After Joshua asked me who I was, I didn’t give him an answer.  The daylight had come and as he gazed into my eyes searching for that answer, I stood and left.  I did not want anyone to know my story.

Outside I found a gathering of people and word was spreading quickly.  The firstborn of all Egyptians had died in the night, including Pharaoh’s son.  His anger fueled the decision to cast all of Israel out of Egypt.

The exodus of Israel was to be immediate.  There was no time to plan for a journey.  The interesting part to this is how the Egyptian people feared us.

Israel Spoils Egypt Taking Their Wealth

It looked like a scene from a war torn battlefield.  It was common for the victor to spoil the defeated enemy.  In this case the Egyptians were giving the Hebrews anything they wanted.  Gold and silver no longer mattered to them.

For that matter livestock, carts, wagons, tools, the material goods of life held no importance.  I began to realize the significance of this as I went into the Egyptian streets.  After crossing the wadi which separated the Hebrew camps from the Egyptian homes, what I found was shocking.

The population had been ravaged.  There were so many dead it would be impossible to bury them without a mass grave.  I looked into the eyes of women who had lost their husbands.  I saw parents who had lost their child.

I was not wandering these streets aimlessly.  I was looking for someone.  I knew of the man who possessed my swords.  I was going to take back what was mine.

Turning the corner I saw two young girls not beyond the age of seven.  They were crying in the street laying on top of a body.  Their father had died in the night.  In that moment I began to choke up, and I almost froze where I stood.

The cries for their father to come back to them rang in my ears.  My eyes began to tear up, my breathing became heavy.  I had to rush past them.  I saw in them my daughters.  Panic hit my body and I began to shake.  I was breaking from within and in this fall there was no one to catch me.

I forced myself to keep walking.  Turning another corner people were carrying what they called gifts.  These gifts were gold, silver, and goods to give the Hebrews.  Instead of giving their dead these items for the afterlife, it seemed to be an attempt to appease the Hebrew God.

I stumbled on.  Reaching the home of the Egyptian I knew possessed my swords, I found the man sitting outside his home.  He was holding his lifeless son in his arms.  He looked at me wailing, begging me to leave.

Walking into his house past his family, no one stopped me.  I found the swords which Noah had made for me.  Putting them on me I then took a light cloak to cover me, a change of clothing, and a pack for traveling.  I walked out the door past the family.

“Hebrew!” The man called out to me.
“Yes?” I asked not looking at him for I couldn’t.
“I am sorry.” He said crying.
“So am I.” I replied, then I kept walking.

Turning through the streets to reach my ghetto the scene never changed.  It was a scene of horror.  There was nothing that anyone could do for these people.  By the time I reached the Hebrews the people were amassing all matter of wealth and goods.

We were being organized into groups for our departure.  The one benefit of being a slave is that when you win your freedom, there is no need to waste time packing.

Israel’s Journey To Etham

“Clay!” I heard shouting from the crowd.  It was Nathan, Jared was with him.
“Hey!” I screamed out as I ran over to them.
“I see you got your swords back.” Jared was smiling.

Both of them had done similar to me.  They found weapons, and Jared had a big gold necklace around his neck.  Nathan had gold rings, and each had smiles on their faces.

Few seemed to have ventured into the city to witness the carnage.  They had no idea how bad it was.  There is a difference in seeing versus hearing.

“You both seem to be gathering what you can, although I have no idea what gold will do for you in the desert.” I commented.
“Do you want a horse?  They have horses.” Nathan asked.
“No, not when everyone is walking.  It will be too difficult to care for along the way.”  I pointed out.

“So, you plan to stay with the Hebrews and not go our own way?” Jared asked.
“What choice do we have?  We would never make it through Canaan.” I stated what should have been obvious.  Our discussion was interrupted by a voice screaming my name.

“Clay!” It was Joshua.
“What?” I screamed back.
“Come with us!” The smile on his face was huge.

“Why not?” Nathan asked.
“They are traveling with the family that stayed with us through Passover night.  You know the man, Caleb.” Jared stated.
“He’s a good man, strong, about forty years and smart.” Nathan was selling this hard.  I knew he liked the family.

“Alright, we will be right there.” I yelled back to Joshua then shook my head in agreement with Nathan and Jared.

It was mid afternoon as the long caravan of Hebrews began to journey.  It was a very long caravan of near two million.  What should have been chaotic was instead rather organized.  Leaving so late in the day we would not get far on this first leg of the journey.

We reached a small Egyptian town of Etham, if it could be called a town.  It was more or less a way point coming in from the Sinai. It would be this night that something new happened.

Israel’s Arrival At Etham

We made camp to sleep and rest after reaching Etham.  Most of us had stayed awake quite late due to the anxious nature of Passover night.  This was the first chance for a good sleep that we could get.

Early in the morning before the sun rose I was woken by a light.  It was so bright it almost made the landscape appear as the day.  I was stunned to witness what my eyes saw.

In front of our caravan was a pillar of fire which came down from the sky to nearly touch the earth.  I knew who that was, or at least who sent it.  This pillar of fire is what woke the people.

We all began to gather our things and word soon spread to begin moving.  With the blow of a trumpet up and down the massive caravan line, the people would begin walking.

