Pharaoh’s heart remained as hard as ever, and so God sent another plague. He sent grasshoppers (locusts) over the whole land, which not only ruined their crops but went right into their homes. They had never seen such a plague before, and even Pharaoh’s servants advised him to let God’s people go. Pharaoh decided to yield a little more. If they would not sacrifice to the Lord in Egypt, nor a little way from Egypt, perhaps they would consent to leave their little ones there. Pharaoh knew that if they did, the older ones would soon be back in Egypt again with their children. He used good reasoning too, for he said it would be hard travelling with them, and that they would have difficulty. How often this same advice is offered to Christian parents by the “Pharaohs” of today. We are told that our children must have some of the world, and that we must not rob them of all it offers. We are told that they are too young to understand and that we must wait — yes, wait until the world has a good hold of them and then it is too late to try to bring them to “Canaan.” It is true that the children did make it difficult travelling, but they shared the parents’ joys as well as their sorrows along the way. Some might have reasoned, “Why bring the children? They cannot worship!” But faith does not reason; it trusts God. May God help us to entrust our families to Him and seek to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:44And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)).
Pharaoh pretended to be repentant and called for Moses again. He asked that the grasshoppers be removed and so God sent a strong west wind which took them all away. Not one was left in the whole land. However, as soon as they were gone Pharaoh again refused to let the people go again.
Light and Darkness
Moses was then told to stretch forth his hand toward heaven and bring darkness upon the land. It was such a terrible, dense, thick darkness that it could be felt, and everyone stayed inside their home, “but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings” (ch. 10:23).
Let us make a few remarks here about this wonderful fact. We who are saved have divine light as we pass through this dark scene. We were once darkness, but now we are “light in the Lord” (ch. 30:8) (Ephesians 5:88For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (Ephesians 5:8)), and we are to walk as children of light. The light in our dwellings is the Word of God which we should read each day. “The entrance of Thy Words giveth light” (Psa. 119:130130The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalm 119:130)). The children of Israel dared not go out of their homes, for outside all was dark — a darkness that might be felt. Let us be careful about going out into the darkness of this Egypt-world, for we will soon lose our way if we do. Instead let us walk according to the light of God’s precious Word and we shall be safe.
Pharaoh made one more suggestion to Moses, and it was the cleverest of all: he suggested that the children of Israel go, taking everything but their flocks and herds. In other words, he wanted them to have their business interests in Egypt. There is a word for us in this. Perhaps you are planning what line of work or profession to pursue. Look to the Lord for guidance in this important decision, dear young people, for we have only one short life to live, and only what is done according to the will of God will abide. We would not want to leave our “flocks and herds” (ch. 10:9) in Egypt, would we?
Further Meditation
1. What is the “light in our dwellings”?
2. How did Satan use subtlety with Eve?
3. Satan’s crafty ways are exposed in Satan’s Operations on the Lord’s People: Ten Tactics the Devil Uses to Overthrow Our Lives Exposed by the Word of God by B. Anstey. The title is a mouthful but the content is excellent.