“Is
this really it?” she questioned. “Are we really going to be free?”
Four
Hundred and Thirty years of bondage in Egypt looked like it was coming to an end.
“Four
Hundred and Thirty years. Wow!” She exclaimed silently. Over the years, she’d used several words to
describe the state of her people in that land – Despair; Pain; Hunger; Slavery;
Sorrow; Anguish; Disappointments; Bitterness; Lack.
“Ah!”
She breathed a sigh of relief for the umpteenth time. This is it. We’re leaving. It’s coming to an end, she thought, as
they all kept running.
Since
she was Moses’ big sister, and therefore, one of the women leaders of the
people, she was right beside Moses in front of the multitude racing to destiny.
However, soon, their steps shortened, and their race slowed, as they saw what
they had run into.
“Moses,”
she screamed.
“Oh
Aaron!” she cried “Did we take the wrong path?”
“This
is the only way out of Egypt to the mountains,” Aaron replied.
“So
what are we going to do now? We’re in between the devil and the deep blue sea –
or, literarily, the deep Red Sea. What are we going to do, Aaron? Moses?” She
was groaning.
Aaron
was dazed. He looked at the great obstacle before them, and fought within to
summon courage to look at the crowd they had led out there. Before he could
turn he heard words like, “Pharaoh.
Horses. Chariots.” He wasn’t sure what he had heard, but he turned around,
and then he knew.
Moses
was alone at this time, pacing up and down within a short distance of one
meter. No one heard what he was saying, no one knew he was crying; but it was
obvious he was talking. He’d heard. He knew Pharaoh was coming behind. He knew
there was no going back. He kept talking and kept on pacing. Oh, God will do
something; that, he was sure of. But that wasn’t enough to erase the fear. He
needed to hear his Father speak.
At
this point, everyone had stopped running. They were tired. They wanted to sit
down, but they couldn’t. The children were hungry, so they cried out for food.
Unbelieving men murmured as caring mothers attended to their wards.
“Why
did you bring us out here, Moses?” One head of a clan spoke.
“We
were fine where we were. No one asked you to fight for our freedom,” Another
blurted.
“Look
at him. He thinks he knows it all. Who are you really for, Moses? Tell us, on
whose side you really are?” Yesterday you were Egyptian; today you’re an
Israelite. Where do you belong, pretender? So you planned with Pharaoh to bring
us all out here to die, uhn?” A third sneered.
Despite
the noise, despite the complaints, Moses heard God. At last, he heard
the only voice that mattered. He heard the only words that were truth. He heard
the only instruction that would save.
At
first, the words he heard kind of confused him a little.
“Why
are you crying out to me, Moses? Tell the Israelites to move on.” God said.
Wait, did I
hear right? Tell the Israelites to move on? Is heaven too high up that God can’t
see that what we’re facing is a sea, and not a large piece of blue-looking dry
land? He
dared not speak out, he respected God too much.
“Huh,
Sir you said?”
I
said, “Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your
hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the
sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will
go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army,
through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the
Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
“Oh
wow! Okay LORD.”
He
stopped pacing. Miriam’s eyes were fixed on her brother. She could guess that
God had just spoken. So she expected something – something different; another
wonder.
She
watched as Moses walked slowly towards the sea. He stood still. So did
everyone, including his mockers. As he stretched his rod towards the sea, a
very strong wind blew. Surprisingly, the wind didn’t stagger any of the
Israelites; it focused its attention on the sea.
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