When daylight came the pillar of fire did not go away, rather it changed.  It became what appeared to be a cloud, or mist.  Apparently, Moses did not need to follow a heading, rather he followed this pillar wherever it went.

I remained with Jared, Nathan, Joshua’s family, and Caleb’s family.  It appears our adoption was permanent.  Joshua noticed my swords and would stare at them on occasion.  I could see he wanted to ask questions but his mother being nearby prevented that.

The Journey To Pihahiroth

On the journey to Pihahiroth we would no longer make camps.  Instead we would take rests along the way at intervals. Even through the night we walked by the light of the pillar of fire.  Our journey did not trace the expected locations that I knew in my modern world.

Just as names have meanings in different languages, and multiple names can be used for one individual, so can locations.  What the Hebrews called Succoth, Etham, and Pihahiroth would not match modern nor ancient Egyptian variations.

This too was once an argument I used against my mothers religion when I was a child.  I would often point out to her that the story of Israel’s Exodus is only a myth.  In truth using the modern assumptions many errors exist, for they are founded on a wrong premise.

Our path followed the Gulf of Suez.  We hugged the coastline with the sea to our right and a heading roughly South by South East.  I knew what was coming next, the parting of the Red Sea.  By modern accounts many believe this happened much closer to the location of Goshen near Egypt.

Modern variations of understanding Exodus would also place the children of Israel wandering the Sinai Peninsula. This is often considered as their place in the wilderness.  How wrong these assumptions are.

The Sinai Peninsula is roughly the size of West Virginia.  In this time of Egypt’s history, even though we were presently in the Sinai, we are also still within Egyptian borders.  The Egyptian border also reached as far North as Mt Seir.

This would place Egyptian control on the border of the Canaanites and the host of other peoples in the region.  The Sinai Peninsula was a battleground between Egypt and these peoples for at least two centuries. 

It always amazed me to learn the real history which was left untold across time.  It would shock many to know that Mt Sinai was not in the Sinai.  Moses would never remain in Egyptian lands.  I knew we were headed to Midian.

This location would be just southeast of where Shem left me so long ago at Uz.

The Hebrews Arrive At Pihahiroth

We reached Pihahiroth late in the evening.  Night had fallen.  I could smell the sea strongly but not yet see it in front of us.  The journey had been a difficult one focused on speed with minimizing rest.

The people were tired.  Enthusiasm was now being replaced by some concern as a result of the fatigue.  We began to make camp.  Both Nun and Caleb’s family stayed side by side and so did I and my brothers.

As the families began to eat some bread, of which little was left, Nathan and Jared signaled they wished to speak privately.  We each got up and quietly excused ourselves and walked a short distance away from the camp.

Finding a rock outcropping we rested ourselves laying down as a breeze swept over us.  I was staring at the stars thinking of home.  This sight was the only thing I could look at and imagine that I was back where I belonged.  Yet each time I looked back at the world around me I found myself still in history.

“Clay, you know we are trapped.” Nathan stated.
“Yeah I know.”
“So tell us what happens next.” Jared demanded.
“What makes you think I know what happens next?” I said laughing.
“Because when you know what will happen you are not nervous.  If you do not know, that is when you get anxious.” Nathan said kicking my leg.

“We will cross from here to Midian.” I said flatly.
“What? How? We don’t have boats!” Nathan exclaimed.
“God will part the sea and we will walk across.” I explained.

There was literal silence.  After hearing no comments in reply I looked at them both and they were staring at me.  I think they were trying to decide on whether or not to believe me.

“You’re not kidding?” Nathan shot at me.
“No, I am not kidding.”
“Well that is a good thing.  Common sense says Pharaoh will be right behind us.” Jared stated.
“Yeah he will be.” I confirmed.

“What happens after this part?” Jared asked.
“I seriously do not remember.  I have forgotten so much since childhood, and after all this time things get mixed up.” I replied.
“It’s late, we should go sleep.” Nathan said sitting up.
“Alright, I will be there in a few minutes.  I just need some time.” I told them.

Jared and Nathan went back to the camp.  I remained looking up at the stars.  My thoughts were beginning to drift back towards home.  They were interrupted by a scuffling sound nearby.

I sat up and looked over the rock ledge to find Joshua.  He was crouched down and trying to sneak away.  Clearly, he had followed us spying on our conversation.

“Come on out Joshua.” I said.

He stood up and walked out in front of me.  He had a sheepish look on his face from being caught, yet his eyes were bold.  I could see this boy who was almost twenty had a bravery in him that few held.

“How much did you hear?” I asked.
“All of it.  How do you know these things?” He asked boldly with some authority.
“It’s a long story.” I tried to cut the conversation off.
“Are you a messenger from God?” He asked.
“Absolutely not at all.” I said flatly.

“Then who are you?  You never answered my question from Passover night.” He remembered.
“I am just a man stuck in time.  Now go back to your family before I tell your mother you were sneaking around.” I said smiling at him.

“You are not Egyptian.  You are not Hebrew, nor from Midian, nor a Canaanite, or Hittite.” He observed.
“You’re right.  I’m from Tennessee.” I said.
“Where is that?” He questioned.
“A very distant land from here.  No go get some rest.” I replied.

Joshua turned and began walking back to our camp.  I laid where I was with my bedroll behind my head.  Looking up again slowly everything began to go dim.  There in the light of the column of fire I fell asleep.