Exodus 7–11

Introduction

After Pharaoh refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, the Lord revealed that He would “multiply [His] signs and [His] wonders” in Egypt (Exodus 7:3). However, even after witnessing a miracle and the plagues that afflicted Egypt, Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let the children of Israel go.

Suggestions for Teaching

Doctrinal Mastery Review—Isaiah 53:3–5 (5 minutes)

Display the image Jesus Praying in Gethsemane (Gospel Art Book [2009], no. 56; see also lds.org/media-library).

Ask students to list some of the things that Jesus Christ suffered for during His atoning sacrifice. After students have shared their responses, invite them to refer to the first sentence of paragraph 3.4 in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document to see if there is anything they missed.

Invite students to silently read Isaiah 53:3–5. After they have read this passage, ask students to turn to their neighbor and discuss how this passage helps teach the following key statement of doctrine: As part of His Atonement, Jesus Christ not only suffered for our sins, but He also took upon Himself the pains, temptations, sicknesses, and infirmities of all mankind.

Exodus 7:1–13

God sends Moses and Aaron to free the children of Israel from bondage

To help establish the context of the events recorded in Exodus 7, read aloud the following statements. Invite students to verbally indicate whether each statement is true or false.

Pharaoh said he was willing to let the children of Israel go free because he respected the Lord’s power. (False. See Exodus 5:1–2.)
After Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go, the Israelites were eager to listen to Moses and follow his leadership. (False. See Exodus 5:19–21.)
Moses was confident in his abilities and excited about his responsibility to free the children of Israel from bondage. (False. See Exodus 3:11.)
Moses was “slow of speech” and wondered why the Lord had sent him to free the children of Israel. (True. See Exodus 4:10; 5:22–23; 6:12, 30.)

Summarize Exodus 7:1–5 by explaining that the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to return to Pharaoh and tell him again to free the children of Israel.

What might have been difficult about the Lord’s command to Moses and Aaron? Why?

Invite a student to read Exodus 7:6 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for what Moses and Aaron did in response to the Lord’s direction to return to speak with Pharaoh.

As you consider the challenges Moses and Aaron faced, what impresses you about how they chose to act in faith?

Invite a student to read Exodus 7:8–10 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for what happened when Moses and Aaron did what the Lord had commanded them.

If possible, hold up a rod (a long piece of wood, such as a broomstick). Drop the rod on the floor.

How do you think you might have responded if you had been in Pharaoh’s position and had just seen Aaron’s rod turn into a serpent?

Invite a student to read Exodus 7:11–12 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how Pharaoh responded after Aaron’s rod turned into a serpent. Ask students to report what they find. You may want to explain that the “magicians of Pharaoh’s court had power given them from Satan to duplicate many of the miracles wrought by Moses” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 462).

What can we learn from Aaron’s rod swallowing the rods of the magicians? (As students respond, you might point out that the Lord’s power is greater than the power of mankind, the devil, and the false gods mankind worships. Write this truth on the board.)

Pick up the rod on the floor and display it again for the class. Invite a student to read Exodus 7:13, and ask the class to look for Pharaoh’s response after Aaron’s rod swallowed the magicians’ rods. Ask students to report what they find.

Point out that verse 13, footnote a, includes an important clarification from the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. It explains that the Lord did not harden Pharaoh’s heart but that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. As the Prophet Joseph Smith was working on his inspired translation of the King James Version of the Bible, he corrected each indication that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, because in each case, Pharaoh had hardened his own heart (see the Joseph Smith Translation in footnotes to Exodus 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10). You may want to testify that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he restored many plain and precious truths.

Why do you think it is important to know that Pharaoh, not the Lord, hardened Pharaoh’s heart?

Exodus 7:14–11:10

The Lord sends 10 plagues upon Egypt

Invite a student to read Exodus 5:2 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for the question Pharaoh asked when Moses first told him to let the children of Israel go. Invite students to report what they find.

Point to the truth on the board. Explain that the Lord emphasized this truth to the Israelites and the Egyptians through a series of 10 plagues, each of which demonstrated His power over the Egyptians and their false gods and profoundly answered Pharaoh’s question. Explain that each of the following scripture references describes one of the 10 plagues the Lord sent upon Egypt. (Write these scripture references on the board before class or provide students with a copy of the list.)

The 10 Plagues

The following three activities are suggestions for how you might study the plagues as a class. Choose the option that best meets students’ needs. (You might also want to adapt these suggestions as needed.)

