Prophetess

By Margy Pezdirtz

Obedience was demanded, but to whom would they bow down?

From her earliest memory she knew she was different but how could that matter to her family and her people when the king’s edict was so vile? Would there be help from The Light or had it all been a figment of her young imagination? Would a redeemer arrive in time or were they all doomed to float, face down, in the Nile. There were so many questions but few answers yet her people, her nation, were looking to her for help. One woman, one family, one people but most importantly, One God. Time was of the essence.

Prophetess is the third book in a series of Heroines of the Bible. Each story is of a woman of the Bible that is generally overlooked, misunderstood or forgotten, yet without them and their actions, their people would have perished.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Margy Pezdirtz
• Release date: May 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463399149

Margy Pezdirtz

Margy Pezdirtz grew up on a farm in northern Oklahoma where life was simple and somewhat cloistered, never dreaming she would travel the world and meet her soul mate in Israel. Together they built a life of business, fun, adventure and service to their Lord, which came to a screeching halt when her beloved David became suddenly ill. Since his passing, Margy has continued to serve the Lord through teaching the Word of God, traveling to Israel and encouraging others to do the same. She speaks to groups teaching others about the significance of Judea and Samaria, biblical Israel through Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (cfoic.com) where she serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors. She is an ardent Christian Zionist. In addition to her teaching and writing ministry, she maintains two blogs https://heartlandheartbeat.wordpress.com/ and https://rekalculating.wordpress.com/. She and David have six children, 11 grandchildren and six great grandchildren. She maintains the ministry they started together, Comforters of Israel. She has written two biblical novels, Genesis Triangle and Beautiful Valor.

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Prophetess

Heroines of the Bible

Book Three

Margy Pezdirtz

Copyright © 2018 Margy Pezdirtz

SMASHWORDS EDITION

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Certain stock imagery © BigStock Images

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by BigStock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Formatting by Daniel J. Mawhinney

www.40DayPublishing.com

Cover design by Jonna Feavel

www.40DayGraphics.com

Printed in the United States of America

To and for my beloved granddaughters:

Desiree

Brittany

Victoria

Amber

And for my special adopted granddaughter, Caitlin.

"Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children"

—Deuteronomy 4:9

CONTENTS

One—the Message

Two—Pharaoh’s Daughter

Three—Moses

Four—Plagues

Five—Freedom

Six—The Rock

Seven—Manna

Eight—Stones

Nine—Tzara'at

Ten—Spies

Eleven—Backwards

Twelve—Rebellion

Thirteen—Order

Fourteen—Remembering

Fifteen—Dedication

Sixteen—Finding Home

Seventeen—The Leaving

Glossary

A note from the author

About the Author

One—the Message

Miriam sat on her couch watching delicate fingers of smoke slowly rising from the fire pit, lazily drifting toward the open sides of the tent like a silent dance through time. Each ember floating upward seemed to carry another of her memories was being offered up as a sacrifice. It wouldn’t be long now before The Light arrived to carry her away just as the smoke carried the embers out of the tent. She wondered if she had taught them enough, the ones she was leaving behind. Would they know? Would they remember?

‘It was a miracle’, she thought as she watched the most recent ember float up and then die out. ‘It was all a miracle. Every step. Every action. All of it.’ Miriam allowed herself the luxury of drifting back through her life as she sat waiting on her granddaughter, Sarah, to come to the tent. When The Light appeared to her in the night vision and told her of her imminent departure, he instructed her to make sure someone in her family knew the story so it wouldn’t be lost in the passing of time.

Sarah, her eldest granddaughter and the one she was the closest to had been her choice to carry forth the telling of their family history. She would be the keeper and protector of the Aggadah. It would be her responsibility to carry the story to others so that it can be passed down through the generations. Ari, Miriam’s grandson and Sarah’s cousin, had gone to summons Sarah to her grandmother’s tent.

‘Time,’ she thought, ‘how did it go so quickly? Could we be here already? Can this be the end of my life when there is still so much left undone? It isn’t my decision. I have to admit, I’ve known for some time that The Light would be coming soon. I’ve expected it. But now that I know I also know how much is being left to the next generation.’ She thought about that – the next generation. Were they responsible enough to carry it forward? Would it matter to them? She didn’t know but she knew she would have to trust as there was no other way at this point.

Her thoughts drifted back to when she first knew, first understood that she was different, that she was chosen. ‘Could I really have been only three? Or maybe it was four. Aaron was a new baby. It was the first time I had actually seen a baby born,’ her musings continued. ‘Mother, Yochebed, had been a midwife from the time she was a young woman and she wanted me, her daughter, ‘my Meri’ she called me, to grow up understanding the birthing process. She was determined I was going to grow up and be a midwife, just as she was, so she reasoned that it was important that I not be afraid.’ Miriam smiled, remembering that distant conversation and the fear she had held in her heart. ‘As usual, Ema had her way and instructed the midwife assisting her in the birth to allow me to stay.’ She smiled again, this time at the remembrance of the determination and strength of her mother.

The joy of that birth reflected on Miriam’s face as she remembered that day, causing a slight wrinkle near her eyes, forming tiny lines in her otherwise beautiful complexion. She had maintained her beauty even in the harshness of almost forty years on the desert. She laughed as she remembered the thrill of knowing that she was now a big sister. She was excited to have a little brother. She loved him so much. He had become her favorite toy and she wanted to hold him, play with him, and most of all, help feed him. More than anything else, she wanted to be with him all the time hating it when she had to do her chores. On the eighth day, the day of his circumcision, her parents gave a party where they announced the name of their baby. He would be called Aaron which meant ‘lofty, exalted, high mountain’. She wondered if they’d had any inclination then of just how very important her brother would be to his people, the Hebrews.

