Moses' Mission

00:00:00 Speaker 1: But the Lord said, unto me, say not, I am a child. For thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee. And whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak Jeremiah one seven. Dear Lord, you are the one who calls and equips. You take what is weak and make it strong for your purpose. When we feel inadequate or afraid, remind us that you do not call the qualified, You qualify the called. Like Moses and Jeremiah, we often question our worth and ability. Yet your power is made perfect in our weakness. Fill us with courage to step forward when you send us, give us faith to speak when you place words in our mouths. Let your spirit guide our actions and shape our words that we may glorify you in all we do. Teach us to rely not on our strength, but on yours alone. May our obedience be an offering of trust, and our lives a reflection of your power and grace. Amen, Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to The Chosen People. Remain here for a dramatic story inspired by the Bible. Follow this podcast so you never miss an episode. Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to the Chosen People remain here for a dramatic story inspired. 00:01:45 Speaker 2: By the Bible. 00:01:46 Speaker 1: Be sure to leave a review and share your journey of faith today. 00:01:53 Speaker 3: Previously on the Chosen People, songs for deliverance fell upon the dust pitch they worked in. Desperately, they sang to their God, appealing the promises he made their ancestors. The stars above seemed fixed in their indifference, and the nile flowed on, dark and unyielding. And yet in the hearts of Aaron and Miriam, a flicker of hope remained. For they knew that somewhere beyond the veil of the scene and the unseen, beyond the power of pharaohs and the gods of Egypt, there was a god who listened, a God. 00:02:35 Speaker 4: Who remembered Moses. 00:02:42 Speaker 3: He turned a final corner and stopped his breath. Stolen from his lungs. Before him was a tree, but not as any tree he had ever seen. It was engulfed in flames, a great burning bush that flared with a fierce, unnatural fire. 00:03:01 Speaker 5: Here i am. 00:03:03 Speaker 4: I have seen the affliction of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries and beheld their suffering. I have come to deliver them out of slavery, and carry them to a land of promise, a vast and vibrant land heaving with life, a land flowing with milk and honey. 00:03:30 Speaker 5: So you will still send me. 00:03:34 Speaker 4: Take the staff in your hands, and go, Go and behold my wonders. I shall be with you. 00:03:45 Speaker 3: And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the flame vanished, leaving nothing but the cool, empty air of the canyon. Moses was left standing alone, his heart heavy with both bow and dread. The memory of the encounter etched into his soul. He knew then that his life would never be the same again. Moses made his way back down the rocky path, his wayward lamb held firmly at his side. The sun had only just begun to ascend, its first rays, stretching over the valley, painting the green plains in a wash of gold and amber. Yet this morning sunrise seemed pale and unremarkable to Moses. How could it compare to the searing brilliance of the burning bush. Moses gripped his staff tightly with one hand, his knuckles whitening, while with the other he released the lamb. It trotted back to its mother, oblivious to the divining counter that had just taken place. Moses felt changed, transformed by his encounter with Ayam. He had once thought his life's course was set. He would herd sheep with his son's grow old, alongside Zipporah, and eventually have his bones buried in Median's quiet soil. But such notions now seem childish. How could he return to that mundane existence after standing in the presence of the divine, after being given such a calling. How could he ignore the weight that now hung around his neck like a chain. 