Sons of Encouragement

by Francine Rivers

  The smell of roasting lamb filled the house, along with the bitter herbs Miriam had cut and put on the table. Aaron cut into the lamb. “It is finished.” Miriam added oil to the ground flour and patted out thin cakes of bread that she laid over a round pan and set over some coals she had raked to one side.

  Night was heavy upon them. Death was coming.

  The men rose, girding their loins and tucking their cloaks into their belts. They put their sandals on again and stood at the table, staffs in hand, and the family ate of the lamb, the bitter herbs, and unleavened bread.

  A scream rent the air. Aaron’s skin crawled. Miriam stared at Moses, her dark eyes wide. No one spoke as they ate. Another scream was heard, closer this time, and then wailing in the distance. Outside someone cried out in anguish to Osiris. Aaron shut his eyes tightly, for he knew Osiris was nothing but an idol made by men’s hands, his myth crafted by men’s imaginings. Osiris had no substance, no power, other than the fictitious power men and women had given him over the centuries. Tonight, they would learn what men design cannot bring salvation. Salvation is in the Lord, the God of all creation.

  The screams and wailing increased. Aaron knew by the sounds when the Angel of Death had passed over the house. He felt a rising joy, a thanksgiving that swelled his heart to bursting. The Lord was trustworthy! The Lord had spared His people Israel! The Lord was destroying His enemies.

  Someone pounded on the door. “In the name of Pharaoh, open the door!”

  Aaron looked to Moses and at his nod rose to open the door. Soldiers stood outside, and they bowed low when Aaron and Moses came through the door. “Pharaoh has sent us to bring you to him.” As they went out, the soldiers fell in around them.

  “Pharaoh’s son is dead.” The soldier to Moses’ right spoke softly.

  Another spoke to Aaron. “He was the first in the palace to die, and then others fell, many others.”

  “My son.” A soldier wept behind them. “My son . . .”

  All of Thebes was wailing, for every house suffered loss.

  “Hurry! We must hurry before all Egypt dies.”

  They had barely crossed the threshold when Aaron heard Pharaoh’s anguished cry. “Leave us! Go away, all of you!” He hunched on his throne. “Go and serve the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, and be gone. Go, but give me a blessing as you leave.”

  Aaron stood in the flickering torchlight, hardly able to believe he had heard Pharaoh relent. Was it over? Was it really over? Or would they get no farther than the streets of Thebes and find out Pharaoh had changed his mind again?

  Moses turned away without a word. “Go!” one of the guards urged Aaron. “Go quickly, or we will all die!”

  As they hurried through the streets, Aaron shouted, “Israel! Israel! Your day of deliverance is at hand!”

  Egyptians rushed from their houses, crying out to the Hebrews. “Hurry! Hurry! Go before Great Pharaoh changes his mind and we all die!” Some gave them donkeys and added gifts of goodwill as they helped to strap possessions to the animals’ backs. Others gave portions of what little they had left from the plagues. “Take whatever you want and get out of Egypt! Hurry! Hurry before another plague falls upon us and we are no more!”

  Aaron laughed in exultation, so full of emotion he couldn’t think of anything but rushing, rushing. Miriam and his sons and their families caught up to him and Moses at the front of the congregation. The noise was deafening. People called out praises to the Lord and Moses and Aaron. Large flocks of bleating sheep and goats swirled alongside the mass of population. Herds of cattle followed so that the people would not choke in their dust. Six hundred thousand men left on foot as the sun came up, and headed for Succoth, accompanied by their wives and children.

  Women carried their kneading bowls on their shoulders, while balancing a child on their hips and calling out to other children to stay close and keep up with the family. They had had no time to prepare food for the journey.

  Aaron heard the cacophony of voices and tasted the dust stirred by over a million slaves hurrying away from Pharaoh’s city. More joined them along the way. The tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Zebulon, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Nephtali, and Benjamin followed Moses and Aaron’s tribe of Levi. Representatives of the half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh traveled close to Moses, carrying with them the bones of their ancestor Joseph, who had once saved Egypt from famine. The elders of each tribe had made standards so that their relatives might gather together and march in divisions out of Egypt, every man armed for battle. And behind them and alongside came Egyptians who fled the desolation of their homeland and sought the provision and protection of the Lord God of Israel, the true God over all creation.

