Upon This Rock

Lesson 17  Upon This Rock

On display:  

Sealing pic 

Quotes on wall 

Christ pic 

Temple pic 

Scriptures 

Music playing-mikes speaker  

Becks BOM scriptures  

Church videos 
iPod with head phones  

Pass along card  

Have music playing, display items 

Have volunteer come to front: "you forgot to put on a few things when you got dressed today, here let me help you out." Paste words all over them (forehead, arm, etc): Love, serve, obey, honor, be moral, be kind, be grateful, smile, be loyal, Christ, be happy, sacrifice, pray, scriptures, temple, home teaching. 

Now that you are officially dressed for the day you can be on your way :). 

As they go to be seated have them carry a pass along card, clip on iPod and headphones playing church music. 

 Oh and don't forget to pick me up some flowers for Mother's Day :)  

 Observing these surroundings (the music, the pictures, the added attire), what's the likelihood of this person forgetting Christ and all of the commandments, and blessings God has given them?  

 QUOTE 1

President Ezra Taft Benson said that people who are “captained by Christ will be consumed in Christ. … Enter their homes, and the pictures on their walls, the books on their shelves, the music in the air, their words and acts reveal them as Christians” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1985, 6; or Ensign, Nov. 1985, 6–7). 

 Science reveals that only 1 thought can occupy our minds at one time, thus making the point that it's essential to focus on positive, uplifting things. As King Benjamin teaches us in 

Mosiah 4:30

"if [we] do not awatch [ourselves] and [our] bthoughts, and [our] cwords, and [our] deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and dcontinue in the faith of what [we] have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of [our] lives, [we] must perish. And now, O [men] remember, and perish not." 

 Moses gave similar counsel to the Israelites in regards to them prioritizing one action: to REMEMBER (and im stressing that it's a verb—an action—it's not something passive, we need to be actively remembering)  

 In our readings today Moses delivers his last speech to the Israelites. He admonishes them to remember all the blessings the Lords given them, and encourages them to keep the commandments so they can inherit ALL the blessings of The Lord. (This is right as they are about to enter the promised land) .  

 Let's read a few verses of this counsel Moses gives them 

 Deut 6:5 And thou shalt alove the Lord thy God with all thine bheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy cmight.  

 *first commandment given: love God with all our heart 

Why is this the first commandment? 

If we have a love for God in our heart, it's easier to act out of that love and to want to keep all of the other commandments because we love the originator of those commandments 

 6 And these awords, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine bheart: 

 We need to carry this love in our heart—the most vital organ in our body  

 7 And thou shalt ateach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt btalk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 

 8 And thou shalt abind them for a bsign upon thine hand, and they shall be as cfrontlets between thine eyes. 

 9 And thou shalt write them upon the aposts of thy house, and on thy gates. 

 So I wasn't too crazy in dressing our volunteer as such (this was the exact image that came into my mind when reading these verses). Essentially the Lord is saying "douse yourself in these covenants and reminders."  

 The children of Israel literally did this by wearing these frontlets, that were “strips of parchment on which were written four passages of scripture … and which were rolled up and attached to bands of leather worn … around the forehead or around the arm” serving as physical reminders of the covenants they had made with God [Bible Dictionary, “Frontlets,” 676])

 Obviously we are not going to walk around with post it notes attached to us but we can create a suitable environment in our home that can foster such Christ centered thoughts and feelings. Each day we walk outside our door we are bombarded with things of the world. It's important, as the scriptures remind us, to place that complete armor of gods protection upon us.  

 Time and time again in this speech Moses is giving he reiterates how vital it is to teach these commandments to our children.  

 What are some examples of how you have instilled these reminders—of God and the commandments—in your children?  

 The more I parent, the more I realize that kids learn less from what you say, and more from how you act. And so I've seen first hand that my 3year old son Beckahm has grown to be enthusiastic about the scriptures because I'm enthusiastic about them. 

He has such an affinity for the prophets in the OT; they are like his superheroes—because I've been animated about them and have made them out to be superheroes. I read the illustrative version of the scriptures to him and if possible let him watch an animated video replicating that story we've just read.  

9 out of 10 times after our reading he wants to pretend he's David and I'm Goliath while throwing paper stones at me, or build a boat to put all his stuffed animals on, or create a den that I cast him into with his stuffed lions :).  

