If you have ever been rescued from a dangerous situation,
you will be able to appreciate today’s lesson as we examine one of the most
dramatic rescues that has ever occurred—the deliverance of the children of
Israel from the plague of death and from Egyptian slavery. This rescue symbolizes the deliverance of
man from sin and death through the Savior’s atonement.
Background: After Jacob
and his family moved to Egypt, the Israelites lived there for 430 years. During
that time, a Pharaoh arose who enslaved them and imposed heavy burdens upon
them. As Joseph had prophesied, the Lord raised up Moses to deliver the
children of Israel (2 Nephi 3:10)
In Exodus 1-2, the children of Israel multiplied and were
put in bondage by the Egyptians (1:1-14). Pharaoh ordered that all sons born to
the Israelites be destroyed (1:15-22).
Moses was born to Levite parents; he was hidden, then found and raised
by Pharaoh’s daughter (2:1-10). In
defense of an Israelite, Moses killed an Egyptian and fled to Midian, where he
married Zipporah (2:11-22). Israel
cried out to the Lord.
Exodus 3:1-4 – Moses was called by the Lord
from the burning bush.
Exodus 3:5-10 – Moses was informed that he was
being sent to Pharaoh to liberate the Israelites.
In calling Moses, we see that the Lord knows his people, is
merciful to them, wants to bless them, and keeps his promises to them.
If you could imagine yourself as an Israelite slave, you would have been taught all your life that you were one of the covenant people and that the promises made to father Abraham would be fulfilled. Yet, you would live daily life in oppression. Today, we should remember that when we are in adverse circumstances, the Lord has not forgotten us, but he does not often deliver us from trials immediately. While enduring the trial in patience, we should pray with faith and maintain a strong testimony of his love and concern for us. Even while enduring, we may receive comfort and assistance.
Exodus 3:11; 4:1, 10 – Moses, in essence, said “Why me? I’m nobody and beside that, they won’t believe me…and I can’t even speak eloquently!”
Exodus 3:12; 4:11-12 – The Lord promised His support and presence and then reminded Moses that as the Creator, he could control Moses’ speech and teach him what to say. As we see from this, the Lord knows our inadequacies and needs, but he provides help, comfort, and inspiration so that if we are willing, we can overcome our inadequacies and develop the skills and abilities we need to fulfill any calling the Lord so chooses to give us.
Hebrews 11:24-26 tells us what Moses sacrificed to accept his calling—“the pleasures of sin for a season” and “treasures in Egypt”. We find that he accepted the call because he had faith. With faith, we can deny ourselves worldly rewards and accept the call to serve the Lord regardless of the sacrifices involved.
Exodus 5:1-9 – When told to let the people go,
the Pharaoh denied any knowledge of the Lord—“Who is the Lord?”—and, rather
than comply, decided to increase the difficulty of the slaves’ work.
Exodus 5:15-23 – The officers of the Israelites
were critical of Moses and Aaron during this trial and Moses became critical of
and questioned the Lord’s support. From
this, we should understand the need for patience in our adversities. The Lord
will fulfill his promises, but not necessarily on our schedule.
Exodus 6:4-8 repeats the Lord’s promises of
keeping his covenant, redeeming his people and relieving them from bondage, and
giving Israel a promised land—the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Exodus 6:9 – In spite of the Lord’s
promises, the people hearkened not and were mired in depression. Hopefully, we have stronger testimonies and
will not refuse to listen to the prophet when we suffer adversity. We can
maintain faith in God while enduring by praying, studying and pondering the
scriptures and the Ensign, giving service to others, remembering our
covenants and the blessings associated with those covenants, serving in our
calling(s), and reviewing our own and family journals for stories of strength.
Exodus 6:10-12 – Moses asks the Lord why Pharaoh
would listen when his own people won’t.
While we may sometimes be reluctant to obey the Lord because of our
doubts and fears, the Lord will support us.
