A Darkness To Be Felt - Exodus 11:10

For the last several weeks, we have been studying the plagues in Exodus. As we have studied together, we have observed:

God’s sovereignty - He rules and owns all creation.

God’s providence - He orchestrates creation to act according to His purpose

God’s power - God’s power overrules all other power, and always accomplishes His providence.

With each passing plague, we have seen God make a direct statement about the futility of the Egyptian idol, a direct strike against the enemies of God, and a direct hit against Pharaoh, who has set himself up against the purposes of God. Two more plagues remain. Today, God exercises control over the sun over the heads of the Egyptians, and does so to provide a picture of Himself to Egypt, to Israel, and to us. God’s war against Egypt is almost over, and today we will see Him strike the next to last blow, and speak to Moses about what remains.

Redemption is coming to Israel, who has done nothing but watch God fight for them. Today, we celebrate the redemption that God has brought for us and we, like Israel, have done nothing to earn or accomplish that salvation. I want us to examine this text today, seeing God’s sovereignty in using His power to accomplish redemption for His people.

1. The land will be dark (10:21-29)

Exodus 10:21–23 ESV

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.

We have spent several weeks talking about the false gods of Egypt, but we have danced around the main objects of worship for almost all Egyptians: Ra and Horus.

For the Egyptians, Ra was the supreme god of the pantheon. The god of the sun, the god of kings, of power, and of light, Ra was THE god among the gods of Egypt. According to the Egyptian creation myth, the universe was a sort of primeval ocean, shrouded in darkness, out of which all life would come. When it was time for creation to happen, the sun god Ra was self-created; Ra made himself, and then from himself created the other gods.

Ra was responsible for the 12 hours of daylight every day by sailing the sky from the Eastern horizon to the West, giving light to the world and allowing all creations to flourish. When he reached the western horizon, Ra then left the earth in darkness for 12 hours of night while he sailed the Underworld, illuminating the dead, destroying the enemies of creation, and regenerating himself in a union with Osiris, the god of resurrection. Each morning served as a mini-celebration for the Egyptian, who saw the morning as another victory for Ra.

The Egyptians saw the Nile and the Sun as the primary forces in their universe, and so they revered Ra for most of their history. The Pharaoh himself was a son of the sun god. And so, as the ninth plague begins, Moses stretches his hand toward heaven, and with one simple action from the slave turned shepherd, all Egyptian religion is turned on its ear.

Pharaoh was supposed to keep the order of the universe; God has taken that illusion from him. Ra was supposed to provide the light; God is showing that He gives light. Pharaoh was supposed to fight the darkness, and then have victory. God is showing that He is undefeated, and is King over both light and darkness.

As much as the Egyptian mythology was full of symbolism, it’s important to note that God is also making use of symbolism in His actions here. God is using darkness to make four symbolic statements here. We don’t have time to see how these four statements work in every occasion of darkness, but given the occasion of the day, it is essential that we compare this time of darkness with another time of darkness that happened almost 2000 years later. We read about it in Matthew 27:45

Matthew 27:45 ESV

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

The darkness over the land of Egypt points us forward to a more significant day of darkness, that happened on the day our Lord was crucified. And then, after our Lord was crucified, there was a period of spiritual darkness on the earth, as His body lay in the tomb. Now, do you remember how long that was? That’s right. Three days.

God is making a direct statement that He is the only true God. By striking the greatest of the Egyptian gods, and so once again striking Pharaoh, God is making the statement that He alone is God.

On the day that our Lord was crucified, Luke tells us that the sun’s light failed. John says the light of the world came into the world and was put out, because people loved the darkness more. All light is God’s light. At the cross, God effectively says “if you reject my light, you shall have darkness.” This is in many ways exactly what He is saying in Exodus.

2. God is withdrawing common grace - The Egyptians didn’t have light because some phony god rode in a chariot and defeated the darkness of the underworld. They had light because the God who separated light from darkness controls all order in the cosmos, and has seen fit to make the sun shine and the rain fall on the righteous and the wicked. Until, however, God decided that He would not.

Again, The Light of the World came in to the world, and was placed on a cross by the hand of sinful men. If men would put out the Light God sent, then God would be pleased to put out the light of common grace. John 3:19

John 3:19 ESV

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

3. God is abandoning Egypt to their own sinfulness - the darkness was a picture of the withdrawal of grace. Egypt has had chance after chance, and now the chances are coming to an end. God will not be mocked forever; He will act, He must act because He is just. But His people in the land of Goshen? They live under the light of God.