 It's important that we are constantly feeding and nourishing our children with these reminders  

 Moses reminds the Israelites that they had to eat manna, they had to travel 40 years through the wilderness, they had to go through all of these hardships in order to be tested to see if they would be faithful to God, if they would worship him, follow him, and be worthy to inherit this great promised land he'd promised to Abrahams seed. 

Let's read a couple verses:  

 Deut 8:9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig abrass.

 10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 

 11 Beware that thou aforget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his bjudgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 

 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 

13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 

 14 Then thine aheart be blifted up, and thou cforget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 

 15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery aserpents, and scorpions, and bdrought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth cwater out of the rock of flint; 

 16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with amanna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might bprove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 

 17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 

 Moses is talking to them this way, setting the stage, because he knows what's going to happen: they'll become wealthy and prosperous and then what? The inevitable cycle of the BOM: PRIDE.  

 QUOTE 2 
President Brigham Young said: “The worst fear that I have about [members of this Church] is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches, for they will become the richest people on this earth” (in Preston Nibley, Brigham Young: The Man and His Work [1936], 128). 

 The Lord wants to bless us with wealth and abundance but there's stipulations attached to that wealth, what are they?  

 Acknowledge his hand in all things, keep the commandments, do good with our wealth as we read in  

 Jacob 2:18 But abefore ye seek for briches, seek ye for the ckingdom of God. 

 19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to ado good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted. 

 Why is it so important to share our wealth? Where does our wealth originate? God  

 Deut 8:18 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get awealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. 

 For some reason we humans are only humbled in poverty and seek for Gods assurance when our life is in shambles, but the minute we are on the "up", we think we are the ones that got us there and we acknowledge God no more. We need to remember as we were taught by Moses at the first of the year, that "man is nothing"—without God—concept no matter our circumstance.  

 CHRIST IS OUR ROCK  

 Deut 32:3 Because I will apublish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
 

4 He is the aRock, his work is bperfect: for all his ways are cjudgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, djust and right is he. 

 Who is "the Rock?" Why is Christ likened to a rock? 

He's unmovable, steady, unchangeable and changeable, solid, strong... 

 This rock we are speaking of is 2 fold—it's Jesus Christ himself, but it's also having a testimony of Jesus Christ  

 Elder Bruce R. McKonkie gave a talk entitled "Upon this Rock." In it he described how revelation is our rock.  

 "The things of God are known only by the power of his Spirit. God stands revealed or he remains forever unknown. No man can know that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost.

Revelation: Pure, perfect, personal revelation—this is the rock! 

 Revelation that Jesus is the Christ: the plain, wondrous word that comes from God in heaven to man on earth, the word that affirms the divine Sonship of our Lord—this is the rock! 

 The divine sonship of our Lord: the sure, heaven-sent word that God is his Father and that he has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel—this is the rock! 

 The testimony of our Lord: the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy—this is the rock! 

 All this is the rock, and yet there is more. Christ is the Rock: the Rock of Ages, the Stone of Israel, the Sure Foundation—the Lord is our Rock!" 

 Why is it so important that we seek revelation, that we are built on this rock?  

 So that when we are hit with all these physical, emotional, spiritual ailments or trials, we remain unmovable, knowing that it is in God who we trust, who we worship, who we turn to. 

Two different scriptures provide us with a great visual of this concept 

 SCRIPTURE 1 

Helaman 5:12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the arock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your bfoundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty cstorm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. 

SCRIPTURE 2 

Matthew 7:

24 ¶Therefore whosoever aheareth these sayings of mine, and bdoeth them, cI will liken him unto a dwise man, which ebuilt his house upon fa rock:

25 And the arain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and bbeat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a crock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a afoolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that ahouse; and it bfell: and great was the fall of it. 

 Think about all of the temptations that exist in this world. Surely if our lives are not centered on Christ we will fall.  

 Elder Bruce R. Mckonkie
"Upon this Rock" 

"Every person born in this world builds a house of some sort and puts it on a foundation of his own choosing. And every house built in this mortal sphere is subject to the storms and strifes of life. Our mortal probation is one in which the divine purpose calls for rain and wind and floods. 

