The Ninth Plague: Darkness Evangelist Joanna Pae - Shiloh Sunday Service - 14th February 2016
Exodus 10:20-23
"20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.
Darkness over the Land
21 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.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 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."
Every event in the history of Israel in the Bible is written as a warning for us today upon whom the end has come (1 Cor 10:11). Hence, we must understand the history of Israel as our own history ofredemption. One of the most notable among the biblical events is the ten plaguesasit the fulfillment ofthe covenant of the torch, the promise to deliver His people from their oppression and bring them into God’s kingdom. Today, we are going to look specifically at the 9th plague, darkness.
1. Timing of the plague: God alone counted the 430 years!
For the first time in history, Rev. Abraham Park has exposed the exact dates and days of the ten plagues, proving that they were not natural phenomena, as believed by many people, but God’s precise execution of judgment to fulfill the covenant of the torch. God made this covenant with Abraham in 2082 BC, 636 years before the actual plague. The covenant states (Gen 15:13): 1. Abraham’s descendants will be oppressed for 400 years, 2. God will judge the nation in the end, and 3. they will come out with great possessions. Just as He promised, Exodus 12:41 states, "at the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt," denoting that God has been counting—all alone—the exact 430 years to redeem His people. This reminds us how God is counting every single day even now toward His determined date. Because of that day and hour no one knows, but Father God only (Matt 24:36), we must be on the alert and be ready (Matt 24:44).
2. What kind of darkness was it?
With only three days left before the final plague of the firstborn (Exod 10:22), this darkness engulfed the entire Egypt. Bible makes it clear that it was not just a visible phenomenon but had a devastating impact directly people’s bodies!
(1) Darkness which may be felt (Exod 10:21): "Felt" (mashash) The darkness was so severe, to the point that it could be felt with hands! They were completely shut in by it—prison of darkness!
(2) Thick darkness (Exod 10:22): "Thick" (Aphela: darkness, gloomy, calamity). This darkness brought extreme fear, depression and even horror. The entire land was in a complete panic state.
(3) Could not see one another (Exo 10:23): "another" (ach: siblings, relatives). All communication was shut down even among family members! It was a complete state of isolation and loneliness!
(4) No one rose from his place for 3 days (Exo 10:23): Completely devastated with fear from this indescribable darkness, they could not move at all! Imagine being unable to move for 3 days! Let alone eating, what about going to bathroom? It was as if the entire population became living corpse!
3. However, there were light in the land of Goshen (Exod 10:23).
Who is this true light? Jesus Christ is the true light, the "LIGHT OF LIFE" (John 8:12). That’s why Revelation 21:23 also states that true city of God has no need of the sun or of the moon; only the glory of God and the Lamb is their light and their lamp! This situation reminds us of 1 Thess 5:2-5, which states that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night, but we are not in darkness for we are all sons of light and sons of day.The advantage of having this light is much greater than we think! Because only Goshen had light, Goshen was the only place where people could prepare for the final plague and their "departure." While the entire Egypt was engulfed by darkness, the Israelites prepared the Passover lamb according to God’s calendar (Exo 12:1-11) so that death would Passover their household (Exo 12:13).
Conclusion
A true darkness is what holds us back from going to the true light. The darkness represents Pharaoh and his hardened heart. The darkness came because Pharaoh’s heart hardened and did not let Israel go to fully serve God (Exo 10:24-26). Goshen was still within Egypt. Likewise, we—Christians living this world—still have many things in our lives that prevent us from fully dedicating ourselves to the Lord. What is your Pharaoh? Throughout this season of Lent, let us identify all the things that prevent us from fully returning to Lord to serve Him. Let us repent and cry out to our Father, who will certainly hear us and speak upon our darkness: "Let there be light!" (Matt 4:16).