ESOCS Devotional 1 April 2025 – The Joy of the Right Side of God
MEMORY VERSE: “And Moses stretched forth his hand towards Heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” Exodus 10:22-23
TEXT: EXODUS 10:20-29
But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, [a]darkness which may even be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
24 Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you.”
25 But Moses said, “You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.”
27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!”
29 So Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.”
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In every normal situation, from the very first miracle (the rod turning into a snake) that Moses showed to Pharaoh, and the response he (Pharaoh) got in the form of the failure of his magicians, it would have been enough for any man to release the people of God without much disobedience. The fact that the people of God had been maltreated for hundreds of years was enough for God to show that He is and would forever be the all-Powerful God and defender of His suffering children.
The plague of darkness, though not the first among the plagues, could be considered the most dreaded of all the plagues. We see in (v. 23), that “they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days.” This means that there was total darkness, not only from the heavens, but we can also assume that their lamps and fire places were damp; so, they were all confined to one place for three days, unable to see, to move or even do anything. This can as well be likened to spiritual darkness, as the devil blinds the eyes of men not to see the right path to follow and binds their hands and feet to stop them from following in the path of God or seeking the Kingdom of God Almighty. As Pharaoh had decided to turn a blind eye to God’s words as given by His prophets, it was only just of God to punish them. If given the opportunity, the Egyptians would have extinguished the lamps/lights of the Israelites. God’s fight for His people, therefore, was much needed.
We see in verse 25 also, that the Israelites at the same time had lights in their dwellings; all of them and even those in the midst of the Egyptians. This can be seen as nothing more than an instance of the power of God, the sovereignty of our God. We must not think that we owe no thanks to God because we share in His mercies as His children. Even that light can be taken away in an instant, as He is the God that makes the sun to shine upon the just and the unjust.
Seeing the sufferings of the Egyptians, and the happiness of the Israelites at the same time for three whole days, we can all agree that being on the right side of God is the best thing for anyone to do. If physical darkness could have rendered the Egyptians stagnant, then what would eternal spiritual darkness do to us? As much as acquiring the powers of the world is enticing, let us all strive to gain that one goal, which is our main aim on earth, winning the Crown of Glory. Let us acknowledge evil and flee from it, so we can enjoy eternal light as God’s children.
CHALLENGES:
- Would you rather have the light and happiness of the world now to gain eternal darkness later? Or would you rather follow the commands of God now and forsake earthly frivolities for an eternal life with God? The choice is yours.
PRAYER POINT
- Lord Almighty, we ask for the grace to forsake our earthly desires for power, and seek to follow in your path, with obedience and meekness of heart. Amen.
FURTHER READING: Exodus 10:1-19; Matthew 27:22-66-end
ESOCS Devotional 1 April 2025
