250 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits
By David Steele

I. The Chosen Person (Exodus, chaps. 3-4)

A fellow named Rudolph Otto
Once made an extensive study
Of what he called, "The Idea of the Holy."
He analyzed the descriptions
People in many ages from many cultures
Gave of their experience of the Divine.
He wondered: what do people feel inside
When they believe they are in contact
With a power or powers bigger than themselves?
And he found folk reported two overwhelming feelings
Whether they were Jews or Christians or whatever.
Mr. Otto said: "If in a mystic moment
You feel something drawing you into the situation,
Something powerful like a magnet,
And if at the same time
Something within you is afraid, resisting
Wanting to move back … withdraw …
If you feel yourself wanting to run toward
And run away from the moment at once …
You can be fairly sure
You are standing on Holy Ground."

Maybe you have felt this way
Or will feel this way.
As we come to that mystic moment
When Moses stands before that burning bush
And something within is drawing him forward
And something within is wanting to run away.
We may well recall a time
When we were there,
With Moses … on Holy Ground.

David Steele is the minister of Christ Presbyterian Church, Terra Linda, San Rafael, California. A graduate of Westminster College (Utah), Princeton Theological Seminary, and San Francisco Theological Seminary where he received the doctorate, he has also served as chaplain at Punahou School in Honolulu. His prose-poem on David and Bathsheba appeared in THEOLOGY TODAY July 1983, and several of his pieces have been printed under the title God Must Have a Sense of Humor (1983).

251 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

Moses is middle-aged now.
He's accommodated himself to life in Midian.
He's married a fine wife
Whose name sounds like part of a sweater … Zipporah.
He gets along well with the family.
(His father-in-law is high priest of the area.)
He's into farming now,
Helps out with the family flocks,
And has a pretty quiet and secure life.
To be sure, when he goes home at night
And reads in the paper
About the latest Egyptian pyramid or palace,
He gets to remembering about his people
And wondering how things are going
For those Hebrews down in Egypt.
And he gets a few regrets now and then
Cause he really did hope
He might be able to do something for his clan.
But he blew the chance,
And that's that!

Now, if you're beginning to get the idea
That Moses has been thinking quite a bit
About the subjects he and Yahweh God
Are going to be dealing with at that Bush,
You are right on!
That's the way Yahweh God is.
When Yahweh confronts us,
When we stand before God on Holy Ground
God is not going to bring up a lot of things
We've never thought about-au contraire,
We know darn well what the subject is going to be.

Moses is tending his flocks;
And on the side of Horeb,
The Mountain of God,
He sees the bush … burning but not consumed
It draws him like a magnet.
He yearns to run away.
Moses stands upon Holy Ground,
And the voice of Yahweh God says …

Now about that voice.
Let's try to forget the movie,
Where the voice of God
Booms out of heaven

252 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

Like Orson Welles speaking into a microphone
Amplified by, a dozen 6-foot speakers.
Gosh, that kind of voice
Would scare the sheep silly
And send them running over several counties.
Yahweh God doesn't shout down from the -sky
With some Orson voice.
Yahweh God is using
A still, small voice.
This dialogue is between Yahweh and Moses.
The sheep keep grazing,
Conscious only of the sound of birds and bees.

And the voice of Yahweh God says:
"Go down, Moses,
Go down to Egypt land.
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go!"

It's the classic Good News-Bad News situation.
The Good News is that Yahweh
Is going to do something about the Hebrews.
The Bad News is God wants Moses to take charge.
That's the way, it goes … doesn't it?
You put on the pressure
To get the church to tackle a particular project.
Lo and behold, they agree to do it!
And then they, come around
Asking you to chair the committee.
Well, old Moses, isn't thrilled
With the prospect of being chairman.
So Moses starts the line
Heard by a thousand nominating committees.
(Maybe he originated it.)
"Of course, I'm flattered to be asked;
But you see, it's not right for me
At this particular time.
For instance, I'm not very religious."

Yahweh makes short work of that one.
"We're not talking religious, Moses.
We're talking human liberation."

"But," Continues Moses, "I can't
Go 'round talking about you very well.
I don't even know your name."
Now there's a kicker here

253 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

As both Moses and Yahweh know.
Moses is a Hebrew.
And names mean something special.
Those Hebrews feel that if you know someone's name
Then you have a handle on that person.
You know them in an intimate way.
You can predict and control their actions.
What Moses is looking for here
Is the kind of thing those TV preachers
Have down pat.

You know what I mean.
You Rip the channels and those preachers
Know just about everything there is to know
About God.
They know just what God wants everybody to believe:
And how God wants us to vote …
And where to send our money …
And who we're supposed to love …
And who we're supposed to hate …
And when the world is going to end …
(Within 15 minutes or so).
It's impressive … what those preachers know about God.
You get the feeling that God Checks in with them each morning
For marching orders.

