Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
Speaker 2: When you return to Egypt, see that you show Pharaoh
Speaker 2: every thunder. I have yet still your heart, Moses. For
Speaker 2: Pharaoh's heart I have turned to iron. He will not
Speaker 2: let my people go.
Speaker 1: The onlookers gasped as the clear blue green currents.
Speaker 2: Of the Nile began to darken.
Speaker 1: The color shifting deepened, turning from blue to a murky red.
Speaker 3: The lent rameses rum lands.
Speaker 1: Suddenly the frogs came, hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands.
Speaker 4: He will not break me.
Speaker 1: In one fell swoop, he struck the earth. The dust
Speaker 1: rose in great clouds, twisting and writhing in the air,
Speaker 1: before transformed into a swarm of gnats.
Speaker 2: You will crush him beneath the heel of et.
Speaker 3: Yet he has nothing but a dog and insat, curling
Speaker 3: at my k.
Speaker 1: The following day, the flies came ma and sery means
Speaker 1: the sea. The camels, donkeys, and cattles all fell where
Speaker 1: they stood, their bodies becoming part of the blighted landscape.
Speaker 1: A fire and ice cascaded from the sky in an
Speaker 1: onslaught of destruction. Immense power and unbridled destruction came upon Egypt.
Speaker 4: Comments to light me down.
Speaker 3: Here you down.
Speaker 1: Locusts, millions upon millions of them, descending upon Egypt like
Speaker 1: a plague from the very pits of Hell.
Speaker 4: I will strike you down like the pack of animals.
Speaker 3: You are.
Speaker 1: Three days of darkness fell upon Egypt, thick and suffocating,
Speaker 1: as if the very light of the world had been extinguished.
Speaker 5: The Lord isn't just at war with Pharaoh, hearing he's
Speaker 5: going to battle against the gods of Egypt. What do
Speaker 5: you mean The Lord is striking down the gods.
Speaker 3: Of Egypt one by.
Speaker 4: And what would the Lord do when only one god
Speaker 4: is left standing? Which god are you talking about?
Speaker 5: Pharaoh?
Speaker 6: You will know his name, Pharaoh, for it will be
Speaker 6: on your lips when your kingdom crumbles to dust. Shalloh,
Speaker 6: my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel,
Speaker 6: i'mya l Ekstein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews,
Speaker 6: Welcome to the Chosen People. In this story, we stand
Speaker 6: on the edge of catastrophe. Egypt lies in ruins, reeling
Speaker 6: from plagues that have swept through like a tidal wave,
Speaker 6: devastating the land, the people, and the proud heart of
Speaker 6: its king. Yet here stands Pharaoh, stubborn to the end,
Speaker 6: unwilling to bend even as his world crumbles around him.
Speaker 6: The final confrontation between God and Pharaoh looms. What drives
Speaker 6: a man to hold on to pride even as his
Speaker 6: world is collapsing? And what does it mean when God
Speaker 6: hardens a heart? Are we free in our choices? Or
Speaker 6: are we being shaped by something much larger than we
Speaker 6: can understand?
Speaker 1: Moses steps were leaden, each footfall a deliberate echo upon
Speaker 1: the cracked stone of the palace. The once great halls
Speaker 1: of Pharaoh's stronghold stood like a mausoleum, haunted by the
Speaker 1: ghosts of its past glory. He could still remember the
Speaker 1: splendor of it, the way the wars had shimmered with
Speaker 1: gold and the air had buzzed with the power of
Speaker 1: the gods of Egypt. But now that power had turned sour.
