Old Testament Week 11: Mosesorigins, calling, and Exodus (Exodus 115)

1) Introduction. a) This story competes with Noah and the Flood for the title of best-known story in the Old Testament.1 b) The events the Israelite captivity in Egypt formed the basis for the Jewish identity as an oppressed minority people who are delivered by God. i) The Exodus story is retold at every annual Passover Seder (per the instructions in Exodus 13:8), passing on the story and cultural imprint for over three thousand years. 2) [SLIDE 2] The name of the book. a) Jews call the book by its first words ve-eleh shemoth (and these are the names), or simply shemoth (). b) The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) designates it as Exodos (), meaning departure or out-going. The Latin translation adopted this name, which then passed into other languages, including English. 3) [SLIDE 3] Dating the Exodus. a) Exodus is the first book of the Bible that we can attempt to date with any certainty. 2 b) The first thing we need to understand is that Egypt wasnt a unified country ruled by a single group throughout its nearly 4,000-year history. Rather, it went through periods of unity and division under different ethnic groups. i) The Old Kingdom (c. 26862181 B.C.), the Middle Kingdom (c. 20501800 B.C.), and the New Kingdom (c. 15501069 B.C.) were the periods when Egypt was at its most powerful. These were separated by intermediate periods where the country was weak and factionalized. c) There are two proposed chronologies for the Exodus: An early date, before 1440 B.C., and a later date, between 1250 and 1200 B.C. d) The Exodus narrative begins by telling us that Joseph and all his generation grew old and died, after which a new Pharaoh arose who knew not Joseph. This new Pharaoh enslaved the children of Israel. (Exodus 1:114) i) The trick is to identify the new king of Exodus 1:8.
In modern times, the story is probably best known from the classic film The Ten Commandments. Although it is one of the great works of cinema, Cecil B. DeMilles 1956 film takes great liberties with the Biblical text. The story has also been retold in the more recent animated film The Prince of Egypt (1998). 2 Virtually all the dates given in this lesson are approximations. There is considerable debate among scholars on the proper dating of the reigns of Egyptian pharaohs. It should also be noted here that many Biblical scholars and most archeologists consider the story of the Exodus to be mythological. There are no contemporary Egyptian records that describe a large group of Semitic slaves who leave Egypt, and decades of archeological digs in the Sinai desert have failed to produce any record of a group the size of Israel encamped there for 40 years. Defenders of Biblical historicity respond that the Egyptians naturally would not record a devastating military defeat and national humiliation such as occurred when Israel left Egypt; and that archeological evidence of the Exodus may exist, but it has just not yet been found.
1

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 2

(1) Scholars who take the numbers in the Bible more or less at face value place the time of Jacobs journey to Egypt about 1876 B.C. This would put his son Josephs experience during the period known as the Middle Kingdom (20801640 B.C.). (a) [SLIDE 4] After Josephs death (around 1806 B.C.) a group from the east called the Hyksos3 took control of northern Lower Egypt (c. 17201550 B.C.), putting an end to the Middle Kingdom and starting a brief period known as the Second Intermediate Period (c. 16401550 B.C.) (i) During this time Egypt was not united, but fractured into several small kingdoms. (ii) Since the Hyksos and the Israelites were both Semitic tribes, their relationship may have been amicable. (b) It makes sense, then, to see the new king who knew not Joseph as either the founder or an early king of the powerful New Kingdom (15501070 B.C.), which followed the Hyksos rule. (i) [SLIDE 5] Egypt reunited under the leadership of the Theban king Ahmose I (reigned c. 15391514 B.C.), drove out the Hyksos, and reestablished Egyptian sovereignty. These new rulers certainly would have been concerned about a large Semite population from Asia in their territory. (ii) [SLIDE 6] Exodus 12:4041 claims that the Israelites were in Egypt 430 years from the time Joseph was brought there, which puts the traditional date for the Exodus at about 1440 B.C., during the reign of Thutmose III (reigned c. 14791426 B.C.) 1. Thutmose III conducted at least 16 successful military campaigns in 20 years and created the largest empire Egypt had ever seen. He is regarded as one of the greatest of Egypts warrior pharaohs. He transformed Egypt into an international superpower by creating an empire that stretched from southern Syria through to Canaan and down to Nubia. 2. [SLIDE 7] He even has his own action figure.4 (2) [SLIDE 8] Other scholars believe that because the city mentioned in Exodus 1:11 was named Ramesses, the Pharaoh had to be Ramesses II (reigned 12791213 B.C.). (a) If so, this would mean Ramesses II was on the throne and oppressing Israel when Moses was born.5 (b) [8.1] This is what Ramesses II looks like today; his mummified body is on display in Egypt. (c) [8.2] And this is what he looked like in 1956.
3 Hyksos is the Greek form of an Egyptian word meaning ruler(s) of foreign lands, and was used to refer to non -natives who ruled over portions of Lower Egypt during the 15th Dynasty. Folk etymology from the 4th 3rd centuries B.C. incorrectly translated the word Hyksos as shepherd kings, an error that still persists in some writings today. See Donald B. Redford and James M. Weinstein, Hyksos, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, David Noel Freedman, ed. (Doubleday, 1992), 3:34148. 4 See http://www.sillof.com/C-Hist.htm 5 The name Ramesses in Exodus 1:11 may also reflect an updating in the narrative to name the city according to its later name (i.e., it was called something else when they built it, but later Ramesses finished it and named it after himself).

