Exiting Egypt Chapter 10B P4

Exiting Egypt

“The Ninth Plague – A Felt Darkness”

Exodus 10:21-29

By Dennis Lee: Chapter 10B P4

And so this ninth plague, a plague of darkness, indicates that God is about ready to deconstruct, or even de-create Egypt. He brings Egypt in these three days into a pre-creational state of being, and if not for God’s mercy in having it last for only three days, what you would have in Egypt is emptiness, chaos, and darkness.

Now, it is also not without significance that God protected His people and in their country of Goshen there was light. This was proof, that while all around the land of Goshen it was black, no light, and a darkness so thick it could be felt, Goshen had sunshine and fair skies.

What this signifies is that the Lord casts in darkness all those who reject Him, and gives light to those who follow Him. This is what Jesus said for all who follow Him. Again let me quote what Jesus said,

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (Jn. 8:12 NKJV)

After the three days were up, and light came back to the land, Pharaoh sent for Moses and began bargaining once again to keep the Jews in Egypt to keep what little is left of Egypt’s economic base. But it really wasn’t much haggling going on.

It’s kind of like going to one of those street vendors and haggling for a better price. You know, they quote a price, you counter, they come down, and you counter again. They say they can’t do it, and so as you walk away they then come up with a lower price just for you, because they like you. {Yeah right}

But here there is no such haggling. Moses gives Pharaoh the price and Pharaoh haggles to get the price down. Moses comes back with the same offer, no change. Pharaohs tries again, and Moses’ price is firm. But after this last plague, and Pharaoh’s last shot and trying to keep Israel in Egypt, and Moses refusal to bargain, or shall I say compromise, all negations stop. This is the end.

Moses boldly tells Pharaoh not only is he to let them go, but now he increases the price, Egypt must also give to them the sacrifices. So, what the livestock disease didn’t kill, and the hailstorm left alive, the Hebrews wanted to take from the Egyptians to offer them up as sacrifices to God.

If you haven’t caught what just happened, Moses takes the upper hand. This is not the language of barter; it is the language of monarchy. Moses is the mediator of the Lord, the King of all kings, and king of Pharaoh.

Moses’ remarks, not surprisingly, gets Pharaoh’s goat. Pharaoh is no longer interested in continuing the conversation. And so he angrily dismisses Moses with an unveiled threat. There is nothing subtle about what he says.

Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die (Ex. 10:28 NKJV)

Pharaoh was basically saying, “You show your face around me again, I’ll kill you where you stand.” And Moses responds quite ironically

You have spoken well. I will never see your face again (Ex. 10:29 NKJV)

It’s like Moses already knows. God hadn’t told him, but by Pharaoh’s past responses Moses knows then how God will react. It’s as if Pharaoh is self-prophesying.

It’s also a little ironic in a way. For three days Pharaoh couldn’t see anything. And so Moses is simply reiterating what the plague signified, that Pharaoh is under the judgment of God, a judgment of darkness leading to his ultimate and Egypt’s ultimate demise because they refused to see the truth of God, and He is the one and only God and that the Jews were His people and were to be set free.

Exiting Egypt Chapter 10B P3

Exiting Egypt

“The Ninth Plague – A Felt Darkness”

Exodus 10:21-29

By Dennis Lee: Chapter 10B P3

And so, the first significance concerning darkness is that it is a sign of God’s judgment.

Second, and this is quite revealing, is that it is a Sign of God’s Withdrawal, and that’s because of the severity of the judgment. The first thing that we must see in this point is that God is light.

We see that God is light (1 Jn. 1:5) and our own personal light (Psm. 27:1; Mic. 7:8). Also that God is the giver of light (Gen. 1:3; Prov. 29:13), and that God dwells in unapproachable light.

God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:15b-16a NKJV)

Jesus describes Himself as the light of the world that has come to lighten the way for humanity.

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (Jn. 8:12 NKJV)

And so darkness is a removal of God from the scene. Darkness is what is left in the wake of His withdrawal. This is seen in His withdrawal from Calvary as His judgment fell upon His Son, Jesus, not for His sin, but for your sin and mine. Look at the scene and hear the words of Jesus.

Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? (Mt. 27:45-46 NKJV)

God the Father withdrew Himself because of the harshness of the judgment poured out upon His Son, that God could not look upon sin, and for the first time since the foundation of the universe, for the first time since time itself, and even before that, the Father separated Himself from the Son. Does anyone really need any further proof of the awfulness of sin?

