Daughter of Deliverance by Gilbert Morris

…” He leaned forward—so close he could see the tiny golden flecks in her eyes—and whispered, “You need a man who will make you feel like a woman.”
    â€œI do feel like a woman!”
    â€œYou need a man who will do…this.” He pulled her close and kissed her squarely on the lips.
    Ariel was taken off guard. He was strong enough to hold her for a moment, but then she pushed him away and shook her head with disgust. “Go on back to your loose women. I’d more happily marry a lizard than you!”
    â€œYou may think so, but you’ve always been in love with me. I knew it when we were twelve years old.”
    Ariel could not help laughing. “Well, you certainly have confidence. I like that in a man, but yours is all misplaced. Go find yourself a woman who has nothing to offer but herself.”
    â€œWhat else can a woman give but herself?”
    â€œGo away, Othniel. I’m tired of listening to you.” She turned and walked away, and he called after her. “I’ll clean the deer for you. You can think about me when you eat it.”
    ****
    For years Moses had worked constantly to write the book that would be the guide for Israel. He was now at the end of his life, but with death at hand, his heart was burdened. He well knew that the people of Israel were prone to doubt the living God who had brought them out of Egypt. And now as he sat writing out the last few words of his testament, God guided his hand with prophetic insight.
    Moses’ hand trembled as he wrote the words.
    â€¦if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you….
    The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth….
    At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you.
    On and on went the terrible words of the Lord, and Moses’ hands kept trembling as he wrote it upon the parchment with a rush dipped in blue fish ink. His whole body was drenched in sweat. He lifted his hands in agony. “I can do no more! I cannot bear the thought of Israel being ground under the feet of God!”
    Moses wept and then after a long time he prayed, “God, give me some hope that I may give it to your people.”
    For a long time it was silent. Then God spoke again. Moses picked up his stylus and began to write to the people.
    For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.
    Moses continued writing under the direction of God, but finally he rose up and put away the writing equipment, the ink and the stylus, and the parchment. He put the parchment with others upon which he had let the ink dry, and now he gathered them all together, holding them with trembling hands. These were the records God had given him. Even going back to the story of Adam and Eve and tracing the history of God’s dealing with men. This holy book that Moses had written with his own hand would perish, but he had trained the scribes of Israel to make copies of his work and to take monumental efforts to keep the text exactly as God had given it to Moses himself.
    â€œOh, Israel, your hope must be in this book, for it alone tells us how our God should be worshiped and served.”
    For a long moment he hesitated, then turned and left the tent. He found Joshua and Caleb waiting outside and noticed that both of them were pale. He smiled and handed the book to Joshua. “Joshua, be strong and anchor Israel to the book. My time has come, and I must leave you.”
    Both Joshua and Caleb began to weep. Moses extended his