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place.
    “‘When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses—”’
    “God chose the house of David,” Zechariah interrupted. “He promised that David’s throne would endure forever. And God chose you. That’s why He saved you from Molech. Never forget that.” He gestured for Hezekiah to continue.
    “‘He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite.’ ” Hezekiah looked up from the text. “Or worse still, an Egyptian?” he asked his grandfather. Zechariah didn’t reply. “Look—Shebna is the least of my problems,” Hezekiah said. “The emperor of Assyria is the real king of Judah. The wealth of our land is going straight into his own treasuries.”
    “Yes, I agree. The Torah clearly says, ‘Do not place a foreigner over you,’ yet that is exactly what Ahaz did when he first sent the tribute to Assyria. But then, Ahaz made no pretense of following the Torah.”
    Hezekiah stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I purposely raised this question of serving Assyria in the council meeting today because I wanted to see where everyone stood. But I’m beginning to see that it’s only a matter of time before it really will become a major issue. I don’t want to remain a vassal nation, but I don’t see how we can free ourselves from Assyria.”
    “If you renew Judah’s covenant with God,” Zechariah said, “then God’s part of that covenant requires Him to deliver us from all our enemies.”
    “Then you favor rebellion?” Hezekiah asked.
    “I favor obedience to the Word of God, which says, ‘Do not place a foreigner over you.’ ”
    Hezekiah exhaled. “I think I’m a long way from your level of faith. Assyria is the most powerful empire on earth. Maybe if we joined a military alliance with some of our neighboring nations we could rebel, but—” “No,” Zechariah said firmly. “There are no alliances in God’s plan, especially not with Egypt. Read the next part.”
    “‘The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” ’ ”
    “Alliances with other nations lead to bondage,” Zechariah explained. “Joseph started out as Pharaoh’s trusted advisor in Egypt, but later generations ended up as slaves. And wasn’t it Ahaz’s so-called alliance with Assyria that led to our present slavery?”
    “Yes, but aren’t alliances with other nations necessary? Times have changed since this law was written.”
    “No. Yahweh’s Word will still be valid one thousand years from now. You don’t need to trust in the fickleness of other nations. Put your trust in God.”
    Hezekiah knew that his faith wasn’t very strong. Yahweh had saved him from Molech, but would that knowledge be enough if the powerful Assyrian armies marched against his tiny nation? “I’ll be honest,” he said. “This is too new for me. I’ve been taught to rely on the facts and on my own judgment and—”
    “Then rely on your judgment and forget all this.” Zechariah scooped up the scroll with a sweep of his hand. “But don’t try to do both. It won’t work. Either your faith in God is absolute, or it’s worthless. There’s no way to compromise.”
    Their eyes met and held. Then a slight smile flickered across Hezekiah’s face. “I have a lot to learn, don’t I? Come on—teach me.” He unrolled the scroll again and found his place. “‘He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.’ ” Hezekiah looked up in surprise. “But kings always have harems full of wives.”
    “That’s because kings don’t always follow the laws of the Torah.”
    “What do wives have to do with