God's people lived in Egypt, and over the years their number had increased,
Pharaoh feared that in the event of war the Egyptians would suffer defeat,
And before this could happen, to the Hebrews notice was delivered,
That every child of theirs born a male must be drowned in the river.
At this time Moses was born and his life was persevered by his mother,
Who made for him an ark, daubed with slime or something other,
Next day when the daughter of Pharaoh came to bathe in the river,
Her maidens, who had come with her, retrieved the ark,
And into her hands it was delivered.
Upon opening the ark she discovered the babe, it was crying.
“Poor thing, she uttered, I must save it from dying.”
She lifted the babe out of the ark and took it with her,
And the palace of Pharaoh became its new home.
Here the child lived, separated from its real mother, all on his own
However, it had the best of food and everything else,
Later to be educated in all the wisdom of Egypt.
“Moses” named thus by Pharaoh's daughter,
Became a dashing young man of fame, at short order
One day he visited the Hebrews, who worked as slaves in the land,
Pharaoh believed that his persecution would weaken for war their hands
Upon seeing the taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave,
Moses strangled the taskmaster and hid him in the sand.
But this deed by others became known,
And Moses to the wilderness had to flee,
With no more than the clothes he stood up in
To escape the wrath of Pharaoh and stay free.
In the wilderness he remained, for what eventually became,
Forty years, a very long time. He had no more to occupy his mind,
Other than to watch over a handful of grazing sheep,
And at day's end enjoy a good night's sleep.
Moses had spent forty years learning the wisdom of Egypt,
And the next forty years unlearning what he had learnt,
All the pomp, the pride, the pursuit of false glory and fame,
All had to go... Life was more serious than some idle game.
More important still was that Moses's mind was emptying each day
Of the world's trash to make room in it for what God had to say.
Then one day as he rested a while,
He noticed a bush at a distance of a mile,
It was burning, yet not consumed by the flame!
Thought he to himself “That's very strange...”
And walked to the bush to view it at close range
When he arrived at the bush he heard a voice speak
It was God who said “Remove thy shoes from off thy feet
For the place where you stand is holy ground..”
In the conversation that followed
God left Moses with in no doubt that he was to return to Egypt
And bring God's people out.
Forty years previously Moses considered himself Israel's liberator,
But not now... He was an eighty years of age: Too slow on his feet,
Too slow in thought. Too slow in everything, including his speech.
But having exhausted his excuses, he finally agreed at God's reason,
To return to Egypt: By now Pharaoh would have forgotten his treason.
Moses and his brother Aaron now well advanced in years,
Their hair had turned white, their faces wrinkled with age,
They stood before mighty Pharaoh who had all power in the land,
Moses to confront him had no more than a stick in his hand,
But it was a willow rod of God's choosing, that fact wasn't confusing,
For every time Moses held the rod over the land, God's miracles began.
Moses and Aaron stood before Pharaoh.
Moses, not given to elegant speech groped for words and muttered:
“ Thus sayeth the Lord let my people go”
Pharaoh eyed the two old men, and despised their presence,
He demanded “ Who is the Lord I know him not!”
No, but he was about to find out.
Moses and Aaron made their way out of the cool interior of the palace,
And stood outside in the blinding heat of the sun.
Moses lifted the willow rod in his hand,
And stretched it over the parched land,
At this the water in the rivers turned to blood,
From their depth to their brink, the Egyptians had no water to drink
For any length of time they could not survive,
The arrogant king had now to swallow his pride,
And send for Moses and Aaron to arrive “Entreat thy God for me,
Said he, And I will let thy people go.”
Moses believed the Pharaoh's intention, and prayed for God's intervention.
Then Moses raised the willow rod in his hand,
And held it high over the parched land
The blood in the rivers drained away, the water returned the very same day.
At this Pharaoh's confidence and arrogant pride returned to his heart,
And when asked he refused again to allow God's people to depart.
Moses warned the stubborn king,
Of the serious consequences that would follow,
If he persisted in first allowing God's people to depart,
And then going back on his word. But Pharaoh did not heed this caution.
Again Moses lifted the rod in his hand over the land,
Each time he did so another new plague struck Egypt.
The crops were destroyed by locusts.
The cattle were killed by murrain. Frogs, lice, fleas, boils and the rest....
The councillors said to their stubborn king
“know ye not that Egypt is totally destroyed?
Others agreed, among them were the magicians and scorers,
Well practised in deception they could not counterfeit the miracles,
And warned their master “This is the hand of God...”
Finally the end came, when the Egyptian first born was slain,
By God's destroying angel.
Who looked for the blood of the lamb, on every house in the land.
