Lesson 2 – The Saviour in the Book of Exodus

“There were types and shadows that prefigured Christ in the Old Testament.” –Christ Triumphant, p. 209.

“… The Hebrews were led in a miraculous manner from Egypt, under the protection of the shadowy cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night….

‘They did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ.’ The Hebrews, in all their travels, had Christ as a leader. The smitten rock typified Christ, who was to be wounded for men’s transgressions, that the stream of salvation might flow to them.” –Sketches from the Life of Paul, p. 168.

THE BURNING BUSH

1. What amazing phenomenon was presented to Moses one day on Mount Horeb?

Exodus 3:1-6 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

“This great purpose had been shadowed forth in types and symbols. The burning bush, in which Christ appeared to Moses, revealed God. The symbol chosen for the representation of the Deity was a lowly shrub, that seemingly had no attractions. This enshrined the Infinite. The all-merciful God shrouded His glory in a most humble type, that Moses could look upon it and live.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 23.

“When we approach this subject [Christ’s incarnation], we would do well to heed the words spoken by Christ to Moses at the burning bush, ‘Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place hereon thou standest is holy ground.’

Exodus 3:5. We should come to this study with the humility of a learner, with a contrite heart.” –Selected Messages, book 1, p. 244.

2. What did the Lord require concerning all of the firstborn? According to the Spirit of prophecy, whom did the firstborn represent?

Exodus 13:1, 2; 4:22, 23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine…. 4:22And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

“The Lord called Israel his firstborn, because he had singled them out from all people to be the depositaries of his law, the obedience of which would preserve them pure amidst idolatrous nations. He conferred upon them special privileges, such as were generally conferred upon the firstborn son.” –Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, p. 195.

“The dedication of the firstborn had its origin in the earliest times. God had promised to give the Firstborn of heaven to save the sinner. This gift was to be acknowledged in every household by the consecration of the firstborn son. He was to be devoted to the priesthood, as a representative of Christ among men.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 51.

3. Whom did the Passover lamb represent that the Israelites were to sacrifice and whose blood was applied to the side and upper posts of their houses?

Exodus 12:5-7 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

“The great salvation that he brought was typified by the deliverance of the children of Israel, which event was commemorated by the feast of the passover. The innocent lamb slain in Egypt, the blood of which sprinkled upon the door-posts caused the destroying angel to pass over the homes of Israel, prefigured the sinless Lamb of God, whose merits can alone avert the judgment and condemnation of fallen man. The Saviour had been obedient to the Jewish law, and observed all its divinely appointed ordinances. He had just identified himself with the paschal lamb as its great antitype, by connecting the Lord’s supper with the passover.” –The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, p. 128.

“He Himself was the true Paschal Lamb, and on the day the Passover was eaten He was to be sacrificed. He knew that the circumstances connected with this occasion would never be forgotten by His disciples.” –Christ Triumphant, p. 126.

THE ANGEL OF THE LORD

4. Who went before Israel to protect, guide, and sustain them through the wilderness and to the promised place?

Exodus 23:20, 21 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

“The Lord here gave His people unmistakable proof that He who had wrought such a wonderful deliverance for them in bringing them from Egyptian bondage, was the mighty Angel, and not Moses, who was going before them in all their travels, and of whom He had said, ‘Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in Him.’ Exodus 23:20, 21.” –The Story of Redemption, p. 166.

“Moses was their visible leader, while Christ stood at the head of the armies of Israel, their invisible Leader. If they could have always realized this they would not have rebelled and provoked God in the wilderness by their unreasonable murmurings.” –Confrontation, p. 25.

5. Whom did the pillar of cloud symbolize, that led the people in the wilderness day by day?

Exodus 13:21, 22 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

“So in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, God communicated with Israel, revealing to men His will, and imparting to them His grace. God’s glory was subdued, and His majesty veiled, that the weak vision of finite men might behold it. So Christ was to come in ‘the body of our humiliation’ (Philippians 3:21, R.V.), ‘in the likeness of men.’ In the eyes of the world He possessed no beauty that they should desire Him; yet He was the incarnate God, the light of heaven and earth. His glory was veiled, His greatness and majesty were hidden, that He might draw near to sorrowful, tempted men.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 23. “From the pillar of cloud Jesus gave directions through Moses to the Hebrews that they should educate their children to work, that they should teach them trades, and that none should be idle.” –Child Guidance, p. 355.

6. What heavenly food did the Lord give His people to nourish them while they were in the desert? Whom did that food represent?

Exodus 16:4, 8, first part, 35 Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no…. 8And Moses said, This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full…. 35And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.

“For forty years they [the children of Israel] were daily reminded by this miraculous provision, of God’s unfailing care and tender love. In the words of the psalmist, God gave them ‘of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels’ food’ (Psalm 78:24, 25)–that is, food provided for them by the angels. Sustained by ‘the corn of heaven,’ they were daily taught that, having God’s promise, they were as secure from want as if surrounded by fields of waving grain on the fertile plains of Canaan.

“The manna, falling from heaven for the sustenance of Israel, was a type of Him who came from God to give life to the world. Said Jesus, ‘I am that Bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven…. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’ John 6:48-51.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 297.

THE ROCK THAT QUENCHED ISRAEL’S THIRST

7. Who was represented by the rock that Moses smote and that gave abundant water to Israel to quench their thirst?

Exodus 17:4-6 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. 5And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

“‘He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths. He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.’ Psalm 78:15, 16. Moses smote the rock, but it was the Son of God who, veiled in the cloudy pillar, stood beside Moses, and caused the life-giving water to flow….

“The smitten rock was a figure of Christ, and through this symbol the most precious spiritual truths are taught. As the life-giving waters flowed from the smitten rock, so from Christ, ‘smitten of God,’ ‘wounded for our trans- gressions,’ ‘bruised for our iniquities’ (Isaiah 53:4, 5), the stream of salvation flows for a lost race. As the rock had been once smitten, so Christ was to be ‘once offered to bear the sins of many.’ Hebrews 9:28.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 298, 411.

FOR ADDITIONAL STUDY

“… The Hebrews were led from Egypt under the protection of the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. Thus they were safely conducted through the Red Sea, while the Egyptians, essaying to cross in like manner, were all drowned. By these acts God had acknowledged Israel as His church. They ‘did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.’ The Hebrews, in all their travels, had Christ as a leader. The smitten rock typified Christ, who was to be wounded for men’s transgressions, that the stream of salvation might flow to all.” –The Acts of the Apostles, p. 315.