Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen people. The children of Israel moved
Speaker 1: as one, a tide of humanity, surging into the unknown wilderness.
Speaker 1: For days, they traveled, their spirits buoyed by the knowledge
Speaker 1: that they had left Egypt behind.
Speaker 2: Step with hope.
Speaker 3: Children of Israel march to freedom.
Speaker 4: My forefathers all fought in the wars.
Speaker 5: To expand this mighty kingdom. Some battles were won and
Speaker 5: some were lost. But the might of Rah and the
Speaker 5: brightness of his sons never dulled. I am Pharaoh. The
Speaker 5: image of Rah, their unnamed god, may have bested me
Speaker 5: at a battle, but.
Speaker 4: He will not win the war.
Speaker 5: Commander's cards Ready, my best charioteers.
Speaker 1: The attendants and soldiers hiding in the throne rooms shadows
Speaker 1: leaped into action. Pharaoh's orders sent ripples through the palace,
Speaker 1: and the sound of armor and weapons clashing filled the air.
Speaker 5: Ready the six hundred Chosen chariots armed them with spears,
Speaker 5: spurs and swords.
Speaker 6: Tell the people of Israel to turn back and camp
Speaker 6: in front of pie Harthioth, between Bigdoo and the sea,
Speaker 6: in front of Bay Alzavonnor you shall camp facing it
Speaker 6: by the sea.
Speaker 4: Why would I have em facing the sea.
Speaker 6: My works have hardened Pharaoh's heart. He will perceive you
Speaker 6: are vulnerable and pursue you.
Speaker 7: You bring us to him on purpose.
Speaker 1: Why I will have my glory of a pharaoh.
Speaker 8: He will know that I am the Lord. I will
Speaker 8: not be bested by the culof slaves. This will not
Speaker 8: be my legacy.
Speaker 4: I will return the Israelites, either bounding or rope, or
Speaker 4: with their heads on bikes, the desert will drink their
Speaker 4: blood and the name of Ramses. You'll be feed for generation.
Speaker 7: With chariots thundering behind and waves crashing ahead, faith and
Speaker 7: fear collided in a display of God's unfathomable power. Sello,
Speaker 7: my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel.
Speaker 7: I'mya l estein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Speaker 7: Welcome to the Chosen People. Do you remember a time
Speaker 7: when you felt trapped, really and truly trapped, and then,
Speaker 7: as all hope seemed lost as you stood on the
Speaker 7: precipice of despair, maybe you witnessed a miracle in full
Speaker 7: before your eyes. This week we see this happen and
Speaker 7: one of the most iconic stories ever told, the Parting
Speaker 7: of the Red Sea, a tale not just a physical deliverance,
Speaker 7: but of profound spiritual significance, And we ask, what does
Speaker 7: it mean to be chosen, to be lad, and yet
Speaker 7: to feel abandoned and at the brink of annihilation?
Speaker 1: The sky above churned like a boiling cauldron, dark clouds
Speaker 1: swirling and rolling in an ominous dance. Thunder growled low
Speaker 1: and long, like the roar of some great beast roused
Speaker 1: from slumber. The air itself seemed to tremble in anticipation
Speaker 1: of what was to come. Moses stood at the edge
Speaker 1: of the encampment, his gaze sweeping across the sea's surface.
Speaker 1: Behind him, the jagged hills loomed like the teeth of
Speaker 1: a great predator. There was no escape. They were trapped
Speaker 1: in the distance. Beneath the rumble of thunder, The sound
Speaker 1: of war drums began to throb, faint at first, but
Speaker 1: growing louder with each passing moment. The steady thump reverberated
Speaker 1: through the ground, climbing up moses legs and settling in
Speaker 1: his chest like the pounding of a second heartbeat. Pharaoh
Speaker 1: was coming. The vase chariots of Egypt rolled toward them like.
Speaker 6: A tidal wave.
Speaker 1: Of iron and death, driven by wrath, driven by the
Speaker 1: hubris of a broken king. Moses, standing alone atop a rise,
Speaker 1: should have been panicking, But instead of terror, his mind
Speaker 1: drifted elsewhere, far from the impending clash of steel and flesh.
