The Exodus

Lesson 13: The Exodus 

Have any of you been in a dire situation where you needed to be rescued? 
Two days before my wedding my husband, ex sister in law, and I were caught on top of a mountain in one of the worst snowstorms. My mind was obviously not present because I had left the house in sandals. None of us were dressed for this type of weather--thinking we'd make it down the mountain before it got too bad. 
Our car got stuck so we got out to try and push it, soon realizing that on one side of us there was a ravine. In an attempt to free the car my sister in law and I nearly got frostbite. Fear and panic obviously started to settle in. We were in touch with family members who were back up the mountain where we were staying but we had no idea how to tell them our location—you couldn't even see a few inches in front of your face. We prayed and we waited, hoping someone would come to our rescue. My sister in law—from being out in the cold so long trying to push the car, couldn't breath and was going into a state of shock. It was one of the scariest, most helpless feelings. 
A Good Samaritan happened upon us--still to this day we don't know how--and said he'd radio the fire dept. Much later the fire truck came to our rescue but in attempting to get us out they got stuck as well. So here we all were sitting in the back of the fire truck stuck on the mountain. 
I had two brothers and three brothers in law that were bound and determined to come to our rescue. 
Much to the surprise and astonishment of the firemen, after carefully navigating through the blizzard, my family happened upon our location. 
They knew we were in trouble, and they knew it was up to them to get us out. They were our heroes, our angels, our answers to prayer that night as they drove us back home to safety. 
This experience immediately came to mind when I started preparing this lesson on the Exodus. 
I just want to pause before we jump into the lesson and mention the gravity of Moses' task. One man chosen to go before one of the most powerful Pharaohs (a person he pretty much once called brother) and demand the release of thousands of people. And then to be responsible to lead these thousands of people on a journey he himself was unfamiliar with—talk about feeling a heavy weight of responsibility. 
But he did it. The Lord heard the prayers of his people—the Israelites—he knew that they were bondage and he knew one man—Moses—was the one foreordained to rescue them. 
All of these tasks appointed to Moses were not met without great affliction. We are going to take a moment to talk about the afflictions Moses faced and what we can learn from them. First lets read what The Lord says about afflictions. 
Scripture 1
D&C 98:3 
3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been aafflicted shall work together for your bgood, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord.
In this scripture what do we learn of our afflictions? 
All things that afflict us will work together for our good 
The biblical story of Moses is a story familiar to us all. Let's go back and make mention of the many trials Moses had to endure and talk about the reasons why (some of these we can speculate from what we know about his life's story and something's we know as fact) 
-mother had to leave him as a baby in a basket floating down a river 
-born into a kingdom of which he never really felt a sense of belonging 
-he must have questioned why he was different, where he came from 
-imagine later in life finding out that his parents weren't his parents and that he never really got to know his birth parents as he would have liked 
-imagine being torn in knowing you are an Israelite living an Egyptian empire status, while seeing your fellow brethren being beaten to death and worked to the bone day and night 
-imagine the only family that you loved, the only family you really knew casting you out, threatening to kill you
-imagine wandering in the wilderness, homeless, with no kin, no job, no possessions
-then imagine finally catching a break, marrying into a wonderful family, having children of your own, having a good job, and then being called to go back to Egypt to convince the least convincible person to release the Israelites 
-and then imagine all the plagues you'd witness, being the person to ultimately rescue thousands of people, and experience the plethora of afflictions that occurred while traveling through the wilderness with all these thousands of people 
All of these afflictions--pre-Exodus, prepared Moses to be the deliverer of the Israelites. The necessity of that little baby floating down the river and being raised as an Egyptian is evident in his life's work--he had to be an Israelite and yet he also had to be raised an Egyptian. Moses had to have compassion for his own people in order to take on the task of delivering them, and he also needed to have the knowledge of and close relation to the Egyptian ways. 
Let's talk about the afflictions of the Israelites: 
If you remember back a few lessons when we talked about the AC, you remember that Abraham was promised that his seed would be blessed, that they'd inherent certain promised lands, and yet here they were in bondage--430 years--by the Egyptians. Imagine their bewilderment, yet they were required to do the same things that we are required to do and learn from our modern day scriptures: to never cease calling on God for help. 
Scripture 2:
D&C 90:
24 Search adiligently, bpray always, and be believing, and call things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the dcovenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.
Scripture 3
Mosiah 24
14 And I will also ease the aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as bwitnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their cafflictions.
15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did astrengthen them that they could bear up their bburdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with cpatience to all the will of the Lord.
What can we learn from these scriptures and from the examples of the afflictions Moses and the Israelites had to endure?
God does not forget us in our adversity, as he showed by helping Moses fulfill his calling and by ultimately delivering the Israelites. But usually he does not deliver us from trials immediately. No matter how long the trial, we should continue to pray to him, trusting that he loves us and will have all things work together for our good if we obey him. 
Some times afflictions bring with them levels of inadequacy. Moses experienced such feelings when The Lord called him. I love this dialogue between him and The Lord; listen to The Lords response to these inadequacies. 
Exodus 3:
11 ¶And Moses said unto God, aWho am I, that I should go unto bPharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
Lords response: 
12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
Exodus 4:
1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not abelieve me, nor bhearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.
10 ¶And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of aspeech, and of a bslow tongue.
And yet what was the assurance of The Lord? 
Exodus 4: 
11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who amaketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy amouth, and bteach thee what thou shalt csay.
In other words The Lord qualifies who he calls. One of my favorite scriptures in the NT is Matthew 11:28-30. 
28 ¶aCome unto me, all ye that blabour and are heavy laden, and I will give you crest.
29 Take my ayoke upon you, and blearn of me; for I am cmeek and dlowly in eheart: and ye shall find frest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is aeasy, and my burden is light.
I love that the Lord uses the metaphor of the oxen. He doesn't just say "you're a horse, go at it alone." He knows the wagon is impossible to carry on our own. And he promises to be that second ox—making it possible for us to carry the load with more ease. The Lord promises to be equally yoked with us, it is up to us to chose to be equally yoked to him so that our load is easier to bear. 
Moses made sacrifices in accepting the Lords call as we read in Hebrews 11. 
Scripture 4
Hebrews 11: 24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the ason of Pharaoh’s daughter;
25 Choosing rather to asuffer affliction with the bpeople of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the areproach of Christ greater briches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Why is it important that we are willing to sacrifice? To accept calls? 
Remember our very first lesson of the year about foreordination? 
Just as Moses was foreordained in the preexistence for the callings he accepted here on earth, so were we foreordained in the callings we accept. In other words, how are we to live up to our foreordinations—the promises we made in heaven—unless we accept our callings? 
I do want to throw in a clause. Does this mean that we need to accept every calling the bishopric extends to us? No. We need to have an open dialogue with the bishopric and allow them to know what we are going through in our lives, and if we are unable to accept a calling because of our present circumstances.

