Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
Speaker 2: His name shall be Moses, because I drew him out.
Speaker 1: Of the water. While Rameses embodied the glory of ra,
Speaker 1: Moses remained a figure suspended between two worlds. He was
Speaker 1: neither fully Egyptian nor entirely Hebrew, neither slave nor free.
Speaker 1: He was Moses, the stray Hebrew up raised in the
Speaker 1: heart of Pharaoh's court.
Speaker 3: That was your Hebrew, showing that's why they need the whip,
Speaker 3: their animals in need of a master. Remember that you're
Speaker 3: not one of them, Moses. You're in the household of Pharaoh.
Speaker 4: Act like it, yes, Ramses.
Speaker 1: Moses stopped at the edge of the work site, his
Speaker 1: gaze lingering on a young man no older than himself,
Speaker 1: struggling to lift a stone that was too heavy for him.
Speaker 1: The overseas whip lashed out, striking the man across the back,
Speaker 1: and he staggered, falling to his knees. The man screamed
Speaker 1: in pain, he.
Speaker 5: Brew dog, get up in left.
Speaker 4: That's enough, Leave him alone.
Speaker 5: These dogs need to know their masters. Are I said enough?
Speaker 1: They struggled the commander's hands, clawing at Moses, but the
Speaker 1: prince pinned him down. His hands closing around the man's throat. Then,
Speaker 1: as suddenly as it had begun, the struggle ended. The
Speaker 1: overseer's body went limp, his eyes glassy, and still, what
Speaker 1: have I done?
Speaker 6: Oh Am?
Speaker 1: I Moses ran his feet, barely touching the ground as
Speaker 1: he tore through the crowded marketplace.
Speaker 4: I had to get out of here.
Speaker 1: Moses wandered the desert, his thoughts a whirlwind of guilt
Speaker 1: and fear. He was no longer a prince, nor was
Speaker 1: he a slave. He was an exile, a fugitive with
Speaker 1: no home and no kin. In the vast emptiness of
Speaker 1: the wilderness, Moses was utterly desperately alone.
Speaker 7: In the shadow of the well. A shepherdess meets her fate,
Speaker 7: and the world trembles under the weight of God's unfolding plan. Shallo,
Speaker 7: my friends from here in the Holy Land, Welcome to
Speaker 7: the Chosen People. I'm ya l Extein. With the International
Speaker 7: Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Each day we'll hear a
Speaker 7: dramatic story inspired by the Bible, stories filled with timeless
Speaker 7: lessons of faith, love, and the meaning of life. Through
Speaker 7: israel story, we find this truth that we are all
Speaker 7: chosen first something great. If you haven't yet followed the podcast,
Speaker 7: be sure to do so now. That way you never
Speaker 7: have to miss an episode, And that small step helps
Speaker 7: us tremendously as we try to be discovered by more
Speaker 7: people so that we can inspire them. If you're interested
Speaker 7: in finding out more about the prophetic, life saving work
Speaker 7: of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, you can
Speaker 7: visit our website at IFCJ dot org. Sometimes in the
Speaker 7: barren wilderness of our lives, we stumble upon moments that
Speaker 7: define our very essence. Today's dramatized Bible story is inspired
Speaker 7: by Exodus two sixteen to twenty two. In it, Moses
Speaker 7: wanders the desert, fleeing Egypt, alone and lost. He stumbles
Speaker 7: upon a few young women in need of help. One
Speaker 7: small act of bravery sets in motion a new life
Speaker 7: for Moses. Let's see how a simple act of kindness
Speaker 7: can lead to an eternal covenant.
Speaker 1: Moses felt his knees buckle beneath him, the last remnants
Speaker 1: of his strength draining away as he collapsed onto the
Speaker 1: unforgiving desert sand. The sun blaze overed a cruel eye
Speaker 1: in the empty sky. The sand stretched endlessly before him,
Speaker 1: barren and pitiless, a waste land that mirrored the emptiness
Speaker 1: he felt within. For two days, he had wandered, lost
Speaker 1: and alone, without food or water. His lips were cracked,
Speaker 1: his skin scorched, and his mind a fragile thing began
Speaker 1: to unravel. Shapes flickered at the edges of his vision,
Speaker 1: ghostly apparitions born of exhaustion and despair. He saw his
Speaker 1: grandfather Setti, hovering above the dunes like a mirage. The
Speaker 1: old man's eyes were as cold and unfeeling as the
Speaker 1: stone statues that lined the ballast halls, and his voice
Speaker 1: was a whisper carried on the hot desert wind.
