It was after a hard day working I finally could get some rest.  The little home in the ghetto was barely big enough for the family I lived with.  The father of this family was named Nun and was of the tribe of Ephraim.

I came across this family when I was sent to live with the Hebrews.  Jared lived nearby as well as Nathan.  We each had been “adopted” by three different families.  I tried to not intrude on Nun.  Basically, I slept and ate then would leave the house to work. Life as a slave did not afford anything else.

At my arrival on this day, I would begin to catch some of the excitement which started earlier that evening.

Moses Meets With The Elders

“Come over here Clay!” Joshua called out to me.
“What is it?” I asked in a tired tone wanting to be left alone.
“A man named Moses arrived.  He met with the elders and has convinced the people that we will be free from Pharaoh and Egypt!” He explained.

I walked over to a gathering in front of Nun’s home where the story of events were being retold.  Moses had appeared and after sharing that God had sent him, he gave signs.  The first sign was his rod turning into a serpent.  The second was his hand turning leprous and then back to normal.  The last sign was water being poured onto the ground turning to blood.

This was enough to convince the people that he was speaking the truth.  God had sent him to free Israel from Pharaoh.  I knew this story from childhood.  It was a favorite of the Sunday School teacher at my mother’s church.

I did not remember all the details, yet I knew this was going to be a difficult time.  How events play out in the real world are always more intense than the story which is told of it.

With the gathering of people outside of Nun’s home I looked over to see Jared and Nathan coming my way.  They had heard this news as well.  Jared walked up to me and pulled me aside.

“Can we talk privately?” Jared asked.
“Yeah, I don’t think anyone is in the house.  Let’s go in.” I replied, and turned to sneak inside with them.

Shutting the door, I sat on the stool in the corner.  The house was essentially one room.  Typically, in a home like this it was not much more than a shelter.  Sleeping was done on the floor.  Small tables or stools were common, yet the small space only allowed for meager furnishing.

“It’s been more than four hundred years.  Is this the man you spoke of that would come?” Nathan asked.
“Yes, it is.  His name is Moses.  There will be some trouble, some plagues that come on the Egyptians, but in the end, he will lead Israel out of this place.” I replied.

“Maybe you should meet with Moses and explain who you are?” Jared offered.
“No, I would be of no help.  It’s clear that God doesn’t need me for helping anything.” I said

My attitude towards the situation I live within had taken very dark turns in past years. I had come to live in serious conflict within myself. The life of being a slave, the actions I was forced to do, and the torture had pushed me to near insanity.

“So what do we do?” Jared asked.
“Go with the flow and stay out of the way.  God is going to do whatever He wants to do, and it doesn’t matter what I do. Moses will succeed without needing anything from us.” I explained.

Hundreds of years of taking life being forced to fight in arenas caused me to question more than ever before. I was convinced this was my punishment. To come so close, yet be so far from any hope of redemption.

“Clay, maybe you should speak with Moses for other reasons just to help you.” Nathan suggested.
“No.  Like I said, I am immaterial.” I insisted.

The door opened and it was Joshua.  He came in to find us sitting in the home talking.  His eyes were lit up like a Christmas tree.  Clearly excited, I thought of how youthful enthusiasm can be blissful ignorance.  He had no idea what was to come.

“Oh, a private meeting?” Joshua exclaimed, “I am sorry I will leave.”
“No, its okay we were just resting and getting away from people.” I explained.
“Are you not excited?” Joshua asked.
“Yes, very much.” I replied while smiling back.  I don’t think I was that convincing.

“Tomorrow Moses will go to Pharaoh and demand our freedom.  Pharaoh must listen to the voice of God.  We are about to be free!” Joshua was already celebrating.
“Yeah we will be free, but I don’t think it will happen by tomorrow.” I replied.

Standing I patted Joshua on the shoulder, and we left him inside his home.  After exiting Jared and Nathan went on their way.  As for myself, I cleaned and ate, then went to finally get my rest in sleep where my only peace could be found.

Repercussions Of Moses Meeting Pharaoh

The next day I could tell Moses’s meeting with Pharaoh did not go well.  The Egyptian slavers came to us and removed the straw which was used in the brick making process.  We were told to gather our own straw.

In addition to this, work hours were extended and production was to increase.  It was said that Pharaoh believed we had too much time on our hands because we wanted to make an offering to our God.

To make matters worse the brutality placed on the people was dialed up.  The Egyptians gave more whippings, beatings, and denial of necessary resources like water.  I knew from those childhood stories the road to freedom would be rough.

At the day’s end there was little time for much else other than sleep.  Arriving back at Nun’s home I could hear the people chattering.  Yesterday they were all excited about freedom.  Today many were wanting Moses to stop because things were getting worse, not better.

After cleaning myself I found Nathan eating some bread outside the house.  I sat with him and we listened to the people talk. Arguments went both ways. Those who pushed for freedom, and those who wanted the pain caused by Moses rocking the boat to end.

“So, how long will it take?” Nathan questioned.
“I am not sure.  I know some pretty wild things have to happen first before we are free.  This is just the beginning. The plagues God will bring through Moses will be unbearable.” I explained.
“The people are fickle.  They want freedom now, or they want to continue as things are being slaves.” Nathan observed.

“Yeah.  To think many expected Pharaoh to just magically agree and let everyone go is a little scary.  Talk about unrealistic expectations.” I said almost laughing while thinking about my personal situation.
“Well, they had signs from Moses.  With that they expect freedom to just happen.” Nathan countered.

“True, but often enough that is not how God does things.  Believe me, I know from experience.” I replied.
“How long has it been for you now being in this world?” Nathan asked.

