that she had exhausted her knowledge of her heritage.

That evening when Naaman and Maacah retired for the night, Naaman said to Maacah, "I think it is time that we reward Baara for sending me to Elisha."

"What sort of reward have you in mind?" she asked.

"She has grown into a comely young woman," Naaman replied. "She is still marriageable age. I have kept the reward the King gave me to pay Elisha. He didn't want it back, but we didn't really need it. With it as a dowry, I am certain I could find a man who would be glad to wed a freed slave. I know it's customary for a man to pay the bride price, but since the woman we are offering is a slave, I think the dowry might have to come from us rather than being given to us. Other than offering to put up the dowry ourselves, we could treat her as we would our daughter and get a matchmaker to find a suitable husband for her."

Smiling, Maacah said, "I think that would be wonderful for Baara." But even as she spoke, her eyes filled with tears that fell silently down her cheeks. She impatiently swiped at the traitorous rivulets. "I would miss her, of course, but I can't think of myself. I know what it means to go from slavery to freedom, from servant to wife. What you suggest would be a fitting reward for her."

"Then tomorrow I want you to talk to her. Tell her my plan. Find out if Yahweh has any instructions about finding a suitable mate," he instructed.

When Maacah spoke to Baara the next morning, she determinedly put on a joyous face, not wanting to dampen the exciting news with her personal sorrow at the thought of losing the young maiden. Much to Maacah's surprise, Baara burst into tears at the news of Naaman's plans. Taking the sobbing girl in her arms, Maacah soothed, "What is it, Baara? Why do you cry at the prospect of freedom and marriage?"

Drying her eyes, Baara looked down, nervously plucking at the threads of the mat where she and her mistress sat. "I am most grateful for the master's desire to reward me," Baara said. "But I don't think any Armenian matchmaker could find a suitable husband," the girl almost whispered.

"Why is that?" her mistress questioned.

"Anyone who examined me would suspect I was not a virgin," Baara said. "But that is not the main reason. Even if Naaman found a man willing to overlook my defilement for such a generous dowry, he would have trouble finding a worshipper of Yahweh in Damascus."

"I am certain that Zipporah's treachery wouldn't keep you from the wedding couch," Maacah responded. "As for finding a Yahweh worshipper, I'm sure you're right. That would be a problem. But I'm sure Naaman could find a man who would allow you to keep your own god when you wed," she said.

"That wouldn't be enough," Baara answered. "If I were in a household where other gods were worshipped, my children would be exposed to those gods. They wouldn't learn to reverence Yahweh. My sons, in particular, would be inducted into the worship of my husband's gods. Yahweh instructed his people over and over not to be unequally yoked with a practitioner of another religion. If I can't marry someone who reveres Yahweh, then it's better for me to remain single."

"But, Baara," Maacah explained, "if you remain single, you'll have to remain in slavery. You couldn't live alone in Damascus, even with the help of the reward money Naaman has promised."

"I know that," the girl answered. "I don't propose to live as a single woman in Damascus. There is another alternative, if Naaman would consider it."

"What is that?" Maacah queried.

"Naaman could find me a husband from among the Israelites," Baara said quickly.

"And how do you propose he do that? While he was healed by an Israelite, Aram and Israel aren't exactly friends," Maacah noted.

Taking a deep breathe, Baara blurted, "While it is warm, we could journey by caravan to Kedesh, the city nearest my ancestral lands. Naaman could speak to the men outside the city gates concerning my father's lands and offer me as bride to anyone willing to settle with me on those lands. I know it sounds strange," she continued hurriedly, "but there is a precedent in my history for a woman inheriting her father's land."

"Even so, Baara," Maacah countered, "you would be asking a lot of Naaman. To go to the land where his men raided and brought about destruction and death is asking him to ride into enemy territory and face men who have grounds for hatred of him."

"I know," the girl admitted. "But my God has promised me in a dream that my progeny and I will live out our days on my ancestral inheritance. How else can this happen?"

"When did Yahweh promise you this?" Maacah asked suspiciously. "Don't use your religion to manipulate, Baara."

"I'm not, mistress," she responded. "The night after Naaman returned and held the first worship service celebrating his healing and conversion, I couldn't sleep. Because of my restlessness, I went outside and sat under the olive tree and looked up at the heavens while I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving. I focused on the star you and Naaman look at when he is away. My mind ceased to word my feelings for Yahweh. Instead feelings of love and gratitude took over. The star grew brighter, and suddenly a shining being stood in front of me. He told me not to be afraid because Yahweh was pleased with my faithfulness and had sent him to me with a message. I questioned him, not believing that God would send a messenger to an insignificant slave girl, but he told me that because of me Yahweh's name is praised in Damascus. The words he said next are burned indelibly on my mind: 'Because of your faithfulness, you and your descendents will live your days on the land near Kedesh given to your father as part of the inheritance of the children of Judah. In due time, you will return to the land of your ancestors. You will invoke the custom of Mahlah so that you, although a woman, can inherit the land of your father. Your husband will be of your tribe and lineage and will gladly leave his ancestral home to settle with you on the land God has promised,'" she quoted in a voice full of emotion and longing.