THE PASSOVER 
After the plagues swept through the land of Egypt—which mind you The Lord gave The Pharaoh Rammeses multiple chances to let the Israelites go thus bypassing the plagues all together—one last plague was cast on the Egyptians: the killing of every first born--human, and flock a like. 
Let's go ahead and read about what the Israelites were required to do to separate themselves from the Egyptians, thus being immune from the plague 
Exodus 12:
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2 This amonth shall be unto you the bbeginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3 ¶Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his aeating shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your alamb shall be without blemish, a male bof the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6 And ye shall keep it up until the afourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and aunleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 Eat not of it raw, nor asodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the bpurtenance thereof.
10 And ye shall let nothing of it aremain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11 ¶And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins agirded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in bhaste: it is the Lord’s passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the afirstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the bgods of Egypt I will execute cjudgment: I am the Lord.
13 And the blood shall be to you for a atoken upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14 And this aday shall be unto you for a bmemorial; and ye shall keep it a cfeast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a dfeast by an ordinance efor ever.
So they were to take a firstborn lamb and spread it's blood on their door posts—thus signifying the difference between them and the Egyptians. 
Why did The Lord require the Israelites to keep administering the Passover year after year? 
Exodus 13: 
9 And it shall be for a asign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a bmemorial between thine eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt.
10 Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance ain his season from year to year.
Just as The Lord commanded Adam and all those after Adam to make animal sacrifices so as to remember these sacrifices were in similitude of the Saviors sacrifice, he likewise commanded the Israelites to keep the Passover rituals to remind them of two things: 1) he delivered them from bondage and 2) he would ultimately deliver them from spiritual bondage via the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Passover/Atonement 
Let's talk about how the Passover symbolizes the atonement: 
a. The children of Israel were to use a firstborn male lamb without blemish in the Passover (Exodus 12:5). The Savior is the firstborn Son of God, the Lamb of God without spot or blemish (1 Peter 1:19).
Lamb/Christ 
b. The children of Israel were to sprinkle the blood of the lamb on their doorposts to save their firstborn from death (Exodus 12:7, 22–23). The Savior’s blood, which he shed in Gethsemane and on the cross, cleanses the faithful and saves them from spiritual death (Mosiah 4:2).
Blood on posts saves from physical death/blood of The Lamb of God saves is from spiritual death 
c. The children of Israel were to eat unleavened bread (Exodus 12:8, 15–20). 