Speaker 1: He thought of Zipporah. He thought of the sweet, simple
Speaker 1: peace of media, where the wind whispered through the shrubs,
Speaker 1: and the only sounds were the soft bleating of the
Speaker 1: lambs and the laughter of children. Oh, how he longed
Speaker 1: for it now, to be by her side again, to
Speaker 1: feel the warmth of her hand in his, to smell
Speaker 1: the faint trace of frankincense in her hair. He could
Speaker 1: almost see her, standing at the entrance of their tent,
Speaker 1: her face lighting up as she saw him approach. Her
Speaker 1: smile was always the same, gentle and warm, with that
Speaker 1: dimple on her left cheek, the deeper when she laughed.
Speaker 1: He missed the simplicity of those days, the way the
Speaker 1: world had seemed so small, so manageable. There were no
Speaker 1: empires to defy, no gods to answer, no seas to cross,
Speaker 1: just him, his wife and their children, living in the
Speaker 1: desert its embrace. His heart ached with the thought of them.
Speaker 1: He had given up everything to answer the call of God.
Speaker 1: But now, at this moment, he felt the sting of
Speaker 1: that sacrifice more acutely than ever before.
Speaker 4: He was no God.
Speaker 1: Though the Egyptians trembled before him and his people revered
Speaker 1: him as the Chosen Prophet, he was only a man,
Speaker 1: a man who missed his home and longed for peace.
Speaker 1: His hands now trembled slightly at his sides, his knees
Speaker 1: weakened beneath him, and he drew a slow, steadying breath. Moses,
Speaker 1: the Deliverer, the chosen vessel of the Most High, was
Speaker 1: as human as any of them. And yet, even with
Speaker 1: his heart yearning for the comfort of his past, his
Speaker 1: eyes turned back to the people. They were his people,
Speaker 1: a nation formed not by borders or kings, but by
Speaker 1: a shared promise. He saw their faces now a sea
Speaker 1: of fear and desperation. The older ones who had felt
Speaker 1: the lash of the taskmasters, their eyes hollow and worn
Speaker 1: from decades of suffering. The younger ones, wide eyed and uncertain,
Speaker 1: not yet fully understanding the peril they were in. Mothers
Speaker 1: clutched their infants to their chests, shielding.
Speaker 6: Them from the growing storm.
Speaker 1: Fathers gripped whatever makeshift weapons they could find staffs, axes, stones,
Speaker 1: knowing in their hearts that they were no match for
Speaker 1: the war machines of Egypt. More than anything, Moses longed
Speaker 1: for them to have what he had once tasted, a home,
Speaker 1: a land where they would be free from the chains
Speaker 1: of their oppressors, a land flowing with milk and honey,
Speaker 1: as the Lord had promised. But that promise now seemed
Speaker 1: so distant, so in possible. All they could see was
Speaker 1: the sea before them and death behind them. Moses tilted
Speaker 1: his head back, his eyes closing. As he lifted his
Speaker 1: face toward the heavens. The wind tugged at his robes,
Speaker 1: whipping the fabric around him as if it too was
Speaker 1: caught in the brewing storm. He sighed a deep, weary sound.
Speaker 8: I believe THEE.
Speaker 4: I believe THEE world deliver us.
Speaker 1: The words were not loud, but they carried the weight
Speaker 1: of a man who had seen the impossible, made reel.
Speaker 1: But the response came not from the heavens but from
Speaker 1: the earth below. A voice, deep and filled with rage,
Speaker 1: cut through the canyons, bellowing downward to the people like
Speaker 1: the roar of a wild beast. Pharaoh faster, sick, hundred
Speaker 1: chariots churned up dust and stone behind Pharaoh and his armies.
Speaker 1: They rode with hardened rage deep in their stomachs. The
Speaker 1: air was thick with the scent of iron and hatred.
Speaker 1: Pharaoh's scepter rose above his head, poised to strike the
Speaker 1: first Hebrew he saw.
Speaker 3: I am eh God, I am Lord of the Nile.
