Old Testament Lesson 13

Exodus 1–3; Exodus 5–6; Exodus 11–14

Gospel Doctrine Lesson #13, the Exodus
Exodus 1-11.

Background:
The people of Israel moved to the delta region of Egypt in order to escape a severe drought and famine. Joseph became the Pharaoh’s adopted son in being his Second in the land. Many scholars believe that the Pharaohs of this time were from the Hyksos. The Hyksos were a Semitic/Asiatic people that entered Egypt and later ruled it for over a century. They Hyksos were shepherd kings, something regular Egyptians would have despised or looked down upon. The main Hyksos kings from the 15th Dynasty had Canaanite names. They introduced the compound bow and horse-drawn chariot to Egypt, and moved the capitol to Thebes.

In the 18th dynasty, the Hyksos were pushed out of Egypt by Ahmose I. It is possible that at this time, the Pharaoh “knew not Joseph”, as the Semites from Canaan were now out of power. The remaining Semites in the land of Egypt would either have to be driven out or enslaved to keep them from regaining power. The children of Israel, along with many other Asiatics living in the Nile Delta region were enslaved by the Egyptians, to prevent them from joining with the Hyksos (the enemies of Exodus 1:10), thereby gaining the throne of Pharaoh again.

NKJV Exodus 1

1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: 

In Hebrew, the first six words of verse one are an exact quotation of the first six words of Genesis 46:8: “These are the names of the children of Israel that came into Egypt.”

Why does Moses make that rhetorical connection?

The Exodus as the Creation…

² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; ³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; ⁴ Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. ⁵ All those who were descendants^[a] of Jacob were seventy^[b] persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already).

Verse 5: Is it significant that in Genesis 10, the nations of the world numbered 70 and in this verse, the people of Israel number 70? What might that suggest about the relation of Israel to the world? Within the story of Israel that begins here, what does knowing that 70 persons came into Egypt tell us about the Israelites? Compare verse 7.

 ⁶ And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. ⁷ But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

⁸ Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ⁹ And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;¹⁰ come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.”¹¹ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. ¹² But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. ¹³ So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. ¹⁴ And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

The new Pharaohs would use the Israelite slaves to make bricks and build a new group of cities for the new Pharaoh. These were “treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses” (Ex 1:11). These two cities were built by the Pharaohs Seti I and Raamses II, who are considered by many to be the Pharaohs of Israel’s oppression. This would possibly make Raamses II or Merneptah the Pharaoh of the Exodus. A lot of it depends upon the interpretation of a writing where it mentions in the Year 5 Merneptah Stele (ca. 1208 BC) that "Israel is wasted, bare of seed." Was it propaganda to cover up this king's own loss of an army in the Red Sea? Or was it disdain for the Israelites, who would now be wanderers in the desert without a land of their own? Either way, it helps us to determine approximately when Israel left Egypt (Merneptah Stele - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ).

Merneptah Stele: “Israel is wasted, bare of seed.”


Amram, Father of Moses’ Vision

In the Testament of Amram (4Q Amram, Dead Sea Scrolls), we find that Moses’ father has a unique vision. In it, he sees two “Watchers” or divine beings who are arguing over Amram. He asks who they are and they tell him they “rule over sons of men” in all the world. Amram is given a challenge: “And they said to me: ‘Which of us do you [choose]?’”

He studies them and sees that one of them is “like a viper” ruling over darkness. The other being rules “over all light”. This one has three names, one of which is probably Melchizedek, the high priest of El/God in Abraham’s day.  We find again that sacred names are important, giving the individual power. We are then warned about the battle between the “Sons of Light” and the “Sons of Darkness”, a major theme in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

This sits well with the story of the Exodus, which is exactly that. We have the Sons of Light, the Israelites in mortal combat with the Sons of Darkness, the Egyptians and any other enemies they might have. As we consider the Bible story and other related materials, we’ll see how this fits in.