And so, darkness is associated with God’s withdrawal, and here in our Exodus account, it is a warning. Egypt is being told that God is about to withdraw His grace and mercy that will bring them down to their knees if they don’t turn, if they don’t repent and let His people go free.

The third significance concerning this judgment of darkness is its reference back to creation and that it is a sign that life without God is a life of chaos. And so darkness is a Sign of Chaos.

The earth and the universe prior to God’s intervention was without order, it was chaotic, or as it is described

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep (Gen. 1:2 NKJV)

But God remedied this, when He brought the light.

Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness (Gen. 1:3-4 NKJV)

Humanity cannot survive in a totally chaotic, empty, dark world. So, God in His goodness and mercy solved the problem for us through His creative power at creation. He fills up the world so that it is no longer empty. He fills it with life of all kinds. He brings order and structure to the world so that it is no longer chaotic. He separates the light from the darkness, the land from the water, the upper heavens from the lower heavens. And all of this is because He brought to this world His light.

Exiting Egypt Chapter 10B P2

Exiting Egypt

“The Ninth Plague – A Felt Darkness”

Exodus 10:21-29

By Dennis Lee: Chapter 10B P2

Now it says that the darkness was so thick that it could be felt. Kind of like humidity, you can feel it on your skin even though you cannot see it in the air. You could feel the darkness, how creepy is that? Now, some have speculated that this was a three day sandstorm which often occurs in Egypt, well maybe not three days. But it darkens the sky and it is felt, even inside the homes. But this was described as a thick darkness. If merely a sandstorm, no matter how horrible it was, it wouldn’t have elicited fear on the part of the people.

So, what the darkness was is exactly unknown, but we see a similar case of such darkness in the Book of Revelation during the bowl judgments, which we’ll look at in a moment. So such a darkness is something that God uses in His judgment of wicked humanity.

And it is such darkness that humanity has chosen to live in; not a physical darkness, but a spiritual darkness so thick that people cannot see the truth. Further it is a willful darkness on humanity’s part, because it is a deliberate decision to live in it, consequently, like Egypt, the judgment of God will be coming as a result. And no one will be able to escape.

What we see here, like the other plagues that proceed it is that God is showing His sovereignty over the gods of Egypt, and this time it is against the greatest god of Egypt’s, Ra, the god of the sun. Ra was worship in just about every ceremony. The Egyptians believed that sunrise was Ra’s victory over the netherworld, where he went every day to wage war. And so, what these three days of darkness signified is God’s sovereignty over Egypt’s greatest god.

But this darkness holds greater significance than that. Let me show you what I mean.

First, such darkness throughout the Bible is a Sign of God’s Judgment. We see this in the Lord’s description of the day of the Lord.

For the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand: a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness (Joel. 1b – 2a NKJV)

Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light – pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness? (Amos 5:20, cf. 18 NKJV)

Jesus even said that this would be the case

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (Mt. 24:29 NKJV cf. Mk. 13:24, Acts 2:20)

And this is what we see in the Book of Revelation as it describes this time. First when the fourth bowl judgment is poured out, the sun was given power to scorch people with fire, and the people were seared by the intense heat, but instead of repenting they cursed God. So God poured out the fifth bowl, and darkness covers the earth, darkness like that in Egypt during the ninth plague, a darkness that could be felt.

The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony (Rev. 16:10 NKJV)

And like before, they refused to repent for what they had done. Instead they cursed God because of their pain and their sores.

Exiting Egypt Chapter 10B P1

Exiting Egypt

“The Ninth Plague – A Felt Darkness”

Exodus 10:21-29

By Dennis Lee: Chapter 10B P1

God had been patient with the Egyptians for centuries, and the reason is what the Bible tells us that God is longsuffering and is not willing that any perish, but that all come to repentance. But as I said last week, don’t mistake God’s longsuffering with forever suffering because the day is just about to come for Egypt when God brings his last judgment in the form of the tenth plague.

Up to this point, that is, through the last eight plagues, God warned Pharaoh and the Egyptians of the judgment that was going to come, that is in all but two of the cases, which is what we see here in the ninth plague. In every plague that God had sent, Pharaoh had rejected God’s demand to let the Jews go free. And so, since they had live in spiritual darkness for all this time, God was going to send their way in the form of this ninth plague, physical darkness.