Speaker 6: What is a more merciful death, Moses, to drown in
Speaker 6: the nile or melt unto the deserts Sir, you should
Speaker 6: never have lived.
Speaker 1: Moses blinked, his throat too dry to form words, and
Speaker 1: the vision of Pharaoh vanished. In Setti's place stood Bitcher,
Speaker 1: the woman who had plucked him from the river and
Speaker 1: raised him as her own. Her eyes were filled with
Speaker 1: a bitter disappointment that cut deeper than any blade.
Speaker 2: I should have never saved you. You aren't the blessing
Speaker 2: but a curse.
Speaker 1: Moses's lip trembled as he stared at her, the weight
Speaker 1: of her words pressing down on him. But as quickly
Speaker 1: as she had appeared, Bitcher was gone, her image swept
Speaker 1: away by the desert wind. In her place was another figure,
Speaker 1: a woman with soft eyes and a tender voice, familiar
Speaker 1: yet distant, like the faded memory of a dream.
Speaker 4: Rest, sweet child, You need your strength, you have a purpose.
Speaker 3: There's a reason God most High spared you.
Speaker 6: From the nile.
Speaker 1: Moses tried to speak, but his tongue clung stubbornly to
Speaker 1: the roof of his mouth, dry as the sand's beneath him.
Speaker 1: The woman's face blurred and faded, carried away like grains
Speaker 1: of sand in the wind. Moses was left alone once more,
Speaker 1: his vision darkening as he closed his eyes, surrendering to
Speaker 1: the creeping shadows and the scorching heat. The storm loomed
Speaker 1: on the horizon, a swirling wall of sand that would
Speaker 1: bury him in a hot, unmarked grave. Darkness swallowed him whole.
Speaker 1: Moses awoke to the chill of night, the oppressive heat
Speaker 1: replaced by a biting cold that gnawed at his bones.
Speaker 1: Sand clung to his back, falling away as he pushed
Speaker 1: himself upright above him, the night sky stretched endlessly, a
Speaker 1: tapestry of stars so bright and clear it seemed to touch
Speaker 1: the world's edge. Moses stared up at the heavens, the
Speaker 1: weight of his despair momentarily lifted by the quiet beauty
Speaker 1: of the stars. The desert was silent now save for
Speaker 1: the faint whisper of the wind. Shivering, Moses forced himself
Speaker 1: to his feet, his body weak but driven by the
Speaker 1: stubborn spark of survival. He focused on the north Star
Speaker 1: and walked on. He wondered if there was anything beyond
Speaker 1: the desert, anything but death and emptiness. His march seemed endless,
Speaker 1: until at last last, the ground beneath him began to change.
Speaker 1: The earth grew firmer, dotted with clumps of dry brush
Speaker 1: and thorny plants that clawed at his ankles. Foliage meant water,
Speaker 1: and water meant life. Moses quickened his pace until he
Speaker 1: saw it. A well was half hidden in the distance.
Speaker 1: Its circular stone walls rose from the ground like an
Speaker 1: oasis in the desert. Moses staggered toward it, his vision
Speaker 1: narrowing to the single blessed sight. When he reached the well,
Speaker 1: he collapsed against its cool stone, Thrusting his head down
Speaker 1: into the water, he drank greedily like a beast, gulping
Speaker 1: down mouthfuls of water until his throat burned with relief. Exhausted,
Speaker 1: Moses leaned back against the well's rough stone, his body
Speaker 1: finally finding rest as sleep overtook him. The early rays
Speaker 1: of dawn broke over the horizon, Warm and golden, Moses
Speaker 1: stirred as the sunlight brushed his cheek, gentle as a
Speaker 1: lover's touch. For the first time in days, he felt
Speaker 1: something close to peace. The water had revived him, and
Speaker 1: his mind was clear, though his body still ached with fatigue.
Speaker 4: Perhaps one of the herders could take me in and
Speaker 4: trade labor for food and shelter.
Speaker 1: His thoughts were interrupted by a shriek in the distance.
Speaker 1: Moses turned. He scanned the rocky landscape. Behind a cluster
Speaker 1: of jagged stones, he saw a group of young women,
Speaker 1: seven in all, huddle together in fear. Three men circled
Speaker 1: them like wolves, their faces twisted with cruel amusement.