Books of Jubilees and Jasher on Israel’s stay in Egypt

We find out in the Book of Jubilees, chapter 46, that the “treasure cities” of Pithom and Raamses are cities of defense, to defend against warring Canaanites (such as the Hyksos). Upon enslaving the Israelites, the Egyptians slew the children for a period of seven months (ch 47).

The Book of Jasher tells us that Israel was very powerful. They were warriors that initially fought with the Egyptians to fend off attacks by the Asiatics (Chittim), which included Sea Peoples (Asiatics who were originally from the Greek isles) and the Canaanites. In one battle, the Egyptians fled from the Asiatics, leaving Israel to fight them alone. The Israelites succeeded in winning the war. Angry that their counterparts fled, they slew many of the Egyptian soldiers for cowardice, and returned to their homes. Egypt fears Israel’s power, as they are obviously much mightier in battle than they are.

In order to subdue the Israelites, Egypt turns to cunning methods to enslave them. They ask the Israelites to come build up the fortified cities of Pithom and Raamses as a protection in the area. They are offered workers’ wages for the effort. All the tribes go, except for the tribe of Levi, which remains behind to tend the flocks, etc. With cunning, they end up enslaving the Israelites and force them to build the cities of protection. (Jasher 64-66).

And so things are when Moses is born.

Moses’ birth and the Massacre of the Innocents

NKJV Exodus 1¹⁵ Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; ¹⁶ and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” ¹⁷ But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. ¹⁸ So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”

¹⁹ And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”

²⁰ Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. ²¹ And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.

²² So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born^[c] you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.” (end Exodus 1)

(The 11th century Jewish rabbi Rashi's Talmud commentary on the passage from Exodus identifies Shiphrah with Jochebed, the mother of Moses, and Puah with Miriam, Moses' sister, making the two midwives mother and daughter respectively)

Moses’ birth comes at a very difficult period. The Pharaohs have enslaved the Israelites, but still see them propagating so quickly that they fear a future overthrow could occur. Pharaoh first calls upon the midwives of Israel to ensure the males are aborted. The midwives quietly refuse to do such wicked work, and tell Pharaoh that the Hebrew women give birth before they can even show up. Pharaoh goes to more drastic measures and openly calls for the death of all male Israelite babies in Egypt as a birth control method. In keeping their numbers down, the hope is to keep them under control for future dynasties.

In the Book of Jubilees, we find that the children are slain for seven months (Jub. 47:3). The Book of Jasher details exactly how it came about: Pharaoh has a nightmare. In it, he sees an old man waving a balance (scales for weighing) in front of Pharoah. He calls forth his wise men to interpret the disturbing dream. Baalim of Beor tells him that it means that Israel would weigh Pharaoh in the balance and find him wanting. Israel would destroy Egypt and then leave.

Fearing such a disaster, Pharaoh consults to see what should be done. Reul/Jethro of Midian tells him he should let the Israelites go, and save his land of Egypt. Pharaoh becomes angry at this suggestion, and Jethro quietly leaves back to his home land. Baalim suggests drowning all the newborn sons of the Israelites in order to stop them from overthrowing Egypt. Pharaoh tells the Israelites to slay their own children. The women choose instead to deliver their babies in the fields and leave them. Angels come to the babies, washing and anointing them. Each baby is given two stones to suck on: one containing milk and the other honey. When the Egyptians find the babies prospering in the fields, they begin throwing them into the Nile River to drown.

This period of killing foresees the massacre of the innocents in Bethlehem by King Herod more than 1000 years later, when he feared that he and his royal line would be overthrown by a king born in the city of David. Moses becomes a symbol for Jesus Christ. While Jesus fled with his parents to Egypt to escape King Herod’s tyranny, Moses escapes the dangers of his enemies by becoming a member of the royal family of Egypt! The Book of Jubilees states that after he is weaned and grown a little, Moses is taken into Pharaoh’s house and becomes his son (Jub 47:10-11). However, unlike Cecille B. DeMille’s movie Ten Commandments, Moses knows he is an Israelite by birth. His skin would be lighter, and he would have Asiatic/Semitic features, while the Pharaoh’s family would most certainly be of Egyptian descent.