“Hmmm… something like near a thousand years.” It was hard accepting my own words.
“You do not want to be involved in anything now?” He questioned.
“Why should I?  What’s the point?” I stood saying goodnight to Nathan, and found my place to sleep for dawn would come too quickly.

Before drifting off to sleep I tried to remember the faces of my wife and kids. I couldn’t see them anymore in my mind. Their voices have also faded into the past. Moses may have come in time for the Hebrews. For me, it was too late.

The First Plague Water Turns To Blood

The next day we were working by the riverbank.  Brick making requires a steady source of water.  The tributary we worked near was dedicated to this process.

It was a rather uncomplicated process but one you must pay attention to.  My job was mixing the proper amount of straw into the mixture of mud clay.  The Egyptians who directly oversaw us were lazy.

As long as we were working and completing the tasks, they would find shade or play in the water to cool off from the heat.  Every so often the Egyptians would stroll by and yell, whip, or beat someone.  This of course ensured they could walk away for a while to be lazy again.

It was after mid-day that the first plague took place.  I heard screaming over by the waters edge.  Turning to see, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  The water in the entire tributary had turned blood red.  The Hebrews that were with me stared in shock.

For the taskmasters they took this as an evil omen.  We were told to leave our work and then sent back home.  The Egyptians took off back to the city.  By the time I reached our ghetto there was not a Hebrew soul who was not talking about the water turning to blood.

Jared and Nathan came running to me as I approached the gathering place at the center of our ghetto.  Pulling me aside into a back ally we began to talk.  The people were excited, afraid, and some were praising God.

“Is this it?  Are we finally leaving?” Jared asked.
“No, not yet.  More will come.” I replied.
“How much more.” Nathan asked.
“I don’t remember.” I said.

In all honesty I did not care about the plagues. I really did not care about Moses. If anything I just wanted all of this to end. I was trapped. Still, there is the matter of basic necessities which I could not escape.

“Have you guys found any water?  Everything on the Egyptian side is like blood.  Its undrinkable.” I questioned.
“Yeah that’s the weird thing.  All of the Hebrew’s water is still pure.  It did not affect us, only the Egyptians.” Nathan detailed.
“Well they will just come and take our water.” Jared pointed out.
“No, they already tried.  The moment the Egyptians took our water it turned to blood in their hands.” Nathan explained.

That night few could sleep due to the excitement.  It had been explained to us that Moses said not to fear.  He promised the people that God would set everyone free.  We were asked to be patient and obedient.

The Next Eight Plagues Of Egypt

After the water turned to blood work within Egypt would nearly cease.  It would be almost impossible to continue working through these events.  The plagues would come in quick succession.

The interesting part we noticed was how each plague would impact the Egyptians, but not us.  We were sheltered and what the Hebrews possessed was protected.

I once asked as a kid why God sent frogs, locusts, flies and such to plague the Egyptians? When you think about it the nature of the plagues can sound ridiculous. After living here I found the answer to that question.

Each plague was an attack destroying the faith in their Egyptian gods.  In other words, each plague showed them that Yah was truly God and that their gods were dead.

The Nile turning to blood was a judgment on the gods Apis, Isis, and Khnum.  The Egyptians also believed the Nile was the bloodstream of Osiris.

The second plague was frogs and a judgment on the goddess Heqet.  This goddess was for birth thus frogs were never to be killed.  In this case the mass numbers of frogs would die in every home and place one could find.

The third plague of lice was a judgment on Set who was the god of the desert.  The fourth plague of flies a judgment on Uatchit who was a protector of life in the Nile.  She was also called the Lady of Flames and was associated with insects and flies.

The fifth plague much livestock died and was a judgment on the gods Hathor and Apis.  These two gods were themselves depicted as cattle.  The sixth plague of boils was a judgment on the gods Sekhmet, Sunu, and Isis.  These gods were said to rule over health and disease.

The seventh plague of hail was different from others before it.  The Egyptians had been warned to listen to Moses.  Those that believed could shelter their animals and protect them, those that did not would see their livestock die.

This plague of hail was of both ice and fire.  To see both ice and fire come from the sky was unlike anything that could be imagined.  Nevertheless, it was a judgment on the gods Nut, Osiris, and Set.

The eighth plague of locusts was a judgment on Nut, Osiris and Set.  Yet the successive nature of these plagues would effectively destroy all crops within Egypt.  There would be no harvest within Egypt in this year.

Since my time with Noah, I had seen some amazing things.  I had been nearly killed twice from these experiences.  The next two events were more than amazing.  They were absolutely terrifying.

The ninth plague was darkness for three days in Egypt.  While this was a judgment on the sun god Ra, and Pharaoh himself as a physical incarnation of Ra, this was no typical darkness.

The dark was pitch black.  It was darker than night itself, so dark it could be compared to being blind.  No light could be seen with one exception.  Light existed and could be found within the homes of the Hebrews.

Through Destruction Moses Brought Belief

Through all of this I noticed a change within Jared and Nathan.  Coming from the former Babel they knew false gods well.  Across time we had encountered many false gods.  While they believed in Yah being real, something in them changed.

Here I could see they truly came to believe.  The Hebrews also believed and were no longer complaining. They witnessed what God can do. These plagues had destroyed Egypt.  The economy was completely wrecked. It was something which words could not capture.

The nature of destruction would take more than a generation to recover from.  While their physical infrastructure remained, it would be like starting over from scratch in every other way.  Many would soon starve to death.

I have to say that I did stand in complete amazement of what took place.  Yet it wasn’t these plagues that terrorized me.  When I was told what would come with the tenth plague, I almost went into paralysis.  Panic consumed me.

I remember facing the one who called himself Death that night Jacob wrestled with the Lord.  Now I was told we needed to prepare because Death was coming.