Stranger for Strange Land

One man dey run across di desert, alone, and di cities of Egypt dey small small for im back. Yesterday e dey live for palace. Today di king of Egypt want make e die. And e no know where e dey go at all.

Di baby wey dem draw comot from di Nile don grow. Dem raise Moses as di son of Pharaoh daughter, inside di royal house of Egypt. But e never forget who be im people. Im people na di Hebrews, di Israelites, and dem be slaves, dem dey make bricks under hot sun and under di whip of di slave masters. One day, now wey e don be grown man, Moses go out to where im people dey work, and e watch their heavy labour.

Then e see one Egyptian dey beat one Hebrew, one of im own people. Moses look dis side and dat side. Nobody dey look. And e strike di Egyptian down, e kill am, and e hide di body inside sand. Di next day Moses go out again, and dis time e see two Hebrews dey fight each other. Why you dey beat your fellow Hebrew? e ask di one wey dey wrong. And di man answer am with contempt. Who make you ruler and judge over us? You wan kill me like how you kill di Egyptian? Cold catch Moses body. People don know. And soon Pharaoh know too, and Pharaoh try to kill Moses.

So Moses run. E run far from Egypt, go di land of Midian, and e sit down near one well. Moses want to put things right. E care about injustice, and dat one good. But e try to fix am for secret, with im own strength, and e scatter. Di prince of Egypt don become person wey dey run from law, e sit alone for dust, with nothing.

Seven sisters come, di daughters of di priest of Midian, to fetch water for their papa flock. Dem fill di troughs. But then some shepherds come drive dem away. And Moses, di man wey no fit stand to see people pressing di weak, stand up. E rescue di women and give their flock water imself. Di sisters hurry go home, early pass how dem dey come before. Their papa, Reuel, surprise. How una take come back so quick today? One Egyptian rescue us from di shepherds, dem talk. E even draw di water for us and give di flock water. Then where e dey? Why una leave am there? Go call am make e come chop with us!

So Moses come stay. E make im home with Reuel family, and Reuel give am im daughter Zipporah to marry. Dem born one son, and Moses name am Gershom, wey sound like di Hebrew for stranger for there. I don be stranger for strange land, Moses talk. E suppose belong to Egypt palace, but e no belong. E suppose belong among di Hebrews, and dem reject am. Now e be shepherd, far from both. Di years pass, many years. And Moses dey keep sheep for wilderness.

But listen. Di story no end with Moses. As time go, di king of Egypt die, and di Israelites still be slaves. Dem groan. Dem cry out. And their cry go up reach God. Then four short sentences come, like four steps. God hear their groaning. God remember im covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. God look di Israelites. And God know. Moses no forget anything, but e no fit do anything. God no forget anything, and e don ready to act.

Moses escape get echo for Egypt own literature. Di Story of Sinuhe, one of di most famous stories of ancient Egypt, wey dem write long before dem born Moses, talk about one royal official wey run comot from Egypt with fear after trouble for palace. E escape pass Egypt eastern border, one local chief welcome am, and e marry di chief first daughter. Egyptians know well say man wey enter trouble for palace fit run go desert and find new life among herders wey dey outside di border.

Moses run away. You go find am for Exodus chapter two, verse eleven to twenty-five. Moses try to rescue im people by imself and e fail. But God hear, God remember, and God never finish. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you don try fix something your own way and you fail, you go trust say God still dey hear and e still get plan?