Plague of Darkness and the Passover

9th Plague – Darkness

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.

Timeline of the 9th plague

So as we see here, the plague of darkness lasts for three days.

The word for “darkness” here is hoshek (חֹשֶׁךְ), meaning darkness, night, and dark.

Let’s take a look at the timeline: the plague of darkness begins on the 12th day of the 1st month, that’s a Monday. And it lasts for three days, until the 14th day, the Wednesday.

Characteristics of the 9th plague (1)

The plague of darkness judged Ra, the Egyptian sun god.

The sun god, Ra, was most powerful of all the Egyptian gods.

Through the plague of darkness, God exposes Ra as a fake idol that had no actual power.

God demonstrates Himself as the almighty Creator who alone has power over light and darkness.

Characteristics of the 9th plague (2)

The 9th plague came without warning

The darkness could be felt (Exod. 10:21).

The darkness covered the entire land of Egypt, except Goshen (Exod. 10:22).

The people could not see each other, and no one rose from their place (Exod. 10:23).

Characteristics of the 9th plague (3)

Moses did not intercede for Pharaoh

Pharaoh’s period of grace and repentance had ended.

God’s final judgement upon Pharaoh was revealed.

Exodus 10:27 ESV

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.

Eschatological perspective on the 9th plague

In the end times, God will judge the world with darkness. We see this in the book of Revelation.

The 6th seal turned the sun black.

Revelation 6:12 ESV

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,

The 4th trumpet kept a third of the sun, moon, and stars from shining.

Revelation 8:12 ESV

The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

The 5th bowl plunged the kingdom of the beast into darkness.

Revelation 16:10 ESV

The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish

10th Plague – Firstborn

Timeline of the 10th plague

The plague of the firstborn happened at midnight on the 15th day of the first month, after the Passover meal.

Characteristics of the 10th plague (1)

So who were affected? The Bible says that the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 12:29 ESV

At midnight the Lord struck down 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 the livestock.

This included..

The firstborn of Pharaoh

The firstborn of the captive

The firstborn of the livestock

So God doesn’t discriminate. He’s judging the entire land of Egypt.

Characteristics of the 10th plague (2)

The Israelites left with great possessions

Exodus 12:35–36 ESV

The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

Why did this happen? First of all, it happened in order to fulfill the covenant of the torch that God ratified with Abraham.

Genesis 15:14 ESV

But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

The Israelites were compensated for their labor

Secondly, the Israelites worked as slaves for 400 years, but the Egyptians didn’t pay them. So God, seeing this, gave them the compensation due to them.

As we live on this earth, we’re going to be victims of injustice in one way or another. Whether no one appreciates your hard work, or you get treated unfairly at work or at home, or even worse, you end up like the Israelites who don’t receive their pay.

God’s Word reminds us that He pays careful attention to our situation. He understands what we’re going through. And He tells us that He’s going to take vengeance for us, so we don’t need to lift a finger. That means that we can hold our peace.

Romans 12:17–19 ESV

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

The plunder was used to build the tabernacle

Later on, at the foot of Mt. Sinai, Moses gives a call for donations in order to build the tabernacle. And lo and behold, the Israelites had an abundance of jewelry and gold and precious metals which they had plundered from the Egyptians. And so the plunder was used to build the tabernacle.

Exodus 35:22 ESV

So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord.

The Passover

Timeline of the Passover

When did the Passover happen? It happened on the third day of the plague of darkness.

The meaning of Passover

Exodus 12:11 ESV

In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.

The Hebrew word for Passover here is pesah (פֶּסַח), meaning “to pass over,” or “to leap over.”

And it literally means for something to go over you, to skip you. It means that you’ve been exempted from something that was supposed to be yours. In this case, it’s the angel of death that passes over the homes of the Israelites.

Exodus 12:12–13 ESV

For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on 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 are. 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.

When Paul writes the letter to the Romans, he first talks about the Jews and the Gentiles. But in chapter 3, he makes a bold statement. He says that both Jews and Greeks are under sin.

We must not forget that the Israelites in Egypt, even though they’ve been slaves for 400 years, they’re still worthy of judgement. They are still lacking in righteousness. And it is only by the blood of the Lamb that the angel of death passes over their homes.