Speaker 8: How many times do you people have to be told
Speaker 8: to stay away from our well?
Speaker 5: Seems like you haven't learned your lesson.
Speaker 6: Maybe Raitia tam.
Speaker 2: We meant no trouble. We thought if we came early enough,
Speaker 2: it wouldn't bother you. Please let us leave in peace.
Speaker 4: If I let you leave without a few bruises, what's
Speaker 4: going to remind you to listen?
Speaker 1: Moses jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists. His eyes
Speaker 1: darted around, searching for anything he could use. A shepherd's
Speaker 1: staff was leaning against a low fence, Simple, sturdy, and
Speaker 1: perfectly suited to his needs. He snatched it up, his
Speaker 1: knuckles turning white as he gripped it tightly, and crept
Speaker 1: closer to the men. One of the men took a
Speaker 1: threatening step toward the girls.
Speaker 4: If I don't care who your father is, this well
Speaker 4: is for.
Speaker 5: Our hurts, maybe you won't take one of ice payment
Speaker 5: for all the water you're stolen from us.
Speaker 1: But before the men moved, Moses stepped out and behind
Speaker 1: the rocks, his voice cutting through the morning air like
Speaker 1: the crack of a whip.
Speaker 4: Get out of here.
Speaker 1: He swung the staff with all his might, striking the
Speaker 1: nearest man squarely on the head. The blow sent the
Speaker 1: shepherds sprawling, his body crumpling into the dust. The other
Speaker 1: two turned and lunged at Moses. The first man swung wildly,
Speaker 1: but Moses, guided by the instincts drilled into him by
Speaker 1: sebits training, dodged the clumsy strike. He planted his feet
Speaker 1: and jabbed the staff down, hooking one of the men's
Speaker 1: legs out from under him. The shepherd fell, cursing as
Speaker 1: he hid the ground. The third man drew a blade,
Speaker 1: slashing at Moses with quick, desperate strikes. Moses stepped back,
Speaker 1: narrowly avoiding the leaf ledge, then pivoted and brought the staff,
Speaker 1: crashing into the man's ribs. The shepherd doubled over, his
Speaker 1: knife clattering to the ground. Moses pounced, pinning them beneath him.
Speaker 1: His staff pressed hard against the shepherd's throat. How does
Speaker 1: it feel, Moses snarled, his voice low and dangerous.
Speaker 4: How does it feel to be helpless?
Speaker 1: The man's eyes bulged, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
Speaker 1: Moses's vision narrowed, the world reduced to the ragged breathing
Speaker 1: of the man beneath him and the furious beat of
Speaker 1: his own heart. The rage threatened to consume him, but
Speaker 1: then he caught sight of one of the women, her
Speaker 1: face pale with terror, Her eyes cut through the red
Speaker 1: haze in Moses's mind, pulling him back from the brink.
Speaker 1: With a shuddering breath, he released his grip. The shepherd
Speaker 1: scrambled away, coughing and clutching at his bruised throat. The
Speaker 1: three men fled. Moses watched them go, his chest heaving.
Speaker 1: As the adrenaline began to fade. He was left alone,
Speaker 1: lumped in the dirt, his head pounding from the exertion.
Speaker 1: The girls came over to him and helped him up.
Speaker 1: The one Moses perceived to be the oldest, attended to him,
Speaker 1: dabbing his forehead with a wet cloth and bringing him
Speaker 1: some water. Moses' head tilted back and forth. The sides
Speaker 1: of his eyes were becoming dark.
Speaker 2: Hey, look at me, Are you okay?
Speaker 4: Eh?
Speaker 1: I'm Moses fell forward into her arms. He blushed, then
Speaker 1: leaned back to regain control. I'm fine, he managed to
Speaker 1: say the words, though he knew it was a lie.
Speaker 1: The world tilted around him, and he swayed.
Speaker 2: You're not fine, zipper, fetch.
Speaker 4: Father, No, don't don't trouble yourself here. Let me get
Speaker 4: some water for your flocks.
