Lesson 45

Exodus 1–4

Introduction

The children of Israel increased in number while in Egypt, and a new pharaoh placed them in bondage. Pharaoh decreed that every newborn Hebrew male be killed. Moses’s mother saved him, and he was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. When Moses was grown, he slew an Egyptian while defending a Hebrew slave and then fled to Midian. The Lord heard the cries of the Israelites and called Moses to lead them out of Egypt. When Moses felt inadequate, the Lord reassured him and called Aaron to be Moses’s spokesman.

Suggestions for Teaching

Time management

Doctrinal mastery review activities should be short and effective. Be disciplined in your administering of these review activities so that they do not take up more than their allotted time.

Doctrinal Mastery Review—Isaiah 1:18 (5 minutes)

Write the following words on the board: red, scarlet, crimson, white, snow, wool. Ask students to try to remember which doctrinal mastery passage uses these words (Isaiah 1:18). After students have identified the correct doctrinal mastery passage, invite them to turn to Isaiah 1:18 and to read the passage aloud in unison, stating the reference when they are finished reading. Consider reading the verse aloud multiple times as time permits.

Exodus 1

A new pharaoh places the children of Israel in bondage

Ask students to think of situations they have been in when others have wanted them to do something that was contrary to Heavenly Father’s will.

• Why is it sometimes difficult or frightening to keep the commandments when others want you to do something different?

As students study Exodus 1, invite them to look for a principle that will help them understand the blessings of following God’s commandments, even when it is difficult to do so.

Ask a student to briefly remind the class about the circumstances that led to the children of Israel living in Egypt (see Genesis 37–47). Summarize Exodus 1:1–14 by explaining that eventually Joseph and his generation died and a new pharaoh rose to power. By this time the children of Israel had greatly increased in number. Fearing the Israelites’ growing power, the new pharaoh placed taskmasters over them and “made their lives bitter with hard bondage” (Exodus 1:14). When the Israelites continued to multiply, Pharaoh sought to destroy the Hebrew children. Invite a student to read Exodus 1:15–19 aloud, and ask the class to follow along, looking for what Pharaoh commanded the midwives to do and how the midwives responded. Invite students to report what they find.

• What does it mean that the midwives “feared God”? (To fear God means to revere or have great respect for Him.)

• How did the midwives show that they revered God?

• What might the midwives have risked by choosing to revere God more than Pharaoh?

Invite a student to read Exodus 1:20–21 aloud, and ask the class to look for what God did as a result of the midwives’ choice to revere Him rather than obey Pharaoh’s command. Invite students to report what they discover.

• According to these verses, how did the Lord “[deal] well” with the midwives? (You may want to point out that verse 21, footnote b, indicates that the Lord blessed the midwives with descendants.)

• What principle can we learn from this account about what God will do when we revere Him and put His will above that of others? (Students may use different words, but they should identify the following principle: As we revere God by putting His will above that of others, He will bless us.)

• What are some modern-day challenges that could be likened to what the Israelite midwives faced?

Invite students to participate

Seek ways to appropriately invite all students to participate in class discussions. Some ways to do this include calling on students by name, rephrasing questions, listening carefully and asking follow-up questions, acknowledging students’ responses positively, and not being afraid to give students time to reflect on a question and think of a response. Take care not to embarrass students by calling on them when they are not prepared to answer.

• When have you or someone you know chosen to revere God by putting His will above the will of others? How did God “[deal] well” (verse 20) with you or this person?

Explain that because Pharaoh was unable to convince the midwives to kill the newborn Hebrew males, he issued a decree to his people. Invite a student to read Exodus 1:22 aloud, and ask the class to look for Pharaoh’s decree. Ask students to report what they find.

Exodus 2

Moses is born, is raised by Pharaoh’s daughter, and flees to Midian

Explain that one Hebrew mother took steps to preserve the life of her son. Invite a few students to take turns reading aloud from Exodus 2:1–4, and ask the class to look for what this mother did to save her son.

• What did this mother do to save her son?

