Moses

MOSES by KEN MEDEMA @ Yahoo!7 Video

I went to Asbury United Methodist Church this morning to hear the OWU Chorale perform. It was a pretty amazing experience. One of the songs they sang took me back to my childhood, when my sister was a member of the Christian Minstrals, a group that toured Arizona and performed at different churches.

Anyway, I was so inspired by hearing the song again that I decided to share it with all of you. It's amazing to me that there is such a wide range of emotion in telling the story of Moses.

This music video is performed by the artist himself, Ken Medema. Isaiah has heard him perform - he has been blind from birth but posesses the ability to make up songs "on the spot" - he can literally hear a sermon, then walk up to a piano and compose a song that recaps the sermon points.

Hope you enjoy - and here are the lyrics, written out for you: (It's the story of Moses at the burning bush, and sometimes the singer is the narrator, sometimes he's God, and sometimes he's Moses. God will be BOLD, and the narrator will be italicized.)

Moses
Ken Medema (C) 1971 Word Music

Old Moses, way back there in the wilderness.
Saw some smoke... came to the bush, and the bush was burning!
God said, "Take off your shoes, Moses, you're on holy ground.

Moses, I've chosen you to be my man.
Moses, way down in Egypt land!
Moses, I've chosen you to work for Me,
Moses, I've chosen you to set my people free!"

"Not me, Lord, don't You know I can't talk so good?
I st-st-stutter all the time!
Do You know my brother, Aaron?
He can sing like an angel, t-t-talk like a preacher!
Not me, Lord, I can't talk so good.

And another thing: How will they know that I've been here with You?
How will they know what You've sent me to do?
Don't You know in Egypt they want little Moses' head?
Don't You know in Egypt they want little Moses dead?
Don't You know they'll never hear a single word I'll say?
Maybe You'd better get Your dirty work done another way!
Not me, Lord!

"What's that in your hand, Moses?"

"It's just a rod."

"Throw it down, Moses."

"Do You mean, like, on the ground?"

"Yes, I said, throw it down, Moses."

"Lord, don't take my rod away from me!
Don't You know it's my only security?!
Don't You know when you live here all alone
A man's gotta have something he can call his own?
Not me, Lord!"

"Throw it down, Moses."

"But, Lord, I..."

"Throw it down, Moses."

"But..."

"Throw it down, Moses!"

Moses threw the rod on the ground, and the rod became a hissing snake!
Well, Moses started running... well, maybe you'd run, I know that I'd run!
He was running from a hot rod! Running from a hissing snake!
Running scared of what God's gonna do, running scared He'll get a-hold of you!
And the Lord said, "Stop! Pick it up, Moses, by the tail!"

"Lord, You have not lived here very long,
Lord, You've got the whole thing wrong!
Don't You know that You never pick up a hissing snake... by his..."

"Pick it up, Moses!!"

"Oh, God, it's a rod again... it's a rod again... it's a rod again!"

"Do you know what it means, Moses?
Do you know what I'm trying to say, Moses?
The rod of Moses became that rod of God.
With the rod of God, touch the rock and the water will come.
With the rod of God, part the waters of the sea.
With the rod of God, you can strike old Pharoah dead.
With the rod of God, you can set my people free."

What do you hold in your hand today?
To what, or to Whom are you bound?
Are you willing to give it to God right now?
Give it up, let it go, throw it down.