Week 13: Exodus 1-6

You are the bridegroom of blood to me!

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For another episode this week. I know you're loving all of the updates moment by moment of where is Annie, but I'm gonna tell you, I'm here. What that means is that I don't have all of my same helps that I normally have. Because I left some of them at home. But I do have enough. And I did take some notes and all those things. So it's gonna be good. It's gonna be good stuff as we move into Exodus. And I was talking to my cousin Madeline today. Shout out to a faithful listener. Shout out, girl, had her wedding today, she's getting married soon. It's like and she was like, okay, Annie, you talked about how Abraham, like the story of Abraham, were maybe more myths mixed with history. Um, and I thought I'd clarify that point and then also explain what kind of Exodus is. So when I'm saying mix myths mixed with history, I don't want you to think that I'm suggesting that none of those stories happened or that they're all just that none of those people were real, that none of those stories happened, that their interactions with God or God acting with them um were not true. I don't want to suggest that. What I'm suggesting is that I think common motifs that were found anciently, um, maybe certain, you know, stories were fabricated in certain ways, the same way that we all do with history. Um the best way that I've just that I've thought to describe it as I'm doing, as I've been studying this, is to think of it more like George Washington and the cherry tree. Or as Madeline's fiance Grant pointed out, shout out to him. Like Isaac Newton and his apple, where these were real people who did really amazing things and important things, and but like maybe not every story about them is 100% uh factual, but ultimately, you know, it leads, it tells a point they still did amazing things um and had those interactions, and maybe a lot of those things are based on similar things that happened. They, you know. Um, I don't know if I'm explaining myself super well on that point, but um, I just wanted to to make that clear, which is I'm not suggesting that anything that happened in Genesis 1000% did not happen. What I'm suggesting instead is that there may be certain elements mixed in with it, you know, that you would be like, okay, um the same way that we do with the creating of America, or with even some, you know, of the legends that like happen on people's missions that get distorted, or even family legends, etc., etc., which is they're based in truth. Over time, they may become a little bit uh, you know, or even you know, an adapting of a true story to a movie that has to, you know, have certain elements either be shortened, cut out, changed a little bit for the audience, maybe something like that. So I hope that makes sense because I would never want to suggest that like these things didn't happen and that they're just myths to explain stuff. But rather that they did happen um and they could have certain cultural elements um that that they're taken into the stories. Um but ultimately they they are, you know, they're they're that mix. But you know, the prophets were real, they really did converse with God and make covenants with him and learn about Jesus Christ. Um and so I I would like to to further um solidify my my point on that. Um and I hope we can all come to that that love conclusion and and testimony of Jesus Christ and the prophets as we read. Now we're gonna get into Exodus, and this is more of like the uh the founding myth or story of the people. So even more, I would say, like a George Washington-esque story, not necessarily with the cherry tree, but more like just like this is about the guy. Like Moses was the guy, just in the same way that George Washington is like the guy, or Abraham Lincoln is the guy for us, right? Because they, you know, set up our nation, Moses, or established laws that like we still follow and we thought were so equitable and they're just such a great leader, i.e. Abraham Lincoln, and that they were always set up to be this great leader. Um, and I think that that this, you know, in the same way that we think George Washington was raised, you know, was led by God to do this. Um, same thing with Moses, but this one is even more um because he was a prophet. Not only was he a political leader, but he was a prophet. Um, and we need to remember that. But I mean, literally, Allah is going to be named after him. We've already read his own, you know, differing accounts in Moses 1. And so we have these things that um just make it a really really great story of Moses. He's such a fascinating character. And as we go through these next chapters of Exodus, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, uh we're just gonna see how complex um and how human of like just I love Moses because he's just so imperfect