Darkness, locusts, boils… you name it, they got it. And now, finally, Pharaoh is ready to let the Israelites go. But it wasn't exactly a gracious departure.
According to Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, Pharaoh was practically shoving them out the door. He insisted they leave immediately, under the cover of darkness. Can you picture it? A midnight exodus, hurried and frantic.
But Moses, ever the leader, wasn't having it. "Are we thieves," he demanded, "that we should slink away under cover of the night? Wait until morning!" He wanted a proper, dignified departure, not some furtive escape.
Why the rush on Pharaoh's part? He was scared. Really scared. As Ginzberg tells it, Pharaoh confessed he was anxious about his own life. He was a firstborn son, and after the devastating plague that killed all the firstborn of Egypt, he was terrified he’d be next. He begged Moses to leave, to take his people and just… go.
Moses, in a move that's either incredibly reassuring or incredibly ominous (depending on your perspective), calmed Pharaoh's immediate fears. But then he added a little something extra: "Fear not, there is worse in store for thee!"
Yikes.
Can you imagine the dread that must have seized the Egyptians? Every single one of them was afraid of dying. They all joined in Pharaoh's pleas, begging Moses to just get the Israelites out of there.
And then, a chilling prophecy. Ginzberg quotes God as saying, "Ye shall all find your end, not here, but in the Red Sea!"
So, there you have it. A reluctant release, a terrified Pharaoh, and a prophecy of doom hanging in the air. It’s a powerful reminder that sometimes, freedom comes with a price – and that the journey to redemption can be fraught with unexpected twists and turns. What does it mean to leave one's home, one's oppressor, only to be met with another challenge? What kind of faith and courage does that take? Something to think about, isn't it?