Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward heaven, and the land of Egypt will be covered with a darkness so thick you can feel it.” So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived. Exodus 10:21-23
This
is the beginning of the 9th plague God brought to bear in Egypt. It wasn’t so much as to punish Egypt, as to
create understanding among Israel that their God was not to be trifled with.
Darkness
is not just scary; it is ominous, foreboding, and just…plain…frightening to the
soul. In the scheme of what was
happening, the plague of darkness preceded God’s next (and final) plague, death
of the firstborn. Egypt would pay a
terrible price for growing wealthy on the backs of Jewish slaves for 400 years.
I
have seen enough darkness in my life, darkness of all
kinds. I have seen nature get dark, an
absence of light. It is strange to hold
your hand up, supposedly right in front of your eyes, and not be able to see a
finger or knuckle. I’ve also seen the
darkness of the absence of human kindness in the way we treat each other. There’s also been the cold indifference of
nature’s dark disasters, hurricanes, twisters, tsunamis, floods, erupting
volcanos, and the devastation of war.
Darkness
of the soul – an absence of Godly presence – is the worst!
What’s
so noteworthy about the Exodus text is that, for God’s people, the momentary
darkness of judgment over Egypt did not affect them. Moses records that there was light as usual where the people of
Israel lived. How like God to keep the promise of His presence. It has always been thus for God’s
people. When the world grows darker, the
light of Christ comprehends the void; it defeats darkness with peace in the
soul.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:5
There
is a darkness today that is not just covering Egypt, but the entire world. The modern-day darkness shows up in the masks
we must wear, and the way people stumble around in the absence of light. From the chaos we observe, with rioting, looting,
and escalating violence, it is obvious darkness is having its day. Yet, there is an amazing calmness among God’s
people. It’s like the world is going mad
with darkness stirring the pot. But, in
God’s camp, there is light as usual!
Pandemic is
a word that’s all too familiar in 2020.
The unanswered question of how soon this darkness will be chased by the
light of a cure and vaccine. But the
unrest and dark ways are more disturbing than the virus.
So, let’s
let the Apostle Paul have the last word today of what kind of perspective we
must have in light of the darkness:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
You chew on
that as you hit the Rocky Road today.
Have a blessed day!
Title image Russell Brownworth (own work) W Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
For another post on Exodus 10 see: When Darkness Takes Over
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