Invite students to take turns reading Exodus 2:5–10 aloud with a partner, and ask them to look for the answers to the following questions (you may want to write these questions on the board):

• Who discovered the child? What did she name him?

• How was the child’s mother still able to be involved in his upbringing?

After sufficient time, invite students to share their answers to these questions.

Summarize Exodus 2:11–25 by explaining that when Moses was grown, he defended a Hebrew slave by killing an Egyptian who was attempting to beat or kill the slave. When Pharaoh learned about the death, he sought to kill Moses, but Moses fled to Midian. While there, he married a woman named Zipporah, with whom he had a son. The children of Israel in Egypt cried unto the Lord for deliverance from bondage.

Exodus 3:1–10

The Lord speaks to Moses from a burning bush

Display the picture Moses and the Burning Bush (Gospel Art Book [2009], no. 13).

• What is happening in this picture?

After students respond, invite a student to read Exodus 3:1–3 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Moses saw while on this mountain.

• According to verse 3, what did Moses see that caused him to “turn aside” and have a closer look?

• According to verse 2, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush?

Invite students to look at verse 2, footnote a, and to notice how the Joseph Smith Translation changes the phrase “angel of the Lord.”

• Rather than an angel, who was it that appeared to Moses? (The Lord Jesus Christ [Jehovah] in His premortal state before His birth into the world.)

Invite a student to read Exodus 3:4–7 aloud. Ask students to follow along, looking for why the Lord appeared to Moses. Invite students to report what they find.

To help students identify a truth in verse 7, write the following statement on the board and ask them to fill in the blanks after reviewing verse 7: God sees our, hears our, and knows our. The truth should read: God sees our afflictions, hears our prayers, and knows our sorrows. Invite students to consider marking the words that teach this truth in their scriptures.

• What experiences have you had that have confirmed this truth to you?

Invite students to read Exodus 3:8 silently, looking for what the Lord planned to do for the children of Israel. Ask them to report what they discover. Then invite them to read Exodus 3:10 silently, looking for how (or through whom) the Lord planned to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt.

• According to verse 10, how did the Lord plan to answer the prayers of the children of Israel? (By raising up Moses to deliver them.)

Exodus 3:11–4:17

Moses expresses his concerns about his calling and is reassured by the Lord

Explain that Moses expressed a number of concerns to the Lord about his ability to deliver Israel as the Lord had called him to do. Divide the class into groups of three, and assign each student in each group one of the following scripture passages: Exodus 3:11–15; 4:1–5; 4:10–17. Ask students to read their assigned verses, looking for Moses’s concerns and how the Lord responded. Invite group members to report to one another what they found.

• What doctrine and principles can we learn from the Lord’s response to Moses’s concerns? (After students respond, summarize their answers by writing the following truth on the board: The Lord is with those He calls, and He gives them power to accomplish His work.)

To help students better understand this truth, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018):

“Now, some of you may be shy by nature or consider yourselves inadequate to respond affirmatively to a calling. Remember that this work is not yours and mine alone. It is the Lord’s work, and when we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help. Remember that whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies” (Thomas S. Monson, “Duty Calls,” Ensign, May 1996, 44).

• What experiences in your life have shown you that the Lord gives His servants, including you, power to accomplish His work?

Testify that just as the Lord promised to be with and strengthen Moses, He will be with and strengthen us as we seek to do His work according to His will.

Exodus 4:18–31

Moses and Aaron journey to Egypt and speak to the elders of Israel

Summarize Exodus 4:18–31 by explaining that after his encounter with the Lord, Moses left Midian, met Aaron, and traveled with him to Egypt. Together they told the elders of Israel all that the Lord had commanded. The children of Israel believed Moses and Aaron and worshipped the Lord.

Explain that when Moses was called to be a prophet, the Lord told him, “Thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten” (Moses 1:6). The similarities between the life of Moses and the life of Jesus Christ are interesting and instructive. The following chart lists many ways in which Moses is a type of Jesus Christ. If time permits, you could provide students with a copy of the chart with the scripture references filled in but the “Similarities” column left blank. Invite students to work in pairs reading the references and filling in the similarities between Moses and Jesus Christ in the center column.

