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Hear From the Prophets

The lessons of this course record the life-changing experiences of eight of God’s prophets. Careful study of this course and obedience to the words of the prophets will help you know how to submit to God.

God’s Plan

Everything happened exactly as God planned. Moses went to Pharaoh, saying, “Let the people go.” Pharaoh refused, and Moses used the miraculous powers from God. The stubborn heart of Pharaoh caused horrible plagues to come upon the land.

Frogs and flies filled the houses. Cattle died. The people suffered from painful sores, hail and locusts destroyed the crops, and darkness spread over the land.

Finally God said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague upon Pharaoh. After that he will let you go.” The plague was to be the death of every first born son in the land. God told Moses that the event of this plague was to be a lesson and symbol to the people. They would learn from it the wrath of God against sin and His power to protect those who believe Him and obey Him.

God said to Moses, “Have each family kill a lamb and put some blood on the door of their house. I will pass through and strike down every first born and bring judgment on all the false gods. When I see the blood on your houses I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you.” Once again we see an animal sacrifice become a substitute in place of human life. Just as the son of Abraham was ransomed from death, so also the people of God were redeemed from the deadly plague by the blood of the lamb. What is God trying to say through all this? What truth lies in this mystery? We shall see that it points to the Perfect Sacrifice that God provides generations later!

Moses and the people made all the arrangements according to God’s words. The horrible night of death came, as God had said. The people of God were protected because they had believed God and obeyed Him. Then Pharaoh cried 9 out in panic, “Leave the country as quickly as possible. Take all your belongings and get out of Egypt!”

In this way God used Moses to lead the people out of slavery toward a place where they could receive His word and learn to live and worship according to His plan.

We can imagine that scene as thousands of people, with their animals and provisions, went marching out of Egypt. Suddenly Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to capture them and bring them back. When they saw the soldiers coming, of course they were terrified and cried to the Lord. Once more they were in a position of helplessness.

The army was behind them and the sea was before them. There was no way they could save themselves.

God told Moses to stretch out his staff over the sea. The waters parted, leaving firm ground so that the people of Abraham were able to march on. But when Pharaoh’s armies started to follow after, God caused the waters of the sea to flood back and drown them all.

Now at last God’s people had truly escaped. Moses organized the people and guided them through the experiences of the journey, helping them learn to trust God for their daily needs. They followed a route as God directed and camped in the Desert of Sinai.

Moses went up to God, who called to him from the mountain. He listened to words directly from God and carried God’s messages to the people. God confirmed His presence with clouds of smoke, thunder, lightning, and a loud trumpet blast.

God gave Moses complete instructions concerning service and worship to God and rules for daily living. Moses took from the mountain two tablets of stone, called the tablets of the Testimony. They were inscribed on both sides. The writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

The account of the deliverance from Pharaoh and the receiving of the tablets of stone on the mountain gives us three important truths concerning our relationships to God. First, to kill the lamb and put blood on the door frame illustrates man’s act of faith in God’s word. Second, the crossing of the sea illustrates God’s power to deliver. Third, the tablets of the Testimony bring assurance that God gives definite guidance and instructions to those who will listen.

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