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 3

(d) Exodus 2:23 reports that Moses was in exile in Midian when that Pharaoh died. If Ramesses II was the Pharaoh of the oppression, then his successor, Merneptah (reigned 12131203 B.C.) would have been the Pharaoh of the Exodus. (i) [SLIDE 9] The Merneptah Stele, discovered in 1896, refers to Israel. 1. [9.1] At the bottom of this engraved stone there is a passage that reads Israel is wasted, bare of seed (or Israel is wasted, its seed is no longer). 2. Some have argued that could mean Israel was already an established nation, and therefore the Exodus had to have taken place much earlier. 3. Others have claimed that it could refer to Israel simply as a people, and that it could reflect a propaganda attempt to cover up the successful departure of Israel from Egypt. e) [SLIDE 10] So, whoever the Pharaoh of the Exodus was, keep in mind that there are two general theories: One that puts the Exodus in the 15th century B.C., and another in 13th century B.C. 4) Moses is born. a) [SLIDE 11] Worried that the Israelites were growing too numerous, Pharaoh ordered that all sons born to Israelite women were to be killed (1:1522). b) Moses was born to a Levite woman and raised by Pharaohs daughter (2:110). i) Exodus 2:10 tells us he received his name because Pharaohs daughter drew him out of the water. ii) The name Moses ( / mosheh) is a wordplay (paronomasia) on the Hebrew mashah, to draw out. (1) This is significant because not only was Moses himself drawn out of the water, but his name foretold his future calling to deliver Israel by drawing them out of Egypt. iii) What his name was in Egyptian is a little harder to determine. Its possible that ms formed part of it, which meant something like born of.6 (1) The Egyptians worshiped the River Nile as a god, the source of all life. It makes sense, then, that Pharaohs daughter would have believed Moses was born out of the Nile, and so his name would have indicated as such. 5) Moses in exile. a) At about age forty,7 Moses killed an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating an Israelite slave. b) [SLIDE 12] He then fled to Midian, where he met the daughters of Jethro8 by a well.9 (Exodus 2:1122).

The name Ramesses means born of Ra (Ra-mses) referring to the Egyptian sun god. According to Acts 7:23. 8 Jethros name is given as Reuel in Exodus 2:18. This may be evidence of different manuscript traditions being compiled by a later redactor, as claimed in the Documentary Hypothesis. See notes to week 2, pages 25 (http://bit.ly/ldsarcot02n).
6 7