Speaker 1: The once lustrous tapestries torn and soiled, the statues of
Speaker 1: the gods veiled in shadow. Servants scurried like frightened mice,
Speaker 1: trying in vain to restore the splendor, their eyes hollow
Speaker 1: with fear. The Nile, once the river of life and
Speaker 1: the heart of Egypt, was bleeding out Pharaoh's Palace like
Speaker 1: the kingdom itself was broken, splintered by the weight of
Speaker 1: the plagues that had ravaged the land. Yet the greatest
Speaker 1: devastation still loomed like a storm on the horizon, unseen
Speaker 1: but inevitable. Moses stopped before the grand entrance, his heart
Speaker 1: heavy with grief. The lord's words still echoed in his mind,
Speaker 1: as relentless as the wind whipping across the desert.
Speaker 2: One more plague will come upon Pharaoh, when all of
Speaker 2: Egypt after my judgment, he will let you go from
Speaker 2: this place. When he lets you go, he will drive
Speaker 2: you away completely into the wilderness.
Speaker 1: He had known this moment was coming, had felt it
Speaker 1: in the marrow of his bones. With each plague that passed,
Speaker 1: each sign ignored, Egypt was crumbling, and with it the
Speaker 1: will of its king. Yet even now Pharaoh clung to
Speaker 1: his pride as a drowning man would a stone. Moses
Speaker 1: sighed and turned to Aaron, who stood behind him, his
Speaker 1: brother's face pale beneath the weight of what was to come.
Speaker 5: Wait here, Iaran, I must go in alone, Moses.
Speaker 4: Wait is that wise? Pharaoh's wrath is fierce, and you
Speaker 4: know his heart. Let me go with you.
Speaker 5: No, no, no, brother. I must face him alone.
Speaker 4: This is the last time.
Speaker 2: You're doing that thing again with your voice.
Speaker 4: Please let me come with you.
Speaker 1: Aaron hesitated, but in the end he nodded. He knew,
Speaker 1: as Moses did, that the time for reasoning had passed.
Speaker 1: What was coming could not be bargained with nor avoided.
Speaker 1: The Lord's judgment would descend upon Egypt like a sword
Speaker 1: drawn from the heavens. Moses turned, drawing in a deep breath,
Speaker 1: and entered the throne room. The hall was empty save
Speaker 1: for Pharaoh himself. The air was thick with silence, and
Speaker 1: the scent of old incense still lingered, bitter and cold.
Speaker 1: The grand columns that once stood tall like the gods
Speaker 1: of Egypt, now see smaller, diminished. Pharaoh sat upon his throne,
Speaker 1: but the man who occupied it was not the king
Speaker 1: Moses had once known. Rameses. Pharaoh, the so called living
Speaker 1: god of Egypt, was now but a shadow of his
Speaker 1: former self. His face, once proud and unyielding, was gaunt.
Speaker 1: The dark smudges beneath his eyes betraying sleepless nights and
Speaker 1: gnawing dread. His golden collar, the symbol of his divine kingship,
Speaker 1: hung loose upon his shoulders, as if it too had
Speaker 1: grown weary of bearing his burden. He was slumped, but
Speaker 1: there was still that flicker of defiance in his eyes,
Speaker 1: a flame that refused to die, even as the fire
Speaker 1: around him had consumed his kingdom. Moses approached his steps soft,
Speaker 1: though the weight of each one seemed to press upon
Speaker 1: his soul. He felt no triumph, no satisfaction, only sorrow.
Speaker 1: Sorrow for the man who had once been his brother,
Speaker 1: and sorrow for the people who would soon cry out
Speaker 1: in agony.
Speaker 4: Ramses, it's over.
Speaker 5: It's time to let go.
Speaker 4: Your people.
Speaker 5: Your kingdom cannot endure any more of this. Even your
Speaker 5: own subjects have given favor to the children of Israel.
Speaker 4: Yes, my people have turned against me, heaventh.
Speaker 7: They they give gold and jewelry to your slaves, as
Speaker 7: though you are their savior, as though they believe your
Speaker 7: God can save them.
Speaker 4: They will all be punished for their betrayal.
Speaker 1: The Lord had instructed the children of Israel to seek
Speaker 1: favor from the Egyptians. Many of the citizens had been
Speaker 1: softened by the plagues, looked favorably upon the Hebrews. They
Speaker 1: gave them gifts of gold and jewelry as a peace offering.