 We live in the midst of a swirling storm of sin. The rains of evil and the winds of false doctrine and the floods of carnality beat upon every house.

It is within our power to build a house of faith, a house of righteousness, a house of salvation. 

 We can, if we will, even build a house of God, a holy sanctuary, a temple of the living God. Indeed, every Latter-day Saint who is true and faithful has built for himself a “temple of God” in which “the Spirit of God dwelleth.” And as Paul says: “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” (1 Cor. 3:16–17.) 

 If our house is built upon a rock with the brick and mortar of good works, it will withstand the storms and perils of life and preserve us for an eternal inheritance hereafter. If it is built upon the sands of evil with the rusty nails and rotting timber of carnal things, it will be destroyed when the rains and the winds and the floods beat upon it." 

 A covenant is a two way promise or agreement. Think of it like an employer, you wouldn't expect to get paid without working and so it is with the blessings given to us from The Lord. If we want those blessings, we need to live righteous of them, and always remember the deliverer of those blessings, so that we can have the promise God gives us in  

 D&C 6:34 Therefore, fear not, little aflock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are bbuilt upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

I love how this scripture reminds us how it is necessary that we be tempted and tried—that earth and hell will no doubt combine against us—but if we choose to be built upon His rock, and have faith in him while doing the best we can with the allotments we have been given, all of these combining elements will not prevail. 

Look to God and Live

ATTENTION ACTIVITY 

Write the word Egypt on the chalkboard. Place a poster with the words The Promised Land at the other side of the room. Challenge a class member to walk from the chalkboard to the poster while looking over his or her shoulder at the word Egypt.

If the class member has difficulty reaching the poster, ask the following question:

•Why is it difficult to go straight forward as you look backward?
If the class member reaches the poster easily, ask the following questions:

•How far do you think you could go without wandering from the straight line? Why is it difficult to go straight forward as you look backward

Because your brain is signaling to your feet to go one way while your feet are moving in the opposite direction. 

This demonstration can be compared to the Israelites’ journey from Egypt. Despite the blessings the Israelites received from the Lord, their fear and lack of faith often caused them to wish they had not left Egypt. Their yearning for Egypt delayed and complicated their journey to the promised land.

I think so often when we look at these accounts of the Israelites journeying through the wilderness and think "how could they be so faithless, how could they murmur so much? Why are they always complaining about their present or future circumstances and wishing to go back to Egypt instead of living in and embracing the Lords promises? 

It's easy to judge these people and to feel this way when much of this account is outlined for us within a few chapters. But as I was preparing this lesson, I was humbled. I thought about all the times in my life that I'd looked passed the blessings of The Lord and complained about not being where I wanted to be in my life, or being stuck in a trial I didn't think was fair, or even wishing I could go back and relive/redo a moment in my past. 

This metaphorical journey of how the Israelites responded as they traveled through the wilderness is not too far removed from our own journey through life. 

I hope as we go through the lesson that we see the similarities and dissimilarities between us and the Israelites and that we learn by their experience how we see the Lords hand in our life, complain less, be more faithful and look more towards our future instead of our past. 

We are going to read through about 3-4 chapters and the different situations that caused the Israelites to complain. You're going to see this cycle as we go a long, which is intended to teach us an important lesson (draw cycle on board): complaint—wrath of God—repent—Moses speaks to God—deliverance 

As we go throughout the lesson today I want you to ask yourself if you see this cycle in your life. 

NUMBERS 11

1. The Lord answers the Israelites’ desire for meat by sending them quail and smiting them with a plague.


In the opening verses of Numbers 11 The Lord had sent a fire to kill some of the Israelites because of their complaining and Moses spoke to God and the fire was kindled 

Numbers 11:4 And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

So here we see them start complaining once again about having nothing to eat but manna, and looking back at their life in Egypt and the delicacies they enjoyed there. 

I came across an interesting medical study on the human brain about the link between ones past memory and ones future circumstance

There was a case of a patient who had developed amnesia after a motorcycle crash. He couldn’t remember anything that happened more than a few minutes ago. He can retains facts and skills, but can’t remember actually doing anything or being anywhere.

Tellingly, not only can he not recall the past, he can’t envision the future. When researchers ask him to picture himself somewhere he might go, he says that all he sees is “a big blankness.” He can explain the future in the abstract, but says he can’t imagine himself in it.

