Moses holds the keys of the gathering of Israel
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Fleeing Egypt, Moses went to Midian where he married the eldest daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. While tending Jethro's flock, Moses came to "the mountain of God, even to Horeb." (Ex. 3:1.) From a burning bush there, the Lord called Moses to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt. (Ex. 3:8-11.)
When Moses questioned his ability to do this great task, the Lord said, "Certainly I will be with thee. . . . " (Ex. 3:11-12.) Then, when Moses claimed he was "slow of speech, and of a slow tongue" (Ex. 4:10), the Lord appointed Aaron, Moses' brother, to be his spokesman. (Ex. 4:14-16.)Regarding the difficulty Moses had persuading Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt, Elder Hugh W. Pinnock of the First Quorum of the Seventy said in his October 1979 general conference address:
"One plague followed another until the Egyptian ruler finally gave in. After being threatened with hordes of locusts, Pharaoh agreed to let the men go if Moses would leave the women, the young, and the old behind. (Ex. 10:3-11.)
"However, Moses insisted that all should go. He said, `We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go.' (Ex. 10:9.) Moses refused to divide the people of God."
The gathering of the children of Israel was a significant event, particularly to Latter-day Saints. In The Voice of Israel's Prophets, Sidney B. Sperry wrote:
"The first gathering of Israel was done under the direction of Moses and resulted in the exodus from Egypt. Moses therefore holds the keys of the gathering of Israel. The Lord set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people by sending Moses to confer the keys of his authority upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836." (See D&C 110:11.)
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Articles on this page may be used in conjunction with the Gospel Doctrine course of study.
Information compiled by Gerry Avant
Sources: Voice of Israel's Prophets, by Sidney B. S0perry; Old Testament Student Manual; October 1989 general conference report.