Speaker 4: Heavy travel.
Speaker 8: I.
Speaker 1: Suddenly the heavens responded. The chariots were halted by a
Speaker 1: pillar of fire falling from the sky. The heavenly inferno
Speaker 1: raged before them with white heart intensity. The horses reared
Speaker 1: in a panicked frenzy, and the soldiers cowered, shielding their faces.
Speaker 1: The heat singed their brows, but Pharaoh wouldn't relent. His
Speaker 1: fury burned just as fierce as the heavenly flames. Violent
Speaker 1: rage stripped out of him like sweat. He knew the
Speaker 1: Lord had challenged him, but even after all the plagues
Speaker 1: and destruction, Pharaoh refused to benderneath.
Speaker 4: You will not rule over me.
Speaker 3: If I can't hid them bic, I'll kill him.
Speaker 5: Dear blood shall consecrate my brain.
Speaker 4: They will know that I am foul.
Speaker 1: The children of Israel stood in front of the sea,
Speaker 1: the waters churned violently, a dark and chaotic symbol of death.
Speaker 4: Terror carved deep.
Speaker 1: Lines into their weary faces as they stood paralyzed, the
Speaker 1: sounds of Pharaoh's approaching fury growing louder behind them. They
Speaker 1: were trapped between their oppressors and the abyss. They had
Speaker 1: no way out and no way forward.
Speaker 4: Wid You is not what he wants?
Speaker 6: Is this what you wanted?
Speaker 4: Moses?
Speaker 6: We have no graves in Egypt, so you've decided to
Speaker 6: bury us out here. You should have left us alone.
Speaker 3: Better to live as slaves than die out here.
Speaker 1: Moses' eyes widened with similar panic, but he had to
Speaker 1: remain calm. His gaze shifted from the menacing chariots to
Speaker 1: the swirling chaos of the sea. He didn't know how
Speaker 1: long the chariots.
Speaker 4: Would be kept at bay.
Speaker 1: They had to act quickly.
Speaker 6: Moses, we can't remain here.
Speaker 2: We either surrendered a pharaoh or start running around the shoreline.
Speaker 1: He's got must this war.
Speaker 4: Why down now?
Speaker 6: Are you listening to me? Surrender around the coast.
Speaker 5: We can't remain here.
Speaker 6: We're running out of time.
Speaker 4: Have you learned nothing here?
Speaker 6: Remember how we got here?
Speaker 1: Moses left his brother's side and ascended a jagged out.
Speaker 1: He looked over the flock of Israel. He saw their fear,
Speaker 1: He felt it. He wasn't immune to terror, yet he
Speaker 1: knew deliverance was at hand someway. Somehow, Moses knew the
Speaker 1: Lord would respond. He wouldn't have freed them from slavery
Speaker 1: to abandon them.
Speaker 4: Now.
Speaker 1: The same God who rained fire from the sky and
Speaker 1: turned the Nile to blood would not forsake them. Moses
Speaker 1: wasn't an eloquent man, a motivator, or an orator like
Speaker 1: his brother, but he trusted God. He wanted the children
Speaker 1: of Israel to move with the same faith. His faith
Speaker 1: burned like a furnace. Moses pointed toward the chariots, illuminated
Speaker 1: by flames. Pharaoh's bloodthirsty screams resounded over the sound of
Speaker 1: the waves and inferno. But Moses saw him for who
Speaker 1: he truly was, a false God and a defeat man.
Speaker 3: Look at them, Look at the Egyptians hungry for your flesh.
Speaker 3: After this day you will never see them again. Stand firm,
Speaker 3: reject the fear gripping your hearts. Stand firm and behold
Speaker 3: the salvation of the Lord.
Speaker 4: He will fight for you.
Speaker 1: A mighty Eastern wind blew through the canyons, churning the
Speaker 1: water's edge. The breath of God was near. Moses looked
Speaker 1: back at the raging sea. The waters were dark and untamed,
Speaker 1: just as they were in the very beginning. But the
Speaker 1: wind of God was present, the Rua, the spirit. Everything
Speaker 1: went silent for Moses, as if he were suspended from
Speaker 1: space and time. The clamor of the crowd faded into
Speaker 1: a distant echo. He gripped his staff tightly, brow furrowed
Speaker 1: with righteous resolve. He closed his eyes, hearing the voice
Speaker 1: of the Almighty resounding in his mind.
