Moses calls down a thick darkness over Egypt for three days, so dense it can be felt. Only the Israelites have light. Pharaoh offers another compromise, families may go, but livestock must stay. Moses refuses. Pharaoh angrily dismisses Moses and threatens death if he returns. Moses agrees: “You will never see my face again.”

It reads in Exodus 10:21–29 Easy:  Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Lift up your hand towards the sky. Then it will become dark over the whole country of Egypt. It will be so dark that people will be able to feel it.’ So Moses lifted up his hand towards the sky and it became completely dark. It was dark through the whole country of Egypt for three days. People could not see each other. Nobody could move anywhere for three days. But the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. Then Pharaoh called Moses to come to him. He said, ‘Go and worship the Lord. Even your families may go with you. Only your animals must remain in Egypt.’  But Moses said, ‘Then you will have to give us animals for our sacrifices and burnt offerings. We need our animals to offer to the Lord our God. So we must take our animals with us. Not one animal can remain behind. We must take them to worship the Lord our God. Until we arrive in the desert, we will not know which animals to use as sacrifices. But the Lord caused Pharaoh’s mind to be hard. Pharaoh would not agree to let the Israelites go. Pharaoh said to Moses, ‘Go away from me! Be careful not to come back! I never want to see you again! On the day that you see my face, you will die!’ Moses replied, ‘You are right! You will never see me again.’

Father God,  of Light and Justice, You stretched out Your hand, and the darkness obeyed. You covered Egypt in a shadow that could be felt, a silence, a stillness, a warning. Yet in the homes of Your people, You lit a flame that no plague could snuff out. Let that same light dwell in me, even when the world around me trembles in blindness. Father, when Pharaoh’s heart grows hard in my life, when injustice refuses to yield, when pride blocks the path of release, teach me to stand like Moses, with truth in my mouth and courage in my bones. Help me to speak plainly, even when the cost is exile. Help me to walk away when You say, “Enough.” Let me not fear the face of others like Pharaoh, but trust Your face Father God. In the darkness, You are still the Light. In the silence, You are still the Voice. In the finality of “I will see your face no more,” You are still the Beginning of something new. So, I stretch out my hand, Father God, not to curse, but to release. Not to control, but to obey. Shine Your light in my dwelling, and let me walk forward, even if the path is hidden. Love You, thank You, praise You and give You all the honor and glory in Jesus Precious name Amen and Amen.