It was Samuel’s twelfth birthday and for the first time in his life, he would accompany his Father Lemuel to the Passover in Jerusalem. Every Jewish male from twelve years on was to make the pilgrimage to the Holy City and to the temple to make their Passover sacrifice. It was a long journey so Lemuel traveled it without his family -  until this year. Samuel was twelve and had to accompany his father. He and his father traveled with a caravan of pilgrims for safety. The roads were rough and dusty and the trip was long since most caravans traversed Samaria. Bad blood between the two peoples made Samaria dangerous due to thieves and attacks. Lemuel chose the safest path, mostly because of his son, Samuel.

Along the road, Samuel saw a road sign. It was something that was not needed in his ru…