Speaker 6: Why do you cry to me? Tell the children of
Speaker 6: Israel to advance. Stretch forth your hand over the sea,
Speaker 6: and behold my wonders. I will triumph over Pharaoh and
Speaker 6: his armies. My glory will be revealed, and my name
Speaker 6: will be exalted among the nations. They will know that
Speaker 6: I am the Lord.
Speaker 1: Moses opened his eyes, planted his foot firmly on the
Speaker 1: rock below, and raised his staff. The breath of God
Speaker 1: blew from behind his chosen people. The wind cut through
Speaker 1: the sea like a razin, dividing the waters into two
Speaker 1: great walls, with try land between them. The people fell
Speaker 1: back and beheld the red sea yield to the will
Speaker 1: of God. The voice of the Creator tamed the dark
Speaker 1: and chaotic abyss. Moses turned his voice, thundering over the stunned.
Speaker 3: Crowd ran steppity of freedom.
Speaker 1: Aaron and Miriam rallied the people. Women with children ran
Speaker 1: in first, with the men in the back. The waters
Speaker 1: were held at bay by the breath of the Creator,
Speaker 1: and the chosen people ran through unharmed. They leaped over
Speaker 1: stones and helped each other up jagged slopes. Moses remained
Speaker 1: there with his staff held high.
Speaker 4: He looked back.
Speaker 1: The pillar of fire rose into a dark plume of smoke,
Speaker 1: enveloping Pharaoh's army in darkness. The six hundred chariots burst
Speaker 1: through with rage. Soot covered their faces, mirroring the darkness
Speaker 1: in their hearts.
Speaker 3: Af Da them DoD stop, but on the sea run
Speaker 3: sad with their god.
Speaker 1: They were the cries of a man watching his godhood
Speaker 1: melt away under the intensity of a more extraordinary being.
Speaker 1: Moses turned to Pharaoh, seeing the man he once knew
Speaker 1: as a kinsman and friend. Images of their childhood flashed
Speaker 1: in his mind. He didn't see a bloodthirsty tyrant. He
Speaker 1: saw Ramses, the boy, the brother before the throne, and
Speaker 1: delusions of divinity. He was a boy playing by the stream,
Speaker 1: pretending to be a sea monster. He had become a
Speaker 1: monster indeed, and it broke Moses' heart. Ramses relents, you all.
Speaker 4: Come back and fike cod.
Speaker 1: Moses was frozen, staring into Pharaoh's darkened eyes. Just then
Speaker 1: an arm grabbed him from behind.
Speaker 3: Just snap out of it.
Speaker 4: You have to run.
Speaker 1: Aaron took Moses by the arm and dragged him back.
Speaker 1: The brothers ran down the path cut through the sea.
Speaker 1: The MUDs slowed their pace, and the sounds of horse
Speaker 1: hoofs and bronze wheels weren't far behind. Moses didn't look
Speaker 1: back until he reached the other side. The chariots were
Speaker 1: stalled from the muck of the sea's floor. Frustrated, Pharaoh
Speaker 1: sent spears and arrows. They broke against the rocks, right
Speaker 1: past Moses. Aaron launched himself up a stone and crawled up.
Speaker 1: He extended his hand to Moses.
Speaker 2: Everyone who's on the other side, we have to move
Speaker 2: before they catch up.
Speaker 6: Miriam is already taking them to the hills.
Speaker 2: No command them to stay.
Speaker 3: Don't be foolish, Moses, Let's flee now before it's too late.
Speaker 6: We finally have a chance to be free.
Speaker 2: We don't understand, Aaron, The Lord doesn't want us to run.
Speaker 2: For the rest of our lives. As long as Pharaoh lives,
Speaker 2: we'll never be free. Lord promised that we'd never see
Speaker 2: them again.