Speaker 1: Although the plagues had softened their hearts, they had only
Speaker 1: hardened Pharaohs.
Speaker 4: My people have come to revere you. Moses. How satisfying
Speaker 4: it must be to finally have the approval of Egypt.
Speaker 5: None of this satisfies me, Rameses.
Speaker 8: All I want is to leave with my people peacefully,
Speaker 8: Your people.
Speaker 1: Pharaoh's eyes flared, and he rose from his throne, a
Speaker 1: sudden burst of fury animating him.
Speaker 4: We used to be your people, His.
Speaker 1: Voice boomed throughout the empty palace halls. Ramses stood before
Speaker 1: Moses with eyes of fury, his nostrils flared like that
Speaker 1: of a raging bull, ready to break everything in sight.
Speaker 1: Moses flinched, but his gaze never left Pharaoh's. He had
Speaker 1: grown weary of the king's fury, of the endless shouting,
Speaker 1: the blind pride that had brought so much suffering. Moses
Speaker 1: was tired of Ramsey's scare, tactics and tantrums. He pointed
Speaker 1: his finger at Ramsey's like one word to a petulant child.
Speaker 3: Your pride has swallowed up Egypt in a bit of despair.
Speaker 3: Can't you see that this is all you're doing? I
Speaker 3: will not be lectured by a traitor and a murderer.
Speaker 3: You abandon your people to be the chief of slaves.
Speaker 5: You think it is I who lectures you, Rameses.
Speaker 8: The Lord has spoken through me time and again, and
Speaker 8: you have turned a deaf ear to his command. You
Speaker 8: know you cannot win this. The end is already written.
Speaker 4: The end I will have monuments built to my glory,
Speaker 4: long after your unnamed god has forgotten.
Speaker 3: He has a name.
Speaker 1: His voice rang out like a sword striking stone, and
Speaker 1: the words echoed through the hall, carrying with them the
Speaker 1: weight of divine judgment.
Speaker 5: You will know his name, Rameses, for it will be
Speaker 5: on your lips when your kingdom crumbles to dust.
Speaker 1: For a moment, the two men stood in silence, the
Speaker 1: air between them tort as a drawn bowstring. Moses trembled
Speaker 1: with fury and grief, his heart pounding in his chest.
Speaker 1: He wanted to strike Rameses down to end the madness
Speaker 1: here and now. But this was not his battle.
Speaker 4: It was the Lord's run. Then, Moses, run as you
Speaker 4: always do. You're nothing but a coward.
Speaker 7: Your people will howard and fear before me.
Speaker 4: They will know that.
Speaker 1: I am Moses stopped in his tracks. His voice, when
Speaker 1: he spoke again, was low and deadly, like the distant
Speaker 1: roll of thunder.
Speaker 5: Thus, says the Lord.
Speaker 1: Pharaoh froze, the blood draining from his face.
Speaker 5: At midnight, the Lord will descend upon Egypt. Every first
Speaker 5: born in the land, every first born from your own
Speaker 5: son upon this throne, to the lowliest slave in the
Speaker 5: mill will die. There shall be a cry throughout the
Speaker 5: land of Egypt, a cry unlike any heard before, nor ever.
Speaker 4: Will be again.
Speaker 1: Pharaoh's eyes were wide, but he said nothing. Moses's voice softened,
Speaker 1: though his words cut deeper than any blade.
Speaker 5: But not a dog shall growl against the people of Israel.
Speaker 5: You will know, Rameses, You will know who the Lord's
Speaker 5: chosen people are.
Speaker 1: With that, Moses turned and strode from the throne room,
Speaker 1: his steps heavy with the weight of what was to come.
Speaker 1: Pharaoh's curses followed him, but they were hollow, lost in
Speaker 1: the echoing halls of his broken kingdom. Outside, Aaron waited.
