“Esther, there’s the trumpet! The cloud’s lifted – we must get ready!” The woman looked up from her mixing ­bowl but did not reply. Eleazer, who had never been able to understand women, and this one whom he had married six years ago even less, was amazed that Esther was silent. She usually had enough to say! Pulling the bowl up against her swollen belly, she pounded the manna in preparation for the next meal. Three year old Jacob ran in and pulled at her sleeve. “Mummy, I’m hungry!”

“It’ll be ready soon, Jacob. Go out and play like a good boy, until Mummy gets the fire going.”

“Gets the fire going? Cooking now?” Eleazer exploded. “Just take a look out there, Esther! Everybody’s getting ready to move and you’re going to get the fire going!” His black eyes flashed angrily. In one stride he was across the tent and shaking his wife by the shoulder. “You’re going to pack up, not cook!”

Esther continued to pound the manna, as if oblivious of her husband’s anger. The heavy black hair fell over her face, and beads of perspiration gathered on her upper lip. When the mixture was to her liking, she set the bowl down and looked up. “I don’t care if everyone is going, I’m not going!” “Not going? What nonsense you’re talking! The cloud has lifted and you know what that means. We have to move on!”

Esther’s mouth came down in a rebellious scowl. “Well, the cloud can come down again! I’m just too tired to pack up once more, and the baby’s due any day. I think it’s too bad of Moses to keep us wandering around like this. We’ve been here no time at all!”

“But it’s nothing to do with Moses,” retorted the exasperated Eleazer. “He doesn’t make the cloud move. Jahweh makes the cloud move! He’s the One who tells us to go!”

“It makes no difference! Anyway, I like it here, Eleazer. There’s a beautiful view of Mount Sinai, and the children enjoy playing with the new family next­ door. And I’ve just finished making those new hangings for the tent – they’ll look lovely!”

Eleazer watched with dismay as Esther settled herself down on the pile of rugs. “I’m just going to have a few minutes rest, then I’ll get the meal.” A head appeared round the tent­ door. It was Isaac. He had heard some of the conversation. “What are you two up to? Every tent is down except yours, and the first tribe’s already starting to move! You’d better get a move on!”

“We’re not going. We’re staying!” Esther’s voice came from the bed. “Goodbye, Isaac. You’ve been a good friend. May the Lord watch between us.” Isaac’s eyes opened wide in dismay. “You can’t do that! You’d never make it on your own! Eleazer, make her go!” Eleazer shook his head sadly. “She’s not to be persuaded, Isaac. We’ll follow you perhaps, after the baby comes…”

Isaac withdrew his turbaned head and went to finish his own preparations. A secret smile of triumph played around the corners of Esther’s mouth. She’d won – well, for the moment, anyway. The animals were herded together. Kneading bowls, clothes, household­ articles were tied into bundles and strapped onto donkeys. Babies were wrapped tightly and strapped securely on their mothers’ backs or wedged on a sheep­skin between the bundles. Excited children ran around getting in everyone’s way – tribe after tribe started off, and soon only one tent was left standing on its own.

The man shaded his hand, watching the cloud of dust which told where the Children of Israel were walking. “Tea­time!” Esther’s voice called. Benjamin and Jacob did full justice to the fried manna­ cakes, then ran off to play. Eleazer was silent. The sun went down behind the mountain and the family settled themselves to sleep. In the early morning hours, a wail came from Jacob. ”Mummy, it’s so cold, and I’m afraid of the dark!” Esther pulled the rugs around the child, shivering herself. “Eleazer, why is it so cold and dark​? I can’t understand it!”

“There’s nothing to understand, Esther. It’s so cold and dark because the pillar of fire’s gone! Every night the fire has warmed and given light to the whole camp. During the day, the cloud has kept between us and the sun, protecting us from the burning temperatures. But now we must do without. We’re on our own!”

Even with their rugs, the desert air chilled them to the bone, and made sleep impossible. “Let’s have an early breakfast, Eleazer. The sun will soon warm us.” Esther heaved her tired body, heavy with child, from the bed. Eleazer took the pail and went out to gather manna for breakfast. He was back within a few minutes. “There’s nothing there! There’s no manna!” Esther stared at her husband. “You can’t have looked properly! There must be some!”

“Well, go and look for yourself, if you don’t believe me!” Esther took the pail and with a determined lift of her chin, stepped out into the morning air. But there was no manna. Sand and stones – but no manna covering the ground. “Did you find some?” Eleazer demanded. The woman shook her head. “But we’ve got some left over from yesterday. We won’t go hungry.”

In their play, the boys had knocked over the bowl with the remains of yesterday’s manna. It was now strewn on the floor of the tent. “There’s our breakfast gone!” Esther said in dismay. “Even if Jacob hadn’t knocked it over, it still wouldn’t be any good,” replied Eleazer. He bent over the manna remains and poked it with his foot. “Look, maggots, just like Moses told us: ‘Don’t leave any manna over till the next day. It will breed worms.’ I hope you’re satisfied, Esther!”

“We’ve still got some vegetables and a little corn for the donkey. We won’t starve.” It was a long morning. The sun shone down with a burning intensity they had never noticed before. There were no little friends to play with and the boys soon began to squabble. How quiet it was. Only one family where 2 million people had been! Only sand, a few scrubby bushes, burning sun and shimmering heat as far as the eye could see. Mount Sinai looked grim and forbidding.

Esther shivered. What had she done? Perhaps she shouldn’t have persuaded Eleazer to stay. It was no use thinking about it now. She must do something to occupy her thoughts. “I know, I’ll hang up the new curtains!” Suddenly pleased, she unfolded the heavy, beautifully woven hangings she had recently made. She was skilled in this work, and had been one of the women who had woven the curtains for the Tabernacle. That had been an honour! Her cheeks flushed at the remembrance of the thrill it had been, to be chosen as one of the weavers.

The Tabernacle, with the Ark where God’s presence had descended, and Moses talked face to face with Him. But even as she hung the curtains and adjusted them to her liking, the thought of that Tabernacle and God’s presence kept popping into her mind. What are you doing here? You should be there, following where the cloud of His presence is going. Why have you wilfully cut yourself off and disobeyed?

It took all the joy out of her new curtains, thoughts like these! She resisted them and started to tidy the tent. There was nothing more to eat. The boys were hungry; Eleazer was giving her ‘the cold shoulder’. He stood up, picking up the water­ bottle. “I’ll go and get some water…”

She watched him disappear round the rocks and imagined him walking to the spring. Her pregnancy was tiring her badly. Stretching out on the rugs, Esther tried to rest, but the quiet was unnerving. The man stooped to enter the tent again and threw the wineskin down at her side. It fell with a slap of empty leather. She looked up with a start.

“There’s no water either! What are we going to do now?!” He glared down angrily at his wife.

“No water? But what has happened?” “Happened? The spring’s dried up! Do you hear me? Dried up!” “But that never happened before,” Esther’s eyes filled with tears of frustration. “Of course not, because God cared for us all the time we obeyed Him. But now He’s far away!”

It was another cold night. This time they were wakened by the howl of desert lions and jackals​, looking for prey. Eleazer built up the fire and the animals kept their distance, eyes gleaming in the darkness. But how long could they keep them at bay, their small stock of firewood was almost gone…? That night Eleazer made his decision. They would follow the trail – if it was still to be seen –­­ and catch up with the others. If God was gracious to them, He would forgive their and help them…