The Deliverer (17 page)

“Now, what’s the matter with you? If you can’t celebrate my victory, get out.”

“Right away, sir. I’ll just be leaving, then.” I began slinking toward the door before he could change his mind.

“Stop him!” Satan yelled at one of the guards who grabbed me by the tail just as I was making my getaway.

The guard held me up and dangled me like a morsel on a string as the others roared with laughter at my predicament. When he saw the look in Satan’s eyes, he knew recess was over, and he slammed me down in front of his evil ruler.

“You know something; what is it?”

“I just don’t want you to get your hopes up, master,” I said in the gentlest voice I could find. Was that ever a poor choice of words.

Satan himself came down on top of me and kicked me like a soccer ball. I fell to the floor and rolled up in the corner. The evil prince came and stood over me with those awful eyes. This was it; I just knew it. At last he would destroy me and only because I had tried to show a little concern for his feelings.

“I do not have hopes.” He snarled as he bent down close to my face with breath that could wilt a rock. “I am not one of His pathetic humans. I have hope neither in Him nor in any other living thing in the universe. I am my own god; I decide how things will be; I do not hope. Do you understand that?” He kicked me one more time for emphasis.

“Yes, yes, of course. I misspoke.”

“Get him up!” he yelled at one of the guards who promptly grabbed me by my tail again. Satan stomped across the floor and sat down on his throne, motioning for the guard to deposit me in front of him.

“Talk!”

“Yes, I was just about to … ”

“Spare me the groveling.”

“Right. OK, it’s just that there is the possibility that God will not destroy the Hebrews as you are hoping.” I couldn’t believe I’d said it again. I tried to recover. “Not
hoping
, of course. What I meant to say is God may not be required to destroy the people even though they fell into idol worship.”

“Because?”

“Because of intercession, sir.”

The boos and hisses from the other demons didn’t dissuade me. I surprised myself by spinning around to face them. “Has the past been so wasted on you that you’ve learned nothing from it? I said
intercession,
not praying, not begging.
Intercession!
Have you forgotten what God does in response to intercession?”

Satan motioned for them to leave me alone. I turned to face him.

“Master, if Moses intercedes for the people, God will not destroy them. I’m sure of it.”

“You said Moses was so angry with the people that he killed three thousand of them. Why would he intercede for the rest of them?”

“Because humans are not like us.”

The room was silent as each head turned to see how Satan would react. I couldn’t imagine getting into deeper trouble than I was already in, so I risked it and continued.

“God’s people get mad and do terrible things, but they don’t stay mad. Eventually, they get over it. Demons never get over anything. Each offense just adds to the last offense. Therefore, we have no frame of reference for understanding human guilt or their penchant to care about other humans. They repent for their madness and plead with God to reconcile what the madness has brought about, and He usually does. Moses is going to intercede for the people, and God will forgive them. I know I’m right about this.” I sat down hard on the floor and curled my tail up under me so no one could grab it again.

Satan leaned back on his throne and grasped the arms with both claws. He was obviously thinking about what I said. I tried to remember whether that had ever happened before. Finally, he stood up, walked over to me, and lifted me up by one wing. He then stood me on the floor in front of him. He walked around me as if examining me to see what foreign substance I might be made of. At last, he stopped in front of my face.

“Not about idol worship.” No one said a word as we waited for his next sentence. “You may be right about other things, but not worship of other gods. His jealousy consumes Him. Have you forgotten why we were thrown out of heaven? He was jealous of me.”

I bit my tongue so hard I was afraid a piece of it would fall out. I dared not respond with anything close to a true depiction of what happened in the war in heaven.

“Get back down there and follow Moses; you will see I’m right.” The guarding demons began chanting ad nauseam that ridiculous ditty about how Satan rules.

I kept my head down and was able to walk out of the room under my own power instead of being heaved out by one of the other demons, which was usually the case.

