The Journey - Worthy Christian Forums

First - an apology. My "storytelling" really shouldn't be in the study forum - but frankly I've no idea where else to put them. Next - another reminder that I write as I understand it, and certainly not as any type of scholar. This telling will be in extreme story form - so be warned.



I used to groan when my daily readings took me through Leviticus, Numbers and then Deuteronomy. After all, didn't the really good stuff begin in Joshua? But like a reluctant student, I muddled through it again and again. Eventually, I began to see patterns. Eventually I came to 'see' the people in their distress and hardships. Eventually, I became emotionally involved. I recently told a dear friend that I was guilty of allowing my emotions to direct my reasoning and conclusions. I know now that I was wrong to do that. However, I do think that a passion for the beautiful foundation and blueprint that our Father has left for us is vital not only in the interpretation but also in the personal application of that to our lives. It is the passion that drives the heart to find the answers.

Please come with me as we step backward in time and onto the land that lies just across the Jordan River from Jericho. We will be joined with a multitude of stragglers, ready to face the most challenging times of their lives. To set the stage I promise not to go back too far in time like I normally do. Frankly, I believe that I can sum it up in these few words: the 40 years of wandering were over.

The people that are waiting to cross the river are not the same people that left Egypt. This is a new generation that was born in the wilderness. The desert sands and heat of the Sinai Peninsula have tempered them into lean, strong nomads. They roamed through the deserts of Paran and Zin before moving in a northwesterly haphazard line to just west of the Dead Sea. They are in Moab country. It is at this time that Moses stops to once again give them the law.

That's what the name Deuteronomy means, by the way - Second Law. I just recently discovered that, actually. It's something I should have known before now, as names can give us a first-glance clue as to what it's all about.

OK - picture this: Moses, in all his flowing robes, whiskers blowing in the gentle breeze, stands upon a mound that raises just high enough to be seen by the multitude. He first looks to the heavens to say a silent prayer, and then begins what is called the greatest sermon ever told up until the time of Christ. It is from this very book, these very words, that Jesus, our Lord and Savior quotes to the enemy when He is tempted in the wilderness. Now how dramatic is that? However, for now we will do as Moses and begin at the beginning.

Deu 1:3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first [day] of the month, [that] Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;
Deu 1:4 After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:
Deu 1:5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,
Deu 1:6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:
Deu 1:7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all [the places] nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.
Deu 1:8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.


Moses went on to tell this generation how God said to not be afraid, that He would go before the people and fight for them to drive out the inhabitants of the land. The people though, sent scouts into the new land and became afraid. They refused to go, thinking that God had led them from Egypt to die by the hands of the Anakims. Remember, God said “do not be afraid for I will go before you.”

Moses told the people how God cared for them, as a man would his own son. How He gave them shelter and even provided the fire that would lead them in the dark. In his own words – because they are so beautiful –

Deu 1:32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,
Deu 1:33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents [in], in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.


Do you see what's being done here? Moses is recapping for the children step by step what happened to them, from the very beginning, till now. It was all spelled out for them, but ultimately rejected by a murmuring people that failed to look solely to God for their provision and protection. For this story, let’s watch it unfold from the eyes of a man who might have sat close to the front of the crowd for the past forty years.

As Moses speaks, Asher remembers……..

Asher reached up and took his mother’s hand. All day his small family walked from Goshen along with everyone that he ever knew in his short lifetime. He glanced back over his shoulder to see the people, but from his vantage point could only see those immediately surrounding him. Were he able to ascend up to a great height he would have seen a staggering sight, for his family was close to the front of a crowd that numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

They walked south in the Egyptian wilderness, over rocky land that was mostly sand littered with some scrub. The people brought their sheep and goats, chickens and donkeys and some camels. Supplies were strapped to the backs of the animals and people alike. Even Asher carried items.

For most of the day the noise of the crowd was celebratory. Now however, it was quieter except for the bleats of the sheep, the grunts of the camels and the braying of the donkeys. Even the chickens in the cages were settled in for the march.

