Week 13 (March 23–29): Exodus 1–6 — “I Have Remembered My Covenant”

Week Overview

Feel the weight of this question from the lesson introduction: after “hundreds of years” in Egypt, Israel was “enslaved and terrorized by a new pharaoh who ‘knew not Joseph’ (Exodus 1:8).” It would have been natural to wonder: Did God remember His covenant? Could He see their suffering? The bundle gives the Lord’s answer in His own words: “I will redeem you with a stretched out arm,” and “I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under [your] burdens” (Exodus 6:6–7).

Notice this pattern: covenant memory does not always mean immediate relief—but it always means the Lord is moving history toward deliverance.

Key Scripture Moments (Watch what happens next…)

1) A quiet line that explains a whole crisis

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph” (Exodus 1:8).
This becomes powerful when seen as a warning: gratitude can fade, and societies can forget sacred history—yet God’s covenant purposes continue.

2) The moment the heavens “hear” suffering

The lesson invites attention to how Israel sought deliverance and how the Lord responded (see Exodus 2:23–25; 3:7–8). The bundle highlights this key phrase: the Lord “come down to deliver” (Exodus 3:7–8).
Notice what happens next: deliverance begins not with instant escape, but with God calling and preparing a deliverer.

3) Holy ground and holy posture

At the burning bush, Moses is taught reverence: “I can show reverence for holy things and places” (Exodus 3:1–6). The story turns on a sacred interruption—God meets Moses where he is, then teaches him how to stand before what is holy.

4) The Lord’s self-declaration: covenant deliverance has a name

The introduction centers the Lord’s promise: “I will redeem you with a stretched out arm” and “I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under [your] burdens” (Exodus 6:6–7).
Here’s the remarkable moment: God ties His identity (“I am the Lord”) to His action (bringing His people out).

Hidden Connections (Connections the bundle points you to)

• Moses as a pattern of Christ. The bundle invites looking for “similarities between Moses and Jesus Christ” (see Deuteronomy 18:18–19; 1 Nephi 22:20–21). It also suggests specific comparisons such as Exodus 1:22; 2:1–10 with Matthew 2:13–16, and Exodus 24:18 with Matthew 4:1–2. This suggests that deliverance in Exodus is not only political rescue—it’s a prophetic preview of a greater Deliverer.
• Seeing Christ through scriptural parallels. The bundle teaches: “You can … find parallels to the Savior’s life in the lives of prophets and other faithful men and women in the scriptures. [Doing so] reveals truths about the Savior in places you might otherwise overlook” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 7; see also Hosea 12:10).

Pattern Discovery (Recurring themes across Exodus 1–6)

• Oppression → crying out → God remembers → God calls → God delivers. The lesson frames the same questions many disciples ask: “Does God know what I’m going through? Can He hear my pleas for help?” and answers: “God does not forget His people. He remembers His covenants with us and will fulfill them in His own time and way” (CFM introduction).
• God’s work often moves through faithful, sometimes overlooked servants. The bundle spotlights the women of Exodus 1–2 and asks: “How did they help fulfill God’s plan for His people?” (Learning at Home and Church).

Simple Questions (Sequenced to spark “aha” moments)

1. What changes when a ruler “knew not Joseph” (Exodus 1:8)—and what does that teach about forgetting spiritual history?
2. In Exodus 2:23–25 and 3:7–8 (as referenced in the bundle), what words show that God notices suffering before deliverance is visible?
3. What does Moses do in Exodus 3:1–6 that models how to treat holy things?
4. In Exodus 3–4, what concerns does Moses raise, and how does the Lord respond (Exodus 3–4)?
5. When sincere efforts seem to backfire (Exodus 5:4–9, 20–23), what does the Lord teach Moses about timing and persistence (Exodus 6:1–13)?
6. What does it mean for the Lord to say, “I will redeem you with a stretched out arm” (Exodus 6:6–7) in a life that still feels heavy?

One Big Idea

The Lord’s covenant “remembering” is active deliverance—often unfolding in stages, in His “own time and way.” The bundle states it plainly: “God does not forget His people. He remembers His covenants with us and will fulfill them in His own time and way” (CFM introduction), and anchors that promise in the Lord’s words: “I will redeem you with a stretched out arm” (Exodus 6:6–7).

Living It (Simple, practical ways to apply Exodus 1–6)

• Treat holy moments like holy ground. Let Exodus 3:1–6 shape how sacred places and practices are approached—less casual, more attentive, more reverent.
• When feeling inadequate, bring concerns to God like Moses did. The bundle invites listing Moses’s concerns in Exodus 3–4 and watching how the Lord responds—then applying that pattern to personal callings and assignments.
• When doing good feels harder, don’t assume God has forgotten. The bundle acknowledges discouragement when efforts don’t seem to work (Exodus 5:4–9, 20–23) and points to the Lord’s reassurance in Exodus 6:1–13.

Faith Builder (Recent prophetic echoes—bundle-safe)

For further study on waiting faithfully when outcomes are delayed, see also Jeffrey R. Holland, “Waiting on the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 115–17.
For further study on remembering divine promises and avoiding casualness with sacred things, see also David A. Bednar, “Exceeding Great and Precious Promises,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 91–93; Ulisses Soares, “In Awe of Christ and His Gospel,” Liahona, May 2022, 115–17; Gérald Caussé, “Is It Still Wonderful to You?” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 98–100.

These chapters invite readers to trust that covenant deliverance is real—because the Lord who says “I will redeem you” also promises to bring His people “out from under [your] burdens” (Exodus 6:6–7).