The Priest: Aaron by Francine Rivers Read Free Book Online Page B

heaved it against the wall.
    Perhaps the ruler still held out hope that his priests would prevail, though it was clear to all present that the number of frogs was increasing exponentially.
    “All right,” Moses replied, “it will be as you have said. Then you will know that no one is as powerful as the Lord our God.”
    The Lord answered Moses’ prayer. The frogs stopped coming. But they didn’t return to the waters from which they came. They died in the fields, streets, houses, and kneading bowls of Egyptian and Hebrew alike. The people gathered the carcasses and piled them in heaps. The stench of rotting frogs lay like a cloud over the land.
    The smell didn’t bother Aaron. In a few days, he figured they would be out in the desert, breathing fresh air and worshiping the Lord.
    Moses sat in silence, his prayer shawl over his head.
    Miriam sewed sacks in which to carry grain. “Why are you so downcast, Moses? Pharaoh agreed to let us go.”
    The next morning, Pharaoh’s soldiers arrived. When they left, the Hebrew taskmasters ordered the people back to work.
    Joy quickly turned to rage and despair. The people blamed Moses and Aaron for giving Pharaoh an excuse to make their lives even more unbearable.
    Go back . . .
    Aaron and Moses obeyed the Lord.
    Pharaoh sat smug. “Why should I let you go? It was Heket who stopped the plague of frogs, not your god. Who is your god that I should let the slaves go free? There is work to be done, and the Hebrew slaves will do it!”
    Aaron saw his brother’s calm ripple. “Stretch out your staff, Aaron, and strike the dust of the earth!”
    Aaron obeyed, and swarms of gnats came up as numerous as the particles of dust he’d stirred, invading the flesh and clothing of those watching, including Pharaoh himself.
    Aaron and Moses departed.
    People poured into the shrines of Geb and Aker, gods over the earth, and gave offerings to pay for relief.
    No relief came.
    Aaron sat waiting with Moses near Pharaoh’s palace. How long before the wretched man relented?
    A pleading Egyptian official approached one afternoon. “Great Pharaoh’s magicians tried to bring forth gnats and couldn’t. Pharaoh’s sorcerers say this is the finger of your god who has brought this upon us.” Shuddering, he scratched the hair beneath his wig. His neck showed angry welts and scabs. “Pharaoh won’t listen to them. He has told them to keep offering to the gods.” He uttered a frustrated groan and scratched at his chest.
    Aaron cocked his head. “If this is but God’s finger, consider what God’s hand can do.”
    The man fled.
    “We are to rise early in the morning,” Moses said, “and present ourselves before Pharaoh as he goes down to the river.”
    Aaron was torn between dread and excitement. “Pharaoh will let us go this time, Moses. Pharaoh and his counselors will see that they and all the gods of Egypt cannot prevail against the God of our people.”
    “Raamses will not let us go, Aaron. Not yet! But only Egypt will suffer this time. The Lord will make a distinction between Egypt and Israel.”
    “Thanks be to God, Moses. Our people will listen now. They will see that the Lord has sent you to deliver us. They will listen to us and do as you say, for you will be as God to them.”
    “I do not want to be as God to them! It was never in my mind to lead anyone. I begged the Lord to choose someone else, to let another speak. You have seen how I tremble before Raamses. I am more afraid of speaking before men than I am of facing a lion or a bear in the wilderness. That’s why the Lord brought you to stand beside me. When I saw you standing on the hill, I knew there would be no turning back. But the people must put their trust in the Lord, not in me. The Lord is our deliverer!”
    Aaron knew why God had sent him to his brother. To encourage him, not just be his spokesman. “Yes, Moses, but you are the one to whom the Lord speaks. The Lord told me to go to you in the wilderness, and I did.