SERIES C --- EXODUS FROM BONDAGE --- LESSON 08

DARKNESS

A DARK PLAGUE FROM THE EAST WIND

From Exodus 10

[Return to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials,] Adonai told Moses. [I am doing this so that I may perform more miracles to show My Power. You will have much to tell your children and grandchildren about the wonders I have done in Egypt, how I made the Egyptians look foolish as I proved to them that I am Adonai.] When Moses and Aaron returned to Pharaoh, they took Adonai’s message to him. [How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?] Adonai asked Pharaoh. [Let My people go so they can serve Me. If you refuse, tomorrow I will cover the whole land with locusts. They will be so thick that you will not be able to see the ground, and they will eat everything which the hail did not destroy. The locusts will strip every part of the land and swarm into your houses, even the houses of your officials. This will be the worst plague of locusts which you or your ancestors have known.] As soon as Moses had finished, he walked away. But Pharaoh’s officers said to Pharaoh, [How long will you permit our land to be destroyed? Let those people go to serve their YHVH. Don’t you realize that Egypt is already in ruins?] Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron again. [Go,] he commanded. [Serve your YHVH. But who will go?] [We shall take our sons and daughters and our flocks and herds,] Moses answered. [Everyone must go, for this is a sacred feast to Adonai.] [Absolutely not!] Pharaoh shouted. [Do you think I’m going to let your families go with you? You men can go alone! You’re plotting something against us.] When Pharaoh had spoken, he ordered his men to drive Moses and Aaron from the palace. Adonai Commanded Moses to stretch out his hand toward the land of Egypt. [When you do, the locusts will come to devour the land,] Adonai said. [They will destroy all that the hail left behind.] Moses, holding the rod, stretched his hand across the land of Egypt. Adonai caused a wind to blow from the east. All day and night the east wind carried locusts until the land was covered with them. There had never been such a plague of locusts before, and there never will be again. The locusts swarmed over the land in such great numbers that they covered the ground and filled the skies until the skies grew dark. They devoured every green plant left by the hail and even stripped the trees of their leaves. Pharaoh immediately sent for Moses and Aaron. [I have sinned against you and Adonai,] he confessed. [Forgive me this time and plead with your YHVH to take away this deadly plague from the land.] Moses left Pharaoh and pleaded with Adonai to take away the locusts. Adonai sent a great wind from the west and blew the locusts into the Red Sea. Not one locust remained in Egypt. Then Adonai again hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Once more Pharaoh refused to let the people of Israel go. [Stretch out your hand toward heaven,] Adonai told Moses. [I will send darkness upon the land so terrible that the people must feel their way.] Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven and a terrible darkness came upon the land of Egypt for three days. During those days the people of Egypt could not see one another or move about the land. But the people of Israel had light in the land of Goshen. Pharaoh summoned Moses. [You may go to worship your YHVH,] he said. [You may even take your families. But leave your flocks and herds behind.] [We must take our cattle, too,] Moses answered. [From our herds and flocks, we shall offer sacrifices to our YHVH. No, not one hoof will remain behind.] But Adonai hardened Pharaoh’s heart. [Go away!] said Pharaoh. [Don’t ever come to see me again, for if you do, you shall die!] [By your own mouth you have condemned yourself, for I will never see you again,] said Moses.

COMMENTARY

NIGHT AND DAY: SOME GODS OF ANCIENT EGYPT

The Egyptians worshiped many gods. Each of the plagues had demonstrated YHVH’s Power over one of their deities. Now the chief god, Ra, the sun itself, was challenged. For three days a darkness that could be felt hung over the land of Egypt. Ra had been conquered. No wonder utter terror struck the Egyptians! But still Pharaoh would not let YHVH’s people go. The three days of darkness that fell on the Egyptians terrified them, causing them to fear something much greater than night-time darkness itself. Their religion explains why. Instead of believing in the one Elohiym who Creates and Rules everything at all times in the universe, they believed in many gods. Each was responsible for different things and often each had several different names. Because there can be no life without the sun, the sun-god was thought of as king of all gods. His most important name was Ra, but he was given other names for the sunlight at different times of day. At his fullest strength, he was called Amon-Ra. The Egyptians believed that Amon-Ra travelled through the underworld each night. Riding in a boat, he had to fight the enemies of light. His most dangerous enemy was the god Apophis, who was represented by a giant snake or crocodile. Before he could rise in the morning, Amon-Ra had to fight darkness, storms, mist and night. His weapon was the burning heat of the sun. Amon-Ra always won, but the dried-up Apophis had the power to renew himself each day to fight Amon-Ra each night. The Egyptians believed that if Amon-Ra ever lost this battle sunlight would never appear on the earth again. When the sun disappeared for three days during the Exodus, the Egyptians thought Apophis had won and the end of the world had come. No wonder then that this plague was so frightening!