  As the sun rose, Aaron watched the rising of a pillar of cloud. The Lord Himself was shielding them from the burning heat and leading them out of bondage, away from suffering and despair. Oh, life was going to be good! In a week, they would reach the Promised Land of milk and honey. In a week, they could pitch their tents and stretch out on their mats and revel in their freedom.

  Men and women wept with joyful abandon. “Praise the Lord! We are free—free at last!”

  “No son of mine will ever make another brick for Pharaoh!”

  “Let him make his own bricks!”

  People laughed. Women warbled in joy. Men shouted.

  “I should have made more unleavened cakes! We have so little grain!”

  “How far are we going today? The children are already tired.”

  Aaron turned, face hot at the sound of his own relatives grumbling. Would they rather have stayed behind? “This is the end of your captivity! Rejoice! We have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb! Praise the Lord!”

  “We do, Father! We do, but the children are exhausted. . . .”

  Moses raised his staff. “Remember this day! Tell your sons and daughters of what the Lord did for you when He brought you out of Egypt! Remember that you consecrated to the Lord every firstborn male, the offspring of every womb among Israel, whether man or beast, for the Lord made death pass over us! Commemorate this day! Never forget it was the Lord who with a mighty hand brought you out of Egypt!”

  Because Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let God’s people go, the Lord killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and beast. Therefore, every first male offspring of every womb belonged to the Lord, and every firstborn son would be redeemed by the blood of a lamb.

  “Praise the Lord!” Aaron raised his staff. He would not listen to the few grumblers among his people. He would not let them spoil this moment, this day. He would not listen to those who looked back over their shoulders like Lot’s wife. He had dreamed all his life of what it would be like to live as a free man. And now he would know freedom firsthand. He wept in thanksgiving. “Praise the Lord!” A resounding shout came from men and women around him, spreading back until the praise rose thunderous to the heavens. The women sang.

  Moses did not stop as the sun began its descent, for a pillar of fire appeared, leading them to Succoth, where they rested before moving on. They camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.

  Korah and a delegation of other Levite elders came to Moses. “Why are you leading us south when there are two other routes to Canaan that are shorter? We could go by way of the sea.”

  Moses shook his head. “That would take the people through Philistine country.”

  “We are many and armed for battle. What about the way of Shur to southern Canaan?”

  Moses stood firm. “We are armed, but untrained and untried. We go where the Angel of the Lord leads us. The Lord has said if the people face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

  “We will never return to Egypt!” Korah lifted his chin. “You should have more confidence in us, Moses. We have craved freedom as much as you. More so.”

  Aaron’s head came up. He knew Korah was alluding to Moses having lived forty years in the corridors of palaces and another forty among the free men of Midian. Others c
ame, asking for Moses’ attention. He rose to see what the problem was. Problems were already mounting.

  “Aaron.” Korah turned to him. “You understand us better than Moses. You should have some say about which road we travel.”

  Aaron saw through their flattery. “It is God’s choice, Korah. God made Moses our leader. He is above us. He walks before us.” Did they not see the Man who walked ahead of Moses, leading the way? Close enough to follow, but not close enough to see His face. Or could the people see Him?

  “Yes.” Korah was quick to agree. “We accept Moses as God’s prophet. But Aaron, so are you. Think of the children. Think of our wives. Speak to your brother. Why should we go the long way rather than the short? The Philistines will have heard about the plagues. They will be in fear of us just as the Egyptians are now.”

  Aaron shook his head. “The Lord leads. Moses does not take one step without the Lord directing him. If you do not understand that, you have only to raise your eyes to see the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.”

  “Yes, but I’m sure if you asked the Lord, He would listen to you. Didn’t He call you into the wilderness to meet Moses at Mount Sinai? The Lord spoke to you before He spoke to your brother.”