Moses Is Born

2 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. ² So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. ³ But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. 

The Hebrew word translated “ark” is used only here and in the story of Noah.

⁴ And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.

⁵ Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. ⁶ And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

⁷ Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”

⁸ And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. ⁹ Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. ¹⁰ And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses,^[a] saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Moses’ birth is foreseen by his older sister Miriam: “And it was at that time the spirit of God was upon Miriam the daughter of Amram the sister of Aaron, and she went forth and prophesied about the house, saying, Behold a son will be born unto us from my father and mother this time, and he will save Israel from the hands of Egypt” (Jasher 68:1).

While Pharaoh’s daughter called his name “Moses” (drawn out), “Jochebed his mother called his name Jekuthiel, Because, she said, I have hoped for him to the Almighty, and God restored him unto me” (Jasher 68:26).

In the Book of Jasher it tells us that at 3 years of age, while eating with the royal family, Moses takes the crown off Pharaoh’s head. All are astonished, and Baalim tells the king that this is the Hebrew child that would one day overthrow him, and that he must be killed instantly. An angel, disguised as one of Pharaoh’s counselors, suggests they place an onyx stone and a hot coal before the child. If the child takes the onyx stone, they would know he was aware of what he was doing in taking the crown from Pharaoh. The angel guides the boy to grab the coal, burns himself on his lips and mouth. This is why Moses would later tell God he had a speech defect and needed Aaron to speak for him (Jasher ch 70).

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The Exodus Narrative as Another Creation Story (for Old Testament Lesson 13)

By David Larsen | Published: March 24, 2010

The Israelites have multiplied and, because the Egyptians (who possibly overthrew the dynasty that favored Joseph and his Semitic family) feel threatened by their numbers, they are made slaves. We are told that they were in this condition of slavery for over 400 years. They looked forward to a new savior who would free them and return them to their promised land.  They desired, in effect, for the Lord to give them a new beginning.

That is exactly how the psalms represent the Exodus events — as a new Creation.  

The psalms speak extensively about the Creation of the world, which they describe as Yahweh’s victory over the Chaos Waters — often including great sea monsters (Rahab, Leviathan, etc.). Gen. 1 picks up on this idea when it describes God as “dividing” the waters in the early stages of creation. The psalms are much more graphic and likely represent older versions of the story.  A good example is Psalm 74:12–17:

Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

Psalm 74 ¹² For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

¹³ Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

¹⁴ Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

¹⁵ Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.

¹⁶ The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

¹⁷ Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.

Psalm 89 expresses a very similar image of Yahweh’s conflict at the Creation:

Psalm 89 ⁹ Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

¹⁰ Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.

¹¹ The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

¹² The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name. (Tabor and Hermon are hills in Israel, one on each side)

Compare also Psalms104:5-9; 93:1-4. 

Yahweh’s victory over the Chaos waters and its forces of darkness merits his being enthroned as king over the world. Sigmund Mowinckel (Norwegian bibilical scholar) believed that this was the basis of the so-called enthronement (and other related) psalms we have in our Bible. He commented:

“Even the special hymns of enthronement bring out very clearly that the fundamental myth of the festival is the myth of creation … Yahweh has become king of the world, because he has created it. And as we have seen, these psalms do not refer to any abstract notion of creation, but to the same mythical and poetical idea which may be glimpsed behind the account of the creation in Gen. 1, but which is much more prominent in other passages of the Old Testament, namely the idea of creation as the victorious struggle of Yahweh against the dragon of the primeval ocean, or against the primeval ocean itself (tehom)”.¹

Mowinckel then points out that in the Psalms (and elsewhere) the rise, or “election”, of Israel in the Exodus story is equated with the Creation. Egypt becomes the chaotic monster Rahab and the Red Sea becomes the primeval ocean, Tehom (Isa. 30:7; Ex. 15:48). Just as Yahweh divided the primeval waters, he also divides the Red Sea for his people. Through this historical act of “creation”, Yahweh becomes king over Israel (Deut. 33:2, 4f.; 114:1f.; cf. Deut. 32:8 LXX). Yahweh then builds his temple on his holy mountain (Ex. 15:17f.). Yahweh establishes his covenant with his people, which is then renewed at the annual festival (when all these psalms about Creation, the Exodus, and Yahweh’s enthronement in his temple are sung).²

Psalm 77 presents the dividing of the waters at the Exodus in the same type of “conflict” language as the Creation.

