Exodus 10:21-36; 11:1-10 NKJV
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
24 Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you.”
25 But Moses said, “You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.”
27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “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!”
29 So Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.”
11 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.
4 Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. 6 Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. 7 But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’ 8 And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.
9 But the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.
The Egyptians worshiped several idols as gods of the sun, the stars, and the sky. They “served the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom 1:25). The true God demonstrated His superiority over the idols of Egypt by inflicting the land of Egypt for three days with a darkness so thick it could be felt. The Egyptians “did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days” (10:23). God’s judgment on Egypt’s idols extended to those who worshiped those idols. The plague of darkness showed the Egyptians that, because of their idolatry, they “became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Rom 1:21). The plague showed them the foolishness of their idolatry, the darkness of their thinking about God, as well as their sins against Him and His people Israel.
This judgment is heightened by the fact that “all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings” (10:23). As with so many of the plagues, God wanted to make a difference between His people and Pharaoh’s people. The fact that the Israelites had light in their homes demonstrated that the Lord’s face shown upon Israel, and they walked in the light of the Lord’s countenance (Ps 89:15). His face shown upon them in love, and they trusted in His promise to deliver them.
While the Lord shows us His almighty power in the plague of darkness, He also presents us with a picture of what He does for all who believe the gospel. The world is in darkness due on account of its idolatry, but those who believe the gospel of Christ, the light of the world, no longer walk in the darkness of their idolatry and sins. Jesus enlightens the darkness by forgiving our sins and dwelling in our hearts by faith. So that we do not venture back into the darkness of our sins and idolatry, St. Paul writes, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8). God still shows a difference between His people—those who know Him, trust His promises, and walk in His ways—and the people of the world who walk in darkness. Today, walk was one who has the light of God’s favor in your heart. Let us pray: Grant us, O Lord, to forsake daily the darkness of our idols and sins and walk in the light of Your favor. Amen.