Ezrae’s Story, Part Three: “Israel & The Desert of Sin.”

"Moses and I worked together, calling upon the blessings of Yahweh, and the protection of the Lord, Himself. Judgment rained upon the head of Behemoth, called through Moses. A massive beam of light shot from his staff and nearly melted through this creature's skull.

It fell, wounded, as I prayed to Yahweh to protect our people. But it wasn't enough. Behemoth's wounds began to heal, and before we knew it, he reared up on his back legs, inhaling a massive amount of air. You could see the fire building up in his throat, as magma dripped from his jaws like saliva. Humbled by the sheer power of the beast, many of us fell to our knees and begged the lord for protection and guidance.

The next thing we knew a roar pierced the air, emanating from the sky itself. Like a flash of lightning, another of the Primordial Creatures, Ziz, the King of the Skies, the Lord of Birds, descended upon behemoth. Its wings were so large that from our point of view, they blocked out the very Sun. It's fearsome talons tore into Behemoth, shredding his eyes, face, and armor.

Behemoth tried to fight back, but Ziz was just too agile, and the more damage Behemoth took, the more sluggish he became. Then, the very voice of God shook the earth, as it boomed from the clouds, saying "The Children of Israel shall not be harmed by any beasts of the Land, Air, Or Sea; so says your Lord, Yahweh."

With that, Ziz gripped Behemoth in its massive talons and carried him away, his blood pouring like rain from the skies, upon the dry desert earth… It was the most intense thing that I had ever seen. And the battle was so draining on Moses and I, we required nearly two weeks of rest. God told us to make camp, and the next day we would arrive at an oasis known as Elim.

It was as He said, and we camped at this Oasis called Elim. As I said, Moses and I were bedridden for nearly two weeks, and then we spent another week slowly working our way back to normal. All the while the Israelites prepared. We took the time to fellowship and teach and learn and dance and sing…

We packed and preserved fruit from the trees, meat from the quail, and water from the springs! It was beautiful, and it was paradise. But it wasn't our promised land. So, after those 24 days, we decided to head into the Desert of Sin, and continue our trip to the Promised Land."

Hur shook his head. "I know that. I understand it entirely. I'll tell you more tomorrow, but I've resided among just about every single tribe from Egypt to Asia. Searching for a place to belong…"

Aaron cut in this time, saying "And all along all you had to do was come back to Israel."

Ezrae nodded, agreeing, as he continued his story. "For weeks we traveled… in the hot Sun, on the hot sand, and bit by bit, the resolve of the Israelites began to break down. Every day new grumblings could be heard in the crowd, new complaints were brought up, and tempers flared. Finally it all came to a boiling point, and the people decided to lash out.

They cried in anger and frustration, 'We left Egypt, dreaming of a promised land, flowing with milk and honey! But instead, we find ourselves wandering in this desolate wilderness, with nothing but hunger and thirst!

Have you been working with the Pharaoh all along? Have you brought us to the desert to die?!' I did everything I could to soothe them and I brought their complaints to Moses and Aaron. Moses spoke with Yahweh and was granted guidance on how to proceed.

Despite this… the children, Brother Hur. The children remained resolute and resilient, refusing to give in to hardship. Their spirits remained bright and powerful, and I was inspired to preach to the people, and remind them who they are, and where their strength comes from… Not too much later, Moses returned and gave us the good tidings to pass on to Israel… and so we did.

'Listen, my beloved people,' Aaron proclaimed, his voice strong and filled with conviction. 'Yahweh has heard your cries, and He will provide for us.

In the evenings, you will witness His glory, as Quail, Lizards, and other small critters descend upon our camp, providing us with meat to nourish our bodies, and fill our bellies.

This will be followed by Desert Foxes, Ibex, and Gazelle, so you may make new clothing, if necessary. Otherwise, Yahweh has declared that these beasts be left alone; in order to clean up the remains and parts of the animals you won't use, and flourish in their own environment.

If you don't hurt them, they won't hurt you. So says our Lord God, Yahweh.'

Then, I stepped forward, saying, 'And when the morning sun graces the sky, a miraculous substance, delicate and granular, will blanket the desert floor.

This glorious substance will be called Manna, and it is a gift from Yahweh himself. However, your household is to consume all that you have gathered.

Leave none till the morning, or else it will become rancid and rot. These are the declarations of our Lord God, Father Yahweh.'

And so it was… And we subsisted on these things, and we worshipped, and we fellowshipped, and we prayed, and of course… I told stories."

Miriam, Aaron, Ezrae, and Hur all laughed together. It was good to feel so relaxed after everything they had been through. It was as if a family was reunited…