Asher removed his hand from his mother’s and reached for his father. “Abba, please, tell me again,” he said.

“Asher, I’ve told you the story twice now,” his father smiled. “Have you not been listening?”

“Yes Abba, but I wish to hear it again, please.”

Asher saw his father and mother exchange smiles, and knew that he would again hear the telling of the story that began their journey. He looked toward the front of the crowd as he walked along. Sometimes the people would move aside long enough for him to get a glimpse of the great man in the long robes. Asher wished to watch this man as his father told of how he defeated the great Pharaoh.

As they continued their journey Asher’s father once again recalled to those within earshot the events that led up to their freedom. “First,” he began, “Moses and Aaron went to the Pharaoh and asked that we be given three days off work to go from their land so we could make sacrifices to the Lord. “

“Why?” Asher asked. “Why did we have to go away?”

“You know why, little one. Our sacrifice to God had to be an acceptable one. We could not use the things of the Egyptians. We had to go away to a place that was free from their gods.”

“Yes, I remember now,” Asher replied.

“When Moses asked this of Pharaoh, he scoffed. He said we must not have enough work to do if we could take time to go off for a sacrifice. He made us work harder by having to gather our own straw. Our people became angry at this. Moses then came to us to tell us what the Lord said.”

Exo 6:2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD.
Exo 6:3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.
Exo 6:4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners.
Exo 6:5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant.
Exo 6:6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.
Exo 6:7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
Exo 6:8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.'"

“And now the snakes?” asked Asher with a smile.

“Yes, my son, and now the snakes,” he agreed. “Moses again appeared before the Pharaoh and said, “Let my people go.’ But Pharaoh refused again. Moses told Aaron to throw down his staff.”

“And a snake appeared!” cried Asher.

“Yes, it changed into a snake. Pharaoh told his sorcerers to do the same and their staffs turned into snakes, too.”

“But Aaron’s snake swallowed up theirs!” shouted Asher.

“Would you prefer to tell me the story?”

Asher looked down at the ground. “No, father. Just hurry to the good things!”

“Asher, my son, we cannot skip over the details or we could lose their meanings.”

To be continued….

Asher listened intently as his father told of turning the Nile into blood, of the plagues of frogs, lice, swarms of flies, the plague on the cattle, the plague of boils, of hail, of locusts and finally of darkness. After each time the Pharaoh refused to let the people go for three days to sacrifice unto the Lord.

Some believe that each of the plagues was in opposition to an Egyptian god or goddess. Changing the Nile waters into blood would have been against Hapi – the god of the Nile. The frogs – Heket, the lice and flies – Geb and Kephri, death of the cattle – Hathor, boils – Isis, hail – Nut, locusts –Seth, and darkness – Ra, the sun god. Not everyone believes the Lord came against the Egyptian gods in this way. However it was intended, one thing is clear – it clearly discredited the Pharaoh in the eyes of the people. He was thought to be god over all things. The Lord, through Moses, clearly showed that Pharaoh was but a man who could control nothing.

What no one knew was that while Asher’s father recounted the story something sinister was transpiring in Egypt. The Pharaoh was now livid for allowing the people to leave. He was disgraced in front of his citizens. Once his advisors left his parlor he called for 600 chariots from his own attachment, along with all the others in the army. He was going to bring the children of Israel back.

Asher nervously looked out at the pillar of the cloud that moved before them. All appreciated the overcast days that kept the sun from burning and made the journey more tolerable, but no one became accustomed to the pillar. At night, when they camped, it turned into a wide shaft of fire. They were never in darkness. Asher knew that the Lord inhabited the pillar, but he did not understand it.

Asher looked up at his father when he grew quiet. “Why did you not finish the story?”

“We are stopping. There is a sea ahead. I will resume once we have set up camp,” he answered.

And indeed, there was a sea ahead. The travelers in the rear of the group were now aware that Pharaoh was pursuing. It didn’t take long for the word to travel up through the multitude to the front. Asher’s small family huddled together as the clouds swirled and boiled and rolled and dipped. The Pillar pulled up over the crowd and traveled backwards, the way they had come, to settle beyond the rear of the group. Asher watched it until it became immobile, forming a barrier between the Egyptians and the children of Israel.