Speaker 1: Moses took some war water and poured it them to
Speaker 1: the trough. The sheep came to graze, Moses patted them
Speaker 1: on the head, then fell to the ground. Moses tried
Speaker 1: to rise, but his legs betrayed him. The throbbing in
Speaker 1: his head intensified, and the world went black again. Moses
Speaker 1: awoke to the sound of softly clinking beads swaying in
Speaker 1: the breeze. He blinked, his senses returning slowly as he
Speaker 1: took in his surroundings. He was inside a tent, lying
Speaker 1: on blankets of wool and fur. The air was fragrant
Speaker 1: with the scent of burnt sage and herbal tea. Beside him,
Speaker 1: a pitcher of water and a small plate of cured
Speaker 1: meat lay waiting. Moses drank deeply, the cool water, easing
Speaker 1: the parched ache in his throat. He ate slowly, savoring
Speaker 1: every bite. As he looked down, he realized he was
Speaker 1: no longer wearing his tattered Egyptian tunic. Instead, he was
Speaker 1: clothed in a beige tunic of simple wool, with a
Speaker 1: sheepskin vest tied snugly across his chest. He was pulling
Speaker 1: himself up when the tent flap was thrown open and
Speaker 1: a large man burst in. Moses flinched instinctively, bracing himself,
Speaker 1: but the man's wide smile and booming laughter quickly put
Speaker 1: him at ease.
Speaker 5: Ha ha ha ah, you're awake. Praise the gods. We
Speaker 5: feared the worst at first. The blisters on your feet
Speaker 5: tell a tale of wool. My friend. Where have you
Speaker 5: come from?
Speaker 4: Uh? Uh, Well, that's a complicated question for me to answer.
Speaker 5: Mm. Yes, And perhaps the better question is where are
Speaker 5: you going?
Speaker 4: I'm not certain.
Speaker 5: Well, if you don't know where you came from, and
Speaker 5: you don't know where you're going, and I suppose you're
Speaker 5: right where you.
Speaker 4: Need to be here? And where is here? Exactly?
Speaker 5: Why? The land of mountains, fields and mystery. Welcome my
Speaker 5: friend to Midian. It is not a place as much
Speaker 5: as it is a people.
Speaker 1: Moses winced as he got to his feet, his body
Speaker 1: still weak, but the man caught him in a powerful embrace,
Speaker 1: wrapping him in a bear like hug and kissing his
Speaker 1: forehead in a gesture of unexpected tenderness.
Speaker 5: I am Jethro, High Priest of Midian and the father
Speaker 5: of the lovely young ladies you saved. I am in
Speaker 5: your debt, my friend, as a midian night. I always
Speaker 5: pay my debts tenfold.
Speaker 1: Come with me, jethrow led Moses out of the tent,
Speaker 1: and together they strolled through the camp. It was a
Speaker 1: simple place, filled with the bustle of daily life. Children
Speaker 1: ran between tents, laughing and playing games. Women sat in
Speaker 1: small circles, weaving baskets and sharing quiet conversation, while men
Speaker 1: hold in sacks of wool from the morning shearing. Moses
Speaker 1: found himself smiling at the simple harmony of it all,
Speaker 1: A far cry from the cold grandeur of thieves.
Speaker 5: We are a nomadic people, hopping from pasture to pasture
Speaker 5: with our flocks. We take what we need from the land,
Speaker 5: thank it, and then move on to another plot. It's
Speaker 5: not what you're probably accustomed to being from Egypt, but
Speaker 5: I'm sure you'll find it to be a satisfying life.
Speaker 4: How did you know I was from Egypt.
Speaker 5: I am a nomad, not a hermit. We've had the
Speaker 5: displeasure of meeting Pharaoh's men before. But by the looks
Speaker 5: of your carved feet and shameful gaze, I take it
Speaker 5: you no longer belong to the people of the night.
Speaker 4: I don't know who I belonged to.
Speaker 5: Believe every man can choose who they belonged to. Who
Speaker 5: were born as, and who we become can be two
Speaker 5: entirely different people.
Speaker 4: I don't know who I was born as, so how
Speaker 4: will I know if who I become is any different?
Speaker 5: Ah, so you are a stranger to yourself, I see.
Speaker 5: I find the greatest way to understand who you are
Speaker 5: is by looking at your.
Speaker 4: Reflection, like in a mirror.
Speaker 5: No, not in glass, in the faces of those around you.
Speaker 6: Look.
Speaker 1: Moses followed Jethrow's gaze, observing the camp with new eyes.
Speaker 1: He saw joy in the way the children played, trust
Speaker 1: in the way women worked side by side, and camaraderie
Speaker 1: in the men's shared labor. There was a quiet, unspoken
Speaker 1: bond that connected them all. And understanding the transcending words.