and yet he's just trying his best. And for me, he's he's Peter in that way, right? I can't he just it makes me think of Peter where we know he's not perfect. We see times when you're like, dude, you messed up. But we get to see God working through an imperfect person to create just miracles upon miracles, and so let's discuss it now. So we we we begin with the Exodus, right? Um in Hebrew it's actually called names, um because uh just because of the first uh verse, right? One one, it says, and these are the names, right? So it's called names, but it's called Exodus because that's Greek for the leaving, the leaving of Egypt. And this is interesting because, and we'll talk about this later, but um uh a Jewish rabbi that I know who's come to BYU quite a few times, once described um Egypt in Jewish thought, not only as like a literal place, but also as like um maybe what we would sometimes do when we refer to like the figurative desert, right? Like that's what Egypt was. It was a place of of chaos, of being away from God, of of the world in a way, right? And then when they come into the land of promise, they are coming into God, they're becoming one with God. We all need to leave our proverbial Egypts and be saved from them, you know, the mitzra'im, and we need to go up and we need to leave, and we need to go up closer to God and into his promised land, which he's promised us. And so that's what this story is. Ultimately, we can tie it back to the fact that God, you know, even though it might seem unbelievable, just like it did to Moses, that God has a plan for us, that he's leading us to greater and better things through his covenant because of his son Jesus Christ. Um, that is true. And the ultimate promised land is found in the celestial kingdom living with God and in heaven and in the mansions that Christ says that he has prepared for each of us. Um that is where ultimately all of our promised land is, as covenant people of Jesus. Um, and he invites all to come into the covenant. So, but let's begin, right? So we get all these people's names, and like great, right? Joseph died, all his brethren, everyone died. Okay. So what's background moment, right? What's happening in Egypt? We talked about this last week, but we'll go over it again, okay? So in Egypt, at this time, we're in the uh probably around 1500. Is that even true? Wait, I'm lying to you. No, probably 1500. Yeah. We're in the second intermediate period um of Egyptian history. No, what does that mean? Okay, maybe yeah. It's between 650 and 1550, so I'm gonna say, you know, 1500 around, or maybe a little bit. Oh no, yeah. Because this is yes, because then we're going into the new kingdom, which would have started around 1500. So we're moving away from the second intermediate period where we talked about where the hyksos or the shepherds coming in from the north would have then come and um would have would have taken over, especially the delta or the northern part of Egypt, and they would have been the rulers. That's probably who Pharaoh is in the Joseph story. We talked about this. Hence why, you know, say you're shepherds, right? Maybe it's talking to the Hyksos, and and then later the Egyptians don't like shepherds because they were they they think of them as with the Hyksos. So that might be a later idea that like Egyptians don't like shepherds, i.e., they don't like people from the Levant, they don't like people from uh Israel, Lebanon uh up north because they're shepherds, and they came and they took us over for a little bit. So that might be a little bit of like a late idea of like the Egyptians hate shepherds that's been placed on to that time. But anyway, the the Hyksos they go away. They're they're ultimately destroyed, and a new era, it's called the New Kingdom, comes in of stability of one leader over Egypt in this new kingdom, centralized government. Um, this is also when throughout Egyptian time, in the in the old kingdom, first intermediate period, and remember the kingdoms are when there's a centralized government. Intermediate periods are when there's what chaos, lots of lots of different uh of rulers. But what we see is that we go from old to intermediate period to middle kingdom to second intermediate period to new kingdom, and each time this religion, this idea that um you can live in the afterlife with the gods, that one maybe even become like God and live like they live in the afterlife, um, goes from being just a king thing to kind of a mix of the king and the elites, to when we get into the new kingdom, it's something that is available for everyone. I think this is important when we think about how Moses grew up. Moses is growing up seemingly, and and we'll get into this a little bit later, but I just want to talk about it now. He's growing up seemingly in the king's court. So he's being exposed to, you know, the way of the Greeks, as we don't get a lot