Speaker 1: Moses turned back to the chariots. Another arrow flew past him,
Speaker 1: barely grazing his cheek. The renowned chariots of Egypt were
Speaker 1: rendered useless in the mud. They dismounted, trudging through the
Speaker 1: muck with spears in hand, moses jaw quivered. The mighty
Speaker 1: armies of Egypt were about to crumble.
Speaker 6: Stretch out your hand again, Moses. Stretch out your hand
Speaker 6: and behold, Pharaoh will know that I am the Lord.
Speaker 1: With an onslaught of arrows and spears flying toward him.
Speaker 1: Moses raised his staff in the air.
Speaker 4: You he'll feel the tip of my spear.
Speaker 5: Morses, you and your unnamed god, we'll bow at my
Speaker 5: feet unborder side.
Speaker 6: He has an aide, and now all of Egypts will remember.
Speaker 1: Moses lowered his staff and the waters fell like mountains.
Speaker 1: Pharaoh was crushed under the weight of the sea. The
Speaker 1: chariots splintered, the swords disappeared, and the rushing waters.
Speaker 4: Drowned out their screams.
Speaker 1: The oppressors of God's chosen people were buried in darkness.
Speaker 1: The waves subsided, and the hot eastern wind quieted its rage.
Speaker 1: Moses stood at the shore, overlooking the dark waters that
Speaker 1: had just swallowed up the god of Egypt. The Lord
Speaker 1: had indeed won. He did what he said he would do.
Speaker 1: He prevailed over the gods of Egypt. He made them
Speaker 1: bow and bleed before them. He made a way when
Speaker 1: there seemed to be no other way. Moses's throat clenched
Speaker 1: and he fell to his knees. Finally, and euphorically, Moses
Speaker 1: released a loud cry that soared through the air and
Speaker 1: across the sea. Its echoes were piercing, inviting the ears
Speaker 1: of all who had just witnessed Pharaoh's defeat. Moses cried
Speaker 1: tears of relief, sorrow, and joy. His past was buried
Speaker 1: beneath the sea. He felt the tight embrace of Miriam
Speaker 1: come from behind. She held him tightly as a mother
Speaker 1: would to her hurting child. Shortly after was Aaron. He
Speaker 1: wrapped both of them in his long arms, squad with
Speaker 1: quivering arms. They looked at the sea, then back at
Speaker 1: the people. That past was behind them, buried in the abyss,
Speaker 1: But as they stared into the eyes of the Chosen People,
Speaker 1: they knew the future was before them.
Speaker 7: What a breath taking tail, the tension, the fear, the
Speaker 7: miraculous escape. It's impossible not to be moved by the
Speaker 7: sheer intensity of that moment, the cries of our ancestors,
Speaker 7: the pounding of their hearts, the towering walls of water.
Speaker 7: Let's talk about water. Water is completely formless. It's shaped
Speaker 7: by whatever vessel contains it. What happened at the Red
Speaker 7: Sea not only represented the final stage in the Chosen
Speaker 7: People's departure from Egypt, but it also contained a foundational
Speaker 7: message for where we are headed. Before their eyes and
Speaker 7: at God's command, the formless water attained form and definition.
Speaker 7: The sea split and water formed a wall on both sides,
Speaker 7: creating a path for the Israelites to cross the sea.
Speaker 7: This was also a signal and a symbol from God
Speaker 7: to the Chosen People. He gave us the Torah in
Speaker 7: order to impose form and higher meaning on an otherwise
Speaker 7: formless physical world. Since that dramatic moment of the splitting
Speaker 7: of the Sere mission has been to impart form on
Speaker 7: ourselves and the world around us by leading godly lives.
Speaker 7: And isn't that the mission that Jews and Christians share
Speaker 7: to bring spiritual form to a world that so often
Speaker 7: sadly lacks. Here in Israel, everything seems to circle back
Speaker 7: to the Torah everyday moments infused with ancient wisdom. One time,
Speaker 7: after my family enjoyed a day rafting down the Jordan River,
Speaker 7: my children decided to ride the zipline at the end
Speaker 7: of the route. The zipline began high up on the
Speaker 7: shore and ended in the water below, and when my
Speaker 7: daughter's turn arrived, she hesitated. She looked down and it
Speaker 7: was scary for her, and the zipline operator, who was
Speaker 7: trying to encourage her, yelled out, come on, be like Nashoni.
