The Exodus
The format for this section will be different than the verse by verse commentary usually available on gospeldoctrine.com. This story seems to need a broader view; we don’t want to miss the forest for a microscopic view of the tree bark.
Exodus 1: The Apostasy
The scribe/author of Exodus misses a significant point. He describes the death of Joseph’s generation and a new king or pharaoh as if the events happened in close proximity. They did not. According to the Bible, there were about 350 years between the time that Israel and his sons moved to Egypt and the birth of Moses (see Ex. 12:40).
The problem that occurred during that several century time span was an apostasy. There did not seem to be a continuance of the patriarchal, or Melchizedek Priesthood. There was a loss of the gospel, a loss of the traditions of the fathers, a loss of the covenants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. How do we know this? It is evident looking at the Israelites in retrospect.
For the next forty plus years Moses will have to lead the children of Israel. Their rebellion, faithlessness, reliance on signs, and hardened hearts are the product of a people who had lost the Spirit of God. The Aaronic Priesthood and Law of Moses that they would be placed under was not for a righteous people but for a wicked people—a people with little understanding, quick to forget God, oblivious to the difference between clean and unclean, holy and unholy. At this point, the children of Israel are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in name but not in spirit.
“The children of Israel had been in the land of Egypt 430 years by the time the Lord called Moses to lead them out of bondage. (See Ex. 12:40) During their long years under the Egyptian yoke, they became not only physically enslaved but also spiritually sick. Having gone for generations without a prophet to counsel and guide them, the greater part of the children of Israel drifted into apostasy.
“Before they were ready to enter the land of promise, they had a long way to go—not only in the geographical distance to be covered but also in spiritual progression to be accomplished. Some scholars and students of the Old Testament say, ‘It was harder for Moses to get Egypt out of the children of Israel than to get the children of Israel out of Egypt.’ At times, the children of Israel placed more trust in the gods of Egypt than in the God of Israel.” (LDS Church News, 1994, 02/26/94)
Exodus 3:
What’s in a name?
Everyone knows about the burning bush, but what made the bush burn? Verse 2 explains that “the angel of the Lord appeared to” Moses, but was it an angel? Latter-day saints understand Moses was talking to Jehovah; they also understand that Jehovah would later condescend to earth to become Jesus Christ. Moses asks a fair question, “What name should I call you before the children of Israel?” The answer is not Jehovah. The Lord is identified by another term. “Out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name,” (D&C 107:4) Jehovah declares his name as “I AM” to the children of Israel (Ex. 3:14). “I AM” is a proper name for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The theology of the Judaism and the Jehovah’s Witnesses denies the idea that Jesus Christ was the pre-mortal Jehovah. John the Revelator, declared this truth in terms that any careful student of the Old Testament should understand. The scribes and Pharisees taunted Jesus as follows:
Art thou greater than our father Abraham,
which is dead? And the prophets are dead: whom makest
thou thyself?
…Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day:
and he saw it, and was glad.
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not
yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:53-58)
The text should read, “Before Abraham was I AM,” using the term I AM as the proper name for the God who spoke to Moses. Indeed, this was the name by which the children of Israel were supposed to know God.
But was Jesus Christ trying to identify himself as the God of the Old Testament? The scribes and Pharisees sure thought so for “they took up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.” (John 8:59)
“[The fact that] they intended to stone him indicates they got the message that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God, the great Jehovah. This was further certified at the cross when passersby ‘reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying .... If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross’ (Matt. 27:39-40). And the chief priests, scribes, and elders said, ‘He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God’ (Matt. 27:41-43).
“There can be no doubt that Jesus was successful in putting his point
across… They didn't always believe him, but they knew what he said about
himself.” (Robert J. Matthews, Behold the Messiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 229)
JST
Exodus 6:3 I am the Lord God Almighty; the Lord
JEHOVAH
The Lord had already told Moses his name was “I AM,” the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. But the Lord also
wanted Moses to know him by the sacred name of Jehovah. The children of
Israel were not to use this name; it was too sacred. Moses could know it, but they were not to use
it. To this command, they were
faithful. Under the Law of Moses,
blasphemy of the name of the Lord, particularly Jehovah, was punishable by death (Lev. 24:16). Accordingly, the name of Jehovah was treated with great care, appearing only 4 times in the
Old Testament (Ex 6:3; Ps. 83:18; Isa 12:2; 26:4). Seldom written, the name was
never spoken for even the scribes who were aware of the name Jehovah would never say the word aloud
(See Bible Dictionary: Jehovah).
Prophets like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and many others certainly
knew the Lord by the name of Jehovah.
“Most scholars believe that the name Jehovah (this is the Anglicized form
of the name Yahweh) is derived from
an old form of the Hebrew verb meaning ‘to be’ or ‘to become.’ The word
stresses existence, with the meaning being that expressed in Ex. 3:14: ‘I AM.’ This has been understood to emphasize the
unchanging nature of God, particularly his changeless commitment to the
faithful.” (Joseph Fielding McConkie and Donald W.
Parry, A Guide to Scriptural Symbols
[Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1990], 137)
Franklin D. Richards
At different times He told Israel that He was Jehovah until He came and dwelt in the flesh. Then He was the Son of God—the Christ. It is said concerning Him by one of the ancient prophets, that "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). These were a few of the names that were given to Him besides some that John saw—such as the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Brian H. Stuy, ed., Collected Discourses, 5 vols. [Burbank, Calif., and Woodland Hills, Ut.: B.H.S. Publishing, 1987-1992], vol. 4, Oct. 7, 1984)
Plagues on Egypt foreshadow the destruction attending the Second Coming
Pharaoh might go down in history as the most stubborn, and even stupid, leader of all time. How many plagues do your people have to suffer before you get the picture that the Israelites should be set free? I have always been interested in the mindset of Pharaoh as these plagues destroy his people and land. Was it part of the Lord’s plan for Pharaoh to be so difficult? Would the Lord actually harden Pharaoh’s heart as the scripture says?
