The Egyptians believed in many gods, but the one they held in the highest esteem was the sun-god ‘Ra’. Ra is often depicted with a falcon’s head standing in a boat with an orange disc on his head (the sun) sailing over the watery firmament. Light was seen to be the source of life and so Ra was believed to be the life-giving god of Egypt. When God covered Egypt in darkness, therefore, he was symbolically demonstrating that he, not Ra, was the source of light and life. This onset of three days of darkness would have been understood by the Egyptians as the defeat or their most powerful god. And they must have been terrified. The real significant element of this situation, however, was that the Israelites had light wherever they lived. Imagine the scenario: everyone is in darkness except the Israelites. I imagine that many Egyptians would have gone to where the Israelites were during those three days of darkness and would have wanted to know why they alone lived in the light. The point of this situation is applied succinctly by Isaiah who applies it to all God’s people: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isaiah 60:1-3). We are lights in a dark world. Let’s focus on shining and God will bring to us those living in darkness.
Ask God to shine more brightly in your heart and draw others to your light.
Read Exodus 10:21-29 and Matthew 5:14-16
