By Way of the Wilderness Quotes

“That has nothing to do with it. Abraham had no desire to leave his homeland, but God commanded him, and he had no choice but to go. Others of our family have also been chosen when they did not expect it. God has reached out and touched them and put them in directions they never dreamed. You, I think, will be one of these men, Moses of the tribe of Levi!”
― Gilbert Morris, By Way of the Wilderness

“Zuriel’s old eyes blinked; then he leaned forward and whispered, “There is one coming who will be the Great Redeemer. He will be like no man we have ever known. But until the Great Redeemer comes, God will use men of flesh and blood to serve and to save His people.” Zuriel reached out his hand, and Moses took it in his strong hand. The old man’s hand felt as fragile as the bones of a tiny bird, but they suddenly tightened on Moses’ strong hand. “I think you are one whom God has chosen to be this kind of redeemer.” The words sent a tremor of fear through Moses. “I have no desire to be a leader.”
― Gilbert Morris, By Way of the Wilderness

“Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. “You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. “Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”
― Gilbert Morris, By Way of the Wilderness

“Reuben was the firstborn and would have been the leader of Israel’s sons, but he forfeited his birthright by sleeping with his father’s concubine. Had he become the leader of Israel, his tribe would have been the most significant, but that never happened.” “Which one of the sons did receive the birthright?” Moses asked. “Ah, you go right to the point. It was Judah.” The old man began to chant in a voice that was weak at first, but grew stronger as he recited the ancient prophecy:”
― Gilbert Morris, By Way of the Wilderness

“Day after day Moses went to Zuriel, soaking up the stories of his ancestors. Zuriel’s body was frail, but his mind was still alert, and he remembered the stories in great detail. His old eyes were faded, but they glowed as he spoke of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Moses sat still as a stone, listening intently as Zuriel spoke of Jacob’s death. “He was not as good a man as his grandfather Abraham,” old Zuriel said, nodding his head constantly. “But he was a crafty fellow. He had twelve sons, and his twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel.” He looked over at Moses and smiled toothlessly. “We know you are of the tribe of Levi, one of those sons.”
― Gilbert Morris, By Way of the Wilderness

“Moses was no longer sure of who he was. All his life he had known himself only as Moses, Prince of Egypt, but now another identity had suddenly arisen within him. Moses the Hebrew. Moses the servant, not of the gods of Egypt but of the formless god whose name could not even be spoken aloud but who had made all things. Moses struggled with this intently, and he found much relief while sitting at the feet of the oldest of the elders. Zuriel was older than anyone knew, more than a hundred. He was kept as a treasure of the Hebrew people, for he remembered sitting at his great-grandfather’s feet, and his great-grandfather could remember as a small child the Hebrews serving under the elderly Joseph’s benevolent reign.”
― Gilbert Morris, By Way of the Wilderness

“Our people need a form of religion they can see and handle. It is not enough that God is a spirit. Men must see things.” “See what? If your god is a spirit with no body, what could they see?” “They could see ceremonies that would be pictures of the qualities of God,” Aaron said eagerly. He had thought this out carefully, and now words spilled from his mouth. “The Egyptians know this well. That is why they have so many ceremonies, so many temples, so many—” “So many idols,” Moses interrupted. “Surely you can’t mean this.” Aaron was a perceptive individual and knew he had gone too far. “Well, of course we do not want idols. But there is nothing wrong with ceremony. It gives people something to cling to. Now, back to the question at hand. Go to your mother. Have her beg the pharaoh to lighten the load on our people.” “That is not what I want. I want them to be free.” “That will come. One step at a time, brother—one step at a time!”
― Gilbert Morris, By Way of the Wilderness