The tent flaps parted, breaking into Miriam’s pondering of the past. Sarah, smiling at her beloved grandmother, quietly entered the tent. Good Morning, Softa, she said as she strolled toward her look-alike grandmother, a hug on her mind. Are you okay? Ari told me you wanted me to come to you right away. That scared me. Are you sick?

No, my darling. I’m not sick. In fact, I’m perfectly healthy. Sit down. I have heard from The Light. I have some things to tell you. We need to be able to spend some time together.

Sarah pulled one of the round, heavily embroidered floor cushions over toward her grandmother. She was puzzled over what could be so important that she wanted her to come this early but having a sense of dread over what she might hear. She situated herself next to her grandmother where she, too, could see the fire.

The Light? she questioned.

Watching the fire embers had always been one of their shared loves. When she was little they imagined scenes and faces in the fire and they’d laugh. They both loved watching the glowing embers dance, burst forth with light then die out. It was what they had always done when she was a child and it was story time – sit in front of the fire, tell stories and watch the embers. Now she was an adult with children of her own, yet she loved the tradition and had carried it forward with her little ones.

What is it, Softa? What’s on your mind so early in the morning on this beautiful 8th of Nissan?

Miriam took her hand in hers and rejoiced in the life she felt flowing through the pulse of Sarah’s strong hands. You are a strong woman, Sarah. You are like me and your Abba, you are strong. God has given you strength, not just physical strength, but inner strength as well. I am so proud of you.

Sarah blushed. Confused, once again she asked her grandmother, Softa, what’s happening. I know something is on your heart or you would not have called me to come to you so early this morning. What is it?

I saw him. In my dreams – in my night visions - I saw him. He told me it is time and that I was to tell you.

Wait a minute. You saw who? Who told you to tell me what? She looked at her grandmother and saw the seriousness of her countenance. You are scaring me. What are you talking about?

Miriam reached up and brushed a wisp of Sarah’s ever-so-curly jet black hair from her forehead and smiled at her. Her piercing blue eyes were questioning, waiting, looking for an answer. What? she whispered, her face etched with concern.

In my dream, The Light appeared to me. He told me he would be back for me in two days and I needed to make sure that I have told you the story of our people.

The Light? Oh. No! You can’t mean it? It isn’t time. You are too young. There is too much to do. Sarah protested, tears welling in her eyes.

It is time, darling. I’ve known it for some time now. You know Adonai promised our parents, Moses’, Aaron’s and mine, your great grandparents, that we would never know the death of ordinary people. It isn’t because we are special, but because He used us to bring our people out of captivity. We have never been sick or injured, or anything like that. Adonai promised and He keeps His promises.

But, no! I don’t want you to go. I’m not ready! I need you. Sarah squeezed her grandmother’s strong hands. She couldn’t let her go. She wouldn’t!

I guess we are never ready for these things, but this isn’t the end. You know we believe we’ll meet again, in another world, another life, or maybe in Paradise. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are righteous in our walk with Adonai. I think we have been. I pray we have been. We’ve tried. I’ve messed up a couple of times but all-in-all, I think I have done pretty well. At least I’ve tried.

So how long do we have? Sarah could barely choke the words out, wondering how this could be. How was it her beloved Softa would leave her here, alone, without her to talk to or tell her what to do. Where would she turn when she was frightened? Who would help her with her own children?

"I think two days. I’m not sure when the count started as he appeared to me in the night vision. If the count started at erv today, then we only have a day and a half. If it was sometime in the night, at the time of the dream, then we may have a full two days."

Sarah wept quietly, trying to understand what her grandmother was telling her. "It is all so much to take in. How can this be? Does Saba Caleb know?"

Yes, darling, he knows. He said, ‘he too had felt as though something was going to happen, but he had no idea this would be the something after all that we’ve been through.

They paused for a few minutes, each woman pulling together her emotions. Sarah had never been without her grandmother. How could she manage without her? she wondered. I know it isn’t about me, but why now? Did he tell you anything? Did he say why or how?

Sort of. You know it won’t be long now before we, our people, are ready to cross over into the Promised Land. I can feel it in my bones and I know it in my spirit. I’ve seen it in night visions. We’ve brought you this far. It is time for the next generation to take over. Most of my generation has passed on, just as Adonai said would happen before we would be allowed to cross over. It is your generation and that of your parents that must lead the way now.

What are you supposed to tell me? Do you know?

Yes, I want, or need, to take you back to the beginning, when our people were in Egypt. You have heard stories about it. How hard it was. Not at first but after the new Pharaoh took over, things got really bad. I need to make sure you know all of our history. This is going to be your responsibility now. I’ve taught the women Torah, from the time I was tiny. Now it will be up to you not only to continue teaching them Torah but to carry forward the telling of our family. Do you understand?

Sarah nodded ‘yes’ as she wiped her eyes. She felt like she wanted to get up and run away but she didn’t want to miss one second of being with her grandmother. Not one.

So let’s start at the beginning. At the beginning of our family, that is. You already know a great deal of it but now it is important that you really know it. If you have any questions or there is something you don’t understand, then ask. It is important that we get this right while we can.

Okay. I understand. Where do you want to start?

They gazed at the embers, wishing this day didn’t have to happen but knowing that it was significant that they share this time together. Sarah stifled the urge to sob. She was devastated at the thought of her grandmother not being there for her. She had always been.

Let’s go back to Egypt, not literally, but in the telling. I’d like to start with the early days of Aaron. I think that is probably one of my earliest memories that is totally clear.

Sarah nodded, wiping an errant tear. She struggled to keep