Summarizing Exodus 7-10, Moses was appointed to give the
word of the Lord to Pharaoh. The Lord multiplied signs and wonders in Egypt and
magicians imitated the miracles of Moses and Aaron. Plagues sent by the Lord included frogs, lice, flies, destruction
of the Egyptians’ cattle, boils and blains, hail and fire, locusts, and three
days of thick darkness, but Pharaoh only hardened his heart.
Exodus 7:8-12, 17-22 demonstrate that Satan could
counterfeit God’s power through Pharaoh’s sorcerers as their rods became
serpents; then they seemed to turn water to blood just as Aaron did. Today, Satan also attempts to counterfeit
God’s power and blessings to deceive mortals.
However, we know that God has given us gifts so that we can discern
between good and evil. We increase our
discernment as we live righteous and faithful lives, so we can protect
ourselves from being deceived if we remember our covenants and maintain the
companionship of the Holy Ghost.
Exodus 12:12-13, 22-27 teaches us the meaning of
the first Passover and why the Lord instructed Israel to celebrate it “for
ever” as an ordinance. In addition to
reminding them of the Lord’s protection, the Passover was also to symbolize
God’s future sacrifice of his Firstborn, which delivers us from sin and death.
Elder Howard W. Hunter taught that at the Passover meal that
is now known as the Last Supper, “the bread and wine, rather than animals and herbs,
[became] emblems of the great Lamb’s body and blood, emblems to be eaten and
drunk reverently and in remembrance of him forever. In this simple but impressive manner the Savior instituted the
ordinance now known as the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. With the suffering
of Gethsemane, the sacrifice of Calvary, and the resurrection from a garden
tomb, Jesus fulfilled the ancient law and ushered in a new dispensation based
on a higher, holier understanding of the law of sacrifice. No more would men be
required to offer the firstborn lamb from their flock, because the Firstborn of
God had come to offer himself as an ‘infinite and eternal sacrifice’”(Ensign,
May 1985, 19).
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland asked: “Do we see [the sacrament] as our Passover, remembrance of our safety and deliverance and redemption? With so very much at stake, this ordinance commemorating our escape from the angel of darkness should be taken more seriously than it sometimes is. It should be a powerful, reverent, reflective moment. It should encourage spiritual feelings and impressions” (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 68).
Like the Lord commanded ancient Israel, we should teach our
children the significance of the sacrament and other ordinances that remind us
of the Lord’s hand in delivering us from sin and death.
Exodus 14:5-9 – After releasing the children of
Israel, Pharaoh turned against them and sent his army after them.
Exodus 14:10-12 records that the Israelites,
seeing the pursuing army, lost their faith and lamented that it would have been
better for them to remain as slaves in Egypt rather than die in the wilderness.
Exodus 14:13-14 – Moses tells the people not to
fear and to watch the Lord fight for them.
To demonstrate proper faith when we are filled with fear requires
extensive prior spiritual preparation to develop an unshakable testimony that
will sustain us in moments of tribulation.
Exodus 14:21-31 tells us that the Lord fulfilled
his promise, sending a “strong east wind all that night” to make a dry way through the
Red Sea for the Israelites, but causing the Egyptians’ chariot wheels to come
off and then closing the sea back in upon their chariots and horsemen. This
miraculous intervention by the Lord should help us realize that there is no
trial that the Lord cannot help us through if we are following his commandments
and obeying his prophets.
“All were baptized…in the cloud and in the seas” (1
Corinthians 10:2)
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 contains Paul teachings that the
children of Israel were baptized in the cloud and in the sea. Explaining the significance of this, Elder
Bruce R. McConkie said, “[Paul] is saying that even as Israel, when they passed through the Red
Sea, fled from the worldliness of Egypt, so their Christian descendants,
through baptism, are to forsake the lusts of the flesh and live godly lives” (Doctrinal
New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1966-73], 2:355).
Just as the Lord fulfilled his promise to deliver the Israelites from bondage, he will fulfill his promises to us. As we partake of the sacrament, we should think of and appreciate his sacrifice and keep the covenant to “always remember him”.
These
lessons are posted on the Internet at http://www.neumanninstitute.org/