of that story, but actually the New Testament, um, Stephen, in his kind of discourse, right before he dies, talks about how Moses grew up in the learning and the knowledge of the Egyptians. And because of that, he also knew that he was supposed to save his people. He knew that he was an Israelite, right? And he knew that he was supposed to save his people. Maybe there was like some prophecy that he saw, right? The prophecy of Joseph. Um, but Stefan kind of plays in, or Stephen kind of plays into that uh idea. But he's he's coming, he's learning so many things. He's learning about the idea that this, that this, uh, that this king, that the sorry, the eternal life and and living with gods and being like gods and and being just and true can lead you to living with gods. That's what's happening in the new kingdom. That's what's being taught, that's what's being propagated. And also, along with that, just these huge, gorgeous, like um, temples. All of the temples that people go to. So we're thinking pyramids, that's old kingdom. But when we're thinking new thing kingdom, it's it's down in Luxor, this place. Look it up if you want. I'll post some pictures because I'm not kidding you, down in Luxor, just the most amazing temples that you've ever seen. And in these temples, people get anointed, right? Um, the the priests standing on behalf of the king, they will get anointed, or or idols also standing on behalf of the king, mostly idols and priests as well, will be washed. Each body part will be blessed, each body part will be anointed, each, and then they will, you know, learn these key phrases as they're going from gate to gate. Learning the key words that help them ultimately reach eternal life, pass by the gates and reach the God, where when they reach God, he gives them, you know, a special embrace and tells the king the secret to eternal life. And this is what Moses is growing up in. So the idea then that God would tell him to build the tabernacle, which has these gates which lead to a more centralized holiness where into the presence of God would not be foreign to Moses. He's grown up in a sort of religious setting. And these buildings, I mean, these temples, guys, you have no idea. They're huge and beautiful. And um, they yeah, they they start with this idea of like a of a of a marsh state that we're all in. And it's marshy, it's garden-y. Um, and these just these huge pillars that you still go in, and you're just like, what is this? Like, how did they do this? Just giant stone that was brought in from the south, brought up on the Nile, and we still don't know how they built it. Same way with the pyramids, like just how did they do this stuff? How? And it's still causing us just complete and utter wonder today on how they did this amazing, these amazing drawings, and there's just pictures of these pharaohs destroying, like winning battles, and you know, and and destroying their enemies and being the power and arm uh hand of the gods. And it's like Moses grew up in that. And yet, when he sees in Moses 1, when God shows him all of his creations, he goes, Now I know that man is nothing. What do you mean? Like he's literally seen stuff that we are still just in awe of that we have no idea how people built. People are still visiting it today, thousands of years later. And Moses has seen that he knows how it was built, and he's like, you know what? Man can actually do nothing because of how amazing God is. And that is just a truly, I think, an amazing thing that we all need to take in, which is like, do we even realize and what like I don't think I fully realize how wonderful our Heavenly Father truly is, and what wonderful things he can do for us in our lives. He can take this boy that was supposed to be dead, which we'll talk about, and lead him to lead out a nation. But it also doesn't happen overnight, it takes a long time. Um, and we'll talk about that. So let's let's actually, sorry, after 10 years of background, let's get into it. So, because of these, these you know, leaders that come in and they're like, okay, you know, anybody who's associated basically with the Levant, we don't know them, we don't remember Joseph, like we're new kings, we're not associated with that line at all, so we're a new king, Ramses. We don't know, we don't like the Israelites, so we're gonna make them work. So they put them to, you know, they're they're working, they're building cities, and these two cities that they build, um, there's actually evidence of them in the Delta, so that's fun. Um, like that's like just it's up in north near uh near the Mediterranean. And because, you know, and that makes sense that the king would be like, okay, these people, you know, one of them was high in power, um, and they're associated with, you know, the same race of people who who used to be in power. We need to, you know, make sure that they're not, we're gonna, you