By Way of the Wilderness

by Gilbert, Morris

  “Yes, it is.”

  “That was a long speech Moses made,” Eli said with a shrug, “but it was good to hear the history of our people.”

  Moses had stood before Israel and read the entire law to them. He had given the history of the Hebrews, and he had announced that he was leaving to go up onto Mount Nebo to die as Aaron had.

  “What will we do?” Micah, the second youngest son, said. He was a smaller man than Eli, but he had his father’s clever hands and inventive way. “Who will lead us?”

  “You know that, son. Joshua is the man God has chosen to lead us. It was Moses who brought us out of Egypt, but it’s Joshua who will lead us into the Land of Promise.”

  ****

  The sun was shining brightly, and Moses was preparing to leave. He put his hands on Joshua and once again made it clear to Israel that Joshua was now their leader. He had bidden farewell to those closest to him—to Caleb first, and then to Bezalel and his family. He stood looking at Bezalel and said, “You are the bearer of the medallion, my son. Keep yourself from sin and love the Lord as He loves you.”

  “I will do my best, master.”

  Moses turned slowly, and a silence fell over Israel as he climbed up the mountainside. No one moved until his figure grew smaller and smaller and he finally disappeared into the clouds.

  Bezalel sighed. “What will we do? What will we do? There will never be another man like Moses.”

  Shani was standing beside him. She put her arm around his waist and looked up at him. “The spirit of the Lord is on Joshua, husband. He will lead us to our new home. We will sit under the shade of our own fig tree and drink the fruit of our own vine, and our children will be free.”

  “What a woman,” Bezalel whispered. He hugged her; then his free hand went to finger the medallion. “We will have to fight for the land, but the Lord is with us.” He looked at the medallion and asked softly, “I wonder what He will be like, the Messiah who is to come?”

  “He will be like no other man,” Shani said. “He will not only save Israel but the whole world.”

  Eli suddenly cried out, “Joshua is calling, Father! We must prepare to cross over the Jordan.”

  “Yes,” Bezalel said, smiling and taking Shani into his arms. “Into the Land of Promise. It’s God’s own gift to the people of Israel.”

  “Yes,” Shani said, “and it will be our land forever.”

  GILBERT MORRIS spent ten years as a pastor before becoming Professor of English at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas and earning a Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas. A prolific writer, he has had over 25 scholarly articles and 200 poems published in various periodicals and over the past years has had more than 180 novels published. His family includes three grown children, and he and his wife live in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

  BOOKS BY GILBERT MORRIS

  THE HOUSE OF WINSLOW SERIES

  1. The Honorable Imposter

  2. The Captive Bride

  3. The Indentured Heart

  4. The Gentle Rebel

  5. The Saintly Buccaneer

  6. The Holy Warrior

  7. The Reluctant Bridegroom

  8. The Last Confederate

  9. The Dixie Widow

  10. The Wounded Yankee

  11. The Union Belle

  12. The Final Adversary

  13. The Crossed Sabres

  14. The Valiant Gunman

  15. The Gallant Outlaw

  16. The Jeweled Spur

  17. The Yukon Queen

  18. The Rough Rider

  19. The Iron Lady

  20. The Silver Star

  21. The Shadow Portrait

  22. The White Hunter

  23. The Flying Cavalier

  24. The Glorious Prodigal

  25. The Amazon Quest

  26. The Golden Angel

  27. The Heavenly Fugitive

  28. The Fiery Ring

  29. The Pilgrim Song

  30. The Beloved Enemy

  31. The Shining Badge

  32. The Royal Handmaid

  33. The Silent Harp

  34. The Virtuous Woman

  35. The Gypsy Moon

  36. The Unlikely Allies

  37. The High Calling

  38. The Hesitant Hero

  39. The Widow’s Choice

  40. The White Knight

  CHENEY DUVALL, M.D.*

  1. The Stars for a Light

  2. Shadow of the Mountains

  3. A City Not Forsaken

  4. Toward the Sunrising

  5. Secret Place of Thunder

  6. In the Twilight, in the Evening

  7. Island of the Innocent

  8. Driven With the Wind

  CHENEY AND SHILOH: THE INHERITANCE*

  1. Where Two Seas Met

  2. The Moon by Night

  3. There Is a Season

  THE SPIRIT OF APPALACHIA**

  1. Over the Misty Mountains

  2. Beyond the Quiet Hills

  3. Among the King’s Soldiers

  4. Beneath the Mockingbird’s Wings

  5. Around the River’s Bend

  LIONS OF JUDAH

  1. Heart of a Lion

  2. No Woman So Fair

  3. The Gate of Heaven

  4. Till Shiloh Comes

  5. By Way of the Wilderness

  6. Daughter of Deliverance

  *with Lynn Morris **with Aaron McCarver