What Can We Learn from Moses and the Children of Israel?

            My Come, Follow Me studies for this week took me to Exodus 14-17. Last week we studied about the ten plagues and the exodos from Egypt by the children of Israel. The studies for this week begin with the Israelites trapped with the Red Sea on one side and the Egyptian army advancing on the other. The situation looked as though the escape from Egypt would be short-lived. However, God had plan to preserve His people. I was struck by the information in the first three verses of Exodus 14.

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

            Verse 3 tells us that the Lord knew that Pharaoh would follow the children of Israel into the desert, and Verse 2 tells us that He wanted the Israelites to be in a certain place when the Egyptians came. In other words, He was staging the destruction of the Egyptians. This realization brought lots of questions about what the Lord knew about the area. He knew that there was a large enough “road” at the bottom of the Red Sea for the Israelites to walk to safety. He knew the results of a strong wind in the area. He knew the depth of the water. He knew that there was a way to get into the dry sea and out again. God’s message for the Israelites was “Fear ye out. … The Lord shall fight for you” (Exodus 14:13-14, and He wanted them to remember the message for generations.

            The Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ contains several examples showing that the descendants of the Israelites remembered the message. God’s people often needed faith and courage, and the story of the parting of the Red Sea remind them that God delivers His people.

            One of the first examples in the Book of Mormon comes from Nephi when he wanted to inspire his brothers: “Let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground” (1 Nephi 4:2).

            A second example comes from King Limhi when he wanted to encourage his people when they were held captive by the Lamanites. He encouraged them to “life up [their] heads, and rejoice” by reminding them of the story of the parting of the Red Sea. (See Mosiah 7:19.)

            A third example comes when Alma shares his testimony of the power of God when instructing his son. (See Alma 36:28.) Like Nephi, King Limhi, and Alma, we can rely on faith in God when we need a little more faith. We can be strengthened to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” when we remember how “the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians” (Exodus 14:13, 30). The principle for us is to remember that God has power to deliver us from our difficult experiences.

            These chapters contain information about three additional times that God delivered the Israelites in their journey to the Promised Land. The first experience took place when the Israelites traveled three days into the wilderness could not find water to drink. They finally arrived at a body of water but found it bitter and not suitable for drinking. The people murmured against Moses, and he went to the Lord for help. The Lord inspired Moses to throw a tree into the water, and the water became sweet and delicious to the taste. (See Exodus 15:22-27.)

            The second experience took place when the children of Israel traveled further into the wilderness and had no food to eat. Can you imagine the task of feeding more than a million people while they traveled? The people were hungry. They murmured against Moses, and he again went to the Lord. The Lord sent quail in the evening and manna in the morning for the next forty years as the children of Israel journeyed in the wilderness. (See Exodus 16:1-15.)

            The third experience took place when the children of Israel was without water again. They murmured against Moses once again, and Moses turned to the Lord. The Lord told Moses to strike a rock with his rod, and water came gushing out of the rock. (See Exodus 17:1-7.)

            The three experiences described above show us that the Israelites murmured when difficulties arose. Apparently, they did not remember the power of the Lord, or they did not realize that they could individually turn to the Lord and ask for blessings. They depended on Moses to go to the Lord to obtain the blessing that they all needed. They should have trusted in the power of God to deliver them from difficult experiences.

            This brings us to the last two principles in the lesson. The first principle is, “I should seek daily spiritual nourishment.” One of the many spiritual lessons that we can learn from the miracle of the manner (Exodos 16) is that we should seek daily spiritual nourishment, just as the Israelites were given instructions about how to gather, use, and preserve the manna daily. Just as the Israelites were required to be obedient to the instructions given to them, we are required to pray and study the scriptures daily if we want to be spiritually fed.

            The last principle is, “Jesus Christ is my spiritual rock and my living water.” Just as Moses received personalized direction to lead the Israelites, we can also receive individual instructions to deal with our difficulties. Sister Michelle Craig taught this principle with the following message.

As [the Savior’s] faithful disciple, you can receive personal inspiration and revelation, consistent with His commandments, that is tailored to you. You have unique missions and roles to perform in life and will be given unique guidance to fulfill them.

Nephi, the brother of Jared, and even Moses all had a large body of water to cross – and each did it differently. Nephi worked “timbers of curious workmanship”

[1 Nephi 18:1]. The brother of Jared built barges that were “tight like unto a dish” [see Ether 6:5-8]. And Moses “walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea” [Exodus 14:29].

They each received personalized direction, tailored to them, and each trusted and acted. The Lord is mindful of those who obey and, in the words of Nephi, will “prepare a way for [us to] accomplish the thing which he commandeth” [1 Nephi 3:7]. Note that Nephi says, “a way” – not “the way.”

“Do we miss or dismiss personal errands from the Lord because He has prepared “a way” different from the one we expect?” (“Spiritual Capacity,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 21).

             God has the power to deliver us from our difficulties. However, He requires us to turn to Him and be obedient to His commandments if we desire His blessings. We can better obey His commandments if we study the scriptures and learn them. A wise person said that we can talk with God with prayer, and we can hear His answers with scriptures study. The lesson from Moses and the manna is that we should pray and study the scriptures daily.