Well, Moses wants something like they have.
"What is your Name?" he says.
"If I'm going off to Egypt.
I want to know what you are up to."

And Yahweh answers: "Here's my name:
I AM UP TO WHAT I AM UP TO."
Now, of course, in the Bible
It doesn't say that.
It says, "I am who I am."
But when we read those words today,
We tend to think of things like '"being."
And Yahweh is not talking about being … but acting.
Yahweh is saving, "I'm up to what I'm up to
And you're not going to tell me what to do
When what I'm up to concerns you … you'll know
This shindig is on my terms, Moses.
One of us is God,
And it is not you!"

254 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

Moses sees it's time to change the subject.
"Look, Yahweh," he says.
"I am not equipped to lead an exodus.
Look at me … a simple shepherd.
I simply cannot do the job."

Yahweh says, "What is that in your hand?"
It's a rod … a simple shepherd's stick.
"That's all you need."

The rod, of course, is a symbol
Of the background and potential
Moses brings to this moment.
In Moses' hand is his special past:
His unique education in the royal palace,
His familiarity with people in power,
His passion for his people,
His, as yet, undeveloped talents.
Yahweh knows the man.
Moses has at hand all he needs for the job.
Yahweh will supply what is lacking.

Moses is getting backed into a corner.
But he believes he has a perfect out.
"You've forgotten a big problem, Yahweh.
You know it as well as I.
When I get flustered, I stutter.
How am I going to make all the speeches
We're going to need to get folks organized?
And have you thought of how silly it will be
Me standing before mighty Pharaoh
Saying, 'Yah .. Mah .. Yahweh ssssssssays
Le .. Le.. Le .. Le .. let my p. p. p. people g. go.'
We'll be laughed out of the palace."

"I'm glad you brought that up, Moses"
Says Yahweh, "'Cause I have that one solved.
You remember your baby brother, Aaron?
Well, he's grown up to be the Golden Tongue of the Nile.
Aaron's a little short on brains;
But get him up on the podium,
And he'll charm the fangs off a rattler.
When there's speechifying to be done,
You write 'em.
Aaron will deliver 'em.
It'll work out just fine."

255 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

Of course, Moses points out
That he can't go back to Egypt.
There's a warrant out on him.
He'll be arrested as soon
As he crosses the border.
"Wrong again," says Yahweh.
"The statute of limitations has run out;
The detective assigned to your case is retired;
The warrant is in the dead letter file.
No danger on that score."

But there are plenty of dangers
On other scores. Moses knows
What Yahweh is asking him to get into.
Moses understands how hard it will be
To organize and give hope
To a beaten down bunch of slaves.
Moses understands the risk
In confronting the power structure.
The whole project is fraught with danger.
It's too big … too many, headaches and challenges.
"Please, Yahweh … not me.
Send I pray, some other person."
It is a cry of anguish.

Yahweh understands it.
"Moses, my people have to be free.
I know it is a big job.
It's an impossible job.
But it's got to get done,
And you are the only one I have to do it."

So Moses faces that moment
That has come to many men and women,
Perhaps to you and me.
That moment when you realize
Something has to be done
Someone has to say a word
Someone needs to take a stand
Someone needs to speak out … to act
'Cause there are people getting hurt.
And you look for that someone,
Wait for that someone
Till you realize
No one else is going to do it.
If there's going to be a someone,
It's got to be me.

256 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

Moses walks away from the burning bush committed.
He goes home and tries to explain
To his wife just what has happened.
As he talks about it,
He realizes how weird it must sound
To Zipporah …
Imagine a shepherd
With fantasies of leading a revolution!
"I'm not sure what it will involve,"
He says to her, "But it will be chaos,
And I realize you and the kids
Didn't sign up for a life like this.
So I'll try to make arrangements
Before I leave, so you'll be cared for;
And I won't contest the divorce."

Zipporah takes him by the hand,
Looks straight into his eyes
And says, "You're crazy, you know.

"I know."

Then she laughs,
Shrugs her shoulders
And sighs:
"What the heck!
I've always wanted to see the pyramids.
I think I can get us all packed up
By Tuesday''

I see great need and in my heart melts.
Lord, do a deed with someone else.

II. Escape (Exodus, chaps. 5-15, 24)

To say that Pharaoh,
Mighty potentate of the Nile.
Is unimpressed by the visit
Of Moses and his brother,
Is an understatement.
Unimpressed" The whole charade is ridiculous!
Pharaoh is appalled at their audacity:
"You have the gall to come in here
Telling me that one Yahweh
Pipsqueak God of those pipsqueak Hebrews

257 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

Orders me to let his people go?
No one orders Pharaoh around.
I'm the one around here who gives the orders.
You just go back to your God
And tell him to take a peek
At the work orders I'm issuing those Hebrews tomorrow.
He'll get his answer then."

