Friday, October 11, 2013

15/11 Series (Part 4): Glorious in Holiness

  


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…?


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