00:05:39 Speaker 5: Nothing will ever be the same. 00:05:42 Speaker 3: His hand absently ran through his short, graying hair as he looked out over the valley. The Medianite encampment stood like a blemish against the desert's vastness. Smoke from cooking fires curled up into the sky, and the faint sounds of life, children's laughter, the lowing of cattle, and the hum of daily chores carried on the wind. He would miss this place, he realized, He would miss the slow, steady rhythm of a shepherd's life and the simple love he had found in his wife and children. The thought of leaving it all behind gnawed at him. He hadn't even started his quest, and he was already pining after the life he'd lost. Why me, Lord, why? But there was only silence. Moses sighed, stealed his resolve, and continued his descent back to camp. Moses walked into the camp. His steps were heavy and his brow furrowed, as if he bore the weight of the world on his shoulders. A swirl of emotions, fear, excitement, dread coursed through him, and it must have been plainly etched on his face, for Jethro greeted him with a bemused look. 00:07:04 Speaker 2: Now there's the look of a man who's seen a ghost. What's happened, my son? 00:07:10 Speaker 3: Moses pursed his lips, struggling to find the right words. How could he convey the enormity of what he had witnessed. Jethro's keen eyes studied him, his expression shifting from amusement to concern. 00:07:26 Speaker 2: Moses, I know you are not an eloquent man. Speak honestly and plainly, and I shall fill in the gaps. 00:07:35 Speaker 3: Moses wanted to tell him everything, but he found himself stumbling over the words in his mind. How could he explain what even he scarcely understood. Instead, he chose to give a veiled answer, a truth with many layers hidden beneath it. 00:07:53 Speaker 5: Jethrow, I have to return to Egypt. 00:07:56 Speaker 3: Jethro's eyes widened in surprise, a grin tugging at his lips, as if he thought it a jest. 00:08:04 Speaker 2: What why would you return there? Oh? What's left for you in Egypt? 00:08:10 Speaker 5: I'm burdened by the people I left there. I want to see if my brothers are still alive. I have lived comfortably here under your leadership. It doesn't sit right with me that they're suffering. 00:08:23 Speaker 2: So what will you do about it? You'll leave and return? Or do you intend to stay there? Do you plan to be a slave among them? 00:08:34 Speaker 5: I plan to be a brother among them? The rest isn't quite clear. 00:08:42 Speaker 2: Why this sudden change, my son? What happened this morning? 00:08:47 Speaker 3: Moses sighed deeply and glanced back toward Mount Sinai. The morning mist clung to its slopes. For a fleeting moment, he doubted himself had it all been a dream? But he knew better. He felt it in his bones. The voice he had heard was real, and the calling upon his life was undeniable. There was no running from it now, no denying the truth of who he was and who he was meant to be. 00:09:19 Speaker 5: You told me that I would discover who I am here. 00:09:26 Speaker 4: I have. 00:09:28 Speaker 5: I am a Hebrew and belong with my fellow Hebrews. Whatever trials that arise as a result, I will bear ay. 00:09:38 Speaker 2: I see what of my daughter? What of my grandchildren? Half their blood is Hebrew, but their whole hearts are Midianite. 00:09:51 Speaker 5: They will go with me. I I will lead them and keep them safe. 00:09:56 Speaker 2: There's that stammer again. What do you truly doing, Moses? What lies beneath the surface of all this? 00:10:06 Speaker 5: Jethro, I love you as a father. Please trust that I know what I'm doing. Allow me to go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they're still alive. 00:10:21 Speaker 3: Jethrow studied him for a long moment, searching Moses' eyes, as if seeking to unearth the deeper truths buried there. His skepticism slowly gave way to resignation. He stroked his beard, sighed heavily, and then, without warning, pulled Moses into a tight embrace. 00:10:43 Speaker 2: Go in peace, Moses. I pray you find what you're searching for. 00:10:52 Speaker 5: Thank you, Jethro, and good luck, good luck. 00:10:57 Speaker 2: For what ha. Good luck convincing my daughter to uproot her life and take her children into almost certain peril. Good luck, my friend, You're not envy. 00:11:11 Speaker 3: Moses's throat tightened, and he looked past Jethro to where Zipporah was hanging clothes their son, Elieza, tied to her chest. He nodded to his father in law, squared his shoulders, and began walking toward her. Moses slowly approached his wife, taking her in for a moment. In the early light. The sun played upon her smooth ebony skin and bright smile. Her bright smile, the way she moved with grace, even in the simplest of tasks, reminded him of everything he loved about her, and everything he loved about Median. She was his refuge, his anchor in a world that so often felt a rift. Without speaking, he picked up a few garments and began hanging them beside her. She smiled at him, but said nothing. They worked side by side in a comfortable silence, the quiet moments stretching between them like a thread pulled tort. 00:12:19 Speaker 5: I love the life we've created together, Ziberah. I cherish it, as do I my love. I pray that our love will be able to withstand what's to come. 00:12:30 Speaker 3: Zipporah's brow furrowed slightly, her eyes narrowing in a mix of curiosity and concern. 