Wandering

Wandering

The dunes stretch before me
vast, barren, dry
mountains of danger at every turn
My heart longs for Egypt
comfort, beauty, pleasure
and yet no longer home for me
Now I follow these sheep
needy, helpless, slow
they aren't even my flock
What am I doing here?

We come to the mountain's shadow
Horeb, the mountain of God,
it stands dominating the landscape
What is this marvel
fire, bush, no smoke
it burns but is not consumed
I leave the flock behind
fire, voice, "Moses"
"Take off your shoes."
What am I doing here?

"Go to Pharaoh."
Who am I?
"I am with you."
But who are you?
"I am."
"I am the God of your fathers."
"I have remembered my promise."
They will never believe me.
"I will prove myself."
"Here are signs of power over
creation, disease, and life itself."
But I get so tongue-tied.
"I made your tongue
and I can untie it."
Please don't make me!
"Boy, take your stick and go!"

Back across the desert
dry, barren, vast
out of the frying pan, into the fire
Standing before Pharaoh
riches, power, glory
and yet the LORD stands behind me.
"Let my people go."
laughter, mocking, disdain
'I do not know this god.'
Pharaoh persecutes the flock
blood, sweat, tears
'Make bricks without straw.'
'You are lazy!'

LORD, you haven't helped at all!
What am I doing here?

Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'" But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go." Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens." And Pharaoh said, "Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!" The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, "You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, 'Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.'
Exodus 5:1-8
 
The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, "You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day." They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; and they said to them, "The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us." Then Moses turned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all."
Exodus 5:19-23