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 4

i) Moses married Jethros daughter, Zipporah. ii) We learn from modern revelation that Moses received the priesthood from Jethro. (1) [SLIDE 13] Jethro himself had received it from a line extending back to a prophet named Esaias who lived during the time of Abraham. (D&C 84:613.)10 iii) Was Moses already a religious man when he left Egypt, or was he not really converted until after he met Jethro, the priest of Midian? Its not clear from the text, though Moses seems to have had an immense respect for his father-in-law that might indicate that Jethro was a spiritual mentor of some sort. (1) At the very least, the uncertainties about Moses early years should tell us that prophets are real, flesh-and-blood mortals with weaknesses, problems, occasional poor decisions, and a learning curve. They are not just story-book figures, and because of this we can learn from their stories and take comfort from their successes. 6) Moses called by the God of Israel. a) God heard the groaning of the Israelites in bondage and remembered the covenant he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (2:2325). b) [SLIDE 14] In Moses eightieth year, the Lord appeared to him at the burning bush and called him to deliver Israel from bondage (3:122). The Lord displayed his power to Moses and told him of the miracles he would perform (4:117). c) The text says that the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in the burning bush (3:2). i) There is some ambiguity in the phrase, but it often seems to be interchangeable with Gods name itself, indicating that the angel of the Lord refers to the Lord himself.11 ii) The JST changes this passage to the presence of the Lord. d) The fiery presence in the burning bush is the shekinah, the divine Presence. i) The noun shekinah comes from the Hebrew vowel ( shknh), to dwell, abide, settle down. ii) [SLIDE 15] The Lords presence is so bright and glorious that the scriptures compare it to fire. Examples include: (1) The burning bush (Exodus 3). (2) The pillar of fire at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:24). (3) The pillar of fire at the dedication of the tabernacle (Exodus 40:3438; cf. 25:8). (4) The pillar of fire [that] came dwelt upon a rock in Lehis first vision (1 Nephi 1:56). (5) The pillar of light Joseph Smith saw descending in his First Vision (Joseph SmithHistory 1:16).
9 Wells come up a lot in these stories: Abrahams servant met Rebecca by a well, Jacob met Rachel by a well, and Joseph was thrown into an empty well. 10 The name Esaias appears in the King James Version of the Bible as the Greek New Testament version of Isaiah (see KJV Matthew 3:3; Mark 7:6; Luke 4:17; and 18 other occurrences in the NT). The Esaias referred to in D&C 84:1113 is not mentioned in Old Testament. He may be the same Esaias referred to in D&C 76:100. 11 For more examples of this, see Margaret Barker, The Great Angel: A Study of Israels Second God (Westminster: John Knox Press, 1992).

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 5

(a) In Josephs earliest accounts of the First Vision (1832 and 1835), he described the light as, a pillar of fire.12 (b) [SLIDE 16] In Orson Pratt described Josephs 1820 vision this way:
The light appeared to be gradually descending towards [Joseph]; and, as it drew nearer, it increased in brightness, and magnitude, so that, by the time that it reached the tops of the trees, the whole wilderness, for some distance around was illuminated in a most glorious and brilliant manner. He expected to have seen the leaves and boughs of the trees consumed, as soon as the light came in contact with them; but, perceiving that it did not produce that effect, he was encouraged with the hopes of being able to endure its presence.13

e) [SLIDE 17] When God called Moses from the burning bush, Moses asked:
Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? (Exodus 3:13.)

i) Moses was probably anticipating that the Israelites would want to be sure that Moses came with a message from their God, and that some sign could prove it. They would have known his name (Jehovah), and they would have known the ways that he had manifested himself. (1) It would do no good for Moses to come with a new name for God, for that would be like introducing them to a new god. Instead of authenticating to them Moses call, it would only confuse them; after all, they would not be expecting a new namethey had been praying to their covenant God. ii) God answered Moses:
I AM THAT I AM.

Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, [Jehovah,] God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. (Exodus 3:1415.)