"I know you are Naaman's mediator in this matter, but is it possible for me to tell him this story myself?" Baara asked, deliberately leaving out the message for Naaman from the angel. That message she wanted to deliver in person. After all, the angel had instructed, 'say to Naaman,' had he not.

With a sigh, Maacah said, "I will ask, Baara. You know it's not customary for a woman to be involved in such matters. Naaman only had me talk to you because he didn't want to offend Yahweh by arranging an unsuitable marriage, one contrary to your religious custom."

"Then wouldn't he want to hear of my encounter with the angelic being?" Baara countered.

Baara went about her daily chores, hoping for a summons from Maacah. However, she was not called until time to serve the evening meal. After the meal, though, Maacah told Baara to come to their room for religious instruction as had been their custom. Even though Baara had exhausted her knowledge of her religious heritage, the three had continued to meet so she could worship privately with them and refresh their memories of the many psalms and proverbs she had taught them.

When she entered, Naaman did not waste time getting to the matter that had consumed Baara's mind for the whole day.

"Maacah tells me you wish to return to your home and marry someone of your own tribe and lineage. She says you have had a vision from Yahweh concerning this matter. Tell me about this vision so I can decide for myself whether it is your wishful imagining or an actual visitation," he instructed the girl.

Taking a deep breath, Baara recounted for Naaman the brief story she had told Maacah. Unlike Maacah, Naaman asked probing questions. "When you talk about the shining apparition standing before you," he asked, "what do you mean by shining? Describe what you saw."

"Light seemed to come from within him," Baara said with a frown of concentration as she reviewed the vision in her mind. "He radiated light. I guess that is the best way to say it. He had a definite form, but his skin seemed almost translucent. It's really difficult to describe."

Nodding, Naaman remembered the being he had beheld lifting Zipporah. He too had seen a man who appeared to radiate light from inside a translucent form. After a moment of silence, he prodded, "Go on with your story. How did you respond to this being?"

"I was afraid," the girl admitted. "I covered my face with my hands, but he told me not to be afraid, that I had found favor with Yahweh."

"Repeat his exact words, as best you remember them," Naaman instructed.

Baara began to recount her encounter with the angel, repeating his lengthy speech pretty much in its entirety. When she finished with "on the land God has promised," Naaman asked, "And then he disappeared?"

"No, master," Baara said. "I forgot my place as a woman and a servant of Yahweh. I questioned the angel further," she admitted. "I asked him how this would happen and how I would know that I was marrying the right man."

Smiling at her forwardness, Naaman asked, "And did this being satisfy your curiosity?"

"Not entirely," she acknowledged. "He told me I was to continue to trust God as I had in the past. He said I would know when the time comes." While she spoke, Baara had been sitting with eyes downcast, twisting her bunched up dress nervously. But now she looked boldly, directly into Naaman's eyes as she completed the message from the angel. "He concluded with the statement, 'At the appropriate time, say to Naaman: 'Michael said, Yahweh is pleased with you. Go and do what you have promised.'"

At these words, Maacah gasped, but Naaman did not flinch. He looked directly into Baara's eyes, seeing only sincerity with not a tinge of deceit. He continued to hold Baara's gaze for seconds, and neither broke eye contact as he seemed to look into her very soul, searching for the meaning of Michael's message. When Maacah delicately cleared her throat, the trance was broken and both started, lowering their eyes.

Looking over at his wife, Naaman said decisively, "The messenger had to be from Yahweh. Only Yahweh knows what I promised Him when I was cleansed. I promised I would do everything in my power to make certain Baara found happiness in life. I told him that in due time I would make up for what my men did when they killed her family by finding her a suitable husband. It is because of this promise that I told you to ask Baara what the rules are in her religion concerning marriage. Because I made this promise, I didn't want a man that Yahweh wouldn't approve of. If Yahweh has told Baara she is to live on the lands of her father, then I have no choice but to take her to Kedesh. If we find her a husband as promised, I would like for us to stand in for her parents at the wedding. For that reason, I want you to accompany us on the journey. We'll begin preparation tomorrow and leave in three weeks," he concluded.