We know that the Joseph Smith Translation changes the text every time it reads that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Certainly God does not harden the hearts of men; it is men that harden their hearts toward God. But what if the Lord had a greater purpose in this instance? What if God was writing the script with a particular intent to foreshadow the life and mission of His Son? What if Pharaoh’s stubbornness allowed for God to show his power over men? What if the entire story foreshadows a greater event of the last days?
The student of the book of Revelation will find similarities between the plagues on Egypt and the destruction of spiritual Babylon at the end of the world. Since we all wonder what those apocalyptic destructions might be like, the Exodus story provides at least a clue. They came not from destroying armies with elaborate weapon systems. They came as punishments from the Lord. Could there be a soul in Egypt who could explain away these plagues? Could anyone imagine that these destructions were not of the Lord?
Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was the Prophet “like unto Moses” (Deut. 18:15) that the people were follow. When you consider the destructions of the Second Coming paralleling the plagues of Egypt, when you think of how Moses saved Israel and Christ will save Israel from literal destruction, the significance of Moses being a type for Christ deepens beyond the usual explanations.
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Destruction of Egypt |
Destruction of Babylon |
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Plague 1 |
All the waters in the river were turned to blood; the fish died; the river stank |
“The sea… became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea” (Rev. 16:3) |
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Plague 2 |
Frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt |
“I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon” (Rev. 16:13) |
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Plague 3 |
Plague of lice |
Maggots eat the flesh of wicked (D&C 29:18) |
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Plague 4 |
Flies swarm over Egypt |
“I the Lord God will send forth flies upon the face of the earth” (D&C 29:18) |
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Plague 5 |
Boils afflict man and beast |
“there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast” (Rev. 16:2, 11) |
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Plague 6 |
Thunder and hail and the hail turns to fire on the ground |
“hail and fire mingled with blood” (Rev. 8:7) |
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Plague 7 |
East wind brings locusts which destroy fruit and herbs |
Plague of locusts torment wicked for five months (Rev. 9:3-10) |
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Plague 8 |
Thick darkness in all the land for 3 days |
Light from sun, moon, and stars hidden (Rev. 8:12) |
Passover Symbolizes the Atoning Sacrifice
of the Son of God
If the destruction of Egypt foreshadows Christ’s Second Coming, then the Passover foreshadows his First Coming. Before the schoolmaster of the Law of Moses is ever established, the children of Israel are saved from destruction by the blood of a male lamb, without blemish. The destroying angel passed over them only because of this life saving blood.
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Passover of Egypt |
Atonement of Christ |
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The Passover occurred in the spring, the beginning of the Hebrew calendar (Ex 12:2) |
Jesus was crucified in the spring at the time of the Passover |
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The people are saved by household (Ex 12:4) |
The atonement saves families through binding priesthood power |
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Firstborn of Egypt die for sin |
Firstborn of the Father was made a sacrifice for sin |
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Great signs attend the Exodus |
Great signs attend the crucifixion (Matt. 27:51-54) |
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Egypt suffered 3 days of darkness |
Nephites suffered 3 days of darkness (3 Ne. 8:20-23) |
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Sacrificial lamb was a male without blemish (Ex 12:5) |
So was Christ |
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Lamb was not to have a broken bone (Ex 12:46) |
Both thieves’ legs were broken, but not Jesus’ |
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Lamb killed in the evening (Ex 12:6) |
Jesus gives up the ghost in the evening (John 19:31-33) |
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Eat the flesh of the lamb (Ex 12:8) |
People commanded to eat the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth (John 6:54) |
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Passover made into a regularly kept feast and ordinance (Ex 12:14) |
Sacrament established in remembrance of the Savior |
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Bread was to be unleavened |
Jesus, the Bread of Life, was “unleavened” in purity and righteousness (1 Cor. 5:6-7) |
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A stranger or foreigner was not to eat the Passover (Ex. 12: 45) |
Sacrament is for baptized members of the church; wicked are forbidden (1 Cor. 11:29) |
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None was left until morning (Ex 12:10) |
Christ was taken from the cross before the beginning of the next day (John 19:31-33) |
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Israelites were to be ready to go and were commanded, “ye shall eat it in haste” (Ex. 12:11) |
This element symbolizes the Second Coming, when there will be no more time for preparation (Matt. 24:17-24) |
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Gods of Egypt destroyed (Ex. 12:12) |
Babylon destroyed “in one day” for worshipping her gods (Rev. 18:8-9) |
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Passover saves Israel from destroying angel |
Atonement saves Israel from destroying angels (Rev. 8-9; D&C 86:5) |
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Moses becomes leader for his people |
Christ begins to reign in the Millennium |
The Apostle Paul declared, “Chirst our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Cor. 5:7-8) “Scripture declares that ‘all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record’ of Jesus Christ (Moses 6:63). The Book of Mormon certifies that ‘all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him [Jesus Christ]’ (2 Ne. 11:4…)” (Thomas R. Valletta, “The True Bread of Life,” Ensign, Mar. 1999, 7)
Boyd K. Packer
Surely, young people, you 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 these 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 Cor. 5:7). (“The Word of Wisdom: The Principle and the Promises,” Ensign, May 1996, 19)