Give students 10–15 minutes to silently study each of the plagues. Invite students to consider marking each of the plagues in their scriptures. Invite them to also look for how Pharaoh responded to each of the plagues.
Ask students to divide a piece of paper into 10 sections. Invite students to label each section with the number and scripture reference of the plagues as indicated on the list of the 10 plagues. Explain that they will have 10–15 minutes to read the scripture references and draw a picture depicting the plague that is described in the appropriate box on their paper. Invite them to also look for how Pharaoh responded to each of the plagues. You may want to collect their drawings and display them for the class.
Assign one or more students to study one of the scripture references on the list of the 10 plagues until each of the references has been assigned. Invite them to also look for how Pharaoh responded to each of the plagues. Give students 5–7 minutes to read their assigned reference and draw the plague it describes on the board or pieces of paper.

After the activity, invite students to report to the class what they learned about each of the plagues. (If students drew pictures, you may want to encourage them to use the pictures they drew to help them explain the plagues to the class.)

After students have summarized the 10 plagues, ask the class the following questions:

How did these 10 plagues show God’s power over mankind, the devil, and the false gods that mankind worships?
How might understanding that God is more powerful than man and the devil help strengthen your faith in God?
When have you or someone you know seen that God’s power is greater than any other power?

To help students identify another principle, ask:

How did Pharaoh respond to each of the plagues? (He continued to harden his heart and refused to let the children of Israel go.)
What principle can we learn from the consequences that resulted because Pharaoh refused to soften his heart? (Students may identify a variety of principles, but be sure to emphasize that if we refuse to soften our hearts and do not repent of our sins, then we will bring negative consequences upon ourselves and others. Consider writing this truth on the board.)
What are some negative consequences that could result from a person’s decision to harden his or her heart and not repent?

Point out that Pharaoh could have chosen to soften his heart at any point and that if he had done so earlier, much of the suffering that he and his people experienced could have been prevented. Similarly, if we refuse to soften our hearts, the consequences that we or others experience can become more and more serious.

What are some ways that a person could soften his or her heart? (Consider writing students’ responses on the board.)
How might we be blessed by choosing to repent and follow the Lord sooner rather than later?

After students respond, you may want to ask a student to read aloud the following statement:

“If you have sinned, the sooner you repent, the sooner you begin to make your way back and find the peace and joy that come with forgiveness. If you delay repentance, you may lose blessings, opportunities, and spiritual guidance. You may also become further entangled in sinful behavior, making it more difficult to find your way back” (For the Strength of Youth [booklet, 2011], 28).

Invite students to write in their class notebooks or study journals their answers to the following questions:

When have you experienced a softening of your heart? What did you learn about the Lord through this experience?
If you feel that you need to soften your heart in some way, what is something you could do to begin that process?

Share your testimony of the truths you have identified and discussed in this lesson, and consider inviting a few students to share their testimonies of these truths as well.

Commentary and Background Information

Exodus 7:11–13. “The magicians of Egypt”

After the Lord turned Aaron’s rod into a serpent, Pharaoh summoned the magicians of Egypt—priests of Egypt’s false gods—who imitated this miracle. The magicians also imitated the first two plagues (see Exodus 7:21–22; 8:6–7).

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught, “The devil is the father of lies, and he is ever anxious to frustrate the work of God by his clever imitations” (“Two Lines of Communication,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 84).

President Joseph Fielding Smith mentioned the magicians of Pharaoh as an example of Satan’s power to duplicate some of the miracles that God performed through Moses and Aaron. He then said, “It should be remembered that Satan has great knowledge and thereby can exercise authority and to some extent control the elements, when some greater power does not intervene” (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. [1966], 1:178).

Although the magicians of Egypt were able to perform some imitations, they were never able to overcome the plagues the Lord sent upon Egypt. In fact, their imitations of the first two plagues only made circumstances worse for the people of Egypt. The contrast between the Lord’s priesthood power exercised by Moses and the imitations wrought by the magicians of Egypt illustrates that God’s power is superior to all other forms of power.

Exodus 7–11. The plagues of Egypt

The plagues served an important purpose. They showed Pharaoh, Egypt, and the Israelites that Jesus Christ (Jehovah) is more powerful than the false Egyptian gods. Egypt had many false gods, including the pharaoh himself. “[Some] interpreters suggest a symbolic correlation between each plague and an Egyptian deity, assuming they were each meant to demonstrate Jehovah’s superiority over a specific god. This explanation is difficult to confirm in every case. … [However,] there is no doubt that the plagues as a whole were intended to demonstrate the power of Jehovah over the Egyptian pantheon, which included the divine Pharaoh himself” (Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Dana M. Pike, and David Rolph Seely, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament: An Illustrated Reference for Latter-day Saints [2009], 90).