00:12:38 Speaker 2: Am I talking to my husband or to my father? 00:12:42 Speaker 3: What's with the pretense and poetry? Moses chuckled, though his laugh was strained. He reached for her hand, squeezing it gently, but she could sense the tension in him. She slipped her hands free and placed them on her hips. Her expression turned serious. Moses, what are you thinking? 00:13:03 Speaker 5: The God of my forefathers came to me this morning on the mountain. 00:13:07 Speaker 4: You mean the God of. 00:13:08 Speaker 5: Yes, the god of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He appeared to me on fire. He's chosen me, Zibah. He's chosen me to return to Egypt, return to Egypt to do what exactly, to set his people free, to lead them into the land he's promised to them. Why you, I asked the same question. 00:13:33 Speaker 2: I think. 00:13:38 Speaker 5: I think this has always been my destiny. This must be why I was spared all those years ago. This is why I survived the Nile and Pharaoh's daughter plucked me out of the river. 00:13:51 Speaker 3: I was chosen for this Zipporah's face remained calm, but her eyes were searching, probing his own. She wasn't angry, nor did she seem disappointed. Instead, she appeared to be wrestling with something deep inside. For a moment, Moses felt as though he were staring into a mirror, seeing his own doubts and fears reflected. 00:14:15 Speaker 4: Back at him. 00:14:17 Speaker 3: Finally, after a long silence, she spoke, I am yours, Moses, I and your children are yours. When do we leave? Relief washed over him like a cool breeze in the desert. He pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her close as if he could somehow squeeze the doubt and fear out of both of them. But he knew better the doubt would remain a shadow always at their backs. That night, they gathered what belongings they could carry and loaded them onto a donkey. They said their goodbyes and received blessings from the elders standing beside the flames under a canopy of stars, and before the first light of dawn broke the following morning, they departed, the sun rising behind them, casting a warm amber glow on the road ahead. It was as if the Lord himself had laid a golden path between Median and Egypt. Moses gripped his staff in one hand and the reins of the donkey in the other. Zipporah and Elieza rode atop the beast, while Gersham walked close behind, carrying a small pack. In the light of dawn, Moses whispered to the Lord, his voice heavy with uncertainty, What. 00:15:44 Speaker 5: Will I do? 00:15:46 Speaker 4: How will I do it? 00:15:48 Speaker 3: The wind whispered across the desert, cooling his flushed cheeks, And then, as clearly as he had spoken from the burning bush, the Lord's voice came to him again. 00:16:00 Speaker 4: When you return to Egypt, performed the miracles I have put in your power. I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go. 00:16:12 Speaker 5: What do I tell him? How will I confront Rameses. 00:16:17 Speaker 4: Speak for me, Moses. It is not you who confronts him, but I, the Lord. Say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, Israel is my first born son. Let my son go, that he may serve me. 00:16:40 Speaker 3: The wind turn'd up sand, and all of a sudden the wind grew warmer. Moses squinted and shielded his face. An intensity brood from among them. The Lord continued his declaration. 00:16:53 Speaker 4: Say to Pharaoh, if you refuse to let my son go, behold, I will kill your first board. 00:17:03 Speaker 3: So the words fell like stones into moses heart, heavy and foreboding. In that moment, he began to understand what he had only glimpsed before. This God was not like the gods of Egypt. This God was mighty, unpredictable, a force both loving and terrifying. Moses realized then he had only begun to comprehend the full extent of the Lord's power and just how far he would go to redeem his people. This prey Do Door conproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabager and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People. Narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland, Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Leshinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Aaron Salvado, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google play Store. If you enjoyed the Chosen People, please rate and leave a review.