Take some time to prepare your mind and heart to learn. What can you do to ensure that your mind is alert and that your attention is focused on the learning experience? Removing distractions and being focused shows your willingness to be taught by the Spirit.
Begin your study with prayer.
President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) once asked, “When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is?” He then said, “It could be remember” (“Circles of Exaltation” [address to religious educators, Brigham Young University, June 28, 1968], 5). As you watch the following message by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, listen for what the Sabbath day helps us to remember.
The 10th and final plague was the death of “all the firstborn in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 11:5). The Lord gave very specific instructions for the Israelites to follow so that they could escape this plague.
Read Exodus 12:3–14, looking for the Lord’s instructions to the Israelites that, if followed, would help them escape the plague. You may want to mark what you find.
As recorded in Exodus 12:11, the Lord called the meal Israel was to eat the Passover.
According to verses 12–13, why was it called the Passover?
As part of the Passover, the Lord instructed the Israelites to use and eat certain items. Each item was symbolic and taught the Israelites about the Lord’s role in their deliverance. You will learn more about these items and their symbolic meaning throughout the lesson.
According to Exodus 12:8, one of the foods the Lord instructed the Israelites to eat during the Passover was “bitter herbs.” To help you analyze and understand this symbolic food, imagine eating something bitter.
Quiz 1
What were the bitter herbs supposed to help the Israelites remember?
As the Israelites ate the bitter herbs, they were to remember the bitterness of their bondage to the Egyptians. The bitterness of the herbs could also be a reminder of the bitterness of sin.
As you imagine the bitterness of the herbs, think about when you have felt the bitterness of your sins.
Just as the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt, sin places us in bitter bondage, making us unable to return to God’s presence.
Another food that was part of the Passover was unleavened bread (see Exodus 12:8). Do you know what leaven is?
Leaven is a rising agent, such as yeast. It produces air bubbles in bread, causing it to rise. It also causes bread to spoil and become moldy. In the Bible, leaven is sometimes used as a symbol of corruption and sin.
Read Exodus 12:15, looking for what Israel was to do with any leaven in their homes. You may want to mark what you find.
Quiz 2
What do you think removing all the leaven from the home and eating only unleavened bread could symbolize?
Now let’s discuss the lamb. Remember that according to Exodus 12:5, the lamb each family was to sacrifice was to be male and “without blemish.” Also, as recorded in Exodus 12:46, not a single bone of the lamb was to be broken.
Imagine eating some of the meat of the lamb. Ponder the sacrifice Jesus Christ made to deliver you from your sins. The taste of the meat can remove any remaining bitter taste from the herbs. Think about what Israel might have learned about the Savior by sacrificing and eating the lamb.
Read Exodus 12:21–23, pondering what the Lord might have wanted to teach the Israelites by instructing them to put the blood of the lamb around their doors.
Quiz 4
What do you think the blood of the lamb that saved Israel from death represents?
Repentance, removal of sin
The Atonement of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Bondage, sin
The Atoning Blood of Jesus Christ
We all need to be saved from both physical and spiritual death. The Israelites were protected from physical death by placing lambs’ blood around their doors. The symbolism of this action can help us identify the following statement of doctrine: We can be delivered from spiritual death through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.
The sacrifice of the lamb alone did not bring protection from the destroying angel. Only those who properly marked their doors with the blood of the lamb were promised safety. By doing this, Israel was saved from physical death on that first Passover night.
Read Exodus 12:28 and the following statement by Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Look for what we must do to apply the atoning blood of Jesus Christ in our lives.
Image
Richard G. Scott
“Repentance and obedience are absolutely essential for the Atonement to work its complete miracle in your life. …
“The Atonement was a selfless act of infinite, eternal consequences. … Through it the Savior broke the bonds of death. … It opens the gates to exaltation for all who qualify for forgiveness through repentance and obedience” (Richard G. Scott, “The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace and Happiness,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 42).
What can we learn from Exodus 12:28 and Elder Scott about how to apply the Savior’s Atonement in our lives?
Exodus 12:28 and Elder Scott’s statement can help us identify the following statement of doctrine: We can apply the atoning blood of Jesus Christ through repentance and obedience.
We read in Exodus 12:29–51 that the firstborn children of the families who did not have lambs’ blood around their doors died. Also, as a result of this last plague, Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelites to go free.
We read in Exodus 13:1–7 that Moses told the Israelites to remember the day they were brought out of Egypt by repeating the Passover feast each year on the anniversary of their deliverance.
Read Exodus 13:8–10, looking for what the Israelites were to tell their children at the Passover feast each year.
Notice that in Exodus 13:10 the Passover is called an ordinance. An ordinance is “a sacred, formal act performed by the authority of the priesthood” (Gospel Topics, “Ordinances,” topics.lds.org). Ordinances can help us remember who we are and our duty to God.
Read Exodus 12:14, 17, 24, looking for how long the Lord said His people were to keep the ordinance of the Passover.
In Exodus 12:14, 17, 24, you read that the Israelites were instructed to observe the Passover forever. You may wonder why we do not observe the Passover in the same way as the ancient Israelites.
On the evening before Jesus Christ was crucified, He and His disciples shared a Passover meal. At the end of this meal, Jesus introduced the ordinance we now know as the sacrament, which He told His disciples to repeat in remembrance of Him (see Luke 22:1–20). The following day, as a fulfillment of the Passover, the Lamb of God was sacrificed on the cross for the sins of the world. His sacrifice ended the ordinance of blood sacrifice (see 3 Nephi 9:19–20). After the Savior’s Crucifixion, His followers began to meet on the first day of the week to partake of bread and wine in remembrance of Him (see Acts 20:7).
Just as the Passover helped the Israelites to look forward to the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, the sacrament helps us remember the Savior’s atoning sacrifice.
1. How can understanding the Passover influence your experience of partaking of the sacrament?
We read in Exodus 13:11–22 that Moses told the children of Israel they were to sacrifice the firstborn males of their flocks and herds to the Lord. They were also to offer a sacrifice for each of their firstborn sons.
When the Israelites left Egypt, they took Joseph’s bones with them to bury in the promised land as he had requested. The Lord led Moses and the children of Israel as they traveled in the wilderness.