know, put hard labor on them, and also maybe we should kill their babies, you know, just classic ancient king stuff where it's like, let's, you know what, we should do murder people. Love it. And then, but then these two midwives are being told to kill all the Hebrew babies, and they're like, you know what, we're not gonna do that. And they save them and see them upon the stools, right? What does that mean? Listen, you don't give birth with your legs up, okay. That's modern medicine, does it okay? It's maybe not the best thing in the world to do, but especially back then, they didn't do that. They sat on stools, birthing stools. So that's what those are referring to. But they feared God, they loved him, they were in revere of God, right? Um, and they did not do it, they kept they saved these children. And so right now we're already getting, and the come follow me points this out, how Moses is like Jesus. He's saved from a king commanding all the children to be killed. He's saved. Um, and interestingly enough, you know, uh both in Egypt, right? Jesus by f by uh fleeing to Egypt. Um, Moses is saved, though, by the faith of multiple women. These two women um who are here, who who, these two midwives, and then ultimately by his mother and um by his sister Miriam. Love it, right? We'll talk more about Miriam later. So we'll we won't get into her name and everything. But Moses literally, people think it comes from either the Egyptian or from the uh probably from and from the Hebrew, meaning to draw out. Um, because he's drawn out of the water, right? And so that's what is here. And so a woman conceived, right? And so he's he's put into the water. He's put into this ark. And if you remember, um pitch that uh our good friend Noah put on his ark. So Moses is being put into this ark-like thing, right? This this saving from the flood, right? He's going back into this, he's being saved, just like Noah was saved. So he's being also connected back to Noah, right? To the ancient people. Um, and he's saved in this. Um, interestingly enough, another king, um, Aragon. Is it Aragon? It's not Aragon, Annie. That's the same name as uh this isn't the Lord of the Rings. What am I saying? It is the ancient king. This is Sargon. Um, and he lived, you know, in this he lived thousands of years before. But this could be just the idea that, you know, it could be a similar motif. There's at least a connection there that he was saved uh in the basket on the water. His mother placed him in a reed basket. So there might be a connection there. Um, whether or not they just both happened to be saved, um, or if there's a purposeful, like, you know, he was saved just like this king, right? This mighty king that was raised up. So Moses was, you know, he he was our king in our way, our great lawgiver. Anyway, they're both he's saved. And the pharaoh's daughter sees him, grabs him, says, Yep, and is like, okay, you know what? I'm not pregnant, so I need someone to help me to feed him. Oh, this random Hebrew lady, um, because he's Hebrew, and she says, Oh yeah, and it's his mother. Love it. She still gets to be with her son, and he's saved because the Pharaoh's daughter saves him. So Moses is saved, and he's growing up, as we said, in this place, right? Um, he's growing up in this place surrounded by all of this knowledge, and and you know, and just by these amazing kings. But he uh but maybe he's growing up, you know, we don't know fully, but but with I what I talked about with Stephen, maybe he knows that, like, okay, maybe I'm I'm you know, he talked about a person named Moses who's supposed to save his people. Like, that's probably me. Like, I'm supposed to do that. That that maybe gives a little bit more context to the story when he sees um that there was a man and he was smiting a Hebrew, and this word smiting um is similar to the word for like smiting him to death or about to kill. Like this Egyptian is going to kill this Hebrew, and he goes and he saves him. He's like, I'm the savior of the Hebrews. Also, I'm a Hebrew, right? Like, I need to save this man. So he goes and he kills the Egyptian. He, you know, maybe it's a little tit for tat. If you like, you know, you're gonna kill him, no, I'll kill you. Um and he's like, oh my gosh, people are gonna kill, they're gonna, they're gonna think, you know, like they're gonna be worried that this Hebrew has once again, you know, come close to the crown, like Joseph, and might be trying to take the crown. So I'm fleeing. So he flees away. Um, which is a common motif found in Japan texts as well. But I mean, I'm not I'm just saying, like, the idea is and in other places as well, it just makes sense. When you kill someone, you gotta run away, right? Like you if the it he's fleeing, he's extraditing himself, he's fleeing the country. So he goes and he goes to Midian, which is um on the other side of the Red Sea, it's in