And to say, that the Hebrew people,
Slaves of mighty, Pharaoh,
Are unimpressed by, Moses' charisma
His plan, and his message
When they, read the new work orders,
Is an understatement
"From this day hence, No straw will be delivered
To the brick works.
The quota per worker remains the same.
Hebrew slaves will glean sufficient straw
In their off hours
To ensure proper consistency of the product."
Thanks a lot, Moses!
Our 12-hour day, has just jumped to 14.
Those Hebrews have some pretty, vivid ideas
About what Moses can do With his message of freedom
And his obvious desire to help.
They don't need this kind of help.
Why doesn't Moses go back to his mountain
And his God
With his crazy, ideas
And just stop bothering them.

And to say that Moses,
Spokesman for Yahweh God,
Is unimpressed by, the results
Of his initial foray
Into the realm of labor negotiations
Is an understatement.
In one short week, the man
Has become the most unpopular person in Egypt,
Despised by Haves and Have-Nots alike.
He's quite ready
To throw in the towel.
"I gave it my best shot, Yahweh.
It's not going to work."

258 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

But Yahweh God is not unimpressed.
It's as though Yahweh expected all this.
"We've lots more tricks up our sleeves, Moses.
You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

So now we come to the story of those plagues.
There are 10 of them.
And the routine is the same each time.
Moses and Aaron say to Pharaoh
"Unless you let Yahweh's people go,
This or that terrible thing is going to happen."
Pharaoh sneers at them.
Then, lo, and behold, the awful thing
Does come to past.
Pretty soon, Pharaoh calls the men in
"You win … turn it off."
The plague ends.
Pharaoh changes his mind
And clamps down even harder
On the Hebrews.

The way the story is told
It's like two kids wrestling.
One of them gets the other down.
"You give up?"
"Yeh."
But when the hold is loosened,
The beaten one bounds up.
"I had my fingers crossed."
And they start again.

Now, when we look at those plagues
They are all something that
Have happened in the Nile country.
Some of them could have caused others,
Like a bunch of dead frogs
Could lead to an overabundance
Of gnats and flies
Which might spread sickness among cattle
And lead to a lot of human infections.

The way the story reads:
The Nile changes into a blood-like color;
Then there are plagues of frogs, gnats, and flies;
Then an infection sweeps the cattle;
Followed by a plague of boils.
A strange hail knocks down the crops,

259 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

Locusts move in to glean the fields.
Then a huge sandstorm blots out the sun
And finally comes the Angel of Death.

Now while all these things
Have happened at some time or other
There along the Nile …
Whether they all happened at once
Like the story says,
Is open to conjecture.
But one thing is pretty clear:
Something happened!
Cause people of privilege and power
Never voluntarily give it up
Until their status quo becomes uncomfortable.

Now, as people of privilege and power
We don't like to hear that.
We like to think of ourselves
As loving and kind and considerate.
When we look at the people
Who are out of it in this world,
We much prefer to think
The reason that they are out of it
Is that they are poorly educated,
Or lazy, or loose in their morals,
Or lacking in the will to get ahead.
But the plain fact is:
They are out of it
Because the system favors folk like us.
We are not about to change the system.
And we won't change it
Until something happens to make us feel uncomfortable.

Well, that's what is happening
Down there in Egypt.
Those Egyptians are not about
To turn loose their slaves
And lose their economic advantage.
But once they, get the idea
That hanging on to those slaves
Is more of a headache than letting them go,
Then the situation will change.

The final plague does it.
Moses tells his people to smear
Blood on their doors

260 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

So the Angel of Death
Will recognize their houses.
And that night Death visits
Each home in Egypt that has no mark.
The first-born in every home dies.
It's the story of some devastating plague
Like the Black Plague. we suppose,
Where the Hebrews are immune
(is there some genetic factor");
And in this time of national mourning,
Pharaoh throws in the sponge:
"Get those Hebrews out of my country!"

Once the word comes through,
Those folk are on the road.
No grass is going to grow
Under their feet.
They leave so quickly
The bread has no time to rise.
It's hard-tack and crackers
On this freedom journey.
That's why each year
When Jewish folk celebrate Passover,
Their Day of Independence,
They break out the matzos
… To remember!

They leave in a hurry,
But they can't move very fast.
What we have here is a migration.
Fathers, mothers, kids … old folks
The handicapped, the sick
Animals, pets … a regular town on the move.
They do the best they can,
Travel from early morn till twilight.
But with most of them on foot
They can't cover many, miles a day.
They've been on the road
A number of days when they
Reach the shore of the Sea of Reeds.