The bottom line of this study and countless studies that have been developing is that memory is essential to constructing scenarios for ourselves in the future.

I want to go a head and read a quote from this study to you: 

“In his study, a scientist noted that we store only bits and pieces of what happens in our lives; however, a smattering of impressions we weave together feels like a seamless narrative. When we retrieve a memory, we also rewrite it, so that the time next we go to remember it, we don’t retrieve the original memory but the last one we recollected. So, each time we tell a story, we embellish it, while remaining genuinely convinced of the veracity of our memories.”

*Anecdotal evidence backs this up. Our ability to project forward and to recollect the past both develop around age 5, and people who are good at remembering also report having vivid thoughts about the future.
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*The fun thing about neuroscience is that you can do the experiments on yourself. David Eagleman of the Baylor College of Medicine proceeded to treat us as his test subjects. By means of several visual illusions, he demonstrated that we are all living in the past: Our consciousness lags 80 milliseconds behind actual events. “When you think an event occurs it has already happened,” Eagleman said.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2011/09/15/time-on-the-brain-how-you-are-always-living-in-the-past-and-other-quirks-of-perception/
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These scientific findings can be applied so well to this example of the Israelites continuing—throughout their entire journey—to look at the past and being unable to dis attach themselves from their identity while living in Egypt. And because they clung to these past memories, and consistently made comparisons to their present circumstances—as you'll see towards the end of the lesson—their future was greatly affected. 

What are some things that are difficult for us to forsake today? Maybe due to habits we've formed in the past or scenarios or memories we are still clinging to? 

How can we turn away from old habits or worldly attitudes?

Remember that Moses was still the sole leader of these hundreds of thousands of people (600,000 to be exact). Like Sister Lewis taught us last week, imagine the heaviness that one would feel if they had to solely carry all the responsibilities of the church (I.e. Moses didn't have counselors, he didn't have a quorum of the 12). 

I love, love, love this account in Numbers because it makes Moses one of the most relatable prophets. As I read his reaction to the complaints of the Israelites, I thought to myself, "I would definitely have the same reaction." In fact, I do have the same reaction with my two year old whining and complaining multiple times a day :). 

Numbers 11:10 ¶Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.

11 And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?

14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too aheavy for me.

15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, aout of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

2 weeks ago we talked about The Lord allowing us to go through afflictions, but ultimately being there to balance out the heavy weight we carry. The Lord did the same for Moses, he sees his distress and he shifts the weight that was placed on his back by having Moses call and ordain 70 men to help in the responsibility of caring for all these people. 

The Lord then resolves the food situation by telling Moses he will give the people meat for a full month as long as they kind of ration it out. 

I love the dialogue between Moses and God—there's such intimacy and friendship in their exchange. And there's a lot we can glean from in relation to the finite mind of man verses the infinite wisdom of God. 

Num 11:21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?

Even Moses, who was capable of parting the Red Sea, lacked faith in Gods ability to provide meat for 600,000 people for a full month.

How many times has The Lord come through for us yet we still doubt his abilities or willingness to help us? 

Listen to the Lords infinite response: 

23 And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

I laughed when I read this. It reminded me of my 2 year old freighting about the littlest thing and me knowing that it's not that big of a deal, that there will be a resolution, but I can't explain it to him because he won't even begin to understand, so instead I kinda brush him off--telling him to be on his way, it will work itself out. 

Moses goes on his way, ordains 70 elders and then The Lord fulfills his promise

31 ¶And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought aquails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

The Lord had told them previous to take the meat in stride—save for a rainy day concept—but they were greedy and ungrateful and at the end of Numbers 11 The Lord inflicts a plague upon them 

In relation to the manna and then the meat that they finally received and over indulged in, what are the dangers in wanting more than we have? 

We end up living in greed, being ungrateful for what we have, and not seeing the hand of The Lord in our lives. 

*What are some modern-day examples of people giving up great blessings in order to satisfy immediate desires?

2. The Lord chastens Miriam and Aaron for speaking against Moses.

•Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses as their presiding authority, pointing out that they too had received revelation (Numbers 12:2). What was the Lord’s reply to their complaint?

Num 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a aprophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a bvision, and will speak unto him in a cdream.

