CRITICAL NOTES.—
Exodus 10:21. Darkness which may be felt] Fürst takes the Heb. to mean: “to grope about in the dark.”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Exodus 10:21-23
THE PLAGUE OF DARKNESS; OR, A TYPE OF THE SAD MORAL CONDITION OF UNREGENERATE HUMANITY
The land of Egypt is now covered in palpable darkness. We cannot tell how this darkness was produced. It was a miracle. It may have been produced by a deprivation of sight (Deuteronomy 28:27-29). It may have been caused by a storm, or by a thick cloud resting upon the earth (Exodus 14:20). The Egyptians worshipped the sun under the name of Osiris. Thus their god had forsaken them, or he was dethroned. This darkness was not relieved by any artificial light; but the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
I. That unregenerate humanity is in a condition of moral darkness. This is abundantly evident to a devout and thoughtful mind. It is demonstrated by the pages of inspiration, by the record of history, and by the experiences of human life. Darkness is upon the face of the earth.
1. The unregenerate are ignorant. Darkness is an emblem of ignorance. All unregenerate men are ignorant. They may be men of science, or students of the mysteries of the material universe; they may be versed in all secular knowledge; yet they are ignorant, they are ignorant of God as their Father, of Christ as their Saviour, of the Holy Spirit as their Comforter, and of the glories of the moral universe in which their souls are called to live.
2. The unregenerate are miserable. How miserable would be the Egyptians during these days of palpable darkness; a true emblem of the moral wretchedness of the sinner. He is destitute of the glorious light of heaven, the true illumination of the soul. He gropes in darkness to an awful destiny of woe. He knows not the higher enjoyments of being. He lives in a dark world.
3. The unregenerate are in danger. Men in the dark are in danger. This is true of the soul. Without the light of truth and without the light of the Eternal Spirit, it must perish. It is under the condemnation of heaven.
II. That unrenewed humanity is in moral darkness through sin. As the darkness was brought upon Egypt by sin, so it has been brought upon mankind. The race was born into the glad enjoyment of moral light. The light was lost by disobedience. Hence all men are now born in soul-darkness. They only emerge into light as they come to the cross, where they are illumined by the Sun of Righteousness. Then they walk as children of the light.
III. That unrenewed humanity is in great straits through, and has no artificial alleviation of, its moral darkness.
1. The moral vision of humanity is impeded. The Egyptians were not able to see each other. If men were pure, with what visions of soul would they be enriched; they would see the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descending upon them. But, alas! they are in darkness because of sin.
2. The moral activity of humanity is suspended. The Egyptians were not able to rise from their places. Sin imprisons the activities of the soul. It renders men unable to accomplish the mission of life. This darkness of the soul can only be removed by Christ. No artificial light can chase it away. LESSONS:—
1. To seek to relieve the woe of those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
2. To see the effect of sin.
3. To seek light from the cross of Christ.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Exodus 10:21-23. God falls upon sinners without warning, when they deal falsely with Him.
The same signal God may command for several uses.
Palpable darkness is a judgment from God.
Chains of darkness can God make to hold fast sinners in prison.
God executes His judgments on the world with discrimination to His people.
Egypt’s darkness is Israel’s light.
LIGHT IN THE DWELLINGS OF THE GOOD
I. In the dwellings of the good there is the light of revealed truth.
II. In the dwellings of the good there is the light of providential guidance.
III. In the dwellings of the good there is the light of moral character.
Home light, Exodus 10:23—last clause. The light which the Israelites had in their dwellings during this plague was doubtless supernatural. God still gives light to His people while the world around them dwells in darkness. Earth has no light in itself; neither has man. All light is from God. All may possess spiritual light. Some prefer darkness. The true Israel still have light in their dwellings. Light in the heart brings light in the home.
I. There is supernatural light in the dwellings of God’s people. Light may be regarded as an emblem of spiritual truth. There is a light brighter than the light of the sun. God’s people dwell in it. The light of the glory of God has shone in upon them.
“ ’Tis not the morning light
That wakes the lark to sing;
’Tis not a meteor of the night,
Nor track of angel’s wing;
It is an uncreated beam,
Like that which shone on Jacob’s dream.”
—Montgomery.
“God is light.” He dwells with His saints. Christ is the true Light. He riseth upon them as the “Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings.” God’s Word is a light: this Divine lamp ever shines in their homes. Light is an emblem of love, of purity, of knowledge, of joy. These virtues ever brighten and beautify domestic duties and parental anxieties. No other light, but that which comes from God, and is apprehended by the eye of the soul, can truly illumine our dwellings. No creations of worldly wisdom, wealth, or philosophy can give this heavenly light. There is darkness that may be felt where it does not shine. Approaching the metropolis one winter’s evening in the train, the lights gleaming from its myriad houses as we dashed along attracted the notice of the passengers. “Ah,” said a poor woman, “the houses look bright enough, but the true light is where the love of God is.” She had been taught of God. This is the truth. Only those who have His love have “light in their dwellings.”
II. That this light is the source of manifold blessings. Comfort under trial; strength in weakness; peace in disquietude; lessons of resignation, patience, and fortitude: sanctification of affliction; sympathy with the suffering members of the household; preservation in calamitous times; sustaining trust in God under perplexing circumstances; hope of eternal felicity. Happy is the home where this light shines. Men from such homes have a celestial brightness about them; children reared in such dwellings become “burning and shining lights in the world. Happy is the people that is in such a case.” (Psalms 144:12-15.)
III. That this light is a foregleaming of that glory which will be enjoyed by God’s people for ever. The light that shines in pious homes is the same that brightens heaven. When John saw that holy dwelling-place he says, “The glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” God’s love in Christ is the light of every true Israelite’s dwelling on earth, and that is the light of heaven. Christian homes ought to be “spangles of celestial brightness on this darksome earth.” The light here is sometimes dimmed. Heaven is its native sphere. It suffers there no eclipse. Our vision too will be clearer. Every spiritual truth which natural light symbolises, and is but its material shadow, will be seen in all its harmonious sympathies and grandest proportions. We shall see light in God’s light. The light will penetrate us more fully: we shall be glorified by it. We now know in part, but then face to face. The light is the same; but it has now to pass through the murky atmosphere of our sinfulness. This light gleams upon us to prepare us for its fuller manifestations in heaven. The home of the true Israelite is bright with the celestial glory: it has much of heaven in it: it is distinguished by heaven’s light; and those who pass from such dwellings into heaven go from one Divine glory to another; going from God’s light on earth to His light in heaven.
The dwellings of the good:—
1. Their light.
2. Their beauty.
3. Their protection.