Exodus 11-19

I am just going to copy from my scripture journal here.

Let's start with a scripture chain, shall we? I LOVE scripture chains. This scripture chain is called "I Am Like the Firstborn of Israel". It includes the following scriptures... Exodus 13, 1 Cor 6:20, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2 Ne 2:8, 2 Ne 9:7-9, D&C 18:10-12. There are many ways to write a scripture chain but here is how I do it. At the top of the page I write the scripture I just left, the title of the scripture chain, and the scripture I am going to. So, let's pretend that I am on Exodus 13. At the top of the page I would write:
D&C 18:10-12 <------------------I Am Like the Firstborn of Israel --------------------> 1 Cor 6:20
Easy Peasy! :)

Exodus 11:5 - Pharaoh didn't even let Israel leave when he learned the 10th plague - every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die. I cannot imagine anyone so prideful that they would just let their firstborn die. Surely Pharaoh didn't doubt this could happen. He had seen over and over the miracles of God. Yet he continued to harden his heart against Him.
An awesome quote from the Old Testament Student Manual reads, "In the typology of the Passover the children of God (Israel) are in bondage to an evil power (Egypt). Similarly, all of God's children come into a world of sin and may find themselves in bondage to Satan and the powers of sin. Thus, pharaoh could be thought of as a type or symbol of Satan. In light of this truth, it should be noted that what finally released the children of Israel from bondage of the Pharoah (the symbol of Satan) was the death of the firstborn of Egypt. In like manner, the atoning sacrifice of the firstborn Son of God freed the children of God from death, a bondage to Satan."
Exodus 12 Symbolism of the Passover:

“At the time appointed for their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, the Lord commanded each family in Israel to sacrifice a lamb, to sprinkle its blood on their doorposts, and then to eat unleavened bread for seven more days—all to symbolize the fact that the destroying angel would pass over the Israelites as he went forth slaying the firstborn in the families of all the Egyptians; and also to show that, in haste, Israel should go forth from slavery to freedom. As a pattern for all the Mosaic instructions yet to come, the details
of the performances here involved were so arranged as to bear testimony both of Israel’s deliverance and
of her Deliverer. Among other procedures, the Lord commanded, as found in Exodus 12:
“1. ‘Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year,’ signifying that the Lamb of God, pure
and perfect, without spot or blemish, in the prime of his life, as the Paschal Lamb, would be slain for the
sins of the world.
“2. They were to take of the blood of the lamb and sprinkle it upon the doorposts of their houses, having this promise as a result: ‘And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you,’ signifying that the blood of Christ, which should fall as drops in Gethsemane and flow in a stream from a pierced side as he  hung on the cross, would cleanse and save the faithful; and that, as those in Israel were saved temporally because the blood of a sacrificial lamb was sprinkled on the doorposts of their houses, so the faithful of all ages would wash their garments in the blood of the Eternal Lamb and from him receive an eternal salvation. And may we say that as the angel of death passed by the families of Israel because of their faith—as Paul said of Moses, ‘through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them’ (Heb. 11:28)—even so shall the Angel of Life give eternal life to all those who rely on the blood of the Lamb.
“3. As to the sacrifice of the lamb, the decree was, ‘Neither shall ye break a bone thereof,’ signifying that when the Lamb of God was sacrificed on the cross, though they broke the legs of the two thieves to induce death, yet they brake not the bones of the Crucified One ‘that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.’ (John 19:31–36.)
“4. As to the eating the flesh of the sacrificial lamb, the divine word was, ‘No uncircumcised person shall eat thereof,’ signifying that the blessings of the gospel are reserved for those who come into the fold of Israel, who join the Church, who carry their part of the burden in bearing off the kingdom; signifying also that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood, as he said, shall have eternal life and he will raise them up at the last day. (John 6:54.)
“5. As ‘the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt’ because they believed not the word of the Lord delivered to them by Moses and Aaron, even so should the Firstborn of the Father, who brings life to all who believe in his holy name, destroy worldly people at the last day, destroy all those who are in the Egypt of darkness, whose hearts are hardened as were those of Pharaoh and his minions.
“6. On the first and seventh days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites were commanded to
hold holy convocations in which no work might be done except the preparation of their food. These were
occasions for preaching and explaining and exhorting and testifying. We go to sacrament meetings to be
built up in faith and in testimony. Ancient Israel attended holy convocations for the same purposes. Knowing that all things operate by faith, would it be amiss to draw the conclusion that it is as easy for us to look to Christ and his spilt blood for eternal salvation as it was for them of old to look to the blood of the sacrificed lamb, sprinkled on doorposts, to give temporal salvation, when the angel of death swept through the land of Egypt?
“It was, of course, while Jesus and the Twelve were keeping the Feast of the Passover that our Lord instituted the ordinance of the sacrament, to serve essentially the same purposes served by the sacrifices
of the preceding four millenniums. After that final Passover day and its attendant lifting up upon the cross of the true Paschal Lamb, the day for the proper celebration of the ancient feast ceased. After that Paul was able to say: ‘Christ our passover is sacrificed for us,’ and to give the natural exhortation that flowed  therefrom: ‘Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.’ (1 Cor. 5:7–8.)” (The Promised Messiah, pp. 429–31.)

Exodus 13:14  We are told to teach our children the stories of the scriptures. Now, check yourself point.... ask yourself, "Do my children know the scriptures?" "How am I doing?" "What can I do to be better at this?"

Exodus 13:17 "God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near..." God did not lead the children of Israel in a direct route but instead took them the long way. Why? They were not ready for a direct route. I know that sometimes in life I feel that the Lord is taking me the round about way to get to my destination. I normally gripe and complain about it. I guess that would be murmuring as the children of Israel did. I think that from now on, I will take a different attitude. I will smile and say, "Thank you for the opportunity to learn." What an amazing lesson the Children of Israel teach us through their journeys in the wilderness. I hope that I will eventually be ready for a direct route. I wonder if this life is the "wilderness". We are here learning all the things necessary so we can return to our Father in Heaven. No murmuring! Go through life with a smile and remember WE ARE TO HAVE JOY!

Exodus 14:14 This is one of my new favorite scriptures b/c it's bible speak for something my hubby would say, "Shut up and God will take care of you!" I LOVE IT!! :) And, sometimes that is totally something that we need to hear.

 Exodus 16:8 "Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord." If we murmur against church leaders then are we actually murmuring against the Lord? I think that's something important to remember.

Exodus 19   This is a neat chapter b/c it's all about preparing to get the Ten Commandments -- to live a higher law. As you read this think about preparing to be baptized or go to the temple. Kind of cool! :) In vs 5 the Lord asks us to be a peculiar people or a chosen people. But, how does one do this?

Follow the Commandments to become the Lord's Chosen People!!