Read Ex. 10:21-29

Now, some may say, God didn’t give Pharaoh a chance to repent before this plague, but that is simply not true. He gave Pharaoh eight chances prior, and in the case of the last two, Pharaoh reneged on his promise. And so, Pharaoh had to know that another plague was coming.

You might say that this was a contest of wills. Who will outlast the other? Will Pharaoh’s will win out over God’s, or was God’s will going to prevail and Pharaoh repent and then do what God had said.

And so God told Moses to stretch out his hand toward the sky and a thick darkness spread over Egypt for three days and nights, darkness so dark and ominous that it could be felt.

It’s kind of like fate, just as they had kept the Israelites in chains of slavery, so now God was keeping them in chains of darkness. It says that the people were literally imprisoned in their homes. It says that the darkness was so thick that they couldn’t see one another, and so thick was the darkness that they were afraid to even leave their beds. Not even a lit lantern, candle, or fire could break through the darkness.

Exiting Egypt Chapter 10 P4

Exiting Egypt

Eighth Plague – Swarms of Locust

Exodus 10:1-20

By Dennis Lee: Chapter 10 P4

Remember that it was Pharaoh who had professed to Moses that he had sinned and promised to obey God and free the Jews (Ex. 9:37). But once more he soon forgets and turns away from God more hardened than ever.

Also remember that while it says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, it wasn’t until after Pharaoh hardened his own heart towards God and His people.

The Lord then asks, “how long,” which is the consummate question. I find this an interesting statement in that how often we read of God’s longsuffering. How He is longsuffering wishing none to perish, but God’s longsuffering should never be thought of as forever suffering. There is going to come a time and a day when it’s going to be all over.

Concerning the Day of the Lord, Jesus likens it to a thief who comes in the middle of the night. No one knows when he is coming. In like manner, God is longsuffering with all of us, but that longsuffering is going to come to an end.

Now, the “how long” that the Lord is referring to is in Pharaoh’s inability to humble himself before the might and power of God. “How long with you refuse to humble yourself before Me.”

Why do people refuse to humble themselves? I think the reason may be because God demands our life, which means to sacrifice everything to the Lord. This really doesn’t sit well with most people. We are a self-sufficient lot we are. We are full of pride where it is all about us.

And so the Lord wants to know how long before we finally get it and humble ourselves before the All-powerful, Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. The sovereign I AM.

Now the Bible makes it clear that pride comes before the fall (Prov. 16:18). Therefore, we are encouraged to humble ourselves before the Lord God, and then He will lift us up (James 4:10).

This time, it’s the king’s advisors that are telling Pharaoh he needs to do something, but it wasn’t to repent, but to do something nonetheless because Moses was becoming a snare. They were blaming Moses for what was happening, not Pharaoh’s or their own hardened hearts. In the immortal words of someone, “don’t shoot the messenger,” but that is exactly what they wanted to do.

But seeing that Egypt was becoming a skeleton of its former self and glory, they urged Pharaoh to do something before Egypt would be completely annihilated.

And so Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and offered a compromise, but Moses was having nothing to do with it. It would be God’s way or no way, and all these negotiations were nothing more than show, because both Moses and Pharaoh knew what was going to happen. But because Moses wouldn’t compromise, so Pharaoh had Moses and Aaron tossed out on their ear, which is the literal translation of them being driven out.

Just some food for thought, God doesn’t compromise His word, and neither should we. If God says it, we need to believe it and follow what it says, to the letter. God doesn’t except a half-hearted commitment on the part of His people, it is a distasteful thing to Him.

And so God sends his next plague, a plague of locusts. And this is one plague that literally strikes fear in the hearts of those who hear that such a plague is coming.

In 1958, just to get a feel for what this might have been like, although the plague that hit Egypt was like no other. But in 1958 aircraft measured a 400 square mile swarm of locusts in Ethiopia. At that time crop losses were estimated at $30 million, and four million people lost two years’ supply of food.

It has been estimated that there could be at least 40 million and sometimes over 80 million locusts in a square half mile during a swarm. They have been known to travel more than 60 miles a day, destroying everything in their path

Further, such a plague has become known as a symbol of God’s judgment. This is seen in the prophet Joel’s account of the end times, of the Day of the Lord. And there will come an army of locust, so great and so strong that and sun and moon will grow dark and the brightness of the stars will diminish. And the people will writhe in pain before them and greatly fear (Joel. 2:1-11).

