Exodus 10

God’s Light Shines in the Darkness

“No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.” ~ Exodus 10:23

When I read this chapter, I was amazed by the sharp contrast between Egypt and Israel. Egypt was swallowed in complete darkness for three days, yet God’s people had light where they lived. This was not light they created or controlled. It was a supernatural reminder that God makes a difference between His people and the world. His light is not limited by circumstances, location, or human effort.

Even today, we see terrible things happening in the world around us. Confusion, fear, and chaos seem to be everywhere. But just like the Israelites in Egypt, God makes a distinction for His children. His promise is that even when the world is shaken by trouble, His light will shine in the lives of those who belong to Him. His Word becomes our lamp, and His presence is our covering.

In my own life, there have been many times when everything around me felt heavy and uncertain. Last week I wrote about some challenges I am going through right now in my life and how the pressure sometimes feels overwhelming. Yet through these moments, God has given me peace and clarity. Each day He reminds me through His Word and His presence that He is my light and my salvation. Even though the problems are always going to come, I walk out each day in a calmness that could only come from Him. His presence lights life’s path before me, just like He gave light to the Israelites in their homes, when the rest of the world around them was in darkness. 

For you today, this passage is God’s promise that no matter how dark the world becomes, His light is your portion. The destruction, fear, and heaviness that surround others will not overtake you. Just as the Israelites were secure in God’s covering, you can live confident that His light will guard your heart, guide your steps, and keep you safe in His care.  When the darkness feels like it will overtake your life, remember that it is not for you.  God has something better, His light and His salvation!

Here are some ways you can start walking in His light today:

• Spend time daily in God’s Word and allow it to be the light that directs your steps.
• Pray for His peace and protection, trusting that His presence will surround your home and life.
• Keep scripture or worship playing in your environment to remind you of His light in every season.
• Write down one area in your life where you need God’s light to shine and invite Him into it through prayer.
• Encourage someone who feels surrounded by fear or chaos, reminding them that God makes a distinction for His people.

Today I want to encourage you to rest in the promise that even though darkness surrounds the world, it will not come near you as you live in the light of God’s Word and presence. The same God who covered His people with light in Egypt is the same God who covers you today. Trust Him to protect you, strengthen you, and shine His light so brightly in your life that no darkness can overcome it.

Today’s scripture reading: Exodus 10

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them. 

2 I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them and so you will know that I am the Lord.”

3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me. 

4 If you refuse, watch out! For tomorrow I will bring a swarm of locusts on your country. 

5 They will cover the land so that you won’t be able to see the ground. They will devour what little is left of your crops after the hailstorm, including all the trees growing in the fields. 

6 They will overrun your palaces and the homes of your officials and all the houses in Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt have your ancestors seen a plague like this one!” And with that, Moses turned and left Pharaoh.

7 Pharaoh’s officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the Lord their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”

8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “All right,” he told them, “go and worship the Lord your God. But who exactly will be going with you?”

9 Moses replied, “We will all go—young and old, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds. We must all join together in celebrating a festival to the Lord.”

10 Pharaoh retorted, “The Lord will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan. 

11 Never! Only the men may go and worship the Lord, since that is what you requested.” And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace.

12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the land of Egypt to bring on the locusts. Let them cover the land and devour every plant that survived the hailstorm.”

13 So Moses raised his staff over Egypt, and the Lord caused an east wind to blow over the land all that day and through the night. When morning arrived, the east wind had brought the locusts. 

14 And the locusts swarmed over the whole land of Egypt, settling in dense swarms from one end of the country to the other. It was the worst locust plague in Egyptian history, and there has never been another one like it. 

15 For the locusts covered the whole country and darkened the land. They devoured every plant in the fields and all the fruit on the trees that had survived the hailstorm. Not a single leaf was left on the trees and plants throughout the land of Egypt.

16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you,” he confessed. 

17 “Forgive my sin, just this once, and plead with the Lord your God to take away this death from me.”

18 So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and pleaded with the Lord. 

19 The Lord responded by shifting the wind, and the strong west wind blew the locusts into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained in all the land of Egypt. 

20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart again, so he refused to let the people go.

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward heaven, and the land of Egypt will be covered with a darkness so thick you can feel it.” 

22 So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. 

23 During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived.

24 Finally, Pharaoh called for Moses. “Go and worship the Lord,” he said. “But leave your flocks and herds here. You may even take your little ones with you.”

25 “No,” Moses said, “you must provide us with animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord our God. 

26 All our livestock must go with us, too; not a hoof can be left behind. We must choose our sacrifices for the Lord our God from among these animals. And we won’t know how we are to worship the Lord until we get there.”

27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart once more, and he would not let them go. 

28 “Get out of here!” Pharaoh shouted at Moses. “I’m warning you. Never come back to see me again! The day you see my face, you will die!”

29 “Very well,” Moses replied. “I will never see your face again.”

Journal:

• Where in my life do I need God’s light to shine right now?
• How have I seen His light protect and guide me in past seasons?
• What step can I take today to stay in His presence and let His light lead me?