Destruction and Darkness
Messenger Doxology
Call to Worship: Matt 27.45-54
Pastor Michael Champoux
Historical Reading: Apostle’s Creed
Pastor Andrew Loginow
Song:
How Firm a Foundation
Confession & Pardon:
Pastor Brett Eckel
Song:
Doxology
Song:
Jesus is Better
Sermon:
Dr. Alex Loginow
Destruction and Darkness
Introduction
When I started typing out my sermon manuscript this week the first sentence I wrote was, “When I was a kid I loved Indiana Jones,” but who am I kidding, I still love Indiana Jones. There is a scene from the second film, 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which perfectly encapsulates Exodus 10. Indy and has sidekick Short round are exploring an Indian palace and find themselves in a dark tunnel. As they trepidatiously move through the darkness they hear and feel crunching under their feet. In an effort to investigate what’s underfoot Dr. Jones strikes a match and the light reveals that the floor and walls are completely coated with giant insects. As we trepidatiously move through the 8th and 9th plagues or strikes in Exodus 10 we find the same two things – bugs and darkness; more specifically locus and darkness.
As we have surveyed the strikes against Egypt over the last month the point has been consistent: the idolatry and oppression of Egypt yields God’s judgment and death. The destruction and darkness of Exodus 10 epitomizes death, which is the consequence of sin. And it is only through God’s Son Jesus Christ that we find alleviation from sin and it’s consequences. The kingdoms of this world are marked by destruction, darkness, and death. The Kingdom of Christ is marked by light and life.
Locusts (vs. 1-20)
Pharaoh’s kingdom is confronted once again here. And the first thing we notice is the generational reality of sin and salvation. We’re clued in on this by the word play between verses 2 and 6. In verse 2 YHWH says that the Hebrews will tell their sons and grandsons of the signs that God did in Egypt that they may know that he is YHWH. Then in verse 6 YHWH declares that there will be more locus in Egypt as neither their fathers nor their grandfathers have seen.
Beside the fact that these verses give us accurate historical description of how bad the locust plague was and how people would discuss it afterward there is a theological and ethical point being made: namely that both sin and salvation can have generational consequences. Later at Mt. Sinai when God gives Israel the 2nd commandment he will say,
You shall not bow down to [images] or serve them, for I YHWH your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me (Exod 20.5; cf. Exod 34.7; Num 14.18; Deut 5.9).
How often have we seen abuse, addiction, adultery, or other sins passed down for generations? And if the sins aren’t passed down then the trauma of those sins have generational consequences. Drew McGuire reminded us last week at our monthly men’s breakfast that the saddest of generational sins is unbelief. Scripture warns us to keep a close watch on our lives because sin can have effects for generations.
But Scripture also tells us that God’s grace can break through and salvation can have generational effect as well.
The steadfast love of YHWH is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children (Ps 103.17).
Know therefore that YHWH your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations (Deut 7.9).
Think of the 1st century Elder Timothy who inherited faith in Christ from his mother and grandmother (2 Tim 1.5).
Many of us inherited the faith of our fathers and mothers, our grandfathers and grandmothers; others here are first generation Christians. We thank God for first generation believers but that is not the goal. The mission of Christianity is to make disciples and that starts at home. Parents, teach your children of Jesus. Bringing them to church is essential but it is not enough.
Read Scripture with them. Pray with them. Discipline them. Repent in front of them. In Exodus 10 YHWH commands Israel to tell their sons and grandsons of the judgment and salvation of God and we must do the same.
The generations of Israel will understand God’s judgment against Egypt but clearly Pharaoh doesn’t yet. Even Pharaoh’s servants are finally getting the point. They entreat Pharaoh in verse 7:
“How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?”
The Egyptians have endured seven strikes so far and Pharaoh’s heart is still hard as Moses and Aaron warn of the locusts. Pharaoh’s servants wanted Pharaoh to acquiesce to Moses so that the nightmare would end. What a healthy reminder that because of common grace and the reality that all people bear the image of God, someone doesn’t have to be a believer or even have pure motives for them to give good advice.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice (Prov 12.15).
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger (Jas 1.19).
Pastor Kevin often quotes this sage advice from his father: God gave you two ears and one mouth so listen twice as much as you speak.
At this point it appears that Pharaoh may actually heed his servants’ advice. He will let the men go worship. But Moses says no everyone must go, men, women, children, animals; everyone must go. At that point Pharaoh doubles down and sends them away.
Moses then stretched his staff over Egypt and YHWH sent an east wind carrying more locusts than Egypt had ever seen or will ever see. In our sermon for Pentecost Sunday we noted that going east in Scripture (especially in the OT) often symbolizes sin. After Adam fell in sin God drove him east of Eden (Gen 3.23-24). After Cain murdered Abel Cain settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden (Gen 4.16). After the flood the people migrated east and settled in the land of Shinar instead of being fruitful and multiplying and filling the earth (Gen 11.2). Now YHWH brings the 8th judgment of locusts on the east wind and when the judgment is over he carries the locusts away on the west wind.