Now when we learned about Moses
In Sunday School, the teacher said
They were on the shore of the Red Sea.
And if we look at a map
We noticed that the Red Sea is an ocean.
That's the way C.B. DeMille pictured it;

261 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

Those folk looking out over the ocean.
But the scholars today are pretty certain
That it was really the Sea of Reeds.
A translator long ago misunderstood
And gave us this Red Sea business.
The Sea of Reeds is narrower and shallower,
More like a marsh than an ocean.
Not nearly as formidable as an ocean
But still a pretty big problem
For those folk when you think of the fix
They are in when they get there.

'Cause by now life is getting back to normal
For old Pharaoh and his crew.
They, are beginning to feel the pinch.
The brickworks are closed down
Without any, workers.
The contractors are beginning to scream
Their materials are running out.
And the auditors have just turned in the figures
About what it's going to cost
To hire brickworkers at minimum wage;
And Pharaoh is coming to the conclusion
That he's been hornswoggled.
He was a fool to let go of that slave labor.
He calls in his chief of staff:
"Send out the troops!
Bring those people back!"

So now at the Sea of Reeds
The Hebrews are in a pretty pickle:
The water on one side,
Pharaoh's army marching toward them
On the other side,
They are trapped and scared.
They, turn on Moses:
"Thanks a lot, fella!
There's space in Egypt for graves.
You didn't have to bring us out
To die in this godforsaken place."

But they are not Godforsaken.
Moses stretches out his hand,
A great wind blows along that marshy water.
It becomes shallow … they cross it quickly.
When they are safe on the other side
The wind stops.

262 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

Pharaoh's pursuing troops become mired.
Pursuit becomes impossible
The Hebrews have escaped.
Free at last!

The event itself is not so uncommon.
Those winds often blow along the Sea of Reeds.
But the timing is exquisite.
And those folks are convinced:
"We never could have made it on our own.
Yahweh God brought us to freedom!"

Well you can well imagine how tickled
Those folks are now.
There's lots of singing 'round the campfire,
Plenty of dancing…
They're starting to tell stories
About how brave they were and all.
Moses has a hard time keeping
Them on the move.
They all seem to want to sleep
Till nine or ten in the morning,
And they're not much interested
In the work it takes to strike and make camp.
They're free now!
They don't have to take orders!
They don't have to work like dogs!
It's a wonder Moses gets them
To move at all. But he does.
And eventually they arrive
At the mountain of God … Horeb … Sinai,
The very place where Moses
Stood on Holy Ground
Before that Burning Bush.
They camp.

Moses organizes a great festival.
An altar is erected.
Sheep and goats slaughtered,
Their flesh is cooked.
The blood caught in great basins.
The people are assembled.
Moses mounts the podium.
He no longer needs his mouthpiece, Aaron.
The stammer is gone now.

"Yahweh God has brought us here.
He rescued us…delivered us on Eagles' wings."

263 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

"Let's hear it for Yahweh," they shout
And they break into
"For he's a jolly good fellow!"
Folks are winking and laughing
And generally having a ball.

"Yahweh God is establishing a covenant with us
Today … right now … right here.
Yahweh is our God,
We are His people."

"Terrific! Right On!
Let's hear it for Yahweh God."

"Yahweh promises to care for us
And about us.
And our part of the agreement
Is to live as a covenant people."

Well, folks don't understand that covenant part.
They start asking one another
"What did he say?
What's he talking about?"
Things like that.

Then Moses goes on to talk about
Some of the ways of living
Yahweh God wants these folks to follow.
And right away he begins to lose his audience.
Those people have lived most of their lives
Under rigid rules … as slaves.
They're free now.
And they're not about to get involved
In a bunch more rules.

Moses does his best.
He can tell that folks aren't getting
More than about 10% of what he's saying.
But he goes on to the bitter end.
As his finale,
Moses takes those basins
And splashes half the blood upon the altar
Then he moves into the crowd
And splashes blood on every last person there.
"This is the blood of the covenant,
Yahweh is our God,
We are chosen … forever!"

264 - Moses Gets the Nod, Then Exits

Well, when it is all over
Folk agree that Moses has done a nice job.
Some feel the blood business
Is a bit crude … overly dramatic.
Others think it makes a good ending.
You don't have to agree
With all that Moses says or does
To respect him.
He has a lot of good points,
And he's very creative.

They all line up to shake Moses' hand
After the service
To tell him what a nice message it was and all.
And as they file by
Moses is saying to Yahweh
"This covenant-people thing
Is going to take some time."

And Yahweh is saving,
"I know!"

For it's mighty hard, as we shall see,
For a crowd to become a community.