Psalm 77 (NKJV)

¹³ Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
¹⁵ You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

(selah meaning “pause and listen” or a musical interlude?)

¹⁶ The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were afraid;
The depths also trembled.
¹⁷ The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound;
Your arrows also flashed about.
¹⁸ The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.
¹⁹ Your way was in the sea,
Your path in the great waters,
And Your footsteps were not known.
²⁰ You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

(Note the cool reference to God’s footprints in v. 19)

Psalm 114 contains very similar language, informing us that “When Israel went forth from Egypt…the sea looked and fled…at the presence of the Lord.”

NKJV

KJV

114 When Israel went out of Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language, 2 Judah became His sanctuary, And Israel His dominion. 3 The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back. 4 The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs. 5 What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back? 6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams? O little hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob, 8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of waters.

114 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language; 2 Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion. 3 The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back. 4 The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. 5 What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? 6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; 8 Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

One of the clearest passages that relates the primeval battle at Creation to the Exodus is Isa. 51:9–10:

⁹ Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord!
Awake as in the ancient days,
In the generations of old.
Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart,
And wounded the serpent?

¹⁰ Are You not the One who dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
That made the depths of the sea a road
For the redeemed to cross over?

(and doesn’t this also allude to the atonement, treading the road at the bottom of the sea, as low as one can get…)

 As Mowinckel noted, in the various manifestations of this motif, Pharaoh/Egypt seems to be cast as Rahab, the Dragon, the agent of Chaos in opposing Yahweh’s salvific works (liberating Israel). We also note that the plagues sent against Egypt line up quite well with the days of Creation — i.e., there are the plagues that have to do with water, with land, with the air, with darkness,  and with destruction of life (instead of creation). In the end, the waters are parted so that dry land appears, but then close down again to crush the Egyptians (Rahab). The Israelites (Adam and Eve) are placed in the Promised Land (eventually).

Last, but certainly not least, we should mention the role of Moses as Yahweh, dividing the waters. Exodus 7:1 alludes to this:

7 So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. ² You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.

Moses was placed in the position of Yahweh in this story. Philo, at the turn of the era, understood this very literally and wrote that Moses “was named God and king of the entire nation.”³ 

At Qumran, 4Q374 2 ii relates Exo. 7:1 to the story of Moses’ transfiguration after seeing God on Sinai.

It seems to be suggesting that Moses’ resultant shining face was evidence of his deification. Crispin Fletcher-Louis suggests that Moses, with his shining face, is fulfilling the priestly blessing of Aaron expressed in Num. 6:25 —

²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
²⁶ The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’

Moses’ face, Fletcher-Louis argues, is to the Israelites as if it were the Lord’s face shining upon them.⁴  In the Exodus story, Moses speaks to Pharaoh through Aaron (his prophet). Moses performs great wonders, including the parting of the Red Sea, just as Yahweh parted the great waters at Creation.

This Creation story is fundamental to the oldest sections of the Hebrew Bible and can be seen repeated over and over — in the Flood story, the Exodus, the Psalms, Isaiah, Job, many of the minor prophets, and elsewhere. Keep that in mind and you will find many fun and insightful parallels that will help you understand your reading better. God’s work of Creation is the first work of Salvation and that theme is repeated over and over again in the history of Israel.

