A daily, 32-day Lenten Devotional Series by Rev. Dave Brown
In Egypt, Moses served as more than a meteorologist. He came with a word from the Lord. On the Lord’s command, a catastrophic hail storm was about to land in Egypt. Some heeded this word from the LORD and protected themselves, their livestock and their slaves. The rest decided to take their chances. Such a neglect led to the destruction of livestock, people and every plant in the field.
This plague was followed by an even fiercer form of destruction. Locusts swarmed by the millions and millions, wiping out whatever was not destroyed by the hail storm. By the end of these two incidents, Egypt was economically ruined. Pharaoh’s officials (servants) knew it and said to him, “How long shall this man (Moses) be a snare to us? Let the men go that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not understand that Egypt is ruined?”
Pharaoh seemed to take his officials’ advice and summoned Moses. He admitted: “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. Now, therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the LORD your God to remove this death from me.” Readers should not take encouragement from such desperate confessions and requests. Pharaoh, like so many public leaders, operate on the level of expediency. They borrow spiritual phrases for political purposes. They are not ready to make a change of heart, only to get out of present troubles when they speak to God-sent leaders.
Moses had watched Pharaoh’s folly too often to be fooled. Therefore, when Pharaoh resisted for the eighth time, he stepped forward with the ninth plague from the hand of God. God sent darkness that could be felt over the entire land of Egypt, even as the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings in the land of Goshen.
The darkness lasted three days. This was long enough to destroy the Egyptian myth that the sun was a god and that the Pharaoh was the embodiment of the gods of morning noon and sunset. It was also sufficient time to force Pharaoh to say to Moses “go, serve the Lord; your little ones may go with you, only let your flocks and herds remain.” Some might say that Pharaoh was making his best offer and that Israel should accept it. But Moses would not compromise when it came to God’s plan. When Pharaoh told Moses, ‘Get away from me, take care to never see my face again for on the day you see my face, you shall die,” Moses did not cower. Instead, he simply said, “I will not see your face again.”
Reflections: When Pharaoh spoke his last words to Moses and Moses responded, the negotiations came to an end. There would be no more warnings. There would simply be the execution of the plan of God to deliver his people at Pharaoh’s expense. Here’s a lesson to be remembered by all who refuse God with a hardened and a prideful heart. There’s no escape for the enemies of God. Only death and destruction awaits.