The
Egyptians were not relenting. The Israelites had thought that they would recede
as they got to the shore of the ocean; but they did not. Instead, they fired
on. Charioteers stirred up their chariots. Horsemen gave their horses kicks to
have them push harder. And Pharaoh?-
Pharaoh was determined to take his pound of flesh for the death of his
and other Egyptians’ firstborn sons. Indeed, soon enough, he had his very own
pound of flesh.
For
Moses, the time to act was drawing closer. It was time to seal God’s victory
over their enemies. Miriam, her fellow women and their children, the young men
and very elderly ones, and some of the other men had made it through to the
other side of the sea. They were safe and waiting for Moses, Aaron and the
remaining men to join them. They could see that the Egyptians had not relented
and were also dry in the middle of the ocean; stirring up their vehicles with
so much fierceness.
Miriam
and the others were afraid. Their songs of wonder and anticipated victory
quickly turned into wails of defeat and doom.
Still
hastening his pace to get out of the way for God to do another wonder, Moses
heard arrows being shot at them from behind. Since he was well aware of what
God was soon going to do, he was the only one not afraid. As he advanced
towards the shoreline, his mind wandered to his very first meeting with God.
“Do
not draw near this place. Take off your sandals; for the place where you stand
is holy ground” was the strangest request he had heard. For some seconds, Moses
looked around before he obeyed. He wasn’t sure which was strangest – seeing an
unburned burning bush or being told that his father-in-law’s sheep’ grazing
ground was holy ground.
He
obeyed. And God continued, “I am the God of your father; the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses listened carefully, but hid his
face from the sight of God. The glory was more than he could bear. The holiness he felt around him was such that
he’d never imagined. God’s holiness exposed his filthiness so much that he was
ashamed before his Creator.
To
Moses that day, that was a presence he had never felt, not even in the palace
of Pharaoh where he lived his youthful years; this was an encounter like no
other. Not long after they had crossed the Sea of Reeds, Moses understood that
the burning bush that day wasn’t just a show of God’s potency, but was a means
to reveal God’s holiness and glory. Soon enough, Moses and the children of
Israel would learn that to serve God they too had to be holy and sanctified – separate
from every other nation. Moses had told the Israelites that they were going to
the mountains to worship God; little did they know what God had planned for
them for the rest of their lives.
This
flashback pleased Moses’ heart as he, Aaron and the other men landed the shore
on the other side of the Red Sea. The Egyptians were advancing really fast; and
that made Moses’ gladdened heart reflect on his lips. He smiled.
He
glanced back at his people behind him. Miriam’s eyes were fastened on him. She
saw the ironic smile on her brother’s lips, and got confused for a second.
Like
a flash, Moses turned towards the sea again and stretched forth his rod – the
same rod he’d stretched forth to open the sea. Their enemies’ fate was sealed.
Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in
power:
Who is like unto thee, O LORD among the gods? Who
is like thee, glorious in holiness…?