um Arabia, um, and he's there and he goes into Midian, and Midian is a descendant of Abraham. They seemingly had the priesthood, because we learn in Doctrine and Covenants that Jethro, his father-in-law, whom we meet in these stories, is the one who gave Moses the priesthood. And um, gosh, I can't remember, it might be Stephen again, or Hebrews in the New Testament, who describes Moses living 40 years in Egypt until he fled, 40 years outside of Egypt until he came back, and then 40 years in the desert. Or 40 more years he lives to be 120, but just that it's 40 years, so it's a long time. And 40 years is most of the time symbolic in the scriptures for a long time. It could literally be 40 years, I don't know. Um, but anyway, whether it is or not is irrelevant. It just means a long time. And so I want you to think like Moses didn't go for a couple of years and then was like, oh yeah, I'm just gonna come back. Like he left for a long time, he was not associated with Egypt anymore, he had to leave. And as he was there, he's being taught because, and he meets Jethro, who's he invited in, right? He came and drew water, and you know, he goes and lives with shepherds, and he's given Zipporah. Cute, Zipporah, and he he names him Gershon, which means like alien stranger. He's like, I'm an alien to this land, I'm a stranger in this land, Gershon. Right? So that's his son's name, Zapura. Let me look up what Zapora means really fast. Guys, I want you to know I'm looking these things up. I don't know them off the top of my head. And Zapor is helping us out here, right? Okay, it means bird. Cute. She's a little bird. Okay, so the king of Egypt died. Who maybe knew, who's maybe more cautious or knew Moses, and so, you know, he he heard their groaning, he's remembering their covenant. God's like, okay, it's time, you know. Maybe it a listen, a regime change is always the time to come in and try to make changes. So this is like God, it's smart, right, right? So he appears to Moses in the burning bush. Love this story, okay? So he comes in and the angel of the Lord appears to him in a firing bush, and he looked, and then the bush is not consumed. Now I just want you to think about what would like okay, if you've never seen a light bulb before, and you've never ever seen the sun, which looks like great fire in the sky because it's hot and you've really only seen fire, anything that has any sort of like creating its own light you're gonna describe as fire. And if you just can't, and even Joseph Smith says when he saw the father and the son coming down in the first vision, he thought the trees were gonna catch fire. He actually thought they were on fire, but it just was that they were so brilliant. He was just amazed that they weren't consumed. And so it's just it's similar phrasing here, the fire of God, right? So it's his presence, he sees him, and the Lord says, He says, Moses, Moses, and he says, Here am I, which is just it's we're gonna get that with Samuel later. We're gonna get it with we got it with Abraham, right? Like he's calling to him and he responds. And I think that just shows Moses' willingness to respond to God's call. And I think that's all that God really asks of us. He is calling out our name constantly, and it is up to us if we will decide. And I just we see that here. And so he says, Come here, you know, take your shoes off because you're on holy ground. Uh, I love you're on sacred ground, you're on set apart ground, you're near me. Like this is a sacred place, this is a temple experience, right? He's coming into the presence of God again, right? He's he's being he's he's in there. He says, I'm the God of thy father, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And he's like, right? And he hit his face, he's afraid to look upon God. And some people are like, Okay, this is he's afraid to look upon, you know, the what this is representing of God. No, folks, he's seeing God here, okay? And I just love that. Um, and he's seeing God, and he's like, I'm I've heard it, I'm going to save them, right? I'm gonna I've send I will send the unto Pharaoh, and you're gonna bring the child my children out of Egypt. And he says, Who am I? First off, he probably wants to kill me, but like, who am I? I'm just a random guy. I also don't speak well. Can he not speak Egyptian well? He hasn't been there in a long time. Maybe he's forgotten. Maybe he's never been a good speaker, but that's one of his favorite things. Oh, love it. And and the Lord says, I promise, I'm going to be with you. I will be with you. And I'm gonna show, and this is how you like just remember this. You're gonna serve me upon this mountain. You're gonna come back. So this is the same mountain. People are thinking this is Mount it says Mount Horeb. People are also thinking it's Mount Sinai, right? Like, we're gonna come back and I'm gonna, we're gonna talk again on this