Like every ancient civilization the Egyptians dreaded locusts and they had gods they looked to for protection from locusts. Just as the other plagues or strikes this 8th one is a judgment of Egypt’s idols. Last week we mentioned Nut, the sky goddess and Osiris, the god of crops and fertility. Both of these Egyptian “gods” are curiously absent as YHWH rains destruction on their crops from the sky in the form of locusts. The Egyptians also worshipped a god named Seth, who was the god of storms and disorder. But as Nut can’t protect the Egyptians from the locusts in the sky and Osiris can’t protect what’s left of their crops, so Seth cannot stop the disorder brought on by the judgment of God.
In the wake of the locust’s destruction Pharaoh once again expresses remorse for his sin. He says, “I have sinned against YHWH your God…plead with YHWH your God only to remove this death from me.” But once again it is not genuine repentance Pharaoh is expressing but remorse for the consequences of his sin. Genuine repentance happens after the Holy Spirit changes one’s heart.
After regeneration the truly repentant turn from their sin. They acknowledge that God is holy and that they are sinful. They confess their sins. That is not what Pharaoh does. Verse 20 says that YHWH hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.
Darkness (vs. 21-29)
Pharaoh persists in his sin so YHWH strikes Egypt for a 9th time. God commands Moses to stretch his hand toward heaven that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt. Darkness covers Egypt for 3 days except for where the Hebrews lived. There was light in Goshen. Pharaoh once again intimates that Israel can leave until Moses says that the animals must come too. At that point Pharaoh tells Moses that if he sees his face again Moses will be dead.
The 9th strike of darkness would be the most shocking yet as it was a judgment on one of their most venerated idols. Besides Pharaoh the most worshipped idol in Egypt was the sun represented by the sun god Re. But Re was rendered impotent as YHWH covered the land of Egypt with darkness – darkness so palpable that it could be felt. On one of our many family vacations to the Smoky Mountains as a kid we took a tour of the forbidden caverns. When we were in the heart of the cave the tour guide warned us that he was going to turn the lights out for a minute and we would experience darkness like we never have before. I don’t know if this is possible but it seemed even darker than when you close your eyes tight; it was a darkness you can feel. In judgment of their sun god Re, that kind of darkness covered Egypt for 3 days.
YHWH is revealing to the Egyptians that he is the creator of the sun. Genesis 1 tells us that in the beginning God said, “let there be light” and there was light (Gen 1.3). On the 4th day he created the sun to contain the light (Gen 1.14-19). And in the fullness of time the Son of God took on flesh in the incarnation shining the true light of God’s salvation. John 1 tells us:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1.1-5,9, 14).
The Egyptians worshipped the sun but we worship the Son of God, who is the light of the world. The Son of God became incarnate and his name is Jesus Christ. He lived without sin (Heb 4.15). And then Jesus died on a Roman cross as the penal substitutionary atonement for the sins of his people.
And as Christ died on the cross the 9th plague was recapitulated. Pastor Mike read from Matthew 27 in our call to worship. Matthew tells us that for 3 hours before Jesus died darkness covered the whole earth as the wrath of God was poured out on Christ. And just as it was dark in Egypt for 3 days, this darkness on the cross began 3 days of darkness for Christ through his death and burial. But as the light shined on the 1st day of creation in Genesis 1 the light shined again on the 1st day of the new creation as Jesus Christ walked out of the tomb resurrected from the dead on the very 1st Easter Sunday.
Now everyone who takes Christ by faith receives the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life. Faith is comprised of knowledge, ascent, and trust. You must possess the knowledge of who Jesus is and what Jesus did. You must ascent to the validity of those truth claims; you can’t merely know about Jesus you must actually understand them to be true. And finally you must transfer your trust to Christ alone.
If you trust in Christ alone it is proof that the Holy Spirit has changed your heart. If the Spirit has changed your heart he will sanctify you. Another way to say that is the Spirit will cause you to walk in the light. Earlier in our confession and pardon Pastor Brett read from 1 John 1.8-9. Listen to the verses preceding:
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1.5-7).
Jesus is the light of the world and those who follow Jesus walk in the light. Just as the Hebrews had light while the Egyptians experienced darkness, there is darkness all around us but we walk in the light because Jesus took the darkness for us. Jesus experienced the darkness of God’s wrath for our sin so that we don’t have to. And the proof that we walk in the light is that we have fellowship with God and fellowship with one another. The Egyptians rejected God and oppressed their neighbors through slavery and they were in darkness. But Christians have fellowship with God and with each other proving that we are walking in the light.
Are you worshipping God rightly by submitting to the means of grace weekly here at church? Do you have fellowship with God through confession of sin? Do you have fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we repenting and forgiving each other when we sin against each other? May Christ Community Church always be a gospel lighthouse here at 14 and Van Dyke in the midst of this dark world!
Conclusion
Unlike myself the bugs or the darkness didn’t seem to bother Indian Jones. Indy is only afraid of one thing. You know what it is: Snakes. “Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?” I guess in that sense Exodus 10 differs from that scene in Temple of Doom. There was no serpent in that tunnel in the temple of doom but there is a serpent in Exodus 10. Pharaoh stands in line with the seed of the serpent and YHWH is crushing his head through these strikes. Darkness and death will be crushed finally and fully through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In 1 John the Apostle John calls us to walk in the light as Christ is in the light. In that same epistle John gives us hope in the 2nd coming of Christ. Pharaoh told Moses, “the day you see my face you shall die,” but John tells us that the day we see Jesus’ face we will be like him because we will see him as he is (1 John 3.2). Trust in Christ today for in him alone is light and life.