For He will save His people
Scenario: Moses goes looking for a lost sheep and finds God instead.
Author's Note: This has to be one of my favourite scenes from the DreamWorks movie Prince of Egypt. I also love the music – it is so powerful and awe-inspiring. The dialogue I have used is also from the movie The Prince of Egypt.
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Wandering through caverns of caramel-coloured stone, I balance myself precariously on the ledge of yet another rock formation, the sounds of bleating not too far off.
"Oh, it's too early for this…"
I've always loved these caves, beautiful rock formations that are strangely mysterious. They pick up the sound of your voice and echo it ten thousand times over. I walk, supporting myself with my staff. A breeze blows through the wind tunnel, sifting through my hair and picking up the end of my long cloak. I can smell the earthy, damp smell of stone and my mind wanders, captured by the swirling patterns melding into the rock.
All of a sudden I am distracted by a soft blue light that touches my skin, seeming to emanate off the cave walls. I turn my head, hearing the little mischief-maker bleating a little way off, but my curiosity gets the better of me. I climb down through the narrow opening; my feet sliding on lose rubble and rock, and come out into an open cavern. And suddenly I am faced with the most spectacular sight; a small bush that has somehow managed to squeeze its way through such rocky terrain is alight with blue fire.
How is this even possible?
The fire itself has a gentle, almost ethereal consistency, a fluidity that laps in gentle waves and rhythms against the bare rock walls. Tentatively I touch my staff to the fire, but when I bring it into my hands, it is not even burnt. Stepping forward cautiously, I reach out my hand and the elusive substance curls around my fingers like a caress, warm and intimate.
A warm wind envelops me, blowing my hair, sending tingles down my spine. I turn around, sensing a strange presence, but see no one. The wind echoes my name, suspending my senses. Moses, the wind seems to whisper. Moses…Moses…
Moses…
I turn around again, my heart beating loudly against my chest. The voice is soft, gentle, little more than a whisper, but there is a strong persistency in the sound and I know it is meant for me and me alone.
"Here I am…"
My voice feels incredibly dry as if I've been walking through the desert and fear settles in the pit of my stomach.
Take the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground
I shiver as the voice seems to envelop me, resonating not only in my ears but through me like a wave. I feel my breath come out sharp and frightened, as I look around still not able to anyone apart from the flaming bush. It is as if the ground shifts beneath me, as if there is no place the mysterious light does not touch and stones skip towards the centre as if pulled by an invisible force. I turn towards the light source, my heart in my throat.
"Who are you?" I whisper.
The burning bush seems to grow in size as tendrils of white-blue light soar upwards, speaking powerful words that thrill me to the bone.
I AM that I AM
Unable to move, I can feel myself trembling. "Please…I don't understand."
I am the God of your ancestors; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
My mind reels as a young woman's face swims into view, her hair blowing in the wind as she sings the remnants of a Hebrew lullaby, a melody that leaves me with an aching sense of nostalgia. I drop my staff, grabbing for my shoes as her voice rings across the years. "You were born of my mother Jochebed – you are our brother!" I don't even hear them fall, as I fling my sandals behind me.
"What do you want with me…" I whisper frightened. But what scares me the most is the visions of the past that have been uncovered before my eyes, a past I somehow knew I could not hide from forever.
I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry…
More voices from the past echo in my ears, my voice; "Stop it! Leave that man alone!" It had been the day after I discovered the truth of my birth, the day I discovered I had been pulled out of the river Nile and that the King of Egypt, the man whom I had known as Father was a murderer… I still remember the feeling of anger that pounded through my veins as that slave-master whipped the old man. It was an anger that had pulsed through me like a wave and I had acted out without rational thought. I look towards the burning fire, keeping my eyes shut tight as I realise that every past thought and action is now open to the Divine being in front of me…
So I have come down to deliver them out of slavery and bring them to a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And so unto Pharaoh, I shall send…
You.
I look up, still slightly bewildered by all the visions that have presented themselves before my eyes, caught off guard.
"Me?" I hear my own disbelief echo too loudly in my ears. "Who… who am I to lead these people?" My heart starts pounding again as I stutter, trying to form words with a tongue that feels too thick to move. "They won't believe me, they won't even listen!"
I shall teach you what to say
The voice is patient and commanding and in front of my eyes, I see a vision of myself in the burning flames, standing before my brother and a multitude of people. "Let my people go!"
The fear that this vision arouses in me, makes my heart pick up rapid speed. "Bbut…" I stutter, "I was their enemy…I was the Prince of Egypt, the son of the man… who…who, slaughtered their… their children!" Dimly I am aware of how loud my voice sounds but I do not care. "You… you've chosen the wrong messenger. How can I even speak to these people!"
Too late, I realise that I have spoken foolishly. An obliterating wave of light swamps over me, almost consuming me, pounding again and again in my ears, under my skin, jolting me to the very core. It is like being in a fiery inferno of light, and through that light comes a voice so powerful I know that with one word, if it chose to, it could destroy the whole world.
WHO MADE MAN'S MOUTH?
WHO MADE THE DEAF, THE MUTE, THE SEEING OR THE BLIND?
DID NOT I?
NOW GO!
Curled up in a foetal position, I can do no more than breathe, unable to protect myself from the waves of incredible power that flow through me. I clench my teeth to keep them from chattering, my breathing coming out in harsh gasps as if I have been running. I understand now, that there is nothing, nothing His eyes cannot see… He can see my heart, my fear, my true intentions… I am utterly vulnerable and naked before Him, and this thought alone terrifies me. But as I crouch there in absolute fear, warm tendrils of light, soft and intimate, come and surround me, threading their way through my hair, my clothes, my skin.
Oh Moses…
And through that beautiful voice of warm and sincere love I feel myself, incredibly, being lifted off the ground. Floating on gentle waves of sound, floating, my heart filling with an incredible yearning, a yearning that I cannot even begin to understand… a yearning to be nearer this mysterious being … There is a gentle fire within me as all my senses are alighted and I stand in the midst of a presence that is Holy and beyond anything I have ever dreamt. The Divine voice is now gentle and whispered.
I shall be with you, when you go to the King of Egypt…
And I watch, the lights reflecting in my eyes as the powerful tendrils of fire flow heavenward. But Pharaoh will not listen… So I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all my…
wonders!
And before me, above me, the heavens open up and blind me with a vision of vibrant beauty and majesty. There is no way to describe the intensity of being held so closely. I am caught up in images of creation; the deep indigo of a velvet night, the pinpricks of tiny stars, the vast undulating desert landscape… of things seen and unseen…the mysteries of the universe, all held, all suspended within the hands of God, at once both personal and intimate and yet as powerful as the One who spoke the world into being.
Take the staff in your hand Moses. With it, you shall do my wonders…
And now I can't breathe for the tears that threaten to consume me. I wish there was some way I could be worthy of this. But I know it is God that chose me, and that is all that matters. It is as if the light dissolves and dissipates within me. It isn't separate… it is a part of me… I am brought gently to the ground, my mind overwhelmed and tears on my cheeks.
I shall be with you Moses…
I kneel there, unable to move for a time, as the heavenly light disappears but I know that a part of it is inside me. There is no doubt in my mind now, what I have to do. And the power of God will be with me…for He has heard the cries of His people…
I press my trembling fingers to my face as I hear my name whispered again and again on a warm, scented wind, Moses… Moses… Moses… and I wait as my heart beats slowly back to normal. I am no longer afraid, but filled with a deep sense of wonder, for I know now that He will be with me.
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