The Egyptian houses were not protected: Pharaoh lost the heir to his throne
By this he was persuaded to let God's people depart Egypt.
On the eve of their departure
God gave Israel favour in the eyes of the Egyptians who gave them,
Gold and silver and other riches.
This was, in effect, Israel's wage for the time they were Pharaoh's slaves.
All the Hebrews, the wives with their children, the young, and the old,
The crippled, the infirm, those that needed to be carried, being lame,
Departed Egypt on that eventful day.
But their progress was understandably slow...
In the meantime, Pharaoh had time to think,
And realised what a fool he had been,
“Our actions have been a gross error” He deemed,
And calling for his generals he screamed:
“Prepare yourselves and the chariots for war!”
Pharaoh's army in their full armour, pursued the Hebrews at full speed,
And overtook them by the Red Sea.
But the light of the day was fading by now,
And Pharaoh to his generals announced.
“We have got them cornered between us and the sea.
There's no way they can escape us across the deep.”
“We'll camp here and have a good night's sleep.
And finish the task of slaughter tomorrow,
When we can have the pleasure of seeing them perish in day light.”
God's people saw the army and chariots of Pharaoh, but a mile away.
They were terrified. Moses cried to God, who replied,
“Wherefore criest thou to me?
But lift up thy rod and stretch out thy hand over the sea.”
Moses obeyed, the water parted, and Israel crossed on dry ground!
The Egyptians witnessed God's miracle, and pursed Israel afresh,
But God provided light for Israel's crossing, now that it was night
Whereas darkness engulfed Pharaohs army and they were unable to fight.
When Israel were safely across, Moses stretched his rod over the waters
And they returned to their former place. Pharaoh, his army, the chariot horses the entire lot were drowned in the Red Sea'
God's law declares “What a man sows that shall he also reap.”
So simple, so complete, so profound.
No room there the truth to manoeuvre around.
How different that is to the law of man,
In which clever lawyers manipulate, conceal, and counterfeit what's right.
And succeed in keeping their guilty clients free,
When for their deeds they ought in prison be.
Pharaoh had sowed death by drowning,
As every Hebrew babe, born a male, had suffered in the river.
What Pharaoh had sown he must also reap.
He must suffer death by drowning also,
He did, in the chill waters of the Red Sea...
God hasn't changed nor have his laws, they don't have to.
It's man who must change, and be aware that what he sows that shall he also reap.
Moreover, when God acts its never by short measure.
The entire land of Egypt had been destroyed by plagues,
However, for the guilt and judgement of Egypt God took no pleasure.
After leaving Egypt Mose's life continued for a further forty years.
In all his age was 120. He died on the mountains of Moab.
The scripture says of him “His eye was not dim nor his natural force abated”... Moses was an extraordinary servant of God, FIRST CLASS rated.
Much, much later Moses and Elijah
Are seen talking with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration.
Yet again these two prophets are seen on the earth,
This time during the years of the Great Tribulation.
It is said of Elijah that he has come “to restore all things”
Interpreted by many to be one last World Revival. But is it?
Certainly not! For these two prophets are clothed in sackcloth.
What then is restored?
It is the Word of God that has been totally eroded
By modern translations, skilfully coded,
To declare things that God's Word never intended,
Lest the spiritually blinded of the hour be offended.
For three and a half years Moses and Elijah proclaim God's Word,
To the rebellious world, who seek to kill these two prophets of doom,
But each time they attempt it, another plague looms,
And adds to their tormented fate.
Finally, evil men and their accomplices of hate succeed in their plot
And the dead bodies of Moses and Elijah are left in the street to rot.
The ungodly world rejoice late into the night to celebrate,
Having succeeded to gain their supposed right first rate.
Three and a half days later a voice from heaven calls “Come up hither.”
The Spirit of God entering the dead bodies of Elijah and Moses,
Resurrects them. They stand to their feet and are taken up in a cloud
To meet the angels in heaven and greet.
Great fear strikes the rebellious mob.
Then, within the hour a powerful earthquake rocks the land,
And of men are slain seven thousand.
An angel now stands with a silver trumpet to his lips, sounds a clarion call,
Which heralds the end of this present Age.
The kingdom of God is fully instated right away,
To be ruled by Jesus and assisted by God's faithful people each day,
Here for a thousand years in Christ's Millennium Reign they stay....
Beloved, you have read God's Word to the letter,
I confess, its presentation leaves room to be better.
But I have done my humble best, and on that thought rest,
And like John on the isle of Patmos, to record God's Revelation,
I can say “I am your brother, and companion in life's tribulation.”
It is God who should be praised for his Redemption's Plan,
Not the likes of mortal man.
