Week 15 (Apr 6–12) — Exodus 7–13

“Remember This Day, in Which Ye Came Out from Egypt”

Doctrinal Foundation (Layered Perspectives)

From Pharaoh’s view: power, control, and delay

The bundle frames Pharaoh as repeatedly encountering unmistakable divine power, yet resisting it. The Lord’s purpose was not only to end oppression but to teach identity—who God is: “that I am the Lord” and “there is none like me in all the earth” (Exodus 7:5; 9:14).

From Israel’s view: signs that strengthen willingness to follow a prophet

The plagues were also a tutorial in trust. The bundle observes that Moses and Israel “must have watched with awe at these manifestations of God’s power on their behalf,” and that “these continued signs confirmed their faith in God and strengthened their willingness to follow God’s prophet” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 6–12. ‘Remember This Day, in Which Ye Came Out from Egypt’”).

From the Lord’s view: deliverance as a pattern of salvation

The tenth plague introduces the week’s governing doctrine: “in every case of spiritual captivity, there truly is only one way to escape. It is only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Firstborn—the blood of the Lamb without blemish—that will save us” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 6–12. ‘Remember This Day, in Which Ye Came Out from Egypt’”).

Mysteries to watch for (to be resolved later):

Why do repeated warnings and signs not automatically soften a heart? (Exodus 7–10)
Why is deliverance tied to such precise, symbolic instructions? (Exodus 12)
Why does the Lord command Israel to remember deliverance “throughout your generations”? (Exodus 12–13)
Why does the story center on the “Firstborn” and a lamb “without blemish”? (Exodus 11–12)

Historical Context (Time-Collapse Moments from the Text)

Exodus 7–13 places Israel in a long captivity that ends not merely with political release but with covenant re-formation. The bundle highlights that the Lord required Israel to treat the Exodus as a calendar-reset: “The beginning of months (verse 2; the Lord commanded the Israelites to use this event to mark the beginning of their calendar). Possible meanings: This was to be a new beginning for Israel. They were to be ‘born again’” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, Exodus 12:1–42 chart).

That “new beginning” is then preserved by commanded remembrance: “The Savior commanded the Israelites to observe the Passover each year to help them remember He had delivered them, even after their captivity became a distant memory” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, Exodus 12:14–17, 24–27; 13:1–16 section).

Scripture Deep Dive (Ascending Steps of Discovery)

Step 1 — God’s stated purpose: recognition of the Lord

The week begins with the Lord’s own stated aim: Egypt and Israel are to learn divine identity—“that I am the Lord” and “there is none like me in all the earth” (Exodus 7:5; 9:14). This frames every plague as revelation, not spectacle.

Step 2 — The hard heart mystery: why “hard” fits

The bundle invites close reading of Pharaoh’s repeated responses and asks: “Why is ‘hard’ a good description of Pharaoh’s heart?” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can choose to soften my heart.”). It then directs to scriptural correctives about softness and change: 1 Nephi 2:16; Mosiah 3:19; Alma 24:7–8; Alma 62:41; Ether 12:27 (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).

Step 3 — Contradiction resolution: power does not compel covenant

A seeming conflict emerges: overwhelming signs occur, yet Pharaoh persists. The bundle’s question resolves the “contradiction” by shifting the issue from evidence to disposition—“ponder the condition of your heart. What changes do you feel inspired to make?” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026). The narrative becomes a mirror: revelation can be resisted if the heart remains “hard.”

Step 4 — The tenth plague as a salvation-shaped climax

After nine plagues fail to free Israel, the tenth succeeds (Exodus 11:4–5; 12). The bundle explains why this is fitting: “in every case of spiritual captivity, there truly is only one way to escape. It is only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Firstborn—the blood of the Lamb without blemish—that will save us” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).

Step 5 — Passover symbols: “All things… bear record of me”

The bundle anchors interpretation in a revealed principle:

“All things,” the Lord declared, “are created and made to bear record of me” (Moses 6:63; see also 2 Nephi 11:4). (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026)

Then it teaches the method: “Once we understand how these objects relate to the Savior, they can teach us of His power and attributes” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 7; cited in Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).

Step 6 — The symbol web inside Exodus 12 (selected nodes)

The bundle provides a guided chart of symbols and cross-references (Exodus 12:1–42). Key links include:

“The lamb (verses 3–5). Possible meanings: See John 1:29; 6:54; 1 Peter 1:19.”
“Blood of the lamb on the doorposts (verses 7, 13, 23). Possible meanings: See Mosiah 4:2; Revelation 12:11.”
“Unleavened bread (verses 8, 15, 19–20). Possible meanings: Leaven… can be a symbol of corruption… See Matthew 16:6–12; John 6:35.”
“Bitter herbs (verse 8). Possible meanings: A reminder of the bitterness of sin and captivity. See Exodus 1:14; Moses 6:55.”
“Eating in haste, dressed to leave (verse 11). Possible meanings: A symbol of urgency to leave the captivity of sin. See Genesis 39:12; 2 Timothy 2:22.”
“The destroyer (verses 13, 23). Possible meanings: See Doctrine and Covenants 89:18–21.”
“The Israelites were set free (verses 29–32). Possible meanings: See 2 Nephi 2:26; Doctrine and Covenants 138:15–19, 31.”
(Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, Exodus 12:1–42 chart)

Step 7 — Remembrance becomes an ordinance-shaped life pattern

The bundle draws a deliberate bridge: “What similarities do you see between the feast of the Passover and the sacrament? What can you do to ‘always remember’ Jesus Christ? (Moroni 4:3; 5:2)” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).