Instructions for the Passover

Exodus 12:3 ESV

Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household.

Exodus 3:5 ESV

Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

The Passover lamb had to be chosen on the 10th day of the month, without blemish. And they were to observe the lamb for blemishes until the 14th day.

Exodus 12:6–7 ESV

and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.

And on the 14th day of the month, they would kill the Passover lamb, and put its blood on the doorposts and lintel of their houses.

*show picture illustrating a lintel*

*show picture illustrating the blood being applied*

The Passover lamb foreshadows Jesus Christ

John 1:29 ESV

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

1 Corinthians 5:7 ESV

Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

The lamb’s bones were not broken

Exodus 12:46 ESV

It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.

John 19:31–33 ESV

Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.

The lamb was killed from 3-6pm on the 14th day

Exodus 12:6 ESV

and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

The word for twilight here is actually an entire phrase: “beyn ha-arbayim” (בֵּ֥ין הָעַרְבָּֽיִם).

Beyn means between or among.

Arbayim is the plural form of ereb, meaning “evening”.

So twilight literally means “between the evenings.”

Now, in those days, there were two evenings.

The first evening was 3pm, at the time when the sun begins to set.

The second evening was 6pm, the time when the sun finished setting.

So the Passover lamb was to be killed between 3-6pm on the 14th day. But remember, the Jewish day is from 6pm to 6pm, from sunset to sunset. It’s different from our system, where we go from midnight to midnight.

So anytime after 12am on the 14th day, we would think of it as the 15th day. So when it says “3pm on the 14th day,” it’s referring to 3pm on the next day.

Our Passover Lamb was killed at 3pm on the 14th day

Matthew 27:45–46 ESV

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

In the ancient Jewish timekeeping system, they divided the day into 12 daytime hours and 12 nighttime hours. And the first hour of the day began at sunrise, at 6am. So the 6th hour would be 12pm, and the 9th hour would be 3pm.

And it says here that darkness came upon the land from the 6th to the 9th hour. Why did it stop at the 9th hour? Because it was the time that Jesus died. He died in darkness so that we could live in the light.

The Passover lamb and the Passion Week

The Passover lamb was observed from the 10th to the 14th day.

So if you look here, you’ll see that the 10th day would have been Palm Sunday.

The 11th day would be Monday.

And Thursday at 6pm would have been the 14th day.

So Jesus came into Jerusalem as the Passover Lamb, and He proved Himself unblemished and blameless amidst the crowds that tested Him.

Conclusion:

We must banish the darkness through the Word of God

When Apostle Paul write 2 Corinthians, he wrote about the people who refused to believe in the Gospel. And this is what he says.

2 Corinthians 3:14 ESV

But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.

He says that those who harden their hearts to God’s Word have the veil over their eyes. And what is it that lifts the veil? Only through Christ. So who has lifted the veil from our eyes? Jesus Himself. Through His death on the cross, our eyes are opened to the truth of God, and our hearts are softened to God’s Word. We no longer rebel against His Word.

That’s why Paul gives us this command in Romans.

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Jesus died in darkness so that we could live in the light

So we need to cling onto the Word of God and banish the darkness of unbelief from us. Charles Spurgeon once said, “Unbelief is the root of all sins.” Would we entertain the things of sin if we truly believed in the fires of hell? Would we fail to look up if we saw the glories of heaven?

How do we know if darkness has entered our hearts?

We can know by the way we live, and the way we love. Do we love our neighbors as we love ourselves? Do we speak to each other in the way we would like to be spoken to? Or is our speech laced with sarcasm and passive aggression?

1 John 2:9–10 ESV

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

We must ask the Lord for more light

We must run to the Scriptures and read the Word of God with prayerful hearts, begging for the veil to be lifted more and more, begging to behold the glory of the Lord. Only then can the darkness of unbelief be banished.

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

There was an English puritan pastor by the name of Richard Alleine. And when he took part in religious debates, contending for the Christian faith, he would scribble some notes onto his notebook. And one day, a curious person looked over his shoulder to see what he was writing, but it was only one line scribbled over and over again.

“More light, Lord. More light, Lord, More light, Lord.”

May this be our prayer today and every day. More light, Lord.