~by Michelle

Exodus 14 is one of my favorite chapters in the Old Testament. Besides containing the amazing miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, I also appreciate the commentary on human nature contained in these verses. It’s easy to look at the children of Israel and roll our eyes, but to me, they represent the human nature in all of us that can tend toward complaint, fear, pain avoidance, and false narratives (which, ironically, cause us more pain). Life isn’t easy, and barriers come along the way that can leave us feeling a lot like they did.

There are also some amazing life mantras from Moses in this chapter, such as “fear ye not, stand still” and “hold your peace.”

But God had something to add to Moses’ words to the people. It was, “Go forward.”

I sometimes imagine the children of Israel looking at the sea of water in front of them and thinking, “Um, Moses, we are being chased and there’s this thing called the Red Sea in our way. We are trapped! We have plenty of things to be afraid of here! Could you get real and take us back to where things were predictable?” [Sometimes even misery can be preferred to the unknown, simply because it’s known.]

Moses knew that things would be okay. How? Because he was listening to the Lord, and he was ready to follow the instructions he had received.

What’s fascinating to me is that the instructions he received were relatively simple. He was told to speak and to hold up his staff.

In The Church of Jesus Christ, we have additional books of scripture that shed more light on the story of Moses and the children of Israel. One such scripture is found in Doctrine and Covenants 8:-2-3.

Here Jesus Christ (the same God — known as Jehovah in the Old Testament — who guided and helped Moses in the deliverance of the children of Israel) is talking through the prophet Joseph Smith to Oliver Cowdery. Oliver was helping as a scribe when Joseph was translating the plates on which the ancient scripture found in The Book of Mormon were written.

In this chapter, the Lord teaches about how divine guidance from Him works.

2 [B]ehold, I will ^atell you in your mind and in your ^bheart, by the ^cHoly Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.

3 Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation…

These verses describe how any of us can receive answers and guidance from the Lord, through the Holy Ghost.

But the second part of verse 3 is stunning to me:

…behold, this is the spirit by which Moses ^abrought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.

How did Moses part the Red Sea? He simply received and followed revelation. He acted in faith on the relatively simple instructions he received. He responded and trusted.

And then the Lord parted the sea.

And Moses stretched out his hand over the ^asea; and the Lord ^bcaused the ^csea to ^dgo back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea ^edry land, and the ^fwaters were ^gdivided. (Exodus 14:21)

Sometimes it can feel like we are facing an impossible Red Sea in our lives. The Lord’s teaching through Joseph Smith about the parting of the Red Sea gives me hope for such times. All we have to do is get guidance for our relatively simple part (our “next right thing(s)”) and then watch to see how the Lord will help clear the way forward.

Other miracles in the Bible share a similar message. Just go wash in the Jordan. Just make this cake first. Just look at the serpent on the pole (see how this and other stories abotu Moses and the children of Israel get some wonderful attention in the Book of Mormon). Just let those carrying the ark of the covenant put their toes into the water. Take a step into (or onto) the water. Just wash this spittle off your eyes. Just draw some water from that well.

Just “Follow me.”

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, our prophet today points us to Jesus. He says, “Hear Him.” We can hear Him through a living prophet (like a Moses in our day) . And if we seek the Lord’s guidance in our lives, He’ll keep giving us personal guidance as well that can allow even more of His power and peace to flow.

What’s your next right step that the Lord is inviting you to do? Don’t focus on the sea in front of you, focus on Him, and let Him part the sea in His time and way.

Just Hear Him...”in your mind and in your heart…by the Holy Ghost…which…is the spirit of revelation.”

This post is edited from the original.

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This was formerly a Frequently Asked Question, now filed under “Ask A Mormon Woman”

Edited to add: Para informacion en Espanol, vea Los Raíces Antiguas de los Templos Mormones

Many people are curious about LDS temples and the ordinances that take place therein. While we don’t talk specifically about the details of the ordinances, there are resources that can help you understand more about the temple and its purpose, as well as its ancient roots. Following are some of those resources.

For a general overview, see here.

This article, by Elder Boyd K. Packer may be of interest.

Elder Packer mentions washings, anointings, reception of the endowment, the garment, sealings, as well as baptisms for the dead. (See the above link for some explanation of these things as well.) He also explains the importance of these ordinances to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It is important to note that we believe that temple ordinances have ancient connections. Consider, for example, the following, which have some parallels in our temple worship:

• Moses’ tabernacle in the wilderness, which included rituals of washing, anointing, and symbolic garments/clothing.
• The architecture of the tabernacle reflected three levels or stages of spiritual progress and light and increasing nearness to God. (See more about that in this article and this article for more discussion about ancient temples.) For those who have been through an open house before one of our temples has been dedicated, they will note that there a similar element of progression (room organization and décor symbolize Telestial, Terrestrial, and Celestial kingdoms or glory. See also 1 Cor. 15:40-41 and Doctrine and Covenants 76.

While we realize not everyone will share our interpretation of ancient scripture, and while there are certainly distinct and important differences between our temple ordinances and those in ancient days (for example, the death of the Savior, Jesus Christ, ended sacrifice of animals and replaced it with the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit; also, it changed the role of the high priest in the law of Moses, who had symbolized the Savior’s role in helping us come back to the presence of God), a thoughtful reading of the Old Testament might help people understand at least some of the elements of our temple worship.

For more information and help studying the scriptures relevant to this question, see the following:

This talk by Elder Russell M. Nelson includes numerous references and notes that could help the interested reader focus his or her study of the roots of temple worship in the Old Testament.

Also, see this Old Testament study manual, used in the Church education system, which explores Old Testament tabernacle rituals. (See, in particular, ch. 13 on The Lord’s Tabernacle in the Wilderness.)

For more information, you can also search for articles, talks, lessons and scriptures at lds.org on topics such as the following:

temple
tabernacle Moses
law of sacrifice
baptism for the dead
temple endowment
temple sealings or temple marriage
temple garment
washing and anointing
law of moses
broken heart, contrite spirit

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