Lesson 52

Exodus 17:8–19:25

Prepare to Learn

Prepare your mind and heart to be taught by the Holy Ghost. Making the most of your seminary experience can help you better come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Through studying the scriptures and the words of the prophets, you can know how to progress toward eternal life.

Begin your study with prayer.

Suppose that one day, while with a group of friends at church, you hear someone begin to speak negatively and complain about the commandments of God and the current prophet and President of the Church.

What principles or truths could you share that might help?

As you listen to this account from Elder Von G. Keetch of the Seventy, look for how commandments of God and His prophets can bring great protection and blessings into our lives.

Ensuring Victory

Exodus 17 records that the nation of Amalek came to war against Israel.

Read Exodus 17:8–11, looking for what Moses had to do to ensure the Israelites would win the battle. You may want to mark what happened when Moses held up his hands and what happened when he let down his hands.

How might this scenario have presented a challenge to Moses?

Moses’s Challenge

To help you imagine how Moses felt, hold a Bible or other heavy object in each of your hands. Extend your arms out to the side so that your elbows are locked, the palms of your hands are turned upward, and the objects are at eye level. See if you can hold the objects in that position for at least one minute.

How do your arms feel?

Imagine trying to hold up your arms all day.

Read Exodus 17:12–13, looking for what Aaron and Hur did to make sure Moses’s hands stayed up.

Supporting and Sustaining

How do you think Moses may have felt toward Aaron and Hur? By supporting and sustaining Moses, Aaron and Hur helped Israel prevail in, or win, their conflict against the armies of Amalek.

What principle can we learn from this account about supporting and sustaining the prophet of our day?

What Can We Learn?

From the example of Aaron and Hur upholding the hands of Moses, we can learn that as we sustain the Lord’s prophet and follow his words, we will eventually prevail in our conflict against Satan.

What does it mean to sustain the prophet?

President Russell M. Nelson explained what it means to sustain the prophet.

Watch the following video in which President Russell M. Nelson explains what it means to sustain the prophet.

You can read the text for this video here: “Sustaining the Prophets,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 75.

“Our sustaining of prophets is a personal commitment that we will do our utmost to uphold their prophetic priorities. Our sustaining is an oath-like indication that we recognize their calling as a prophet to be legitimate and binding upon us.

“Twenty-six years before he became President of the Church, then-Elder George Albert Smith said: ‘The obligation that we make when we raise our hands … is a most sacred one. It does not mean that we will go quietly on our way and be willing that the prophet of the Lord shall direct this work, but it means … that we will stand behind him; we will pray for him; we will defend his good name, and we will strive to carry out his instructions as the Lord shall direct’ [Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith (2011), 64].

“The living Lord leads His living Church! [See Doctrine and Covenants 1:30, 38.] The Lord reveals His will for the Church to His prophet” (Russell M. Nelson, “Sustaining the Prophets,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 75).

Sustaining the Prophet

1. Answer one of the following questions:

• Using your own words and what you learned from President Nelson, what do you think it means to sustain the prophet?

• What are some ways in which you can sustain the prophet?

• How has sustaining the prophet helped you prevail in the conflict against Satan?

Jethro’s Counsel

We read in Exodus 17:15–16 that Moses built an altar in the place where Israel defeated the Amalekites as a memorial for what God had done for them. Exodus 18:1–27 records that Moses’s father-in-law, Jethro, brought Moses’s wife and two sons to him. Moses had received the Melchizedek Priesthood from Jethro (see D&C 84:6), who was a righteous priesthood leader and a noble prince and priest of Midian (see Bible Dictionary, “Jethro”). Jethro became concerned about the amount of responsibility Moses carried for the people and encouraged him to delegate some of that responsibility to others. Moses was humble and teachable. He followed Jethro’s counsel.

Mount Sinai

Exodus 19:1–2 explains that Moses brought the children of Israel to Mount Sinai, as the Lord had instructed when He first called Moses (see Exodus 3:7–12). For Moses and the children of Israel, Mount Sinai was like a temple. Today we attend temples to make covenants that help us become more like our Heavenly Father and prepare us to return to His presence. The Lord brought the children of Israel to Mount Sinai for this same purpose (see D&C 84:19–23). To prepare the people to enter into a covenant with the Lord, Moses went up Mount Sinai multiple times. There the Lord revealed to him the terms of the covenant—including commandments, laws, and ordinances.

Covenant with God

In the covenant God presented to Israel, the word if signifies Israel’s responsibility and the word then signifies what God promised in return.

Read Exodus 19:3–6, looking for Israel’s responsibility in the covenant and God’s promise in return. Note that the Hebrew word for peculiar is segullah, which means “special possession or property” (see 1 Peter 2:9, footnote f).

Exodus 19:5–6 is a doctrinal mastery passage. You may want to mark doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so you can locate them more easily.

Keeping Our Covenants

Detail from Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, by Heinrich Hofmann

Courtesy C. Harrison Conroy Co., Inc.

A principle we can learn from Exodus 19:5–6 is if we obey the Lord’s voice and keep our covenants with Him, then we are His treasured possession and His holy people.

Reflect on your answer to the following question. Consider sharing your answer with a family member or friend.

Why do you think obeying the Lord’s voice and keeping our covenants with Him makes us a treasured possession to Him?

Israel’s Response

From the account in Exodus 19:7–8, we learn of Israel’s willingness to enter into a covenant with God. Verse 8 records that Moses again ascended Mount Sinai to report Israel’s desire.

Read Exodus 19:9–11, looking for what the Lord said He would do after the people expressed their willingness to enter a covenant with Him.

The Presence of the Lord

Exodus 19:9–11 does not indicate that the people would see the Lord on the third day. They would see a thick cloud symbolizing His presence and would hear His voice speaking from the cloud. Notice that in verse 10, the people were to be sanctified and were to wash their clothes in preparation for the Lord speaking to them.

What could washing their clothes symbolize?

The Lord’s Command

The washing of the people’s clothes could represent repentance or spiritual cleansing. We learn in Exodus 19:12–15 that Moses obeyed the Lord’s commands and worked to sanctify the people. According to the Lord’s directions, Moses also set a boundary around the mountain so the people would not ascend it.

Read Exodus 19:16–19, looking for what happened on Mount Sinai on the third day and how the people responded.

How do you think you might have felt if you had been at the base of Mount Sinai when this occurred?

Not Yet Prepared

Read Exodus 19:20–21, 25, looking for what the Lord commanded Moses to do.

God warned Moses that the people were not yet prepared to enter His presence.

What are some things that may prevent us from entering God’s presence?

Being Prepared

From Israel’s dealings with God at Mount Sinai, we learn the following principle: To be prepared to return to God’s presence, we must enter into His covenant and obey His commandments.

As you continue to learn about Israel’s experiences at Mount Sinai in coming lessons, watch for how this principle is illustrated.

Following the Lord and His Prophets

The following truths were identified in this lesson:

• As we sustain the Lord’s prophet and follow his words, we will eventually prevail in our conflict against Satan.

• If we obey the Lord’s voice and keep our covenants with Him, then we are His treasured possession and His holy people.

• To be prepared to return to God’s presence, we must enter into His covenant and obey His commandments.

Take a moment to think about the thoughts and feelings you have had during this lesson. What choices will you make because of what you have learned and felt? Consider writing down these choices so you can remember them and track your progress.