mountain. Now, mountains, I don't know if you guys remember when we talked about the creation, but mountains are seen to be like the some of the first point where there was a divine mountain that came out of the of the chaotic waters, and that was the first land. And temples are representative of that, and mountains can be too, just like, and they're just they're high, they're they're coming up to God, and so a lot of times sacred things are gonna happen on these mountains, and Moses is experiencing that. He's he's being with the Lord, and the Lord says, I'm gonna be with you. I promise you so much, you're gonna come back here. And how many times has that happened in our life where it's like you have a moment of reflection afterwards where you're like, Oh, oh yeah, I'm back here. The Lord told me I was gonna be okay, and here I am, okay. Or the Lord said I was gonna, you know, make it through this trial, and here I am on the other side, okay. And just can we trust in the Lord even when it doesn't make sense? And that's just how I feel right now. I'm planning on going to grad school, I just have so many things going on in my life. I know so many people that do with marriage and college and kids doing things that you know, like just family situations and all those things, and it's just like, ugh, like what am I gonna do? Now this makes sense. And it's like, but can we trust in the Lord? And he says, like, what am I supposed to say to them? Who am I supposed to say sent them? And he says, I am that I am. Now, this is Yahweh, this is Jehovah. I am that I am, and I heard two interesting things. Um, it is I am what I am, or I will be who I always have been. And then I just heard a really interesting paper by one of my my friends, my my peers, my classmates, who said it also is just as I was with Abraham, right? Like, I am with you, I will also be with you, right? Like, I am what I've always been, and I will be what I have always been, which is with you. And it's really emphasizing that relationship, right? So you're gonna say, Who sent me? Yahweh. I am sent me, right? The person that we know that has been with our fathers forever, he sent me, and so you know, they're gonna go, and he tells them to uh to go. I'm gonna stretch forth my hand, I'm gonna show you mighty waters. And again, this makes it sound like the Lord is causing these things, right? Like uh the king will not go. I know that the king will not let you go. It's like, oh my gosh, is he causing this? And like they're gonna. I just think he's describing, he's like, just by the way, this is exactly how it's gonna play out. And it's like, is he messing with people's agency? You know, just I think the Lord knows how people are gonna use their agency. And he's like, this is how it's gonna play out, and I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna help you, you know, this is how it's gonna play out, and and you guys are actually gonna be rich with jewels. And you guys may be poor now, but it's gonna, I'm gonna completely change you. Just love it, okay? And so he gives signs to Moses by saying, you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna I'll show you some signs that you can also show them to help them believe. And interestingly, Moses never uses one of these signs, which is the uh the leper's hand. But some people think that this is like a uh a cue into what will happen, right, when when the plagues come upon them, that maybe it didn't just happen to Moses, but Moses had already seen it happen, so then it happens to the people, right? And um turn in thy bosom, right? And like and the blood turning into a river, that's another sign that happened. And so maybe he's just telling Moses, you know, certain miracles that that are going to happen, right? Him turning the the snake into a rod. And this might be, you know, things that were found. We'll we'll we'll talk about that later as we get there next week about you know, magicians, divination, what that might have looked like. But the reality is the signs are not important as who was doing them and why he's doing them, which is it is Jesus Christ, Jehovah, through Moses, trying to just tell his people, trust me, believe in me, I'm gonna help you. And I think sometimes we ask for signs of the Lord, but are we doing it so that we can remember to trust him? Or are we doing it for our own gain and benefit? I know sometimes I'm doing it for my own, but like maybe it's also like I think the Lord will also send us reassurances, and that's what we get here. Okay, he says, I'm not eloquent, I cannot speak, and he's like, Okay, you know what? And he's like, but I I he's like, I can make you speak. And Moses says, you know what, I really just don't think I can. And the Lord says, Okay, how about Aaron? And I love that because in the Book of Mormon we get the uh, is it in the Book of Mormon or maybe saying even in Joseph's