(1) [SLIDE 18] The phrase I AM is the Hebrew ( ehyeh), the imperfect first person singular of the verb ( haya), to be. When God used the verb to express his name, he used this form, saying, I am. (2) This is an excellent wordplay on the divine name ( YHWH, probably pronounced Yahweh or, by English tradition, Jehovah14), which is the third person masculine singular form of the same verb (he is). (a) The verb has an active quality about it: The Lord is eternal, is continually present with his people, and will fulfill all his promises.
In the 1832 account, he crossed out fire and wrote light above it, suggesting that he was struggling to come up with the right word to describe the experience. See Doctrine and Covenants lesson 2, pages 78 (bit.ly/ldsarcdc02). 13 Orson Pratt, A Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, and of the Late Discovery of Ancient American Records (Edinburgh: Ballantyne and Hughes, 1840), 5 (http://archive.org/stream/interestingaccou00orso#page/5); italics added. 14 YHWH appeared in William Tyndale's English translation of the Pentateuch, published in 1530 in Germany, as Iehouah. In the Early Modern Engolish of Tyndales time, I was not distinguished from J and U was not distinguished from V. The original 1611 printing of the King James Version likewise used Iehouah. As the English language developed, the I and U were converted to J and V. Jehovah, with hard J and V sounds, is not how the divine name was originally pronounced.
12

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 6

(3) Jesus used the powerful I am with this significance (John 8:5658), for which the unbelieving Jews of his day attempted to stone him for blasphemy. (a) He has also identified himself as the I AM in modern revelation ( D&C 29:1; cf. 38:1; 39:1). iii) [SLIDE 19] In a later dialogue the Lord told Moses:
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty [El Shaddai15], but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. (Exodus 6:3.)

(1) This is a very curious statement, because the Genesis account not only has the ancient patriarchs saying the name Jehovah (changed to LORD, in all caps, in the King James Version of the Bible), but also naming geographical places using the divine name.16 (2) The common explanation for this is that different manuscript traditions were compiled to create the five books of the Torah, and the source for this passage (Exodus 6:3) didnt use the name Jehovah until now.17 (3) The JSTs solution is to change the statement into a rhetorical question:
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob. I am the Lord God Almighty; the Lord JEHOVAH. And was not my name known unto them? (JST Exodus 6:3.)

f) [SLIDE 20] Moses doubts his worthiness and ability to fulfill the call. i) Like other prophets before and since,18 Moses balked at the calling. Five times he questioned or refused the Lords call: Moses objection He is personally unfit. (3:11.) The Israelites wont know who sent him. (3:13.) The Israelites will not believe him. (4:1.) The Lords response Certainly, I will be with thee. (3:12.) Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (3:14.) The Lord performs miracles through Moses: his staff becomes a serpent, his hand becomes leprous and is restored, he will turn water into blood. (4:29.) I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. (4:1112.)

I am not eloquent. (4:10.)

The title El Shaddai (God Almighty) previously appears in Genesis 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; and 49:25. The name Yahweh occurs 162 times in Genesis, 34 of those times on the lips of speakers in Genesis. Abraham named the place where he almost sacrificed Isaac Jehovah-jireh, Jehovah sees (Genesis 22:14). 17 This is another example of the Documentary Hypothesis. In this case, Exodus 6:3 comes from P, the Priestly source, which did not use the divine name, while much of the material in Genesis came from J, the Yahwist source, which did. See footnote 8, above. 18 Compare this to the reaction of other prophets: Moses 6:31; Jeremiah 1:410; Isaiah 6:110; Joseph SmithHistory 1:23.
15 16

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 7

Send someone else! (4:13.)19

The Lord becomes angry, and tells Moses that he will therefore rely on Aaron to help fulfill his mission, since he insists (falsely) that he is unable to do it alone, even with Gods help. (4:1417.)