Satan > the Dragon (Rahab) > Chaos Waters

Christ overcomes Rahab overcomes the Chaos Waters

1. Light 2. Separate Water 3. Dry Ground – Gather Waters 4. Sun, moon, stars 5. Sea creatures, birds, crawlers, Other living things 6. Man	1. (Water) Water to Blood 2. (Water) Frogs 3. (Land) Gnats or Lice 4. (Land) Flies 5. (Living things, animals) Cattle diseased 6. (Living things, man) Boils 7. (Destruction) Thunder and hail 8. (Destruction) Locusts 9. (Light)  Darkness 10. (Man) Death of Firstborn

  Mowinckel, The Psalms in Israel’s Worship, Vol. 1, 143

  See Ibid., 154ff. [↩]

  Philo, Life of Moses 1:158

  Crispin Fletcher-Louis, “Some Reflections on Angelomorphic Humanity Texts among the Dead Sea Scrolls,” in Dead Sea Discoveries, vol. 7, no. 3 (2000), 298 [↩]- See more at: http://www.heavenlyascents.com/2010/03/24/the-exodus-narrative-as-another-creation-story-for-old-testament-lesson-13/#identifier_0_1928

Moses Flees to Midian (Exodus 2)

¹¹ Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. ¹² So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”

¹⁴ Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” ¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.

¹⁶ Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.¹⁷ Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

¹⁸ When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”

¹⁹ And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”

²⁰ So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”

²¹ Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. ²² And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom,^[b] for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”

²³ Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. ²⁴ So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

God leads Moses from Egypt to the land of Midian. The land of Midian is believed to have been in northwest Arabian peninsula on the east shore of the Gulf of Aqaba. Some scholars, however, do not think they were so much geographical as they were a league of tribes. The Midianites worshiped a variety of gods, including Baal and Ashtoreth. It is possible they also worshiped the Egyptian goddess Hathor, as an Egyptian temple to her was also in the area.

However, at least one Midianite worshiped the Lord. We learn in D&C 84:6-7 that Moses was ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood by his father-in-law Jethro. He would also have learned about the gospel from Jethro, as well.  He does NOT receive it from Joseph

D&C 84: 6 ^aAnd the ^bsons of Moses, according to the Holy Priesthood which he received under the ^chand of his father-in-law, ^dJethro;

 7 And Jethro received it under the hand of Caleb;

 8 And Caleb received it under the hand of Elihu;

 9 And Elihu under the hand of Jeremy;

 10 And Jeremy under the hand of Gad;

 11 And Gad under the hand of Esaias;

 12 And Esaias received it under the hand of God.

 13 ^aEsaias also lived in the days of Abraham, and was blessed of him—

(Some references say Moses did not go directly to Midian but spent years along the way elsewhere)

Some colorful commentary from Jasher…

According to the Book of Jasher, Moses was a warrior, helping the people overtake other nations. Moses fled initially to Cush, where he soon became its leader, when the king died. For years he fought Arabs and many tribes as the king of Cush. However, he knew he could not marry a Canaanite woman, as was commanded by Abraham concerning his son Isaac. He refused to marry the queen, and so he reigned for twenty years. Eventually, the queen’s son became a man, and she asked the people to throw down Moses as a foreigner and replace him with her son, the rightful heir of Cush. They gave Moses great gifts and thanks for his service, and then sent him packing. So Moses eventually made his way to Midian. (Jasher 76).

The Sapphire Staff of Adam

However, the Midianites are concerned that Moses has fled from Cush, and thinking he may be a fugitive, they place him in prison. Zipporah cares for him while he serves ten years in prison.

In the meantime, the Pharaoh contracted leprosy. He tries curing it by spreading the fresh blood of a sacrificed Israelite child on his skin, each day for more than a year. But it does no good. Eventually his rotted body dies, and his son takes his place as Pharaoh (Jasher 76). Moses’ wrongful imprisonment is symbolic of the imprisonment of Joseph, who would later save his people in Egypt; and Jesus who would after his false imprisonment save his people from spiritual Egypt.