Speaker 5: I can see myself in all of them. The way
Speaker 5: I treat them reflects back in the way they treat me.
Speaker 5: My worth as a father is reflected in the eyes
Speaker 5: of affection, My lovely daughters give me. My abilities as
Speaker 5: a leader are reflected in the full bellies and teamwork
Speaker 5: of my people. Do you see they are my reflection?
Speaker 5: I am theirs, I see.
Speaker 1: Moses thought back to the Egyptian he had killed, and
Speaker 1: the fear on the faces of the Hebrews who had
Speaker 1: witnessed his outburst. He saw his own anger and confusion
Speaker 1: mirrored in their eyes.
Speaker 5: What is your name, my friend?
Speaker 4: I am Moses.
Speaker 5: You are welcome to remain here with us, Moses, Perhaps
Speaker 5: we can show you who you are.
Speaker 1: Moses looked out over the camp, watching as life went
Speaker 1: on around him. For the first time, he felt the
Speaker 1: stirrings of something he had longed for, lost hope. He
Speaker 1: was not yet certain of who he was or where
Speaker 1: he was going, but for the first time in a
Speaker 1: long while, he felt he was on the path to
Speaker 1: finding out. That night, Moses sat alone by the fire.
Speaker 1: Flames danced in the darkness, crackling and hissing like serpents,
Speaker 1: their light casting long, flickering shadows across the encampment. The
Speaker 1: Medianites gathered in clusters, wrapped in the warmth of companionship,
Speaker 1: their faces glowing in the firelight. Children wide eyed with wonder,
Speaker 1: listened to Jethro's spin tails of old, of gods and giants,
Speaker 1: of lost kingdoms and wandering tribes. The men and women
Speaker 1: played instruments of bone and wood, their music mingling with
Speaker 1: the night air. Moses sat apart from the others, peeling
Speaker 1: the skin from an almond with the tip of his dagger.
Speaker 1: His eyes were distant, fixed on the flames, but seeing
Speaker 1: something far beyond them. The desert night was alive with
Speaker 1: the music of the Medianites, yet Moses felt like a
Speaker 1: ghost haunting the edges of their world. He was a
Speaker 1: stranger here among these simple, kind hearted people, still grappling
Speaker 1: with who he was and what he had left behind.
Speaker 1: Then she appeared beside him, the woman he had saved.
Speaker 1: Her hair was tightly braided back with beads that caught
Speaker 1: the firelight as they hung from her neck to her chest.
Speaker 1: She was a vision of grace and strength, different from
Speaker 1: the high born Egyptian women he had grown up around,
Speaker 1: yet just as striking. She carried herself with a confidence
Speaker 1: that spoke of a life spent under the open sky,
Speaker 1: and her hazel eyes met his with a steady, knowing gaze.
Speaker 2: Thank you for helping me and my sisters. It's very
Speaker 2: brave of you.
Speaker 4: Brave or stupid, they are often won.
Speaker 1: In the scene, they shared a smile, The firelight danced
Speaker 1: in her eyes, and for a moment Moses felt his
Speaker 1: heart skip a beat. She was more than just her looks.
Speaker 1: There was a sharpness in her gaze.
Speaker 2: Ugh, I'm Moses, I'm Supporah, the daughter of the high
Speaker 2: priest Omdian.
Speaker 4: Yes, I've met your father. He's an interesting man.
Speaker 2: He thinks we should get married as a reward for
Speaker 2: your chivalry.
Speaker 1: Zipporah said the words suddenly, her expression teasing yet not
Speaker 1: entirely insincere.
Speaker 4: What we just met?
Speaker 2: I why so flustered Moses.
Speaker 1: She leaned in closer, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
Speaker 2: Do you not think I'm beautiful enough? Or is it
Speaker 2: that I'm so remarkable that I've merely taken your breath away?
Speaker 3: No?
Speaker 4: I mean yes, sir, But no, I.
Speaker 2: Enough stammering. We will speak of marriage later.
Speaker 4: Come dance with me.
Speaker 1: She took his hand and led him toward the fire,
Speaker 1: her grip firm and unyielding. The tambourines shook, the drums
Speaker 1: thumped like a heartbeat, and Moses found himself drawn into
Speaker 1: the rhythm of the Medianites. Zipporah moved with an easy grace,
Speaker 1: her steps fluid and confident. The firelight illuminated her dark,
Speaker 1: smooth skin, Moses, though clumsy at first, did his best
Speaker 1: to keep up. She laughed at his missteps, and he
Speaker 1: found himself smiling despite his awkwardness, caught up in her spirit.