ii) Moses has yet to understand that, as President Monson has said, Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies.20 7) Moses returned to Egypt as Gods messenger. a) Aaron and the leaders of Israel believed he has been called of God (4:1831). b) Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh to free Israel, but Pharaoh refused and placed greater burdens on the people (5:123). c) The Lord promised to fulfill the covenant he made with Abraham (6:130). d) [SLIDE 21] Moses approached Pharaoh many more times, asking him to free Israel; despite many signs, wonders, and plagues, Pharaoh refused (chapters 710). i) Many of the plagues were constructed specifically to demonstrate the Lords superiority to Egypts gods and traditions. For example: (1) The first plague turned the water in the Nile River to blood (7:1425). The Nile was worshipped, and was the source of wealth and life for Egypt. This miracle demonstrated Gods total mastery over life and death, His control over poverty or prosperity, and His superiority to any presumed Egyptian gods. (2) The second plague was a swarm of frogs (7:258:11). Frogs were seen by Egyptians21 as symbols or embodiments of evil spirits. Thus God can send evil upon the land, as well as redeem it as He chooses. (3) The ninth plague was absolute darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days (10:2129). The Egyptians worshipped Ra, the sun god, and Pharaoh was seen as the divine son of Ammon-Ra. Pharaohs continued refusal to allow all the Israelites to depart was rebuked by Gods demonstration that He is mightier than Pharaoh and Egypts gods. e) The Lord promised to send one more plague on Egypt in which the firstborn in every home would die (11:112:36). f) [SLIDE 22] The Lord instructed Moses in the preparation of the Passover, which would protect Israel from the plague (12:128):
Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel, and told them, Go and select for yourselves a lamb or young goat for your families, and kill the Passover animals. Take a branch of hyssop,22 dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply to the top of the doorframe [KJV: lintel] and the two side posts some of the blood that is in the

19 This is obscured in the KJV, which translates the Hebrew literally, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. Compare: O my Lord, please send anyone else whom you wish to send! (NET); O my Lord, please send someone else. (NRSV); Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else. (NIV). 20 President Monson has used this phrase in the following General Conference addresses: You Make a Difference (April 1988); Who Honors God, God Honors (October 1995); Duty Calls (April 1996). See also Elder Neil L. Andersen, April 1993. 21 And many other peoples of the ancient Near Eastsee Revelation 16:13. 22 Hyssop is a small bush that grows throughout the Sinai, probably the aromatic herb Origanum Maru L., or Origanum Aegyptiacum.

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 8

basin. Not one of you is to go out the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike Egypt, and when he sees the blood on the top of the doorframe and the two side posts, then the Lord will pass over the door, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. You must observe this event as an ordinance for you and for your children forever. When you enter the land that the Lord will give to you, just as he said, you must observe this ceremony. When your children ask you, What does this ceremony mean to you?then you will say, It is the sacrifice of the Lords Passover, when he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck Egypt and delivered our households. The people bowed down low to the ground, and the Israelites went away and did exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. (NET Exodus 12:2128.)

i) The Passover would become an annual memorial that would unite Israel and remind them of Gods power to deliver his people. ii) The Feast of the Passover (pesakh) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (matsot) remind Israel that the Lord passed over (Exodus 12:13, 23) the houses of the Israelites when the plague destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt, and that they left Egypt in such haste that there was no time to allow leavened bread to rise (12:39). (1) This memorial was so important that the Lord commanded them to base their calendar system upon it, with the Passover being in the first month of the year.23 It is a powerful symbol of hope and redemption. iii) As part of the Passover celebration, a lamb was to be slaughtered before sunset, and eaten at the Passover meal, the Seder (order).24 (1) Although animal sacrifice had been practiced as far back as the time of Adam,25 this was the first time in recorded scripture that sacrifice was tied to an annual ritual. This was the beginning of the ordinances and rituals that would be formalized at the tabernacle (and later, at the temple). (2) Animal sacrifice anticipates Jesus atonement. The precise requirements for a Passover lamb match the characteristics of Jesus sacrifice: (a) Your lamb shall be without blemish (Exodus 12:5). (i) The Hebrew word ( tamiym) means perfect or whole or complete in the sense of not having blemishes and diseasesno physical defects. Similarly, Jesus was the only person who kept all his Fathers commandments and was without sin. (b) A male of the first year [i.e., one year old] (12:5). (c) The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening (12:6).

23 This set the Israelite calendar with the new year beginning with the advent of Spring, on the 15th day of Nisan. While the Jews were in captivity in Babylon, they adopted the Babylonian calendar, in which the new year begins in the fall; the modern Jewish observance of Rosh Hashanah (head of the year) is observed for two days beginning on Tishri 1. 24 Modern Passover celebrations do not include the slaughter of a lamb. Instructions for a modern Passover Seder are available at http://www.holidays.net/passover/ 25 See Moses 5:5.