Speaker 1: The sky above had darkened, and the air was thick
Speaker 1: with an unnatural stillness, as if the very heavens held
Speaker 1: their breath. Moses wiped the tears from his eyes. He
Speaker 1: had seen the end, and It was more terrible than
Speaker 1: even he had imagined. And then the voice of the
Speaker 1: Lord came again, quiet and unyielding.
Speaker 2: Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will prevail
Speaker 2: over him, and my chosen people shall walk three.
Speaker 1: Moses nodded, his heart heavy. The final blow was coming,
Speaker 1: and all of Egypt would weep.
Speaker 6: What a haunting, tragic story, the man broken by his
Speaker 6: own pride. Pharaoh had every opportunity to relent, every chance
Speaker 6: to set his people free from their suffering. Yet he
Speaker 6: stood defiant, even as his kingdom crumbled before his eyes.
Speaker 6: Moses didn't want to be there. You can imagine the
Speaker 6: sorrow and the exhaustion in his voice. This wasn't a
Speaker 6: story of revenge or of hatred. It was a story
Speaker 6: of inevitability, of what happens when the heart grows too
Speaker 6: hard to feel anything at all. But what struck me
Speaker 6: most was how Moses, standing before the ruler of Egypt,
Speaker 6: still seemed to feel a sense of brotherhood with Pharaoh,
Speaker 6: even after everything. His words are filled with grief, not triumph.
Speaker 6: Do you hear that? The air was thick with tension.
Speaker 6: It was the final plague, the worst of all, and
Speaker 6: it was looming over Egypt like a sword waiting to fall.
Speaker 6: Let's talk about the final plague, the plague of the
Speaker 6: death of the first born. This would be the most
Speaker 6: devastating plague of all, and it caused Pharaoh to immediately
Speaker 6: agreed to set the Israelite slaves free. There's an interesting
Speaker 6: discussion in the Talmud concerning when the exact moment of
Speaker 6: redemption took place. One of the sages said that took
Speaker 6: place at midnight, at the moment that all the first
Speaker 6: born of Egypt died. And this makes sense because it
Speaker 6: caused Pharaoh to finally set the slaves free. But there's
Speaker 6: another sage who disagrees. He says that the moment of
Speaker 6: redemption didn't happen at night, even though that's when the
Speaker 6: first born were sl This sage says that the moment
Speaker 6: of redemption was actually the next morning, when the Israelites
Speaker 6: arose and they walked out of Egypt on their own
Speaker 6: two feet. Now free people. Isn't that a beautiful reading
Speaker 6: of this tragic story after so many generations of being slaves,
Speaker 6: that were actually able to wake up and walk right
Speaker 6: out of there, And of course God redeems and the
Speaker 6: Jewish people here in Israel see the fulfillment of His
Speaker 6: promises all the time. I'm speaking to you from the
Speaker 6: Promised Land, from Israel that God promised to my ancestors
Speaker 6: thousands of years ago. He is a God who redeems.
Speaker 6: But the real redemption has actually been our response to
Speaker 6: God's redemption. Coming to the Holy Land, rebuilding it, creating
Speaker 6: an army to defend it, and making Israel truly a
Speaker 6: light into the nations is our way of our God.
Speaker 6: You see. God may have redeemed us at night, meaning
Speaker 6: he allowed us to return to Israel after the devastation
Speaker 6: and darkness of the Holocaust, but the real redemption came
Speaker 6: in the morning, as we worked to build that state
Speaker 6: of Israel, which brought light to the world, and which
Speaker 6: millions of our Christian friends love and support and stand
Speaker 6: with us in this holy endeavor. This teaching is so
Speaker 6: important for all of us. God redeems each of us
Speaker 6: in our own lives, especially at night when things feel
Speaker 6: unclear and difficult. We have to remember God might redeem
Speaker 6: us at night when things are dark, he might show
Speaker 6: us away, but the real redemption comes in the morning.