prophecy, that like the Lord knew that it was gonna be Aaron that spoke, right? For Moses, but he still gives Moses the choice of having enough faith to have him speak for like Moses, I can make you a good speaker. And Moses is like, you know what, I really can't do it. And he's like, No worries, I've got you. I'll uh I'll I'll ask your brother instead, he'll help you. And how many times in our life, in our callings and stuff, where it's like the Lord's like, I could probably give you enough strength to do it, but we're like, you know what, I really need somebody. But he sends somebody, he sends somebody, just the same way that he sent Jesus Christ to us. Well, ultimately, without him, we can't do anything, but he will send somebody. We have people in our ward, in our callings, our friends, our family. He sends someone, just like he sent Aaron, he sent Moses Aaron, which is just so beautiful. So then Joseph, Jarthro says, go, right? Um, but I will harden his heart. Uh it's giving, uh, and I will possibly, but Pharaoh will harden his heart. He's just warning, right? And so we read that and we're like, oh my gosh, the Lord is hardening Pharaoh's heart. Why is he no? Joseph Smith's translation makes this clear that it's Pharaoh that's ultimately choosing to reject it. The Lord just knew that he would. Um, again, not taking away his agency. I'm sure if Pharaoh didn't want to harden his heart, the Lord would have been more than happy, but he just knew, um, sadly. Um, but that doesn't take away his agency. There's always the chance. That's why Moses keeps going back to Pharaoh. I think a lot of times it's like, well, he didn't give him, he gave him plenty of chances to not harden his heart, and ultimately Pharaoh kept doing it. And we get this interesting story here where Moses, think about it, Moses is not, he's not been growing up with Hebrews at any time in his life, even as Midianites, you know, he's not he's in the society, but he's also not. And he didn't circumstantize his sons. Maybe he just didn't remember, didn't grow up in the tradition of it. And the Lord's like, hey, I gotta, why aren't we following the covenant that I asked you to follow? I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna come. I'm gonna that has consequences. And Zipporah, his wife, his wide wife, his wise wife, once again, Moses gets saved by the wisdom of women, sick, um, circumcising um her sons, their sons herself. And then he says, you know what? I will call you you will be my bloody husband or bridegroom of blood. And so uh there's some sort of covenantal significance to this. We actually don't know fully what it is, trust me. I went on a tangent to try to figure out what bridegroom of blood might mean. But the idea of a bridegroom in blood, maybe it's the idea that, you know, with their son's blood, they ultimately paid the price of Moses' disobedience. And I like that because I think it ties back to Jesus Christ, who is ultimately the bridegroom of blood himself, with his blood so freely spilt, became the bridegroom for all of us, where we have that covenant with him. He won't let us go. He's in that, you know, marriage-like covenant between us and him, the the church and him. And in this covenant, we receive blessings and we are saved. And we are saved by the son's blood, just as Moses was saved by his son's blood. So Jesus once again is at the center of this. And then Moses and Aaron go up to Pharaoh and you know, Q, you know, uh gosh, what is it called? Prince of Egypt, thank you. Let my people go. And Pharaoh says, no. And in fact, because you came to this, I'm going to uh put harder tasks on them and I'm gonna spread them out. Because these people do not need to be together because that's dangerous, because they're the people just right before us um were of their lineage, and we need to make sure that they don't rise up against and take our power against. So not only am I not gonna let them go, you know, freak and by letting them go, it doesn't mean that they're simply just slaves under his power, um, but it also is like letting them go uh to worship, to sacrifice. That's what it's letting them go, um, because that's what Moses is asking for. Um, and you know, let them go from the service will come later as he's adding more and more service upon them. And then Moses looks and goes, Okay, God, um, remember when you asked me to do this and I did it? So you said it was gonna be better and that they were gonna be free, and you've promised all these blessings. How come then um we're actually receiving harder stuff? And like I've never related to anything more in my life, which is like, hey God, I did what you asked, and um it seemed like it didn't work out perfectly the first time, and I might have to be patient, and I don't want that. Like, hello, that's me every day. And the Lord's like, yeah, I knew this was gonna happen. I'm still with you. Like, don't worry. And then it says that Pharaoh, uh, we talked about this. Pharaoh hardened his heart, but in reality, he didn't. Uh, the sorry, the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, but in reality it's it's Pharaoh hardening his heart. And then we get this in um Exodus 6. He's like, now you're gonna see what I'm gonna do with Pharaoh. Like, you're gonna see this. Like, it's gonna seem impossible, but I can do impossible things. And this is a lesson we're gonna keep doing again and again. And this is too like, and and guess what? I've done impossible things. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? They knew me as El Shaddai, God Almighty. And the Joseph Smith translation helps us to know, like, they also knew me by my name Jehovah. Like, didn't they also know me by that? And I've also established my covenant with them. And to me, I think the Joseph Smith translation just makes a little bit more flowing sense grammatically, right? Which is like like was my not my name was known unto them, and I've established my covenant with them. Like, I I did all these wonderful things for your father. They knew me, they knew who I was, that I was that I was Jehovah, that I am who I am. I established my covenant with them. They're strangers in that land, which we're always, I seem, feel like strangers in the land where the Lord places us, right? Like, in all of our promised lands, are they not a little bit? Do we not feel like maybe we don't fully belong and that they're hard and uncomfortable and we have to grow in them? Like, I think that's just universally true. Um, and I'm grateful for that remember, like, reminder as I'm here. I'm like, okay, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn't feel fully um comfortable ever, or Moses or any of these people, right? Like they're strangers. Um, Amulek says the same thing, right? Or Ammon, sorry, says the same thing in the Book of Mormon. I'm a stranger in a strange land. And you know, maybe it's because we're all hoping we know that we all belong in another one, which is the celestial kingdom, but ultimately I think we're all being pushed and growing and feeling uncomfortable because change is what we need to do and we need to learn. And he's like, I am the Lord, I am Yahweh, I am who have always been, I will do it just like I did with your fathers, right? And he's like, and he and then Moses goes, Okay, yes, thank you. You know, oh sorry, one more. And and the Lord says, I will be their people, and they will, I will, yeah, I will take for you for me a people, and I will be to you a God. I will be God for you. Right? And this is just covenantal language as we see in Genesis 17, as we're gonna see across. This is covenantal language that will be used again and again. Listen, I am your God. You are my people. Please let us be together. Um, you are like, don't go in after any other gods. Just let me be your God, and I will take care of you. I promise. I will do everything I can for you. I'm all powerful, I'm almighty. I've I've done this before. Please just trust me. And he's saying that to us today, too. Um, there's also an element of like of a marriage covenant here, right? Like, I'm gonna be your husband, you're gonna be my wife, we're not gonna be with anybody else, and we're gonna take care of each other, and and we're you're gonna be loyal to me, I'm gonna do everything I can for you, and vice versa. And that's why this covenant is so often compared to a marriage, because I just think that's beautiful. Just it, and it is beautiful in that way, and that will be continually used with Christ and the New Testament and throughout the the Bible. And then, and even as the Lord is saying this to Moses, he's like, Yeah, okay, but remember the fact that I'm un like I I don't have I'm not perfect, and that's how we end. And it's just like it's just so human of Moses to just be like, Yes, I trust you, but also remember who you asked and remember who I am? Like, I'm so imperfect, but it was never about Moses, right? Like, even those 40 years of of preparing that the Lord did before he came back into Egypt, um, which is what's is happening, right? Like he sees the burning bush, but then he also, you know, has those visions that we see in Moses 1, 2, you know, 1 through 6 is he's has these visions, he's seeing what's happening. And Moses has this knowledge, and yet he's still like, I'm just so imperfect, I just don't know if I can do something so impossible. And the Lord's like, yeah, but I can. And can he? He can do that in our lives too. And there's just so many times that I question my own strength or my own faith on the Lord, but just is this is just a great reminder that it's about learning, it's about growing. And it's also never really about if we were able to do it in the first place, but that the Lord can do it and he chooses to let us be part of the public.