Children of Exodus - Son of Moses

CHILDREN OF EXODUS

Son of Moses

 

A monolog for a teen boy.

By Robert Allen

“So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.”    Exodus 4:20

            What a strange week this has been.    A week ago today I would have sworn that I would never leave this country of Midian where I have lived all my life.  And here we are on the way up to Egypt.  It all began so normally.  Just like every other week of my life.  My father Moses roused me out of bed before the sun came up and we set off to find water for the flock of sheep, not an easy task during the heat of the summer here in the desert, let me tell you.  He was leading the flock and I was bringing up the rear.  My job was to urge any stragglers back into line, but the truth of the matter is that I was so tired I needed someone to urge me along.  Most of the flock had disappeared over the top of one of the small rises when I topped it as well and stopped dead in my tracks.

            Father had started a fire.  At least that was what I thought at first.   But when I looked more closely, the bush in front of him was burning, but it wasn’t on fire.  I know, it sounds strange.  But there was fire and there was a bush, but the bush wasn’t being destroyed.   I also noticed that Father had taken off his shoes and somehow I knew that I wasn’t to go any closer.   Something spiritual was going on.   Something holy.

            I was still too far away to hear what was being said, but my father was definitely talking to someone.  Or maybe arguing would be a better way to describe it.  But I couldn’t tell who he could be arguing with.  There was no one else around.  Just the burning bush that wasn’t burning.

 Suddenly I saw him raise his shepherd staff up in the air and throw it to the ground like he was really angry.   To my amazement the rod turned into a snake which immediately coiled up and prepared to strike.  But father didn’t even flinch.  He just calmly reached down and grabbed the snake by its tail, and as soon as he lifted it up off the ground it became a staff once again.  Shaking my head and rubbing my eyes didn’t change a thing.  I had seen what I had seen.

Once again the arguing started.  It was obvious to me that father was being told to do something he didn’t want to do.  And just like that it came to me.  A voice from a burning bush.  It must be the voice of God.  And father was arguing with him?    I knew how stubborn he could be when we put up an argument.  But arguing with God?

Then I saw something else that made me shake my head in amazement.   In response to the voice I couldn’t hear, father shoved his hand inside his coat and then drew it slowly out and raised it in the air.  It was white, leprous white.  Father had been struck with leprosy in an instant.   Tears ran down my face as I realized what that would mean.  He would never be able to go home again.  He would have to live the rest of his life outside the village with the rest of the lepers.  And then—he placed his hand back into the coat and drew it out again without any sign of leprosy.  Unbelievable.

And then more arguing, but not for long.  Soon father dropped to his knees and began to worship, and somehow I knew that his life and mine had changed forever.

As soon as he had finished praying, the fire disappeared from the bush and he called me over to help round up the sheep.   On our way back to Midian he kept me right beside him, even resting his hand on my shoulder much of the time as if he was tired and needed someone to lean on.  We were almost back to Grandfather Jethro’s before he spoke.

“We will be moving back to Egypt,” he finally said.  “Jehovah God has placed His call upon me.   He has heard the cry of His people, and I have been chosen to lead them to freedom.”

“I believe that you can do it father,”  I said.

He smiled at that.  “Thank you my son.  Apparently God thinks so too, although I am not so sure.  I tried my best to get out of the job.  But all I managed was an agreement to have Aaron do all the talking.  Let me tell you, my son.  You will never win an argument with God.”

I smiled back at him.  Arguing with God wasn’t something I was about to do.  Not after seeing the snake and the leprosy.  But at the same time I was pretty proud of the fact that my father had even had the courage to talk with Almighty God.  I was pretty sure that after coming face to face with God it wouldn’t be hard at all for him to stand before Pharaoh.   As exciting as the past week had been, I figured it probably wouldn’t even start to compare to the adventure we would be experiencing in the days to come. 

I was following Father Moses back into Egypt.  And I knew that I would follow him anywhere.