The Prince of Egypt: A Pharaoh's Romance

Chapter Twenty-Three: "I Shall Be With You Moses"

It always a normal day for Median. A normal day for Moses. Every morning he woke up early to go tend to his sheep. He kissed his lovely Zipporah as she was still sleeping. He loved watching the sheep play and live their care free life.

He was petting his sheep when all of a sudden a small baby sheep began to run away into some mountains. Moses sighed as he knew he then had to go and get the sheep back which would not be easy. He began to fallow the sheep into the cave like mountains. "Ah it's too early for this." He said to himself.

Once he stepped in, it got pretty cold. He walked further into the cave like mountains and passed a faint blue light. Light? In a cave?
Moses saw it within his peripheral vision. He turned back to look within the connected cave as he was quite amazed by what he had seen.

He heard the sheep calling for his attention but he decided to check out the light. He crawled deeper into the cave as his eyes widened at what stood infront of him. How could a tree on fire not burn? The fire did not look like a fire. The fire was a glowing white. White fire? That was in heard of!

He took his staff and placed it within the fire to see if it would burn. He pulled it back as he watched the fire on the staff go away. He touched the staff, it was the same temperature as before. How? He looked back up at the burning bush. He hesitated but took his hand and placed it within the fire.

He watched the fire dance around his fingers as he was amazed and shocked to see that his hand did not burn. It felt completely normal. How could this be possible? Is what he was asking himself over and over again.

He then heard the faint whisper of his name as the wind blew in his hair every time he heard it. "Moses..." the whispering voice would say. It scared him for a moment but remembered not to be afraid. "Here I am...." He replied. "Take the sandals from your feet. With the place in which you stand is holy ground." The voice began to say to him.

Moses twisted and turned to see where the voice was coming from but he could not see anyone or anything but the burning bush. He looked at the ground and saw the wind pushing the pebbles beneath him away. The light and sand moved like an ocean.

Moses turned back to the burning tree and said. "Who are you?" The burning bush spoke as the fire enlarged with every word that was spoken. "I am, that I am." It replied. "I don't understand." Moses said back.

"I am the God of your ancestors. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." God spoke to him. Moses's eyes widened as he instantly dropped his staff and began to take off his sandals as he remembered the words of who he realized was truly his sister, Miriam.

"You were born of my mother Jochebed! You are our brother!"

"What do you want with me?" Moses asked God. "I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. And have heard their cry..." God replied as the color of the cafe and fire turned a bright orange. A memory of Moses's voice echoed throughout the cave of that old Hebrew slave that was being beaten with no mercy as Moses called out. "Stop it! Leave that man alone!"

Moses flinched at the sound of the whip
Echoing throughout the cave and into his ears. His eyes widened as he remembered that moment as he then slightly turned his head and closed his eyes in sadness. "So I have come down to deliver them out of slavery." God continued to say.

"And bring them to a good land. A land flowing with milk and honey. And so onto Pharaoh... I shall send...

...you." God finished saying as Moses instantly lifted his head up and began to frantically stutter from fear of going back to Egypt. He did not want to face his past. He did not want to see the man he once called brother. He did not want to hear the cries of the Hebrews or the laughs of the Egyptians. He wanted to stay here with his wife and the people he now calls family.

"Me? Wh-who am I to lead these people?" Moses said as he breathing began to speed up. "They'll never believe me. They won't even listen." Moses stated. "I shall teach you what to say...." God said to him as the voice of the words echoed into the cave and again into Moses's head.

"Let my people go!"

Moses shook his head in denial. "But I was their enemy. I was the prince of Egypt, the son of the man who slaughtered their children!" Moses said in fear. "You-you've chided the wrong messenger! How can I even speak to these people?" Moses asked as the wind intensified blowing him back into the cave rocks as the light of the fire intensified as God shouted.

"Who made mans mouth!? Who made the death? The mute? The seeing or the blind! Did not I? Now go!" God said as the light of the fire dimmed back to its normal color. White. Moses's breathing sped up as he held himself in fear. He then felt the amazing warmth from the fire as it began to engulf him as if he was being held by a loved one.

"Oh Moses..." God began to say as the fire lifted Moses off of the ground. "I shall be with you when you go to the King of Egypt." God spoke as Moses began to move closer to the burning bush. "But Pharaoh will not listen...." God continued to say as the fire of the bush began to raise up into the sky as God then said "So I will stretch out my hand.... And smite Egypt. With all my wonders!" The fire began to ball up like a tornado and spill out fire that flowed so beautifully.

Moses was astonished by what he was seeing. "Take the staff in your hand Moses. With it. You shall do, my wonders." God said as the fire began to disappear as Moses sat on the ground with a single tear of happiness falling down his cheek. "I shall be with you Moses...." God said to him as the voice and fire vanished.

Moses took the staff and stood up. Realizing what he must do. The tree was back to normal. Green leaves and all but no fire. The sun was lit. As Moses found the sheep and began to run back to his wife to tell her what he had just seen! She was folding clothes as Moses picked her up and kissed her.

He told her about the sheep and then the cave and the burning bush. He told her about God path for him to go to Egypt to free his people. He spoke of how he must free them and bring the to the promised land. Zipporah sat down confused and sad. She did not want Moses to go.

She wanted him to stay. She feared for his life. "But Moses...you are just one man." Zipporah said. Moses lifted her face "Zipporah." He said as she moved her head away from his hand in distraught. "Please." Moses continued as Zipporah looked up at him.

He looked out of the tent to see Jethro laughing with his children. "Look at your family. They are free. They have a future. They have hopes and dreams. They have a promise of a life with dignity... that is what I want for my people." Moses said to her. "And that I why I must do the task that God had given me." Moses stated.

Zipporah took a moment and realized what Moses meant. She looked at her family. As they laughed and danced with joy. Moses's people were enslaved and crying for their freedom. How could she live knowing that his people were living that way. She looked back at Moses and hugged him as she said "I'm coming with you."

They told their people about their trip to Egypt as they began to get on their camel and head toward Egypt as the people of Median waved them Goodbye and prayed for their trip. Their travel would be so long it gave Moses enough time to figure out what he ought to say. He was sad yet excited to see Rameses and Izidora. On the way there they made a few stops.

They heard about Izidora in Jordan and how she became Queen and fought off an entire army single handedly and heard how Rameses' kingdom was thriving like never before! He heard that Rameses was titled "Rameses The Great!" As he had made Egypt prosperous. Moses heard Izidora was back in Egypt for a little while and was excited to tell her what is happening.

But they still had long ways of traveling.