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Text: Exodus 10:21-11:10
Now, the lights go out in Egypt.
Felt darkness (vss 21-23)
- The darkness over Egypt is so visceral that it stimulates these other senses and feelings. It reminds me of sin and the way sin is explained as darkness.
- In sin you’d say give me a little bit of darkness, but not that much! That’s overwhelming.
- The darkness is felt in fear
- The darkness is felt in loneliness
- The darkness is felt in powerlessness.
Faithful wisdom (vss 24-26)
- Pharaoh asks Moses to go worship but leave the cattle. Why would he want Moses to leave Israel’s cattle in the Egypt? Because most of his cattle are dead at this point.
- Moses answer is very wise.
- First of all, God told us to take the cattle, so we’re taking the cattle.
- Second, we don’t know what exactly we’ll be sacrificing when we get there so I can’t give anything to you that God may ask for.
- And that is often the case. It’s why Jesus said what he said about following him. You can’t love anything more than me because at some point that relationship may have to be sacrificed.
Furious prophet (vss 27-11:10)
- Pharaoh makes a threat in the form of an ultimatum to which Moses agrees.
- Moses says, It’s true, I will never see your face again. But chapter 11 comes in this same conversation with Pharaoh.
- Death of the firstborn is explained to Pharaoh in chapter 11. Because this is the way God’s people have been treated by Pharaoh, they are in some way, God’s firstborn son, begotten by the word of God as a nation. And so the LORD will take the firstborn in all of Egypt.
- Moses leaves Pharaoh’s presence frustrated and furious at the hardness of his heart.
