MOSES

Part IV

Passover and Exodus

While Egypt sorely was afflicted,
God’s people would now be instructed,
For their deliverance in some few days,
There will be no more delays.
But that they would leave not empty-handed,
God had for them intended, a reward for lifelong slavery,
They be given silver, gold, and jewelry.
And the Egyptians gave them freely and they respected Moses highly.
One more plague was yet to come
Into every Egyptian’s home,
Then Israel would be purged out with an agonizing, desperate shout.

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The month they were now in would be the first month of the year to begin,
On day ten every family take then a lamb of one year
Without blemish to keep it in till day fourteen.
Then all Israel shall slay it in the evening,
And of the blood taking, with hyssop strike the lintel
And the side posts of the door,
Then, no one, shall till the morning go out of the house anymore.
They were to roast the lamb with bitter herbs to eat in haste,
Fully dressed and sandaled feet,
It is the LORD’s Passover, for He will go over all the land of Egypt,
And when He sees the blood upon the door, He will pass over,
And the plague shall not come near,
When He shall smite Egypt with great fear.
And the children of Israel obeyed the word,
Moses and Aaron were commanded by the LORD.
And this day shall be for a memorial unto Israel
A feast to keep through all generations
To remember with holy veneration,
How God with a mighty hand, delivered Israel
Out of the Egyptian land.
While Israel was waiting for the morning,
For Egypt there would be great mourning,
For at midnight God did smite the firstborn
Of Pharaoh who was sitting on the throne,
Of his servants, and the priests, down to common ones
And of the captive regarded as the least,
To the firstborn of the cattle and the beast.
Egypt heard a cry so sore like never heard before,
There was spared no dwelling place,
The bereaved as they mourned over the dead moved as in a haze.
Egypt was brought to its knees, the land was ruined, there was no peace.
Pharaoh rose up in the night, called for Moses, Aaron so he might
At last let Israel go with haste, and asked that he be blest.
The Egyptians urged the Israelites to leave the land,
For they feared that death to all would be at hand.
Then God’s people hurried on, taking their kneading doughs along,
Unleavened bound upon their shoulders,
They were joyous leaving now at last,
For their bondage has now past.
And the Egyptians gave them freely jewelry of gold and raiment,
They feared no ending torment,
Come upon them if these Israelites
Stay on longer at their sites.
There moved a mixed multitude as well along,
With Israel that now was six hundred thousand men strong,
Besides their children, herds of cattle, flocks of sheep and goats
From Rameses to Succoth.
And Moses took the bones of Joseph he required on his death bed,
(Ex. 13:19) For surely God would visit them
As was promised it to Abraham, (Gen. 15:13-14),
His seed be four hundred years in a strange land,
Then by a strong hand be delivered from oppression
To become a special nation.

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Four hundred and thirty years the children of Israel
Did live in Egypt, and at the end, on the selfsame day
They came out in the month of Abib.
After Succoth they camped at Etham
At the edge of the wilderness that they may rest.
And the LORD went before them in a pillar of a cloud
By day to shield them from the heat,
In a pillar of fire in the night, to give them light.
The vast, enormous throng of men, women, children,
Moved along with wagons, cattle, flocks and herds,
Like a mighty river close together,
A human flood pressing ever forward, ever moving onward.

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Days after the Exodus, the land of Egypt was desolate
Of the Hebrew slaves,
Pharaoh angrily behaves with great regret,
That Israel escaped his net;
With fury he mobilized his army, left behind not any
Of the chariots and horseman
And rushed off in haste, not any time to waste.
And God commanded Moses that they turn
Towards the Red Sea, there to encamp,
For Pharaoh is on the way. And there was great dismay
When they saw the Egyptians coming in the distance,
There was no resistance left but great despair was in the air.
And the people reproached Moses bitterly,
They were here defenseless utterly!
Why had they to leave Egypt to die here in the wilderness?
This did to them just make no sense!
But Moses said to them: “Fear not, you shall see the salvation of God,
Stand still, for the LORD will show to you today,
He will open you the way, and the Egyptians shall you see
Not anymore for evermore!
For God shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace
And be at ease!”
And God said they should go forward, and Moses to stretch out his rod
Over the sea and they shall see that it divides when they are
Moving onward, and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground,
Through the sea freedom bound
Over to a new shore, nevermore to be in bondage
Led by God’s mighty power into a new age.
And the pillar of cloud moved from before them
To be behind them, so that it was black night
Before the Egyptians, but by the Israelites was light.
And Moses holding over the sea his rod, the LORD God
Caused a strong wind to divide the waters into high walls
On the left and on the right all night.
And the children of Israel with enthusiasm moved forward on dry land
Over them God’s protecting hand.
In the morning the Egyptians refreshed, rushed into the sea,
To pursue the Hebrews, and God looked unto Pharaoh’s host
And He caused disturbance to the chariots to brake off the wheels,
Then the LORD reveals His great might in turning the tide
Telling Moses to hold his hand over the sea
So Pharaoh’s army cannot turn back to flee,
For the waters rushing back to their strength as before
Not able to reach the shore, but drowned the chariots and horsemen,
Horses and all men, and Pharaoh, they all sank into the deep below.
And the Israelites were in great awe, as their astonished eye then saw
The Egyptians dead upon the shore, their enemies them pursue no more.
And they lifted up their heads and hands, standing upon the new land,
To joyfully give God thanks and with gratefulness fell on their face,
And worshipped, honored Him and believed on Him.
And Moses and the people sang a song to the LORD,
A song of praise how in triumph He did raise the waters
Unto Pharaoh’s host, and horses and the chariots,
And the chosen captains He had cast into the sea,
And drowned them in the Red Sea.
Miriam, the prophetess, sister Aaron’s, Moses’;
And the women with their timbrels, came
Singing, and with dancing, joining in the praise
How God had triumphed gloriously,
For the horse and rider had He cast into the sea….

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Pharaoh was a most peculiar man,
From all disasters, calamities he refused to learn,
(Truly, he should have been driven from his throne).
Defiant, his foolish heart stayed in rebellion,
Till he bemoaned his firstborn son.
All joy, prosperity had crumbled,
Though his dignity was humbled,
He remained the same, unchanged, hard-cored to his shameful end…

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The long ordeal of Jacob’s seed at last
Was a thing now of the past.
For God would lead them into a new life and home.
But till Israel could come into the Promised Land,
Many things and lessons were to learn and understand,
Till finally they did give God the glory,
But this is another story.
Amen.

Edda Tedford, Canada