Speaker 1: As the night wore on, the music seemed to seep
Speaker 1: into his bones, and Moses began to find his footing.
Speaker 1: The two of them danced under the stars until the
Speaker 1: music faded, and all that remained was the soft crack
Speaker 1: of the air and the distant song of cricket.
Speaker 4: Oh, oh, thank you for tonight zipperah. Oh, It's been
Speaker 4: a while since I've laughed so much.
Speaker 2: My father says, laughter and music existed before language. He says,
Speaker 2: the first man, saying when he saw the first woman,
Speaker 2: and that's when words were first formed.
Speaker 4: It seems I have much to learn from your father.
Speaker 4: I have much to learn about laughter and music, everything.
Speaker 2: Really, where were you before this?
Speaker 4: Moses?
Speaker 2: Where have you come from?
Speaker 4: I was a prince of Egypt, but not by birth,
Speaker 4: more by chance than anything.
Speaker 2: There is no chance one does not simply become a
Speaker 2: prince by accident. Gods must have chosen you.
Speaker 4: Well, if they chose me, then they've certainly rejected me.
Speaker 2: Now, perhaps gods that chose you to be a prince
Speaker 2: also brought you here?
Speaker 4: To what end? And which gods? The Midianite gods or
Speaker 4: the Egyptian ones? There are too many to count.
Speaker 2: Aren't you Egyptian? Why not those gods?
Speaker 4: No, no, no, Those gods ceased to love me the
Speaker 4: moment I left Egypt. You know I'm Hebrew by birth.
Speaker 4: They only have one god. They call him the God
Speaker 4: of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God most High. I wonder
Speaker 4: what he's like.
Speaker 1: A moment of silence settled between them as they both
Speaker 1: gazed up at the night sky. The stars above Median
Speaker 1: were clearer and more numerous than any Moses had seen
Speaker 1: before in Thieves, the torchlight and smoke had always veiled
Speaker 1: the heavens. Here under the wide desert sky, he felt
Speaker 1: a strange sense of peace. They bid each other good night,
Speaker 1: and Zipper made her way to her tent, but Moses
Speaker 1: remained under the stars, his gaze searching for something beyond
Speaker 1: their light. He felt a deep, unnamable longing, a yearning
Speaker 1: for something he could not quite define. His thoughts turned
Speaker 1: to his people. The Hebrews still enslaved, their lives crushed
Speaker 1: beneath the weight of Pharaoh's heel Rameses would be no
Speaker 1: more merciful than his father. Moses knew that well enough.
Speaker 1: The question gnawded him like a festering wound. Was it
Speaker 1: his responsibility to do something? Fear tightened its grip on
Speaker 1: Moses's heart, not just the fear of returning to Egypt
Speaker 1: and facing his past, but the fear of the burden
Speaker 1: that awaited him if he went back, If he chose
Speaker 1: to face what he had left behind. He knew he
Speaker 1: could not remain silent. He would have to act. But
Speaker 1: how he was a fugitive, a murderer, What power did
Speaker 1: he have? Time flowed differently in Median, like a slow
Speaker 1: moving river, unconcerned with the haste of the world beyond.
Speaker 1: Days slipped into weeks, and weeks into months, each one
Speaker 1: folding gently into the next. As Jethro had foreseen, Moses
Speaker 1: married Zipporah. They were wed under the stars, beside the flames,
Speaker 1: just as they had danced that first night. There was
Speaker 1: a simplicity to it, a purity that felt truer than
Speaker 1: all the grand ceremonies of thebes. Their love bore fruit,
Speaker 1: and soon Zipporah gave birth to a sun. Moses lifted
Speaker 1: the boy high into the air, the stars watching as witnesses,
Speaker 1: and declared, I will name you.
Speaker 4: Ghoshop, for even though I live here, I'm still a sojourner,
Speaker 4: a stranger. I guess. I guess I've been a stranger
Speaker 4: all my life.
Speaker 1: Moses began to peel back the layers of his identity
Speaker 1: like the skin of an almond, but he had yet
Speaker 1: to find his core. In the desert, he found refuge
Speaker 1: and peace, a sense of belonging that had eluded him
Speaker 1: for so long. Jethro made him a shepherd, and Zippora
Speaker 1: taught him the ways of the sheep. Together they wandered
Speaker 1: across valleys and canyons in search of new pastures. They
Speaker 1: spoke for hours under the open sky about life, love
Speaker 1: and leadership, about gods and men. For decades, Moses lived
Speaker 1: in the rhythm of media, singing songs, herding sheep, feeling
Speaker 1: the earth beneath his feet the sky above his head.