This resolves a major mystery: deliverance is not only an event to survive—it is a covenant reality to remember, rehearse, and transmit.

Pattern Recognition Web (Cross-Dispensation Links from the Bundle)

Identity of God through mighty acts: Exodus 7:5; 9:14 (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).
Soft vs. hard heart across scripture: 1 Nephi 2:16; Mosiah 3:19; Alma 24:7–8; Alma 62:41; Ether 12:27 (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).
Christ-centered typology (“bear record of me”): Moses 6:63; 2 Nephi 11:4 (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).
Passover → sacrament remembrance: Exodus 12:14–17, 24–27; 13:1–16 with Moroni 4:3; 5:2 (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).
Leaving sin with urgency: Genesis 39:12; 2 Timothy 2:22 (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).
Deliverance and moral agency: 2 Nephi 2:26 (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).

Gospel Connections (Plan of Salvation Threads)

Bondage → deliverance: The bundle explicitly connects Egypt to “the bondage of sin” and teaches that the Lord “can also deliver us from the bondage of sin” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Jesus Christ can save me because of His Atonement.”).
Atonement as the only escape: “only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Firstborn—the blood of the Lamb without blemish—that will save us” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).
Ordinances of remembrance: The bundle frames Passover as commanded remembrance and invites comparison to the sacrament and the covenant charge to “always remember” (Exodus 12–13; Moroni 4–5; Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).

Discussion Framework (8–10 Questions, Increasing Depth)

What do Exodus 7:5 and 9:14 suggest the Lord wanted learned, not just done? (Exodus 7:5; 9:14)
What repeated pattern appears in Pharaoh’s responses across Exodus 7–10? (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can choose to soften my heart.”)
Why might “hard” be an accurate spiritual descriptor, not merely an emotion? (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026)
Which cross-references on softness most directly challenge natural resistance? (1 Nephi 2:16; Mosiah 3:19; Ether 12:27)
Why would deliverance require precise obedience to symbolic instructions? (Exodus 12; Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026)
Which Passover symbol in Exodus 12 most clearly points to Jesus Christ, using the bundle’s cross-references? (e.g., John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:19)
What does “a new beginning… ‘born again’” suggest about covenant identity after deliverance? (Exodus 12:2 chart note)
Why does the Lord command remembrance “throughout your generations”? (Exodus 12:14, 26–27; Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026)
What similarities can be identified between Passover remembrance and the sacrament charge to “always remember”? (Moroni 4:3; 5:2)
What personal “Egypt” patterns become visible when reading Exodus as a template for leaving sin “in haste”? (Exodus 12:11; Genesis 39:12; 2 Timothy 2:22)

Teaching Moments (3–4 “Aha” Pathways)

Symbol-to-Savior mapping: Use the bundle’s Exodus 12 chart and require every symbol to connect to a provided cross-reference (John 1:29; Mosiah 4:2; Revelation 12:11; etc.).
Remembrance as protection: Teach Passover as a commanded annual rehearsal so deliverance does not fade into distant memory (Exodus 12:14–17, 24–27; 13:1–16).
Soft heart object lesson (home-centered): The bundle’s rock/sponge comparison makes Exodus 8–9 emotionally concrete (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children,” Exodus 8:28–32; 9:7).
Contradiction resolution discussion: “If signs are so clear, why resist?” Let the text answer by focusing on heart-condition and choice (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can choose to soften my heart.”).

Personal Reflection (Pattern-Finding in One’s Own Story)

What evidence of the Lord’s power is already present, and what does it invite a learner to recognize about Him? (Exodus 7:5; 9:14)
Where does remembrance fade most quickly, and how might commanded patterns of remembering help? (Exodus 12:14, 26–27; Moroni 4:3; 5:2)
Which Passover symbol best names a current form of spiritual captivity, and which cross-reference clarifies the path out? (Exodus 12 chart)

Prophetic Echoes (From This Week’s Bundle)

“All things,” the Lord declared, “are created and made to bear record of me” (Moses 6:63; cited in Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).
“Once we understand how these objects relate to the Savior, they can teach us of His power and attributes” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 7; cited in Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026).
See also Kevin W. Pearson, “Are You Still Willing?,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 67–69 (referenced in the bundle for further reading).

These revealed patterns invite readers to practice soft-hearted remembrance so deliverance through Jesus Christ remains present and covenant-shaping “throughout your generations” (Exodus 12:14, 26–27).

Connected Study Guide: Exodus 7–13