The Lord through Joel is actually recalling an earlier locust invasion that happened upon the land of Israel.

Now, the particular Egyptian god that this plague went after is Seraphis, the insect god. He was worshipped by the Egyptians in the hope of protecting from such a locust swarm. But, like all the gods before him, he miserably failed with this one.

In the end, Pharaoh confessed that he had sinned once again and made it sound like he accepted God’s and His word, and that he would follow through and obey. But, as we have seen in the past, this was just another false confession and profession. Which brings us to the ninth plague next week.

Exiting Egypt Chapter 10 P3

Exiting Egypt

Eighth Plague – Swarms of Locust

Exodus 10:1-20

By Dennis Lee: Chapter 10 P3

But just as discipline is important, so is the instruction in righteousness. Now this means that we need to know for ourselves what the Bible teaches and live it out so that we can then instruct our children.

Now, the one sort of thing that God is against in all of this is the laissez-faire attitude of modern day parents, those who consider themselves “enlightened.” They say, “We want our children to find their own truth and their own way.” The Bible says that sin is bound up in a child’s heart, and so are we just going to leave it to the children to determine what is truth?

Now the other side of this spectrum is just as dangerous. It is those who want to indoctrinate children, or what some would call “brainwashing,” that which is done in many of these cults and false religions.

True education is when we help the children learn the truth, by being catalyst for thought and allowing the children exploration, but not to flounder.

And so, we need to teach and train up our children, those that God has given to us to raise up in His ways and according to His word. And, what Exodus teaches us here in the eighth plague is that just as we are to teach about the grace and mercy of God, and of God’s love for us, we need to also let them know of God’s justice, that God is a just God, and in that justice He will one day pour out His wrath and judge this world that is so opposed to Him, and will judge humanity’s sins.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness (Rom. 1:18 NIV)

Now, there is something back in what Moses said that I found somewhat amusing in this is the wording Moses uses in the lesson that was to be learned at Egypt’s expense. The wording is that God dealt harshly, or in the New King James it says “the mighty things,” which describes an action that is designed to bring shame and disgrace. Literally what God is saying is that He was making sport of Egypt. The Egyptians were made toys of.

Now, we see Moses being a little more brazen and forceful with Pharaoh. Notice the words of the Lord that he brings this time,

This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? (Ex. 10:3 NIV)

Exiting Egypt Chapter 10 P2

Exiting Egypt

Eighth Plague – Swarms of Locust

Exodus 10:1-20

By Dennis Lee: Chapter 10 P2

This idea of training up our children and they their children and so on is a key element in God’s relationship with Israel. Throughout the bible we are told that we need to learn to fear the Lord, learn His will, wisdom, righteousness, as well as His statutes, commandments, and doctrine. But we are also commanded not to learn to blaspheme, learn the way of the heathen, or to be idle.

And so, what are we teaching to our children. We are commanded to bring up our children in the instruction of the Lord.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4 NIV)

The picture that Paul reveals here is a parent who is self-controlled, gentle, and patient as they educate their children, not in the ways of man or of the world, there’s enough of that already out there to take children away from the good and right way, but to educate them in God’s word and what is truly right and true.

Further, the verb, “bring them up,” means literally to nourish or feed, and so as parents just as we nourish and feed their bodies so that they can grow physically, so are we to feed and nourish their souls and spirits so that they can grow spiritually in the things and in the ways of the Lord, for that is the only real growth that is going to matter in the end.

Now, part of this learning involves discipline. The word training is to train by discipline. We see this discipline as part of what the Bible says is our responsibility. “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly” (Prov. 12:34). Yet, people have wrongly used this verse to justify their excessive discipline.

Today to counter this we have a whole new generation that is sort of laissez-faire on this whole discipline thing. I think that Martin Lloyd-Jones said it best.

“The opposite of wrong discipline is not the absence of discipline, but right discipline, true discipline.”

“When you are disciplining a child, you should have first controlled yourself… What right have you to say to your child that he needs discipline when you obviously need it yourself? Self-control, the control of temper, is an essential pre-requisite in the control of others.”