Darkness

Darkness
Words of Faith 10-14-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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[21] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt--darkness that can be felt." [22] So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. [23] No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.
[24] Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, "Go, worship the LORD. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind."
[25] But Moses said, "You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. [26] Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the LORD our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the LORD."
[27] But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was not willing to let them go. [28] Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die."
[29] "Just as you say," Moses replied, "I will never appear before you again."

I grew up visiting caves as a child in Missouri. One of the "must do" items on every tour was the moment of "total darkness." There is nothing quite like it. The tour guide gives a warning before turning off all light, and then it is... really dark.
Sometimes the darkness that comes in the evening is peaceful and calming. This was different. This was a darkness that was terrifying. Only the Israelites had light.
This plague was aimed at one of the chief Egyptian deities, the sun god Re. Pharaoh himself was a representation of this God, so this attack was personal. Re was responsible for providing sunlight, warmth, and productivity.
Like the third and sixth plagues, this ninth judgment came without warning. When Moses extended his hand, the land was draped with a thick cloak of darkness for three days, except in the land of Goshen.
The exact nature of the darkness is uncertain, but since Goshen was spared, it could not have been an eclipse of the sun. Some interpret this "darkness that can be felt" to mean a massive sandstorm with its darkness and heat that would cause people to seek shelter. With the land bare from the loss of crops by hail and locusts, a sandstorm, possibly flowing from the south in March, would have been unusually fierce.
Pharaoh was miserable. He summoned Moses and said he was willing to let him leave with the people, but not with their flocks and herds. This was Pharaoh's fourth attempted compromise. These animals, if retained, would help replenish Egypt's loss of animal life in the fifth and seventh plagues.
But Moses was not going to compromise. He insisted that the people had been called to worship and, therefore, they would not leave behind any animals of sacrifice. So we see the belligerence of Pharaoh again. He orders Moses out of his presence.
This was a defining moment as Moses replied that he would never return before Pharaoh again. He would, in fact, return later, but not to bring a word of mercy from God. In other words, if Moses saw Pharaoh again, it would be to announce an unavoidable judgment or it would be at Pharaoh's request to grant Moses and the Israelites permission to leave the land.
We sometimes say, "I don't want to be left in the dark." By this, we mean that we don't want to be uninformed. This is a much bigger judgment. A darkness that is the absolute absence of light gives us a glimpse, if that is even the right word, of life without God. Darkness is a picture of eternity absent from the Lord, who is Light.
Jesus was clear that we need Light. "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). We really don't want to be left in the dark.
We need Jesus. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God (John 1:11-13).

Father God, I want the Light of Jesus. I need the Light of Life. I need the Light that shines into the darkness and drives the shadows away. May I be born of God as I receive Jesus and believe in His Name. Shine in me. In Jesus' Name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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