  Korah’s words troubled Aaron. Did the man mean to divide brothers? Aaron thought of what jealousy had wrought between Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Joseph and his eleven brothers. No! He would not give in to such thinking. The Lord had called him to stand beside Moses, to walk with him, to uphold him. And so he would! “The Lord speaks through Moses, not me, and we will follow the Lord whatever way He leads us.”

  “You are Amram’s firstborn son. The Lord continues to speak to you.”

  “Only to confirm what He has already said to Moses!”

  “Is it wrong to ask why we must go the more difficult way?”

  Aaron rose, staff in hand. Most of these men were his relatives. “Should Moses or I tell the Lord which way we are to go? It is for the Lord to say where we go and how long and how far we travel. If you set yourself against Moses, you set yourself against God.”

  Korah’s eyes darkened, but he raised his hands in capitulation. “I do not doubt Moses’ authority, or yours, Aaron. We have seen the signs and wonders. I was just asking . . .”

  But even then, as the men turned away, Aaron knew there would be no end to the asking.

  Aaron joined Moses on a rocky hill overlooking the stretch of land to the east. Others were nearby, just down the hill, watching, but respecting Moses’ need for solitude, waiting for Aaron to speak for him. Aaron realized Moses was becoming more accustomed to speaking Hebrew. “Soon you will have no need of me, my brother. Your words are clear and easily understood.”

  “The Lord called both of us to this task, Aaron. Could I have crossed the desert and stood before Pharaoh had the Lord not sent you to me?”

  Aaron put his hand on Moses’ arm. “You think too much of me.”

  “The enemies of God will do all they can to divide us, Aaron.”

  Perhaps the Lord had opened Moses’ eyes to the temptations Aaron faced. “I don’t want to follow in the ways of those who came before us.”

  “What is worrying you?”

  “That one day, you will have no need of me, that I will be useless.”

  Moses was silent for so long, Aaron thought he did not intend to respond. Should he add to Moses’ burdens? Hadn’t the Lord called him to assist Moses, not to plague him with petty worries? How he longed to speak with Moses as they had when they were alone and crossed the wilderness together! The years of separation had fallen away. The imagined grievances dissolved. They were more than brothers. They were friends joined in one calling, servants of the Most High God. “I’m sorry, Moses. I will leave you alone. We can talk another time.”

  “Stay with me, Brother.” He continued to look out over the people. “There are so many.”

  Relieved to be needed, Aaron stepped closer and leaned on his staff. He had never been comfortable with long silences. “All these descended from Jacob’s sons. Sixty-six came into Egypt with Jacob, and Joseph’s family made seventy in all. And from those few came this great multitude. God has blessed us.”

  Thousands upon thousands of men, women, and children traveled like a slow-moving sea into the desert. Clouds of dust rose from their feet and the hooves of their flocks and herds. Overhead was the heavy gray cloud canopy of protection, a shield from the burning heat of the sun. No wonder Pharaoh had feared the Hebrews! Look at them all! Had they joined with Egypt’s enemies, they could have become a great military threat within the borders of Egypt. But rather than rebel, they had bent their necks to the pharaohs’ will and served as slaves. They had not tried to break the chains of bondage, but had cried out to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to rescue them.

  Egyptians traveled among the people. Most stayed on the outer edges of the mass of travelers. Aaron wished they had stayed behind in the Nile Delta or Etham. He didn’t trust them. Had they cast aside their idols and chosen to follow the Lord, or had they come along because Egypt was in ruins?

  People waved. “Moses! Aaron!” Like children, they called. There was still jubilation. Maybe it was only Korah and his friends who questioned the route they traveled.

  Moses began walking again. Aaron raised his staff and pointed in the direction he led. He did not ask why Moses headed south and then east into the heart of the Sinai. The gray cloud transformed into a swirling pillar of fire to light their way and keep them warm through the desert night. Aaron saw the Angel of the Lord walking ahead, leading Moses and the people deeper into the wilderness.

  Why?

  Was it right that he should even think such a question?

