The Ten Egyptian Plagues: Plagues 9 & 10 (Week 7)

Good evening, today we are going to conclude our series on the Egyptian plagues, found in the book of Exodus.

Recap:

Plague 1: Water into Blood

Plague 2: Frogs

Plague 3: Gnats/Lice

Plague 4: Fly's

Plague 5: Pestilence

Plague 6: Boils

Plague 7: Hail

Plague 8: Locust

As we’ve gone through this series, we have seen God perform some might feats. As we covered in our first week, when we talked about the context behind these plagues, God was working through Moses and Aaron to free the Israelites from 400 years of Egyptian slavery. When we look at the book of Genesis...

Creation

Fall of Man

Flood

Covenant with Abraham

Patriarchal period of Abraham, Issac, Jacob, as well as Joseph (Jacob’s son).

The book of Genesis ends with the death of Jacob; then the book of Exodus begins with the enslavement of the Jews in Egypt. God then calls Moses and Aaron and tells them to go to Pharaoh and warn him that calamity will happen if the Israelites aren’t freed. We know what happened, Pharaoh refused to get the people go, so God began striking the nation of Egypt with terrible plagues. God says that the plagues are going to happen, so the world will know and fear (or respect) the Lord. One way to achieve this is to attack the false Egyptian gods…which, as we will see, continues this week as well.

Plague 9: Darkness

Exodus 10:21–29

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. Then Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be detained. Even your little ones may go with you.” But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice them to the Lord our God. Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve the Lord our God. And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the Lord.” But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!” Moses said, “You are right; I shall never see your face again!”

The pattern that we’ve seen play out over the last few plagues is pretty much the same that we see in the 9th plague. God tells Moses and Aaron what will happen…sometimes Moses and Aaron will give Pharaoh an initial warning, but ultimately, the plague happens. Then, as things get bad, Pharaoh calls for Moses, and seeks relief from the plague. There are variances here and there, but that is pretty much the pattern.

Starting in vs. 21, while the Egyptians were just recovering from the swarms of locust, God instructs Moses to stretch his hand out to the sky. As Moses obeyed, it says that

there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.

When I was younger and heard about the plagues, I would think to myself…darkness, how bad can that be! Compared to boils and no drinking water, and disease…darkness would have been a piece of cake. I used to think, perhaps God was letting up a bit, before the coup DE gras of the 10th plague. Maybe God was giving them a little bit of a break. Who couldn’t use some extra sleep! Right! I mean, it says that no one left from their homes for 3 days.

It reminded me of some of the famous blackouts that we’ve seen over the years, where large portions of a state would loose power for a period of time. While researching this, pretty much every source listed these 3 blackouts as the worst in the US.

Over the years, there have been many significant power outages, the worst one being the Northeast Blackout of 1965.

The Northeast Blackout of 1965

left more than 30 million people without power for 13 hours, affecting most of the Northeastern U.S., including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.

The Northeast Blackout of 2003

was much larger than the one that occurred in 1965, affecting 45 million people across 8 states.

The Southwest Blackout of 2011

Known as the worst blackout in California’s history and one of the biggest blackouts in the US.

As with most things, we are very blessed in the U.S.. Many developing nations have a country wide electrical grid, meaning, if one part goes out, the whole nation looses power. Here are some of the worst power outages in the world:

2012 India blackouts, July 30–31 - 620 million people affected

2001 India blackout, January 2 - 230 million people affected

2021 Pakistan blackout, January 9 - 200 million people affected (90% of the population)

2014 Bangladesh blackout, November 1 - 150 million people affected

2015 Pakistan blackout, January 26 - 140 million people affected

However, the longest power outage occurred in the Philippines in 2013 - it lasted for 6.3 billion customer-hours.

This number was achieved by multiplying the number of hours by the population affected.

As a side note, studies have been done that show that something interesting happens about 8 to 9 months after any prolonged blackout…despite the geographical region in which it occurs, meaning, it is true of New York and of India or the Philippines. Can anyone guess what happens 8 to 9 months after a blackout occurs?

A sharp increase in births…but upwards of 30% to 40%.