Moses	Similarities	Jesus Christ
Exodus 1:15–16, 22; 2:1–3	Both escaped a decree of death while in their infancy.	Matthew 2:13–16
Exodus 3:7–10	Both were called to deliver Israel.	2 Nephi 6:17
Moses 1:1, 8, 11	Both were carried away by the Spirit to a high mountain where they were shown the kingdoms of the world.	Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 4:8 (in Matthew 4:8, footnote a)
Moses 1:12–22	Both overcame confrontations with Satan.	Matthew 4:3–11
Exodus 4:19	Both remained in exile until the kings who sought to kill them had died.	Matthew 2:19–20

Encourage students to look for other ways in which Moses is a type of Christ as they learn about Moses’s life.

Conclude by sharing your testimony of the principles identified in today’s lesson.

Commentary and Background Information

Exodus 2:11–15. Why did Moses slay an Egyptian?

“‘Smote’ and ‘slew’ in King James English are both translated from Hebrew nakhah, meaning ‘to beat down’; it is the word used in describing the action taken by soldiers in combat against each other. It would be correct to say that Moses slew a man who was slaying another, or took a life in saving a life. His looking ‘this way and that’ before doing so, simply indicates that he was aware that the Egyptians would not condone his defense of a slave” (Ellis T. Rasmussen, An Introduction to the Old Testament and Its Teachings, 2 vols., 2nd ed. [1972], 1:74).

Exodus 2:18. Who was Reuel?

“The more common name for Reuel is Jethro (see Exodus 3:1; Numbers 10:29). Jethro was a descendant of Midian, who was a son of Abraham and Keturah (see Genesis 25:1–6). Through this line Moses received the priesthood (see D&C 84:6–13)” (Old Testament Student Manual: Genesis–2 Samuel, 3rd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2003], 105).

Exodus 3:11–16. “I Am That I Am”

The Hebrew word for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is Yahweh, a word rendered in English as “Jehovah.” This name is linked to the verb “to be” and thus to the expression I AM. Hence one of the names of the God of the ancients is I AM. Hebrew scholars have thus suggested that Jehovah is He who was and is, He who causes or brings into being. God is eternal and not created by man, as were the gods of the day. The Israelites came to reverence this name and to emphasize, because of its sacred nature, that to speak it was blasphemous (see John 8:56–59). Once the tabernacle was built, only the high priest was allowed to speak the name in the Holy of Holies on the annual Day of Atonement.

Whenever the name I Am or Jehovah occurs in the Old Testament’s Hebrew text, it is almost always rendered as “LORD.” In the New Testament, a group of Jews sought to kill Jesus because He said, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). This New Testament reference confirms that Jesus Christ is Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament.

Supplemental Teaching Ideas

Exodus 1:20–21. As we revere God by putting His will above that of others, He will bless us

Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Ask the class to listen for counsel that can help them choose the will of God over the will of others.

“There will be times when you … will have to demonstrate your righteous courage in plain view of your peers, the consequence of which may be ridicule and embarrassment. …

“… He will reward you for your courage and righteous behavior—with happiness and joy. Such courage will be a byproduct of your faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, your prayers, and your obedience to commandments” (Gary E. Stevenson, “Be Valiant in Courage, Strength, and Activity,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 52).

• According to Elder Stevenson, what does it take to choose the will of God over the will of others?

Exodus 3:1–10. The Lord often answers our prayers through other people

Write the following principle on the board: The Lord often answers our prayers through other people.

To help students better understand this truth, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985):

“God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs” (Spencer W. Kimball, “Small Acts of Service,” Ensign, Dec. 1974, 5).

• Why do you think God often chooses to answer our prayers through other people?

Give students a few minutes to reflect and record their feelings on one of the following questions in their study journals:

• When has someone else helped answer your prayers?

• When have you or someone you know helped answer another person’s prayers?

Invite a few students to share what they wrote.

You may want to testify that the Lord often works through others to answer our prayers and that He can prompt us to help answer other people’s prayers.