Speaker 6: It comes when we decide how we are going to
Speaker 6: respond to the miracles that God has put in front
Speaker 6: of us. But I have another question from this story.
Speaker 6: What does it mean when God hardens a heart? This
Speaker 6: is a question that the Jewish ages have wrestled with
Speaker 6: for centuries. After all, Pharaoh's heart was not hardened in
Speaker 6: a vacuum. It was God himself who intervened. But why
Speaker 6: why would God harden a heart knowing that destruction would follow?
Speaker 2: Will?
Speaker 6: The Rabbis tell us something beautiful. The Rabbis say that
Speaker 6: free will is central to our humanity. Yet here we
Speaker 6: see something else at work, a divine hand shaping the
Speaker 6: course of events. You see, Pharaoh had hardened his own
Speaker 6: heart time and time again before God stepped in, And
Speaker 6: what they explain is that at a certain point, his
Speaker 6: resistance became his prison. The great teacher Mymonodes explains that
Speaker 6: when a person continues in sin over and over again
Speaker 6: and refuses to repent, it can eventually become nearly impossible
Speaker 6: for them to turn back. They become so set in
Speaker 6: their way that it's hard to change them. God's purpose,
Speaker 6: my Monidi says, was not to strip Pharaoh of his humanity,
Speaker 6: but to show him that at some point, the consequences
Speaker 6: of our choices become irreversible. Pharaoh chose this path, and
Speaker 6: now he was locked in it. He couldn't turn back,
Speaker 6: not because God is cruel, but because the time for
Speaker 6: repentance had passed. He had so many opportunities to repent,
Speaker 6: to free the slaves, and he didn't. It's a reminder
Speaker 6: to all of us that every choice we make shapes
Speaker 6: our future. Pharaoh's pride became his undoing, just as our
Speaker 6: stubbornness can harden our own hearts to the point where
Speaker 6: we can no longer hear the voice of God. So
Speaker 6: that's the question, isn't it. Jewish tradition teaches that tshuvah
Speaker 6: repentance is always possible, but if we ignore God's call
Speaker 6: for too long, our hearts might grow too hard to
Speaker 6: hear it. For Pharaoh, that became his undoing. So what
Speaker 6: does this story mean for us today? Maybe you've never
Speaker 6: hardened your heart to the level that Pharaoh did, But
Speaker 6: how many times have we resisted God's voice in our lives?
Speaker 6: How many times have we ignored his call to change
Speaker 6: or held on to something that was only causing us harm.
Speaker 6: Pharaoh refused to let go, and it led to the
Speaker 6: downfall of his entire kingdom. Sometimes what we hold on
Speaker 6: to too tightly can actually destroy us. But here's the
Speaker 6: good news. Unlike Pharaoh, we can soften our hearts. The
Speaker 6: righteous gentile Dietrich Bonhoeffer has always inspired me. An active
Speaker 6: and vocal Christian in Nazi Germany who spoke out against
Speaker 6: Hitler's actions against the Jewish people. Pastor Bonhoeffer was executed
Speaker 6: by the Nazis less than a month before the war ended.
Speaker 6: But I'm reminded of words of his as we close
Speaker 6: the Bible story. Pastor Bonhaffer beautifully said, quote, being a
Speaker 6: follower of God is less about cautiously avoiding sin than
Speaker 6: about courageously and actively doing his will end quote. As
Speaker 6: the Chosen People, we are all called to act, to
Speaker 6: respond to God's voice, and to trust that when we do,
Speaker 6: we will find freedom, just as the people of Israel did.
Speaker 6: So what is God calling you two? Today?
Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Eckstein
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Speaker 1: Com app today. This Prey dot Com production is only
Speaker 1: made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents, Steve Katina,
Speaker 1: Max Bard Zach Shellabager and Ben Gammon are the executive
Speaker 1: producers of The Chosen People with Yaile 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
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