“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,”
– Exodus 19:5
Hi James and Ellen,
Three months ago I was living in Goshen, Egypt. I lived with my folks on a small plot of land. My folks grew crops and raised sheep and goats. Family tribal clan guys, gals and kids lived near us. There were lots of kids nearby who I would play with when I was not helping my dad and/or ma. My dad’s Egyptian master would beat up my dad if my dad did not show up at daybreak to make mud bricks for him. There are about 600,000 guys in the camp that we are in right now that is set up in the Sinai Desert. There are all together around 3,000,000 guys, gals and kids in the camp. We are on an exodus to a land area called Canaan. My family’s patriarchs – who are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, lived over 400 years ago in the land of Canaan. Exactly three months have already gone by since we left the country of Egypt. I hope that Moses – who is our leader, knows what he is doing as the desert is scorching hot. I had been petrified when we walked through the Red Sea between two towering walls of water. It was walk through the Red Sea or be killed by the country of Egypt’s army. The last year or so that we lived in the country of Egypt was wild. First the Nile River turned to blood resulting in the fish in the river dying and leaving Egyptian guys, gals and kids without water to drink. Next enough frogs came out of the Nile River to cover the land of Egypt and to infest the homes that were lived in by Egyptian guys, gals and kids. Next lice were everywhere irritating Egyptian guys, gals and kids and the animals that Egyptian guys and gals owned. Next flies were everywhere biting Egyptian guys, gals and kid – especially around their eyes. Next cattle that were owned by Egyptian guys and gals began dying because of a virus. Next boils made standing and walking extremely painful for Egyptian guys, gals and kids. Next a bad hailstorm killed a bunch of Egyptian guys, gals and kids and a lot of their animals along with ruining their crops. Next a vast swarm of locusts totally blanketed the land of Egypt and ate whatever was left that the hailstorm had not destroyed. Next a darkness covered the land of Egypt that was so black and thick the Egyptian guys, gals and kids could not see what was in front of them. Finally – after the angel of death one night killed in each Egyptian nuclear family their firstborn son, the country of Egypt’s Pharaoh told my people group of Israelite guys, gals and kids to pack our things and to leave the land of Egypt. Not one of the ten plagues that happened to the Egyptian guys, gals and kids affected any guy, gal or kid in any of the twelve tribal clans that make up my people group. I was excited at first to go to a place where I had never been but now . . . to have a dark cloud pillar lead us during the daylight hours and a fire cloud pillar lead us during the nights is . . . is this really happening to me – or am I dreaming?
This stopping all the time, setting up camp and then taking down the camp again to move on when either cloud pillar starts to move is starting to get old. How long is Moses going to make us stay camped here? Did Moses really climb that mountain to talk with God? Why are the tribal clan leaders listening to what Moses is saying about what God told him? Why is everyone agreeing to follow God? Who is this God that we are all supposed to follow? How could this God make river water blood, send frogs, lice, fleas and locust everywhere, cause diseases and illnesses, make hail fall and the sky to become totally pitch black and kill just the oldest boy in a family? This God – per my dad and ma, is Who made the dry path through the Red Sea so that my people group tribal clans of guys, gals and kids could . . . and then Who closed the path to drown the country of Egypt’s Pharaoh and his army. My dad and ma are convinced that the presence of this God is in the cloud pillars. My dad and ma told me three days ago that this God told Moses that He is going to speak to everyone from a dense cloud that will cover the nearby mountain – and that we are all to wash our clothes in preparation of being in this God’s presence. Moses – per dad and ma, said that this God told him that no one was to climb the mountain in hopes of getting nearer to Him as . . . what does all this mean? What was wrong with the country of Egypt’s gods that dad and ma worshipped back where we lived in the country of Egypt? Those gods never did anything like what this God has done but . . .
I will never forget today. It was unbelievable. The booming thunder, lightning flashes and loud trumpet blasts that were coming from the thick cloud hanging over the mountain – which everyone calls Mount Sinai, was more than super impressive. Ground everywhere shoke. How can a kid like me not be a believer of this God Who is able to do something so fantastically awesome? How could Moses climb Mount Sinai when . . . no guy, gal or kid is getting close to Mount Sinai. I am for sure not going to get close to Mount Sinai. I do not want to be stoned or shot by an arrow. If you do not believe what just took place right now, read Exodus 19. Per what dad and ma told me what Moses told them what this God told him, I am special! Read verse 5, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,” It is now going on 3,500 years later. Even after all that God – as God the Father, did – even after letting His ‘fiery’ descent from heaven be seen albeit hidden by very dark smoke, God’s specially chosen guys and gals quickly rejected Him. Your grandpaa is now wondering how many more anomalous events need to take place these days before God . . .
Exodus 19 (1138)