Speaker 7: My daughter actually smiled, took the leap, and enjoyed the ride.
Speaker 7: Now what was it that he said which boosted her confidence?
Speaker 7: The term Nashoni comes from this Bible story and it
Speaker 7: refers to Nashon from the tribe of Judah. According to
Speaker 7: Jewish tradition, as the Israelite stood at the Red Sea
Speaker 7: with the Egyptian army, closing in, they panicked, and while
Speaker 7: Moses prayed and everyone else was paralyzed with fear, it
Speaker 7: was Nachon who walked straight into the sea with complete faith.
Speaker 7: Tradition teaches that when the water reached Nashon's nose, God
Speaker 7: told Moses stop praying, stretch out your staff, and now
Speaker 7: you can split the sea. That's exactly what happened. Nachon
Speaker 7: walked in the water with faith until it reached his nose,
Speaker 7: and that's when Moses stretched out his staff and the
Speaker 7: sea split for the Israelites to walk through. One person,
Speaker 7: Nachon stepped out in faith, and that led to everyone
Speaker 7: being able to walk through the sea and be saved.
Speaker 7: What an incredible lesson about faith. Sometimes we sit and
Speaker 7: deliberate and pray about an action that we might take.
Speaker 7: We may even know in our hearts that it's the
Speaker 7: right thing to do, but still we hesitate. Should I
Speaker 7: or sho and die? Will I succeed or will I fail?
Speaker 7: Is the timing right? We hesitate and ask so many questions,
Speaker 7: like we're waiting for the seed to part so we
Speaker 7: can easily walk through. But the story of Nachon teaches us,
Speaker 7: if we wait for the conditions to be just right,
Speaker 7: we might actually miss our chance or wait forever. Instead,
Speaker 7: we are called to be like Nahshoni, to step out
Speaker 7: in faith even in the stormy waters. We have to
Speaker 7: act knowing that God will help us, and we must
Speaker 7: believe that when we follow God and faith, he will
Speaker 7: faithfully lead us through as we follow the chosen people
Speaker 7: across the Red Sea. I want to leave you with
Speaker 7: one more teaching from Jewish tradition. The Jewish sages illuminate
Speaker 7: this moment with a very profound truth. Until the children
Speaker 7: of Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore, they
Speaker 7: didn't actually believe that they were really free. Although they
Speaker 7: had escaped Egypt physically, they were still enslaved mentally. The
Speaker 7: specter of their former masters loomed large in their minds,
Speaker 7: haunting their steps and shackling their hearts. The Israelites carried
Speaker 7: unnecessary baggage. They lugged around the fear of recapture, the
Speaker 7: dread of their past reclaiming them. And we in our
Speaker 7: lives do the same. We fret over our incomes, don't we.
Speaker 7: We worry about our homes, our children, our futures, things
Speaker 7: that are not in our control, and we shoulder burdens
Speaker 7: that are not ours to bear. In the fifty fifth thumb,
Speaker 7: David tells us to cast your cares on the Lord,
Speaker 7: and he will sustain you. God, the one who brought
Speaker 7: our ancestors for the sea and dry ground, who conquered
Speaker 7: Pharaoh and his chariots, as the same one who carries us. Now,
Speaker 7: God who carries us and all of our burdens too,
Speaker 7: is here with us. So let go of your imaginary shackles,
Speaker 7: place your worries into God's hands, and step out into freedom.
Speaker 7: Today God is carrying you, just as He carried the
Speaker 7: Chosen People across the sea.
Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Eckstein
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Speaker 1: Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made
Speaker 1: possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina,
Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive
Speaker 1: producers of the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, edited by
Speaker 1: Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by
Speaker 1: Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold,
Speaker 1: Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore.
Speaker 1: Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and
Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin,
Speaker 1: kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship
Speaker 1: of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot
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