The Sword and the Stone
Upon release from prison, Moses prays in the garden of Reul/Jethro. While praying, he sees a sapphire staff planted in the ground with the name of the Lord of Hosts upon it. He takes the staff, which stuns Reul. The staff had belonged to Adam in the Garden of Eden. It was passed down to Noah and then to Abraham, who passed it down the line to Joseph. It became a treasure of Egypt, and when Reul left Pharaoh, he took the staff with him and planted it in his garden. Many mighty men tried to pluck the staff from the ground but could not. When Moses succeeded, Reul gave him Zipporah as his wife (Jasher 77).

The Holy Mountain

Outside of major kingdoms, such as Egypt, the nations were not large enough to build vast cities. The Midianites were likely a tribal shepherd people with a few small towns. They would not have had a place for a major religious building.

Holy places were created in the wilderness. Jacob saw God in a dream and set up a pillar, which he called Beth-El, the House of God. For Moses, it was a mountain on fire that attracted him to Jehovah’s sacred place in the wilderness (and thus comes the burning bush). The temple is a holy mountain, a sacred space, where earth and heaven are connected. It is where people go to enter into the glory and presence of God. And it is here that Moses sees God and receives his commission as prophet.

Return to Egypt and the Plagues

The Book of Jubilees tell us that on Moses’ return to Egypt, the demon Mastema sought to destroy him, and save his children, the Egyptians.

Moses’ initial attempt to impress the Egyptians fails. While he can turn his hand leprous and heal it, and while he can turn his staff into a serpent, so can the Egyptian sorcerers through Mastema’s power (Jub 48). God wreaks vengeance upon the Egyptians through the plagues, however. The Egyptian magicians cannot duplicate them, nor stop them. It is a classic battle of who has the true authority. In the stories of Abraham, including the Book of Abraham, we see a clash of titans, each side insisting that their God can beat up the other person’s God. In the Book of Abraham, we see that Pharaoh claims to have the ancient authority, while Abraham insists HE is the one that God has chosen as the rightful servant and heir of Jehovah. This competition between gods will happen time and again through Israel’s history, but is punctuated in the story of Moses and Pharaoh.

Eventually Pharaoh is forced to allow Moses to leave with Israel. The land is so demoralized and left in such chaos that no one has the will to stop Israel from leaving. At least for a few days. Suddenly they realize they have lost their meal ticket, and the Egyptians rush out to get Israel back. Again, Jehovah thrashes the Egyptians, opening a road in the chaotic waters for Israel to arrive safely on the other side, and then allowing chaos to resume in drowning the Egyptian army.

Order from Chaos

Most gods of the time were national or tribal gods. They were limited to where and when they could work their power. Jehovah demonstrated in the past that he is stronger than the gods of Pharaoh, as he saved Abraham from the priest of Elkaneh and the gods of Egypt. Jehovah saved both Israel and Egypt in raising Joseph up in Egypt. Now Jehovah would show his might once again, by illustrating his destructive and creative forces over the land of Egypt. Why do I say that? Because the Destruction and Creation go together. David Larsen’s article goes into this somewhat. With the destruction of Egypt, Jehovah is able to create a new people of Israel. They leave the chaos and desolation of Egypt behind and go toward the ordered Land of Promise, where milk and honey flow.

The Passover – Exodus 11

The Passover was designed by Jehovah to be Israel’s first national festival. It celebrated the night when the Angel of Death passed over the homes of the Israelites and killed the first born children of Egypt. Once again, it is representative of Creation/Order out of Destruction/Chaos. With Pharaoh and Egypt’s continual refusal to let Israel leave, they had proven themselves ripened for destruction. They had slain the infant sons of Israel, enslaved thousands more, and had become an indolent, evil and proud people.

Now it was time for the Lord to redeem his people. There are several portions to the Passover that we’ll review.

Paschal lamb: The lamb was to be without blemish and the first born of the field that spring. They were to eat all of it, not leaving any to spoil. If a family was too small to eat it alone, they were to invite the neighbors in to eat it with them. It represents the future role of Jehovah as sacrificial lamb for Israel and the entire world. He would take the chaos of death and reorder it into a new creation, immortality and eternal life. Since there is more than enough of Christ’s atonement, we are also encouraged to invite our neighbors to partake of the atonement of Christ with us, that they too might be saved.