“I’m not wrong,” I said under my breath when I was a safe distance away.

C
HAPTER
18

I
RTURNED TO THE
Israelites’ camp to find them struggling with what to do with three thousand corpses. The whole mood had changed. There was no singing, no partying, and, for once, no griping going on. The people were traumatized; that’s the only way I can describe it. They had seen and applauded God’s judgment against Egypt, but I suppose it never crossed their minds that He would exact devastating punishment on them as well if they disobeyed. It’s hard to say who they were more terrified of, God or Moses. They were virtually immobilized because of their fear. So much so that Aaron and Hur were concerned they might not be able to get the people moving again. That’s when Hur asked for a private meeting with Moses.

“Unless you do something, Moses, I don’t think we can get them to go either forward or back.”

“If we don’t get them going soon,” Aaron interjected, “our enemies will think we’re lost or vulnerable in some way. It’s just a matter of time until one of them tries an attack.”

“How do you think it would make God look if all these people He rescued are killed here in the desert?” Hur asked. “Right now the people are walking around in a fog and in no condition to fight. They’re afraid to make a move.”

“I agree with Hur,” Aaron said. “This could all end up looking like God called the people out of Egypt and then abandoned them to their enemies.”

Moses bristled. “And whose fault is it that we’re in this predicament?”

Aaron dropped his head. “It’s mine. I let it happen. I’m not cut out for this line of work. Let somebody else be in charge if you’re planning on taking off again.”

Moses ignored the comment. “All right, gather the people, and in the morning I’ll talk to them.”

True to his word, the next day Moses addressed the people. “You have sinned an enormous sin! I don’t know if it will help, but I’m going up to God on your behalf. I’m not making any promises, but maybe I’ll be able to clear you of your sin.”

Moses told Joshua to follow him at a distance as he trudged up the mountain in search of God. He wasn’t hard to find. The mountain still manifested the glory of God as the fire and smoke billowed upward. Moses went to the last place he had been when God talked to him, sat down on a rock, and waited. It wasn’t long before God revealed Himself and spoke to Moses.

“They are a rebellious people.”

“Don’t I know it?” Moses stood up and paced back and forth with his hands on his hips. “This is terrible. They have sinned an enormous sin! There’s no excuse for it. It was the mixed people who made the god of gold for them, but Your people are responsible for their willingness to worship it.”

“Aaron is also responsible.”

“Yes, I know, and believe me, he feels horrible about it. He’s admitted his fault and has asked for forgiveness.”

God did not respond. Moses waited a few minutes and then tried to move the conversation along.

“And now, if You will only forgive their sin.”

“I will not,” God interrupted.

Moses dropped to his knees with desperation written all over his face as he tried to persuade God to forgive.

“If you cannot forgive them, then erase me as well out of the Book of Life You’ve written.”

“I’ll only erase from My book those who sin against Me.”

“If You don’t forgive them, then I have failed You. My sin is greater than theirs, for I have been with You.”

God remained silent. Moses closed his eyes and rocked back and forth on his knees, determined to wait for God to speak. After five minutes, he couldn’t stand it. He opened one eye and whispered.

“Are You thinking it over?”

“All right. For now, lead the people to where I told you. My angel is going ahead of you. On the day, though, when I settle accounts, their sins will certainly be part of the settlement.”

Moses nodded eagerly as if in total agreement.

“Now go. Get on your way from here, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Head for the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will send an angel ahead of you to the land flowing with milk and honey, and I’ll drive out the Canaanites and the rest of your enemies before you. But I Myself will not go with you. They are such a stubborn, hardheaded people; I might destroy them on the journey.”

I was mesmerized. God spoke to Moses the way neighbors talk to each other over the backyard fence.

But Moses wouldn’t quit. He kept right on pleading with God, just exactly as I’d told Satan he would.