Speaker 1: He found so in the simplicity of the shepherd's life,
Speaker 1: but the past never truly left him. In the stillness
Speaker 1: of the night, as he lay among his flock, gazing
Speaker 1: up at the endless expanse of stars, his thoughts would
Speaker 1: drift back to Egypt, to the Hebrews, his kin still
Speaker 1: bound in chains, he wondered if he had made a
Speaker 1: mistake by leaving, if perhaps he had turned away from
Speaker 1: a calling he did not yet understand. The doubt gnawed
Speaker 1: at him, And in the silence beneath the Starlit sky,
Speaker 1: he would pray, not to the gods of Egypt, nor
Speaker 1: the gods of Median, but to the God of his forefathers,
Speaker 1: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He would ask
Speaker 1: for a sign, for guidance, for a purpose, and as always,
Speaker 1: the desert woman would answer with nothing but silence.
Speaker 7: Wow, what an incredible story. A simple act of hospitality
Speaker 7: at a well ties together lives in this grand story
Speaker 7: of the Chosen people. That is how God often works,
Speaker 7: isn't it moving in the mundane, turning the ordinary into
Speaker 7: the sacred? How often do we miss God in our
Speaker 7: everyday encounters, unaware of the destiny being written by our lives.
Speaker 7: In the quiet of Midyon, Moses found refuge. A fugitive shepherd.
Speaker 7: His life seemed to stretch before him in a slow,
Speaker 7: uneventful cadence, but his memories haunted him. Moses had tasted
Speaker 7: leadership in Egypt, and then he intervened to protect in
Speaker 7: Israelite from an Egyptian taskmaster. The very next day, he
Speaker 7: tried to mediate a quarrel between two Israelites, only to
Speaker 7: face their indication in rebuke, who appointed you as a
Speaker 7: prince and leader over us? He wasn't even a leader yet,
Speaker 7: but he was ready contested. Moses fled. His life was
Speaker 7: at risk. Midiam became his sanctuary, a place where his
Speaker 7: identity lay, hid him beneath the guise of an Egyptian man.
Speaker 7: Jethro's daughter spoke of him as such when he saved
Speaker 7: them from rough shepherds. Moses married Seppora, Jethro's daughter, and
Speaker 7: settled into the life of a shepherd, far removed from
Speaker 7: Pharaoh's grip and Israel suffering. But in the quiet of
Speaker 7: the desert, tending his flack, Moses had time to reflect.
Speaker 7: In the stillness of the desert nights, doubt crept in.
Speaker 7: Was he truly fit to lead? Could he really bear
Speaker 7: the weight of the Chosen people's suffering? The desert became
Speaker 7: a testing ground for Moses, a place where he wrestled
Speaker 7: with his inenterdeemon, his fears, his doubts, Moses's time in
Speaker 7: Mideon forced him to find within a strength and a
Speaker 7: courage that he didn't even know that he possessed. Insights
Speaker 7: from one of my dear teachers, Rabbi Jonathan Sachs of
Speaker 7: Blessed Memory, brings clarity to this struggle that was going
Speaker 7: on inside of Moses. Moses feared seeing the full picture,
Speaker 7: Revy Sack says the divine perspective because it might have
Speaker 7: robbed him of his humanity. To understand suffering might have
Speaker 7: led him to an acceptance of suffering, and Moses could
Speaker 7: never accept suffering for the Chosen People. Moses chose to
Speaker 7: remain human, to feel the pain of his people, to
Speaker 7: fight against injustice rather than understand it and make peace
Speaker 7: with it. This fear, this refusal to accept suffering to
Speaker 7: find Moses's leadership. His journey in Midian was not just
Speaker 7: about finding refuge. It was about him finding himself, finding
Speaker 7: the balance between justice and mercy, strength and compassion. Moses
Speaker 7: emerged from Midian not just as a shepherd of sheep,
Speaker 7: but as a shepherd of the Chosen People. To speak
Speaker 7: more on this passage is our dear friend, Bishop Paul, Your.
