Moses, Man of the Mountain

Moses meditates on the journey that brought him out of Egypt, reflecting on the good he had hoped to do there and the abuse he suffered because of it. He wonders if goodness can ever be rewarded. He walks until evening when he finds a resting place for caravans. The nomads dance and sing raunchy songs. Two men threaten each other and almost come to blows, but both back off. An old Arab chief invites Moses to travel with his caravan, and Moses accepts. On the first day he feels anxious that the caravan will try to rob him and plans to leave with one of their horses. Later that afternoon, Moses sees his first mountain: Mt. Sinai, also known as Mt. Horeb. In awe of the mountain’s size and majesty, he climbs off his horse and begins to walk towards the mountain.

As Moses sits by a well at the base of the mountain, a group of seven girls approaches with cattle. He watches from a distance as the girls are accosted by a group of rowdy young men, who harass them and their cows. When the harassment escalates, Moses intervenes, allowing the girls and their cows to escape to safety. The eldest returns shortly after and brings Moses to her father Jethro’s house. Jethro tells Moses that he has no sons, and that his servants have stolen his cows to join the bandits living at the foot of the mountain, which he calls Sinai. Moved by Jethro’s story, Moses arranges to steal back the cows and teach the bandits a lesson. Along with Jethro and his oldest daughter Zipporah, Moses defeats the bandits. He agrees to stay with Jethro.

Two of Jethro’s former servants return to his home, claiming to have been kidnapped by the bandits. Moses encourages Jethro to take them back. Along with Zipporah and Jethro’s daughter, Moses attends an extravagant party. As he watches Zipporah dance and play games with other men, Moses grows increasingly jealous. At the end of the night, he grabs and fiercely kisses Zipporah. The pair return to Jethro’s home nervously. Jethro announces that Moses and Zipporah will be married: He has read his daughter’s mind and knows that Zipporah wants Moses as a husband. Overwhelmed with happiness, Moses resolves to stay with Jethro forever. As the night ends, Zipporah follows Moses into his sleeping tent.

Enthralled by Zipporah, Moses begins to spend all his time with her. Missing the time spent with his friend, Jethro tells Moses to redirect his desire away from Zipporah and towards his true purpose: to be a leader of men. Moses dismisses him, saying he only wants to herd sheep and raise a family with Zipporah. Jethro reveals that there is a god at the top of Mt. Sinai, and that he believes the god is waiting for Moses. That evening, Moses feels called to reveal his origins in Egypt to Jethro’s family. Zipporah is thrilled that her new husband is a prince. Jethro criticizes her materialism. Moses vows to stay with Jethro’s people forever, but asks Jethro to return and give offerings at the tombs of his mother and Mentu.

Years pass and Moses becomes a powerful priest and chief among Jethro’s people. He spends his days on the mountain and sometimes doesn’t return for weeks. Zipporah holds some resentment about the life her family could have in Egypt, but gradually turns her attention away from Moses and dedicates herself fully to her children. Jethro is amazed at Moses’s humility, despite the fact that he has harnessed incredible powers. By raising his right hand, Moses can summon plagues of flies, locusts and frogs, turn rivers into blood, and bring on cattle disease. When he learns that Pharaoh has died, Moses decides to travel to Egypt to find the Book of Thoth.

One year later, Moses returns, looking tired and old. He tells Jethro how he found the Book of Thoth: He used magic to command local priests to build an enchanted cabin that could sink under the river. After three days of digging, his magic workers retrieved the box. Moses defeated the deathless snake guarding the box after three days of fighting. As he read the book, Moses became omniscient, able to command the elements and understand all creatures. Amazed by the story, Jethro asks Moses to help him fulfil his goal of introducing people to Jehovah, the God of the mountain. He suggests they begin with the Hebrews, who are facing fierce prosecution under Ta-Phar. Moses again refuses to leave.

One day, Moses climbs to a familiar point on the mountain where he has been watching lizards nest in a bush. When he arrives, the bush bursts into flames, but does not disintegrate. A voice, which Moses immediately recognizes as his Lord, tells him to take of his shoes. Moses obeys. The voice tells him to pick up a venomous snake on the ground; as Moses does, the snake turns into a powerful walking stick. The voice tells Moses to go down into Egypt and free the Hebrews, who are his people and have been calling out to him. Moses asks the voice who he should say sent him; the voice responds “I AM WHAT I AM” (124). Moses agrees, and the voice quiets as the bush stops burning.

Delighted about Moses’s encounter with the burning bush, Jethro tells Moses the journey won’t be as tough as he thinks. Moses feels insufficient, and worries that neither the Hebrews nor Pharaoh will listen to him. Jethro assures him that a nation in bondage will be glad for a god to worship, especially one that chose them. Jethro recommends his Hebrew friend Aaron as a guide and mediator for Moses on his journey, and invents a story about the voice calling for Aaron by name. Moses remains discouraged.

Moses immediately dislikes Aaron, who asks to dress like an Egyptian nobleman and call Moses his brother. With Jethro’s help, Aaron convinces Moses to pretend they are brothers, leaning into the rumors about Moses’s supposed Hebrew heritage. When Aaron asks for special favors for his tribe, Moses threatens to call off the entire mission to Egypt.

As the caravan prepares to leave, Moses has an emotional farewell with Jethro, who has acted as his father for the past 20 years. Jethro prays for him to return quickly and safely, telling Moses that God has given him amazing powers to defeat Pharaoh. Moses looks past Aaron’s camel towards the Red Sea and Egypt, then back at Mt. Sinai’s cloudy peak. Resolute, he begins the journey to Egypt.