“Lord, first You tell me, ‘Lead this people,’ and now You’ve changed Your mind and aren’t going with us? You don’t even let me know whom You’re going to send with me. An angel? It’s not the same. And it’s not what we agreed to. You tell me, ‘I know you well, and you are special to Me.’ If I’m so special to You, let me in on Your plans. Don’t send me where You won’t go. How can I know You’re still pleased with me if You make me go on without You? Don’t forget; this is Your people, Your responsibility. I never wanted this job in the first place.”

“Whoa there, Moses,” I almost said out loud. “Take a good look at who you’re talking to.”

Moses didn’t seem to be worried about pushing God too far. He paused for a moment and then kept right on going.

“If Your presence doesn’t take the lead here, and if You won’t go with us, let’s call this trip off right now. How else will it be known that You’re with me in this, with me and Your people?”

He paused again, waiting for God to respond. When He didn’t, Moses just kept pushing. I wondered how far this might go before God had enough.

“Well, what’s Your answer? Are You traveling with us or not? How else will we know that we’re special among all other people on the earth?”

I began to get nervous when God didn’t say anything. I was afraid He might have left. From the beads of sweat on his upper lip, I knew Moses feared the same thing. After another unnerving minute, God finally spoke.

“All right. Just as you say; this also I will do, for I know you well, and you are special to Me. I know you by name, and I will go with you.”

Moses clasped his hands together and waved them at God.

“Thank You, O Lord, for You are great and mighty and faithful to Your word.”

Doesn’t that beat all? God agreed to forgive the grievous sin of the people because Moses interceded for them. Isn’t that just what I told Satan would happen? I was right; I didn’t think it was fair, but I was right.

From watching all the people on the earth, I’d learned a few things about doing deals. The first thing I learned was when you get a yes from the customer, quit talking. Pack up your kit, and get out before he can change his mind. I thought surely that would be what Moses would do. He’d gotten the best deal he was going to get, so he should have moved right along as quickly as possible. But he didn’t.

“Please, God, before You send me away, let me see Your glory.”

What?
I couldn’t believe it.
Moses, are you addled from all the stress? God isn’t going to show you His glory. Who do you think you are?

I wasn’t expecting God to say anything to such an arrogant request. I would even have bet money that God wouldn’t respond. I would have lost.

“I will make My goodness pass right in front of you; I’ll proclaim My name right before you, but you may not see My face. No one can see Me and live. Look, here is a place right beside Me. Put yourself on this rock. When My glory passes by, I’ll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I’ve passed by. Then I’ll take My hand away, and you’ll see My back. But you won’t see My face.”

When I heard God say those words, an old aching began to rise up within me. Moses had never seen God, but I had. How many times in my exile had I longed to see Him just one more time? I had to get closer. I crept up to the rock where Moses stood and set myself down right beside him. When the shadow of God’s hand passed over us, I panicked and jumped down and hid behind the rock instead.

I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it as God passed by Moses. When I dared take a peek, Moses’s face was radiant beyond anything I’d ever seen in a human. Without saying another word, Moses bowed low and backed away; then he turned and ran down the mountainside.

I knew I should have followed Moses back to the camp as he hurried down the mountain, but I was momentarily paralyzed with indecision. Why was I such a coward? I was right there near the place where God was. I might never get this close again. Since He seemed to be in a conciliatory mood, I wondered whether He might be willing to hear my case now that Moses’s issues were settled. He might get angry and not hear me, but how could that be any worse than things were for me now? I decided to chance it, and with great trepidation, I climbed back on top of the rock and tried to squeeze myself into the cleft where Moses had stood.

I hadn’t as much as wedged my hoof into the opening before the weight of His glory forced me down on the rock, and I could not move. I was frightened beyond what words can convey. But it didn’t matter; I was near the presence of God. Even if He destroyed me right there and then, my lot would be so much better than living under the dictatorship of an insane ruler who thought he was a god.

After a while, I got a cramp in my midsection from the weight of all that glory and wished I could stand up.