Speaker 8: Thank you y'a elle can I begin but making the
Speaker 8: obvious statement. Moses is a deliverer. His own life actually
Speaker 8: started miraculously through deliverance when the midwives wouldn't deliver him
Speaker 8: into Pharaoh's hands, but he was delivered by his mother,
Speaker 8: by his sister, even by Pharaoh's daughter and the basket.
Speaker 8: Then he sees one day something happening. You see, his
Speaker 8: mother had nursed him for the first few years of
Speaker 8: his life, and she was giving him more than.
Speaker 3: Milk.
Speaker 8: She was actually being paid by Pharaoh to care for
Speaker 8: her own son, and she was nursing him on a
Speaker 8: sense of his truest Hebrew identity. So that one day
Speaker 8: when he's out in the community and he sees an
Speaker 8: Egyptian soldier harassing a Hebrew man, Moses might not have
Speaker 8: fully understood what he was failing, but something rose up
Speaker 8: in the man, and he stepped into that situation and
Speaker 8: he interrupted the assault, and he took the Egyptian soldier
Speaker 8: and killed him and set the Hebrew free. Well, that's
Speaker 8: a small taste great things to come. Why did he
Speaker 8: do this? Because he's a deliverer. Who he is, that's
Speaker 8: what he does. Well, word God out what Moses had done.
Speaker 8: He has to run for his life. He can't stay
Speaker 8: in Egypt, he can't remain with his family. He finally
Speaker 8: settles in the Midian desert, and he sits on a well,
Speaker 8: and these daughters of a Median priest bring their sheep
Speaker 8: to receive drink from a well.
Speaker 4: But they are.
Speaker 8: Harassed, like an Egyptian soldier, by the locals who come
Speaker 8: to stop them from feeding the sheep. And again something
Speaker 8: rises up in Moses. He's offended by what he sees
Speaker 8: happening to these defenseless women, and he steps up, and
Speaker 8: he steps in, and he chases, He chases the locals
Speaker 8: away and gives drink to the sheep of the Daughter's
Speaker 8: why because he's a deliverer? Who he is, it's what
Speaker 8: he does now. He might not have fully understood the
Speaker 8: assignment of God upon his life, or the anointing of
Speaker 8: God to fulfill that assignment. You know what teaches us
Speaker 8: something does in it. Timing can be everything. You can
Speaker 8: do the right thing at the wrong time, and it
Speaker 8: becomes the wrong thing.
Speaker 7: Before we wrap up this exploration of Exodus two sixteen
Speaker 7: to twenty two, I want to explore one more verse
Speaker 7: that we find there. One more word actually a name.
Speaker 7: In verse twenty two, the Bible tells us that Moses
Speaker 7: named his firstborn son Gershom. In Hebrew, that name means
Speaker 7: a stranger. There The simple explanation of that name is
Speaker 7: that Moses was living in Midian, not his native land
Speaker 7: of Egypt, and so he felt like a stranger. But
Speaker 7: a great sage in Jewish tradition suggest something deeper. Perhaps Moses,
Speaker 7: even then in Midian, had a longing to be in
Speaker 7: constant communication with God. People on that high of a
Speaker 7: spiritual level sometimes feel like a stranger. They seek God
Speaker 7: they see that most people around them do not. If
Speaker 7: this is why Moses named his son Gershom, then each
Speaker 7: one of us who seeks God has something to learn
Speaker 7: from this. We seek God, but it's normal to sometimes
Speaker 7: feel like a stranger because our friends, maybe our family,
Speaker 7: our associates do not seek God the same way that
Speaker 7: we are. But we can take inspiration and a lesson
Speaker 7: from Moses, who, according to Jewish tradition, was the greatest
Speaker 7: of all prophets, who always in touch with God. Well
Speaker 7: we can learn from him is that each one of
Speaker 7: us can become like Moses as we seek God, even
Speaker 7: though we can sometimes feel alone. Like a stranger. We
Speaker 7: just need to continue to seek God and to find
Speaker 7: comfort in His embrace. Because remember, those who are truly
Speaker 7: one with God are never really strangers to anything. As
Speaker 7: the Chosen People, and we are one with the God,
Speaker 7: we have the best and most reliable and loving friend
Speaker 7: in the world.
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Speaker 1: only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents.
Speaker 1: Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabaga and Ben Gammon are
Speaker 1: the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein,
Speaker 1: Edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are
Speaker 1: voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan,
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Speaker 1: Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier,
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