7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

8 With him will I aspeak bmouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he cbehold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed.

What are the limits to our right to receive revelation?

QUOTE 1: 
Elder James E. Faust said: “The prophets, seers, and revelators have had and still have the responsibility and privilege of receiving and declaring the word of God for the world. Individual members, parents, and leaders have the right to receive revelation for their own responsibility but have no duty nor right to declare the word of God beyond the limits of their own responsibility” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1989, 9; or Ensign, Nov. 1989, 8).

•The Lord chastened and punished Miriam and Aaron for complaining about Moses’ marriage to an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12:1, 9–10). 

How are we and others affected when we criticize Church leaders? 

Read Numbers 12:3 now the man Moses was very ameek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth

What does it mean to be meek?

QUOTE 2

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Meekness implies a spirit of gratitude as opposed to an attitude of self-sufficiency, an acknowledgment of a greater power beyond oneself, a recognition of God, and an acceptance of his commandments” (“With All Thy Getting Get Understanding,” Ensign, Aug. 1988, 3–4).

•How did Moses show his meekness when Miriam was punished for rebelling against him?

Num 12:13 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, aHeal her now, O God, I beseech thee.

14 ¶And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.

15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

Rather than being pleased with his authority to preside over his sister, he pleaded with the Lord to heal her. He and his people postponed their journey until she was healed.

How can we be meek, even when people criticize or turn against us? How does it help us to respond to criticism with meekness?

It's pretty hard to feel hate or speak out against someone who is showing you love—Christ obviously being the ultimate example of this. 

3. Moses instructs 12 men to search the land of Canaan.

When the Israelites reached the border of the land of Canaan, Moses sent 12 men to check out the land--see if it was fruitful, see if there were people there, what resources they had, etc. Note in chapter 13 that the tribes are being distinguished, verse 6: Of the tribe of Judah, aCaleb the son of Jephunneh.
& 8: Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.
(Osea was later called Joshua). 

The 12 returned to report back that the land was very fruitful—of milk and honey. However, 10 of men—except Caleb and Joshua— said that they couldn't overtake the land, that the cities had high walls, the men that lived there were like giants and were much stronger than the Israelites--likening themselves to grasshoppers 

QUOTE 3 (this is what P. Hinckley said about us sometimes making the same error as these 10 men—coming back with a false or faithless report):

President Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“Ten of the spies were victims of their own doubts and fears. They gave a negative report of the numbers and stature of the Canaanites. … They compared themselves as grasshoppers to the giants they had seen in the land. …

“We see some around us who are indifferent concerning the future of this work, who are apathetic, who speak of limitations, who express fears, who spend their time digging out and writing about what they regard to be weaknesses which really are of no consequence. With doubt concerning its past, they have no vision concerning its future” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 93–94; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 71).

Interesting that at the end of that quote he totally backed up that scientific study: "With doubt concerning its past, they have no vision concerning its future”

In other words we are what we focus on; we are what we think. It's important that we question our train of thought; it's important that we focus on the good in our life so that those are the memories leading us to a better future. 

Because of these 10 men and their perspectives we read that the Israelites started to lose faith again and complain

Num 14:1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

2 And all the children of Israel amurmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

3 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

In verse 30 we read of a different perspective: "and aCaleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."

Num 14:8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

9 Only arebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: bfear them not.

What are some ways that we can follow the example of Caleb and Joshua when we face difficult situations?

Have faith; recall all the ways The Lord has previously blessed, strengthened, and delivered us.

QUOTE 4:
President Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“There is no place in this work for those who believe only in the gospel of doom and gloom. The gospel is good news. It is a message of triumph. It is a cause to be embraced with enthusiasm.

“The Lord never said that there would not be troubles. Our people have known afflictions of every sort as those who have opposed this work have come upon them. But faith has shown through all their sorrows. This work has consistently moved forward and has never taken a backward step since its inception. …

“This is an age of pessimism. Ours is a mission of faith. To my brethren and sisters everywhere, I call upon you to reaffirm your faith, to move this work forward across the world. You can make it stronger by the manner in which you live” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 94–95; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 71–72).