  Moses did not make camp again, but continued traveling, resting for brief periods. Miriam and Aaron’s sons’ wives made enough flat bread to eat on the way while children slept using a stone for a pillow. Aaron sensed Moses’ urgency—an urgency he also felt, but did not understand. Canaan was north, not east. Where was the Lord leading them?

  The mouth of a great wadi opened ahead. Aaron thought Moses might turn north or send men ahead to see where the canyon led. But Moses did not hesitate or turn to the right or the left. He walked straight into the canyon. Aaron stayed at his side, looking back only to make certain Miriam, his sons, and their wives and children followed.

  High cliffs rose on either side, the cloud remaining overhead. The wadi narrowed. The people flowed like water into a river basin cut for them. The canyon twisted and turned like a snake through the jagged terrain, the floor flat and easily traveled.

  After a long day, the canyon opened wide. Aaron saw rippling water and smelled the salt-sea air. Whatever waters had come through the wadi during the times of Noah’s flood had spilled a sandy pebbled beach wide enough for the multitude to encamp. But there was nowhere to go from here. “What do we do now, Moses?”

  “We wait on the Lord.”

  “But there is no place to go!”

  Moses stood in the wind facing the sea. “We are to encamp here opposite Baal-zephon as the Lord said. And Pharaoh will pursue us, and the Lord will gain glory for Himself through Pharaoh and his army, and the Egyptians will know that the Lord is God and there is no other.”

  Fear gripped Aaron. “Should we tell the others?”

  “They will know soon enough.”

  “Should we make battle lines? Should we have our weapons ready to defend ourselves?”

  “I don’t know, Aaron. I only know that the Lord has led us here for His purpose.”

  A cry rose from among the Israelites. Several men on camelback rode out onto the beach. Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops were coming up the canyon. Horns sounded in the distance. Aaron felt the rumble beneath his feet. An army that had never known defeat. Thousands of Hebrews wailed so loudly they drowned out the sound of the sea at their backs. People ran toward the sea and huddled in the wind.

  Moses turned toward t
he deep waters and raised his arm, crying out to the Lord. The battle horns sounded again. Aaron shouted. “Come here to Moses!” His sons and their families and Miriam ran to them. “Stay close to us no matter what happens!” Aaron beckoned. “Do not be separated from us!” He took his grandson Phinehas up into his arms. “The Lord will come to our rescue!”

  “Lord, help us!” Moses cried out.

  Aaron closed his eyes and prayed for the Lord to hear.

  “Moses!” the people cried out. “What have you done to us?”

  Aaron handed Phinehas to Eleazar and stood between his brother and the people, staff in hand.

  “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt?”

  “We should’ve stayed in Egypt!”

  “Didn’t we tell you to leave us alone while we were still in Egypt?”

  “You should’ve let us go on serving the Egyptians.”

  “Why did you make us leave?”

  “Our Egyptian slavery was far better than dying out here in the wilderness!”

  Moses turned to them. “Don’t be afraid!”

  “Don’t be afraid? Pharaoh’s army is coming! They’re going to slaughter us like sheep!”

  Aaron chose to believe Moses. “Have you forgotten what the Lord did for us already? He smote Egypt with His mighty hand! Egypt is in ruins!”

  “All the more reason for Pharaoh to want to destroy us!”

  “Where can we go now with our backs to the sea?”

  “They’re coming! They’re coming!”

  Moses raised his staff. “Just stand where you are and watch the Lord rescue you. The Egyptians that you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. You won’t have to lift a finger in your defense!”

  Aaron saw by Moses’ expression that the Lord had spoken to him. Moses turned and looked up. The shining Angel of the Lord, who had been leading them, rose and moved behind the multitude, blocking the entrance of the great wadi that opened out upon Pi-hahiroth. Raising his staff, Moses stretched out his arm over the sea. The wind roared from on high and came down from the east, slicing the water in two, rolling it back and up so that walls of water rose like the sheer cliffs of the wadi from which the Israelites had come. A pathway of dry land sloped down where the depths of the sea had been and straight across and up to land on the other side of yam suph, the Red Sea.