All of that to say, my understanding of what this plague of darkness was…could be considered naive. There are 2 main things that cause the darkness blackout to be just as, if not more…and I would argue more significant than the preceeding plagues. In fact, the darkness plague was more like a psychological or mental plague. A plague of the mind.

The darkness plague was meant to attack the Egyptian sun god Re…which was who the Pharaoh was supposed to be.

The “thick darkness” is less about way more than no daylight.

In ancient Egypt, as you know, they had many, many gods and goddesses, however, there was a ranking order. We do not fully understand, as it was believed that these gods did battle and could defeat each other. All that said, at the top of the heap would have been Re

Re, also spelled Ra or Amun Ra

God of the sun and creator god. He was believed to travel across the sky during the night, then be born again for the new day, he had to vanquish the evil serpent Apopis (Apepi). As one of the creator gods, he rose from the ocean of chaos on the primeval hill, creating himself and then in turn engendering eight other gods. So, Re was the one who created the other gods. On top of all of that, the other reason that Re was so popular was because whoever was Pharaoh was viewed as the earthly form of Re…in fact, the Pharaoh would be referred to as

“The son of Re.”

God was targeting Pharaoh himself and his supposed deity by making the sun not shine for 3 days. As bad as the other plagues were, despite how bad it got, the sun still came up in the morning, meaning, that Re was still in charge.

The second reason this plague was so significant is because of what the darkness represented. The text gives us some hints at this when it says that the darkness was

A darkness that could be “felt”; The darkness was “thick” and caused everyone to stay home for 3 days.

The ESV says: a darkness to be felt.

This was not an ordinary darkness; the idea being presented is one of spiritual blindness…a darkened mind. Much later on in Israel’s history, when the Israelites were attacked and defeated by the Assyrians, the prophet Ezekiel wrote this

Ezekiel 32:7–8

““And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud And the moon will not give its light. “All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you And will set darkness on your land,” Declares the Lord God.”

The prophet was pronouncing judgment on the nation that took Israel captive…very similar to the 9th plague.

So, the Egyptians and their leaders were surrounded by darkness. Even though Jesus came to the earth a long, long time after this event, the Jews would have known this story well, as it was passed down from generation to generation. As a result, when Jesus said that He was the

“Light of the World” and that where there is Light, Darkness must flee…the Jewish people would have very much associated it with this story.

Well, like before, Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron and once again, tries to negotiate. If you recall, last time Pharaoh said that only the men could go, but they would have to leave their families behind. This time, Pharaoh tells Moses that he can take the entire family. However, God was not done yet...

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!” Moses said, “You are right; I shall never see your face again!”

Pharaoh threatens Moses…but good ol’ Moses, he decides to get sarcastic with the man. However, if you recall a past conversation, where it appears as though Pharaoh is using sarcasm, we talked about how it does not translate well. Moses reply could be seen as : “you are correct, I will never see your face again” or YOU ARE RIGHT, I WILL NEVER SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN! That is how Plague 9 ends…with Moses turning around and walking away…one last time.

Plague 10: Death of the first born.

Here we are, the 10th and final plague…the one that causes Pharaoh to not just let the Israelites go, but that causes the Egyptian people to hand over their valuable gold and precious stones to the Jews as they were leaving. So, the tenth plague is quite long, in regard to the amount of passages it covers. This plague covers all of Ch. 11 and most of Ch. 12. Chapter 11 is the set-up to the actual plague, so we won’t read all of it. I have chosen a few verses to highlight.

Exodus 11:1–5

“Now the Lord said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people that each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.” The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. Moses said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well.”

In chapter 11, God is telling Moses and Aaron what the final plague will be and how it will affect the people of Egypt. Moses had become both very respected and feared among the people…probably more feared, but who’s counting. What the Egyptian people do know is that Moses is the man who represents a God that is much more powerful than their own gods, that is for sure. Then we find out that the Lord is going to send the angel of death throughout the land, in order to separate who belongs to the Lord and who does not! The angel of death is going to kill every firstborn, from every family…even the cattle, if any were still living at that point.