At the cross, God again shows this abandonment, but not of us, and not of those who crucified the Savior. Instead, He abandons His own Son, in order that those who will be saved might never be abandoned.

4. God is bringing judgment to Egypt - judgment and darkness are closely associated in the Bible. Egypt has continued to mock God. Pharaoh has continued to defy God. But God will act. God brings darkness as an act of judgment against Egypt.

The darkness of the cross was judgment as well, but not because the people were being judged. Rather, the sinfulness of men was placed on the Son, who then took on the wrath of God, drinking the cup of God’s wrath down to the dregs.

So, God brings a darkness in Egypt that can be felt. A “dark darkness,” Moses writes. we read in verse 23 that no one could see each other or rise from his place for three days. Can you imagine a dark so dark that making a fire or setting a candle creates no light? God creates a darkness that is so dark that no man-made light can pierce it, and no one can see each other. I think this would have been the most terrifying plague so far. Each Egyptian feeling his own sentence of isolation. Each one not being able to go anywhere because they couldn’t see anything.

So, Pharaoh calls for Moses again, and Moses, who is walking in light, can get right to him.

Moses can see! And none in Egypt can. A picture of what it’s like to have your eyes opened - you can see, and those you know and love cannot.

Exodus 10:24–26 ESV

Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.”

Pharaoh is trying to negotiate wiyth God’s Word, once more, and once more we see that God is not interested in negotiation. We have said over and over again, God’s Word is settled. He has laid out what His terms are, for Pharaoh and for us: unconditional surrender. Total obedience to God’s Word is what He has commanded, and Pharaoh must comply or be prepared to face judgment. Those are his only options.

Pharaoh wants the livestock, and there is good reason for this: he doesn’t have any! Remember last week? All the livestock of Egypt is dead. But God has made a promise, and He will always fulfill His promises to His people. They will go out with what they came in with.

Plus, they need the animals in order to make a sacrifice before the Lord! They whole reason they want to go is so they can worship, and they cannot worship without an appropriate sacrifice!

Moses stands firm in the face of compromise. And Pharaoh is not too happy. Exodus 10:27-29

Exodus 10:27–29 ESV

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”

This is the last face to face Pharoah gets with Moses. The conversation ends with the land in darkness.

2. The first born will die - 11:1-10

And now, we get a warning of the final plague to come. I don’t want to spend too much time here, because it will take some of the thunder from next week. Exodus 11:1-10; explain as you go, just a little at a time.

Exodus 11:1–10 ESV

The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” 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. So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.

So, what does this have to do with Easter? Remember how we said that once you see the melody line of Exodus, you simply cannot unsee it? Man, this is exactly what I’m talking about here. Look at what we have seen today:

The land is covered in darkness.

The people of God walk in light

The firstborn of Egypt are killed in the passover

The people are redeemed.

I have been waiting 8 weeks to get to connect these dots. Look at the magnificence of God’s plan, revealed in God’s amazing Word!

3. God brings redemption out of darkness!

When you put these things all together, you get the occasion of our redemption!

Jesus Christ was crucified, and the land was covered in darkness. God’s judgment of sin was placed on Christ, and the Son of God was abandoned, so that I would become a son of God and never be abandoned! What God started in redeeming Israel He finished in our redemption!

How is this accomplished? By THE firstborn of all creation not being spared, the one, true Passover lamb was crucified so we might have eternal life. Easter is the story of the Lamb of God being slain for the sins of the world!

And the people are redeemed! But not simply through the cross. We don’t just believe that Christ was crucified. Oh no, friend, it’s much better than that. HE IS RISEN! God left Egypt to fumble in darkness, and the Passover ends with the firstborn of Egypt dead. God vanquished the darkness at Easter by the death of His own son, and our redemption ends with the Firstborn of all creation risen, and ascended at the right hand of the Father.

This is the what we celebrate today! In fact, this is what we celebrate every single Sunday! Moses sees only a piece of what God is doing to redeem a people. We can see it in full!

So, maybe today, you were in spiritual blindness, and the scales have fallen off and you can see the glory of Christ! What must you do? GOSPEL!

Living Hope: then through the darkness, Your loving kindness tore through the shadows of my soul. The work is written, the end is finished.

Closing song: out of the silence, the roaring lion! LIVING HOPE.

Benediction: 2 Cor. 4:6

2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.