.jpeg)
Fearful Deliverance
The Children of Israel were on the eve of deliveranceThe Angel of death was preparing for his flightThe Egyptians that now feared them gave them their gold and jewelsWhile they packed their meagre possessions and readied their animalsThe people were baking unleavened bread in their ovensRoasting a lamb over the fire for their final meal in Egypt,They took the blood and with hyssopPainted red the door posts and lintels of their homesThey all sat around the meal in anticipationThey had their shoes on, ready and waiting to goGod was going to do a miracle that nightThere would be slavery no more.They sat and talked of the plagues that had precededThey rejoiced that God had spared them- the sons of JacobThe sat and listened for the trumpet that would call themThey feasted and waited, wondering what would happen nextIn the stillness of the midnight a cry was heard,Another and another, fear gripped their hearts,Weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, the noise of bitter sorrowPiercing the darkness for several hours the cries went on and onThere was a knock at the door, all cowed in fearWas it soldiers coming to end their woeful lives?The father ventured and cracked open the doorOutside was their Egyptian neighbour holding his limp firstborn son"Go, be gone. Just go and leave us,Take what you need, before we all are dead men"The door opened wider, the sight was chillingDead and dying lying all around the streetsA black shroud moving past the moon obscuring it's light like a shadowThe death Angel was passing byThe noise like the wail of a siren sent shivers down his spineHe shut the door hurriedly, muffling the anguishSoon it would be dawn - the morning of salvation.
As the light broke through the darknessDispelling the Angel of DeathA trumpet sounded calling them togetherThey were on the street in an instant,The Egyptians peered out of their windows beholding the processionOn the outside of the city over on the plainA bright cloud hovered like a pillar, drawing the people to itThey hurried and wondered at the sight,The numbers quickly swelledOld and young, rich and poor, the strong and the feebleThen when all were gathered, the cloud lifted and movedIt headed east to toward the rising of the sunThey followed the first steps in their new adventureThe first steps of freedom.
But Pharaoh was stubborn - all his servants had disappearedNo one to cook his meals and cater to his whims" And what about my treasure cities I will have to hire Egyptians!"He suddenly realized what he had doneThe whole economy was at a stand stillLetting them go was a monumental mistake“Have my chariot made ready, I will bring them backI will have no mercy this time”He called together his first born depleted armyAnd followed the tracks of feet in the sand
By this time Moses was standing by the seasideThe first vacation ever,Enjoying the sea breeze and the sun…But a cloud of dust arose in the distanceHorses riders, chariots and soldiersTrapping them against the oceanThe pillar of cloud rose and moved to the backA barrier between them and their foesA dark shadow spread over the Egyptians,A mist covering their eyes,The tramp of feet died away the army had stoppedMoses heard a voice say, “Smite the water”The ripple of the rod that displaced the water grewWith a mighty roar the water split like hands ripping paperUntil the water was heaped up on both sidesA channel was in front of them - a way to pass overThey ran with the clatter of all their belongingsGod had provided an escape route, a path across the seaThe pillar of cloud gave out light across the sea as night fellBut the Egyptians could not see anything
As day broke the Egyptians could not believe their eyesThose they thought were trapped weren't thereThey saw their quarry escaping through a watery pathMadness filled their souls-"How dare they escape""Forward", Pharaoh yelled and rushed down to the sea sideInto the passage they all chased their preyThey grew steadily closer, right at their healsThe Israeli’s heard the familiar crack of the whipsMaking them hurry as fast as they couldThe chariot wheels loosened, they became hard to handleDrivers were crashing together as they strayed from their courseThe rush of the hunt turned into the chaos of a rush-hour pile-upThose in the front suddenly came to their sensesSuddenly fear gripped each of their heartsThe last of the slaves had reached the other sideThose leading the army tried to turn around back the way they cameBut were pushed still forward by the surge of those behindPharaoh yelled "Retreat", but it was too lateThe noise of the ocean drowned out the urgency of the cryAs the crash of the returning water silenced them forever
The children of Israel stood on the shore looking backAs the waves settled back to their normal ebb and flowTheir mouths wide openWhile the enormity of what happened finally sunk inThey were free, without one scratchGod had conquered an armyWhile they held their children in their arms
A cheer went up from the peopleThey sang and they dancedNo longer were they to be slavesNo more did they build cities for their mastersThey could serve God without hindranceThey were free, free at last
8 April 2007
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14© Stephen Share 2006
As the light broke through the darknessDispelling the Angel of DeathA trumpet sounded calling them togetherThey were on the street in an instant,The Egyptians peered out of their windows beholding the processionOn the outside of the city over on the plainA bright cloud hovered like a pillar, drawing the people to itThey hurried and wondered at the sight,The numbers quickly swelledOld and young, rich and poor, the strong and the feebleThen when all were gathered, the cloud lifted and movedIt headed east to toward the rising of the sunThey followed the first steps in their new adventureThe first steps of freedom.
But Pharaoh was stubborn - all his servants had disappearedNo one to cook his meals and cater to his whims" And what about my treasure cities I will have to hire Egyptians!"He suddenly realized what he had doneThe whole economy was at a stand stillLetting them go was a monumental mistake“Have my chariot made ready, I will bring them backI will have no mercy this time”He called together his first born depleted armyAnd followed the tracks of feet in the sand
By this time Moses was standing by the seasideThe first vacation ever,Enjoying the sea breeze and the sun…But a cloud of dust arose in the distanceHorses riders, chariots and soldiersTrapping them against the oceanThe pillar of cloud rose and moved to the backA barrier between them and their foesA dark shadow spread over the Egyptians,A mist covering their eyes,The tramp of feet died away the army had stoppedMoses heard a voice say, “Smite the water”The ripple of the rod that displaced the water grewWith a mighty roar the water split like hands ripping paperUntil the water was heaped up on both sidesA channel was in front of them - a way to pass overThey ran with the clatter of all their belongingsGod had provided an escape route, a path across the seaThe pillar of cloud gave out light across the sea as night fellBut the Egyptians could not see anything
As day broke the Egyptians could not believe their eyesThose they thought were trapped weren't thereThey saw their quarry escaping through a watery pathMadness filled their souls-"How dare they escape""Forward", Pharaoh yelled and rushed down to the sea sideInto the passage they all chased their preyThey grew steadily closer, right at their healsThe Israeli’s heard the familiar crack of the whipsMaking them hurry as fast as they couldThe chariot wheels loosened, they became hard to handleDrivers were crashing together as they strayed from their courseThe rush of the hunt turned into the chaos of a rush-hour pile-upThose in the front suddenly came to their sensesSuddenly fear gripped each of their heartsThe last of the slaves had reached the other sideThose leading the army tried to turn around back the way they cameBut were pushed still forward by the surge of those behindPharaoh yelled "Retreat", but it was too lateThe noise of the ocean drowned out the urgency of the cryAs the crash of the returning water silenced them forever
The children of Israel stood on the shore looking backAs the waves settled back to their normal ebb and flowTheir mouths wide openWhile the enormity of what happened finally sunk inThey were free, without one scratchGod had conquered an armyWhile they held their children in their arms
A cheer went up from the peopleThey sang and they dancedNo longer were they to be slavesNo more did they build cities for their mastersThey could serve God without hindranceThey were free, free at last
8 April 2007
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14© Stephen Share 2006