The great man passed word along to set up camp - that on the morrow the Lord would deliver the children from the Egyptians. Asher helped his father set up their tent, feed the animals, and soothe his mother. Everyone was nervous and restless.

The sun set but the pillar behind them blazed it’s light. The Egyptians, on the other hand, were in total darkness for their side of the cloud emitted no light. They could not see the children of Israel, nor could the children see the Egyptians.


To be cont'd.....

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Love this!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Ohhh goodie!! another bible story. I tell ya if I had a sunday school teacher who told the stories like you I may not have had to relearn them all these years later. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/emot-hug.gif)

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I hope that I didn't bite off more than I can chew this time. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/whistling.gif)

The small family sat inside their tent, listening to the wind that had slightly increased since making camp. “The story, father,” Asher pleaded. “You haven’t told the ending yet.”

“I will finish the story and then you will go to sleep,” Asher’s father said. “You remember that we were all told the same thing, and to follow the instructions carefully?”

“Yes, Abba.”

“This is what the man Moses told us.”

Exo 12:1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
Exo 12:2 "This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.
Exo 12:3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household.
Exo 12:4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,
Exo 12:6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
Exo 12:7 "Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
Exo 12:8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Exo 12:9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts.
Exo 12:10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.
Exo 12:11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover.
Exo 12:12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.
Exo 12:13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
Exo 12:14 "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
Exo 12:15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
Exo 12:16 On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you.
Exo 12:17 And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.
Exo 12:18 In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
Exo 12:19 For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land.
Exo 12:20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread."

"We placed the blood on our doorposts, as we were told. And we prepared the sacrifice as we were instructed. We did all that Moses told us to do. So, Asher, do you remember what happened next?"

Asher moved closer to his father and leaned against him. “That was a scary night,” he said. "Many died. We could hear the cries and screams."

“Yes, my son, but we were safe. Remember that he said to tell our children that service is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the Israel in Egypt.
He spared us, and here we are now.”

Asher’s mother looked up at these words. “Spared us for how long? To die by the sea at the hands of the Egyptians? They will be here tomorrow. Tonight, if they can get around the pillar.” His mother raised her voice to be heard over the wind, which had increased steadily. “We are trapped by the sea!”

“The Lord led us here, mother. He wouldn’t bring us all this way to let us die.”

“Perhaps the graveyards were too full back at Egypt,” she cried.

The back of the tent tried to pull loose from the pole. Asher and his father jumped to secure the ropes holding the corners. They could hear raised voices from the surrounding families, all fighting to secure their tents. The wind increased throughout the night, gaining steadily in strength. No one slept, but instead trembled at the powerful force of nature. The winds howled and screamed and tore at their belongings. All night the people feared the unknown of the weather, and the surety of the Egyptians.

Toward morning the winds lessened. As soon as the sun peeked over the horizon and poured out some of its light on the valley below, Asher and his family left the confines of their tent. They saw many people standing in front of their group, all facing the great man, and the sea.

No one spoke as they stared in stark amazement. Sea walls rose away from them on either side, creating a dry pathway to the other side of the sea.

“What holds the walls?” Asher’s mother whispered.

“The Lord,” Asher quietly replied. “He said He would deliver us, and He will!”

The great man held up his staff and turned to the people.

Exo 14:13 "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.
Exo 14:14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."

And the people walked on dry ground through the sea, until they were all safely on the other side. The Egyptians pursued in their chariots. Once they were all inside the sea, Moses raised his staff and the sea walls fell. All the chariots were covered by the waters.

1Co 10:2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

It was a sight that Asher would never forget.

To be cont'd...

Goody! Goody!

Another story. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)


If you don't mind me adding my own recap, though.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/whistling.gif)


Pharoah Pharoah

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I LOVE that!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

You find the coolest things, Neb (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumbsup.gif)