The last 2 plagues were intended to attack or dismantle the deity of Pharoah. The pharaoh is a god in Egyptian religion. He is the son of Amon-ra, the sun god. The final plague was an attack on Pharaoh by bringing death against the firstborn of the Egyptians. The firstborn were the heirs, the ones who stood to take over the family and inherit the wealth…provided they were male that is. Notice though, God does not make that distinction…but it in fact, could have been the firstborn males.

As we move forward in the story, beginning in chapter 12, the Lord explains to Moses how the people of Israel can protect themselves from this plague. This section is a bit longer, but it’s important, so I want to read it in its full context

Exodus 12:1–13

Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. ‘Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails. And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover. ‘For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

I wanted to read all of that, because it is very significant to what we read about Christ in the N.T., which we will get into in a few moments. So, each family was to take a lamb…God even made allowances for those who did not have a lamb. They were to take the lamb and kill it. Then share its meat, in a very specific way. Then, they were to take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts and lintel, meaning, up both sides of the door and across the top. God tells the people to eat in such a manner as to be ready to move…staff in hand and shoes on their feet. Lastly, at midnight, when the angel of death passes by, when it sees the blood on the doorposts, it will keep moving and the family will be saved from the plague.

Next, in chapter 12 God tells Moses that this final plague will be a yearly celebration for the people of Egypt.

Exodus 12:17

“You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.”

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is also called The Passover and is still celebrated today by Jewish people. Some Christians get overly caught up in stuff like this, to the point where the feasts amost become idols. I don’t think it is wrong to celebrate the Passover, but the truth is, the Passover is merely a shadow of what Christ provided. So, the stage is set and the day comes wherein the Angel of Death is going to pass by every house.

Exodus 12:29–32

“Now it came about at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship the Lord, as you have said. Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.””

Pharaoh had finally reached his end, as his firstborn was now dead. The great son of Ra could not protect the people. Pharaoh ordered that the Israelites leave, and take all of their stuff with them. It goes on to say that the Egyptians started handing over their gold and valuables to the Jews as they were leaving. The Bible records that 600,000 men, plus their families and animals walked out of Egypt that night. That number can at least be doubled and maybe even tripled. Point being, there were a lot of people and Moses is now responsible for all of them; to make sure to lead them to safety.

To finish up today, let’s talk about the significance of the lamb and the blood and how it relates to the N.T. You may have heard that Jesus is refereed to as a lamb in the N.T.

John 1:29

“The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

1 Peter 1:18–21

“knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

The blood of the lamb represented 3 things to the ancient Jews

protection, cleansing, and substitution

Protection:

because the blood caused the angel of death to pass over the house. It closely resembles the Egyptian word pesh, which means “to spread the wings over” or “to protect,” thus suggesting such “sheltering and protection as is found under the outstretched wings of the Almighty God …. It was not merely that the Lord passed by the houses of the Israelites, but that He stood on guard protecting each blood-sprinkled door.” Ponder the richness of that image. Protected—protected by the blood. And now we are everlastingly protected by the blood of the Cross.

Cleansing:

The lamb was to be an unblemished lamb, and the bread was to be unleavened. In Scripture, “leaven” symbolizes evil. So the lesson here is of vital importance. It is captured in this verse: “That you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel” (11:7).

Don’t forget this. The Lord accepts us as we are, but He does not leave us there. He makes a distinction between us and those who are not yet delivered. In New Testament language it is stated thus: “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Substitution:

The lamb is the clearest representative type of Christ in the Old and New Testaments. The beloved disciple John called Jesus “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). John the Baptist designated Him “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The Passover in the Book of Exodus, according to the apostle Paul, was a type, a shadow of the great substance, our Lord Jesus Christ. Israel was saved by a lamb, the best and most perfect of its kind. The lamb was slain, and its blood was applied to their houses. Entering through blood-sprinkled doors, protected by the blood of the lamb, they then feasted on the lamb which had been slain for them.

See how clear the connection is between the Passover Lamb and the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”?

With faith we hold that Christ died for us, and had He not died, eternal damnation would be our lot. He paid our debt, died in our stead, was a substitution for our punishment. Mercy and grace are the key—unmerited, undeserved, extravagant grace.