Blood on the door posts: The blood of the lamb was smeared on the posts of each door. This was an outward sign that the person within accepted the blood of the Lamb to save him from death and chaos. Today, we partake of the Sacrament in memory of the Blood of the Lamb, as an outward sign that we accept his atonement and salvation from death and chaos.

Unleavened Bread: This is bread that has not been filled with leaven, or yeast. It is flat bread. The Israelites did not have time to wait for bread to expand with yeast, before cooking it. They had to be prepared for the Exodus at a moment’s notice. The concept here is we also must be prepared at a moment’s notice to go when God calls us. Prior preparation means one is not caught unprepared or unaware. Christ’s parable of the 10 Virgins ties in nicely. All are virgins, but only half were prepared with extra oil, to leave to the main event on a moment’s notice.

Bitter Herbs: This life is tough. We need to always remember our bondage, whether it is as slaves in Egypt, or slaves to an addiction. One of the key terms in the Book of Mormon is the word, Remember. Alma told us that if we do not remember the captivity of our fathers, we will be doomed to also be captive (Alma 5). It teaches us to appreciate the good blessings Jehovah wishes to pour down upon us when we are obedient and listen. When we forget our sins and mistakes of the past, we are doomed to relive them.

Exodus 11 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. ² Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” ³ And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses wasvery great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

⁴ Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; ⁵ and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals.⁶ Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like It before, nor shall be like it again. ⁷ But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’⁸ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

⁹ But the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

God’s Presence – Exodus 13

Israel experiences the protection of Jehovah in the wilderness as they flee. God goes before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. They are just outside His presence, but it is with them as their advanced guard.

Today, we are promised the Gift of the Holy Ghost as a constant companion. When we are confirmed members of the Church, though, we are not ordained nor set apart with the Holy Ghost. Instead, we are commanded to “receive the Holy Ghost.”

This member of the Godhead becomes our “pillar” that can constantly be with us. But it is up to each of us on whether it remains with us. While Jehovah’s pillar led Israel towards the Red Sea, what would have happened had the Israelites chosen a different route for themselves? They would have walked away from the pillar and its protection. They would have literally walked away from God’s presence. When we disobey the Spirit, which is a divine member of the Godhead, we literally walk away from God’s presence. So while we are told the Gift means the Holy Ghost can be our constant companion, how often is it in each of our lives? Are we seeking to have him as our constant companion, or are we satisfied with just crossing paths occasionally along the way?

Bibliography

Wikipedia - Hyksos: Hyksos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikipedia – Merneptah Stele: Merneptah Stele - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Testament of Amram (4Q Amram, Dead Sea Scrolls): Testament Of Amram - (4Q543, 545-548)

Book of Jubilees: Jubilees

Book of Jasher: Jasher

Massacre of the Innocents, Wikipedia: Massacre of the Innocents - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Larsen’s Heavenly Ascents excellent article on how the Exodus symbolizes the Creation: The Exodus Narrative as Another Creation Story (for Old Testament Lesson 13) | Heavenly Ascents

Jim F’s version of the lesson, where he looks at chiasmus, and asks several very excellent questions: OT Lesson 13: Exodus 1-3, 5-6, 11-14 Feast upon the Word Blog

The Passover as the Atonement
 

The Passover	The Atonement
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).
The children of Israel were to sprinkle the blood of the lamb on their doorposts to save their firstborn at death (Exodus 12:7, 22-23).	The Savior' blood, which he shed in Gethsemane and on the cross, cleanses the faithful and saves them from spiritual death (Mosiah 4:2).
The children of Israel were to eat unleavened bread (Exodus 12:8, 15-20). Leaven or yeast was seen anciently as a symbol of corruption because it so easily spoiled and turned moldy.	Jesus Christ was the Bread of Life, without corruption or impurity (John 6:35). The removal of leaven also suggested repentance, or the removal of sin from a person's life.
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.