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 9

(i) The view adopted by the Pharisees and the Talmudists is that the evening begins at sunset, or, roughly between 3 and 5 PM. The Mishnah indicates the lamb was killed about 2:30 PM. Jesus died on the cross at about 3 PM.26 (d) Neither shall ye break a bone thereof (12:46). (i) Jesus bones were not broken on the cross (John 19:3136). (e) And when a stranger shall sojourn [live] with thee, and will [wants to] keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near [approach] and keep it [the Passover]; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof (12:48). (i) The Passover meal was only for those who were of the covenant. The full blessings of Christs atonement are only available to those who accept his covenant (2 Nephi 2:7). (3) [SLIDE 23] Elder Boyd K. Packer:
Surelyyou see the prophetic symbolism in the Passover. Christ was the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36), the firstborn, male, without blemish. He was slain without breaking his bones, even though the soldiers were sent to do it. But it is not from mortal death that we shall be spared in such a passover if we walk in obedience to [the] commandments, for each of us in time shall die. But there is spiritual death which you need not suffer. If you are obedient, that spiritual death will pass over you, for Christ our passover is sacrificed for us, the revelation teaches (1 Corinthians 5:7).27

(4) Jesus Last Supper was a Passover meal. At that time he administered bread and wine (two foods already part of the Seder), blessing them and giving them new meaning (Matthew 26:2628; Mark 14:2224) and making them symbols of the new testament, or covenant. (5) Amulek taught:
And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal. And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption. Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you. (Alma 34:1417.)
26 By Roman reckoning this was the ninth hour of the day, which began at sunrise (Matthew 27:4546; Mark 15:3334; Luke 23:44). 27 Boyd K. Packer, The Word of Wisdom: The Principle and the Promises, General Conference, April 1996 (http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/04/the-word-of-wisdom-the-principle-and-the-promises).

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 10

g) Following the Passover preparations, all the firstborn sons in Egyptboth men and animalswere killed, except for the sons of Israel (12:2930). 8) [SLIDE 24] The Israelites depart from Egypt. a) From time to time the Lord commands his prophets to physically lead His people out of the land of the wicked to lands where they can dwell in righteousness. i) Moses is the most famous example of this, but he was not the first. (1) Enochs grandfather Enos28 led the residue of the people of Godout of the land, which was called Shulon[to] a land of promise, which he called after his own sonCainan (Moses 6:17).29 ii) We see the same thing over and over again with prophets like Abraham, Moses, Lehi, Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young. b) Pharaoh told Moses to take his people from Egypt, and the Israelites departed (12:31 42). c) Moses told the children of Israel to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread30 in the future as a memorial of their deliverance (12:4313:16). d) The Lord went before the camp of Israel in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (13:1722). i) This was the same divine presence (shekinah) that appeared to Moses at the burning bush and now guided Israel in their wilderness journey. e) Pharaoh and his army pursued the children of Israel (14:19). f) The people were afraid, and Moses appealed to the Lord for help (14:1018). g) The Lordwho is really good with cliffhangersdelivered Israel from the army, and they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. Pharaohs men pursued them and were drowned (14:1931). 9) The message for our day: a) Like the midwives who did not fear Pharaohs power, but would obey and fear God (Exodus 1:17), we must do what we are commanded. Like Moses who doubted, feared, and plead anybody but me, we must put our fear aside b) Rather, we need to keep the commandments, cling to the covenant, and remember that we have been passed-over.31 We are atoned for, covered, forgiven, baptized into new life. We must have faith, which means to trust Gods promises, especially when those promises seem impossible. 10)
[SLIDE 25] Next week:

The JST, following the KJV, spells his name Enos, but virtually all modern Bible translations render it Enosh. See the commandment repeated in 2 Corinthians 6:1518; Revelation 18:4; D&C 133:5. 30 Note that the titles Feast of the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread are often used synonymously; the Passover is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 31 Note that Latter-day Saints who keep the Word of Wisdom are given the promise that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them (D&C 89:21). I take this to mean that observance of the Word of Wisdom is a covenant between us and God, an outward symbol of an inward commitment. See notes to Doctrine and Covenants, lesson 21, pages 1314 (https://sites.google.com/site/hwsarc/home/dc/week21).
28 29

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 11

a) Well cover the rest of the book of Exodus, as well as Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This is a lot of reading, and I dont expect you to do all of it in a week, but Id recommend that you at least skim through the chapter headings in your LDS edition of the Bible and read some of the passages that catch your interest.

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 12

Appendix: Moses and Israel as types of Christ (see handout).

1) The terms type, similitude, likeness, figure, and shadow are used repeatedly in the Book of Mormon to describe a person, thing, or event that prophetically foreshadows another person, thing, or event of greater magnitude. a) Nephi1 taught that all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of [Christ] (2 Nephi 11:4). 2) Just as the ordinances of the law of Moses foreshadowed the Atonement of Jesus Christ32 the life of Moses and history of Israel foreshadowed the life and mission of the Savior himself:33 a) Moses. A: Moses is born. B: Moses is introduced into a life in two communities (Israel and Egypt) via an act of violence, the killing of the children. C: Moses is a member of both communities, but the dominant community is that of Egypt. D: Moses is cast out of both Egypt and Israel by an act of violence, killing the Egyptian taskmaster. E: Moses tends sheep in the wilderness. F: Moses discovers who he is when he is called to lead Israel in a vision of God on Mount Horeb. E1: Moses travels through the wilderness to return to Egypt. D1: Moses reenters Egypt and Israel by an act of violence, the circumcision of his son (Exodus 4:2426). C1: Moses is a member of both communities, but the dominant community is that of Israel. B1: Moses leaves his life in two communities via an act of violence, the killing of the Egyptian firstborn. A1: Israel is born as a nation.

32 33

See 2 Nephi 11:4; Jacob 4:5; Mosiah 13:2835; 16:1415; Alma 25:15; 34:1314. This material is drawn from notes by Jim Faulconer; http://www.timesandseasons.org/?p=3006 http://bit.ly/ldsarc For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

2014, Mike Parker

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 13

b) Israel. A: Israel has its beginnings (is born) as the children of Jacob. B: Israel is introduced into a joint citizenship (Israel and Egypt) through an act of violence, the kidnapping of Joseph and the famine. C: There are two communities, Israel and Egypt, but Egypt is the dominant community. D: Israel leaves its dual citizenship and goes into the wilderness by an act of violence, the killing of the Egyptian firstborn. X: Israel crosses the Red Sea on dry land, delivered by God. E: Israel wanders in the wilderness. F: Israel is constituted as a community, given the Law, in a vision of God on Mount Sinai. E1: Israel wanders in the wilderness. X1: Israel crosses the Jordan River on dry land, delivered into the Promised Land by God. D1: Israel is born as a nation with a homeland through an act of violence, the destruction of the Canaanites. C1: Israel takes up dual citizenship; though it dominates, it is also Canaanite. B1: Israel leaves its life in two communities via an act of violence, the scattering of its people by successive foreign powers. A1: Israel is reborn by being gathered at the coming of the Messiah and fulfilling its promised blessing of becoming the Lords covenant people. c) Jesus Christ. A: Jesus is born. B: Jesus is spared from an act of violence (the execution of the innocents). C: Jesus is in this world, but not of it. D: Jesus begins his public ministry in Galilee E: Jesus goes out into the wilderness to fast, and he is tempted by Satan. F: Jesus is transfigured on the mount. E1: Jesus withdraws from society and goes into the wilderness to be with his disciples (John 11:54). D1: Jesus concludes his public ministry in Jerusalem. C1: Jesus tells his apostles that he has chosen them out of the world (John 15:19). B1: Jesus life is ended through an act of violence (crucifixion). A1: Jesus is reborn through resurrection.

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Moses

Week 11, Page 14

2014, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.