The Israelites didn't want to listen to Joshua and Caleb, and tried to stone them, but The Lord protected them and ended up punishing the Israelites for their constant murmuring and looking back at their life in Egypt 

Num 14:22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my amiracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have btempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

23 Surely they shall not asee the bland which I sware unto their fathers (because remember The Lord had promised Abraham his seed would inherit promised lands) neither shall any of them that cprovoked me see it:

26 ¶And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which amurmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

29 Your acarcases shall fall in this bwilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness aforty years, and bbear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall aknow my breach of promise.

35 I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall adie.

And the 10 men that delivered the wrong account were killed with a plague while Joshua and Caleb (the tribe of Ephriam and Judah) inherited the land of Canaan 

4. Moses makes a serpent of brass and tells the people that if they look at it, they will be healed.

Although The Lord delivered the Israelites from the Canaanites, they still murmured against him. So The Lord sent serpents to bite them. Let's read the Israelites reaction. 

Num 21:7 ¶Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have asinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses bprayed for the people.

(This cycle once again at play) 

8 And the Lord said unto Moses, aMake thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall blive.

9 And Moses made a aserpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

There are so many wonderful scriptures about this situation and the symbolism of the serpent of brass 

SCRIPTURE 1

1 Nephi 17:41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they ahardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying bserpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be chealed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the dsimpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.

SCRIPTURE 2

Alma 33:18 But behold, this is not all; these are not the only ones who have spoken concerning the Son of God.

19 Behold, he was spoken of by aMoses; yea, and behold a btype was craised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live.

20 But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would aheal them.


They didn't look because it was too simple, and they didn't believe this Serpent on a stick would heal them. 

Some times we try to make the idea of eternal life more complicated than it really is, looking beyond the simple saving principles of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, and obedience—going back to the basics, it being THAT simple like looking at a serpent to be healed 

Let's read what the serpent symbolized

SCRIPTURE 3

John 3:14 ¶And as Moses lifted up the aserpent in the wilderness, even so must the bSon of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16 ¶For aGod so bloved the cworld, that he dgave his eonly begotten fSon, that whosoever gbelieveth in him should not perish, but have heverlasting ilife.

SCRIPTURE 4:

Helaman 8:13 But, behold, ye not only deny my words, but ye also deny all the words which have been spoken by our fathers, and also the words which were spoken by this man, Moses, who had such great power given unto him, yea, the words which he hath spoken concerning the coming of the Messiah.

14 Yea, did he not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he alifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come.

Just as the children of Israel needed to look at the brass serpent to live, we need to look to Jesus Christ to receive eternal life as Alma and Helaman so beautifully said: 

Alma 37:46 O my son, do not let us be aslothful because of the beasiness of the cway; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would dlook they might elive; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.

47 And now, my son, see that ye take acare of these sacred things, yea, see that ye blook to God and live. 

Helaman 8:15 And as many as should look upon that serpent should alive, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might blive, even unto that life which is eternal.

Some times we don't look to Christ because we don't believe he can save us, just like the Israelites didn't believe looking upon the serpent could save them, but just like the Israelites, that's where we are wrong: Jesus Christ is the ONLY one that has the power to save us. 

QUOTE 5
Elder Carlos E. Asay said: “We, like Israel of old, must rivet our eyes and minds upon … Christ if we hope to gain eternal life. … Our looks must not be allowed to wander across the way or to become fixed upon the perishable things of the world. The eye … must be trained to look upward. We must look to God and live!” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1978, 81; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, 54).

Testimony: 

Going back to this idea of past memories preceding future events I want to share with you a testimony I found on a blogpost I was reading the other day, regarding how Christ was able to atone for our sins because of the intimate experiences memories he had of us in the pre-existence (again a past memory influencing a future situation) 

"Because Christ knew all of us before we came to earth, He was able to draw upon the memories and the love He had for each and every one of us. The very thought of our suffering motivated Him to go through with the atonement. He didn’t want to do it. In fact, He asked for that “bitter cup” to be removed from Him, but His familial love is what enabled Him to endure.

You need to know that someone has your back. There is someone out there that loves you more than you love yourself. He’s your oldest brother and he’s been through it all. He’s sacrificed everything for you in order to help you through the unfair things that happen to you throughout your life. He is protective of you and longs for your embrace. He wants to become “At-One” with you and share the load because you guys were so close before you came to this earth…and now He’s asking you to get on the path that leads back home."

Gregtrimble.com 

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?