QUOTE 1: 
“Leaven, or yeast, was seen anciently as a symbol of corruption because it so easily spoiled and turned moldy. … For the Israelites, eating the unleavened bread symbolized that they were partaking of the bread which had no corruption or impurity, namely, the Bread of Life, who is Jesus Christ (see John 6:35)” (Old Testament Student Manual: Genesis–2 Samuel [1981], 119). The removal of leaven also suggested repentance, or the removal of sin from a person’s life.
Bread/bread of life 
Cor 5:6 Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7 aPurge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are bunleavened. For even Christ our cpassover is sacrificed for us:
8 Therefore let us keep the afeast, not with old bleaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of csincerity and truth.
I love this metaphor of the level representing the vices in the natural man 
Since we do not celebrate The Passover as those of the traditional Jewish faith, how can we purge the "leaven" out of our lives? 
One of the ways we can is by partaking of the sacrament 
Scripture 5
Matthew 26:
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the apassover.
26 ¶aAnd as they were eating, Jesus took bbread, cand blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my dbody.
27 And he took the acup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, bDrink ye all of it;
28 For this is my ablood of the new btestament, which is shed for many for the cremission of sins.
At the Last Supper, the Savior instituted the sacrament in place of the Passover. So every week we partake of the sacrament it's like we are implementing that "Passover" in our lives. 
Passover/Sacrament 
In what ways are the sacrament and Passover the same? 
Exodus 12:14 And this aday shall be unto you for a bmemorial; and ye shall keep it a cfeast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a dfeast by an ordinance efor ever
Exodus 13:9 And it shall be for a asign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a bmemorial between thine eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt.
10 Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance ain his season from year to year.
Now listen to the sacrament prayer: 
D&C 20: 
75 It is expedient that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus;
76 And the elder or priest shall administer it; and after this manner shall he administer it—he shall kneel with the church and call upon the Father in solemn prayer, saying:
77 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it (like the Israelites who partook of unleavened bread) that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him (like the Israelites were to remember their deliverance by God) and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
78 The manner of administering the wine—he shall take the cup also, and say:
79 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them (the shedding of an animal whose blood was posted on the Israelites doorpost for protection) that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
Similarities: 
-Both are an ordinance 
Obviously after the Saviors atonement the Passover ordinances were completely replaced by the sacrament.
QUOTE 2: 
“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’” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1985, 22; or Ensign, May 1985, 19).
-Blood/bread (Passover—a literal/ physical deliverance, a spiritual/symbolic deliverance) 
QUOTE 3: 
Elder Howard W. Hunter taught that at the Passover meal that is now known as the Last Supper, “the bread and wine, rather than the 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.
-Remember (Passover was to be repeated yearly so as to remember Christ, the word remember is repeated 5x in the sacrament prayer)
The last similarity between the Passover and the sacrament is that 
d. The children of Israel were to eat the Passover meal in haste (Exodus 12:11). Like the Israelites, we need to respond eagerly and immediately to the deliverance that the Savior offers us.
Eat in haste/respond immediately to the Savior 
Both the Passover and the sacrament were instituted as ordinances that were to be done as a reminder of something greater—a reminder that Jesus Christ is the Savior, the deliverer, the Redeemer of mankind. 

•Elder Howard W. Hunter said that just as the Passover was a covenant of protection for ancient Israel, the sacrament is a “new covenant of safety” for us (in Conference Report, Apr. 1974, 24; or Ensign, May 1974, 18). 
How is the sacrament a covenant of safety for us? (The sacrament reminds us of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, which brings eternal safety by freeing us from the bonds of sin and death. The covenants we renew as we partake of the sacrament also help provide us eternal safety.)
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” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 89; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 68).
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Our trials may seem daunting but I have a testimony that there is purpose in trial. I hope instead of allowing our trials to defeat us that we can rely on God, allow ourselves to be equally yoked to him and like the Israelites and the people of Alma, bear our trials with patience knowing God will deliver us.
I hope we can take the sacrament seriously, to remember all it symbolizes: the Passover, the atonement, the saving ordinances of our Savior, and try each week to be worthy to partake of it so it can be a protection and blessing in our lives. 
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EXTRA MATERIAL 

Teach and discuss Exodus 14.

•After Pharaoh let the children of Israel leave Egypt, he turned against them and sent his army after them (Exodus 14:5–9). What did the children of Israel do when they saw the advancing army? (See Exodus 14:10–12.) What did Moses tell the children of Israel when their faith faltered? (See Exodus 14:13–14.) How can we develop faith that is strong enough to sustain us when we are filled with fear?
•How did the Lord save the children of Israel from the advancing Egyptian army? (See Exodus 14:21–31.) How can this story help us in times of trial?