THE MIRACLE OF DARKNESS


The World, the Word & You! Broadcast
Commentary by Dennis L. Finnan

"DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? BECAUSE OF THE GREATNESS AND MAGNIFICENCE OF THE BIBLE I WANT TO TALK TODAY ABOUT ONE IN PARTICULAR ¾ THE MIRACLE OF DARKNESS."

I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the WWY Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about it…

… Hello listening friends and welcome again to another broadcast edition of the World, the Word & You! speaking today is Dennis Finnan, your host and speaker thanking you for joining us on this weekend of broadcasting. Now the WWY comes to you each week on this fine station, supported exclusively by the prayers and financial care of friends like you. This year we are celebrating by God's grace, our 20th anniversary, of being on the air around the nation, and… on broadcasting on the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week.. Together, let us thank and praise God for such opportunity and privilege.

Well today as I briefly introduced my topic. We're going to talk about miracles! Especially, those that God placed in the Bible for the family of God's people to learn about. However today we shall look at only one miracle. One that is rarely examined and considered. It is the Miracle of Darkness, and from it we shall learn many lessons. But first let's listen to this…

… Do you believe in miracles? The standard belief of the world at large is that miracles are impossible and that genuine miracles have never occurred either in Bible days or in our own day. In fact, whenever someone presents a miracle in the Bible, scoffers criticize and make every attempt to explain it away. Some say what is supposed to be a miracle is really a purely naturalistic happening. Still others says, the witness or account of a miracle is suspect due to the excitement of the moment and often is some occurrence of natural laws of science. In any case, the vast majority of secularist today are non-believers in miracles!

Now having said that we must also say that there are many claims today of miracles that are spurious and even bogus because of the credibility of those who report them. In any case, the miracles we'll talk about today, I firmly believe, really happened and the consequences of it are great. So in a moment after another pause for some refreshing music, I'll return with today's message ¾ the Miracle of Darkness! …

… Now when we speak of miracles in the Church of Jesus Christ, we are not talking about someone's exclamation at a freak happening! We are talking about two distinct types of miracles. First we'll call the (1) MIRACLE OF CREATION. Such a happening must involve the creative work and ability of God Himself. The same God who gave us the Laws of science is the same God who can break those laws when the purpose warrants it by His consideration. This type of miracle requires God to break His own laws of the universe, or create new and or temporary laws for his purpose. The miracles of creation I'm talking about are, in the Bible, great signs from God for communicating His mind and thoughts. Such miracles are seen in the "Egyptian plagues," the "turning water into wine," raising Lazarus from the dead. This is the kind of creative miracles where God must create new matter, energy or order to accomplish His goal.

The second kind of miracle found in the Bible is (2) THE MIRACLE OF PROVIDENCE - This might also be called a grade "B" miracle, for it doesn't requite divine creative intervention. Rather, it requires only a simple reordering of the manner of time a particular process happens. Such miracles in the Bible can be seen as an earthquake, or drought. The vast majority of biblical miracles are the "providential" kind. I believe providential miracles still occur to this day by God's hand of mercy and grace in answer to the prayers and needs of the saints. But today I want to talk about one miracle in particular found in the Old Testament. It might be titled, the MIRACLE OF DARKNESS. Let's read the text where it is found and comment on it. First though let's discuss the context where it is found. We read in,

Exo 10:21-29 (NIV) "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt—darkness that can be felt." 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. 24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, "Go, worship the LORD. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind." 25 But Moses said, "You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. 26 Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the LORD our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the LORD." 27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die." 29 "Just as you say," Moses replied, "I will never appear before you again.""

Here is one of the ten plagues God cast forth upon the Egyptian people who had enslaved the Jews for over 400 years. God sent these plagues upon the Egyptians so Pharaoh would let them go and return to the Promised Land of Canaan. Of course, the account tells us the Egyptian Pharaoh was stubborn and refused to release the million and a half slaves. So God increasingly poured out His judgmental wrath by causing Ten Plagues to fall upon the Egyptians. For contextual sake the ten plagues were:

  1. THE NILE RIVER WAS TURNED TO BLOOD ( Exo. 7:14-25)
  2. THE LAND OF EGYPT WAS OVERRUN BY FROGS (Exo. 8:1-15)
  3. THE DUST OF THE EARTH TURNED INTO GNATS OR LICE (Exo. 8:16-19)
  4. SWARMS OF FLIES COVERED THE LAND (Exo. 8:20-32)
  5. GOD SENT DEVASTATING DISEASE ON THE EGYPTIAN LIVESTOCK (Exo. 9:1-7)
  6. GOD CAUSED BOILS TO BE INFLICTED UPON THE EGYPTIANS & THEIR ANIMALS ( Exo. 9:13-15)
  7. GOD SENT MASSIVE STORMS OF HAIL, FIRE & LIGHTENING UPON THE EGYPTIANS (Exo. 9:13-35)
  8. GOD COVERED THE LAND WITH LOCUSTS ( Exo. 10:1-20)
  9. GOD BROUGHT THREE DAYS OF DARKNESS UPON THE LAND (Exo. 10:21-29)
  10. GOD SENT DEATH TO THE FIRST BORN OF EVERY EGYPTIAN ( Exo. 11:1-10)

Yes these Ten Plagues were actual divine judgments of God inflicted on the idolatrous Egyptians because they refused to let God's people go from their slavery. Now in particular, I want to speak of the ninth plague. The MIRACLE OF DARKNESS. For indeed this was a miracle happening. Now by the 9th plague, we learned that each miraculous intervention by God was greater in intensity and severity. Finally after the Egyptian Pharaoh, still refused to let the Israelites go, God deemed it time to send perhaps one of the greatest messages they could receive…

God sent them UTTER, BLACK DARKNESS! Imagine this! In the middle of a day when the sun was shining ever so bright God took away the light! It's interesting in the Bible we are told that God is light. Why even before God fashioned and lit the sun, the moon and the stars, the Bible says there was light upon the earth. What light was this? It was the light of God's very presence. We read in the beginning stages of all creation,

Gen 1:2-3 (NIV) "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light."

Why the very taking away of the light of day for these Egyptians sent a chilling message. You see they worshipped the sun-god "Ra." The plague of darkness robbed them of their supreme god and proved that Jehovah was preeminent and God of all. It must have been a crushing blow to the priests of "Ra," and the Pharaoh when their god's power was flattened and rendered void. Now how did God perform this miracle? Let's read the text again,

Exo 10:21-22 (NIV) "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt—darkness that can be felt." 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days."

Notice, the darkness came on a day when the sky was shining brightly. There was obviously not a cloud in the sky, and then Moses lifts his hand and staff towards the sky and "whamo," the lights go out. And, not only out, but entirely! The darkness is so complete the Bible says it could be "felt." Have you ever been in a place where you could feel the darkness? The only place where I can imagine this was years ago when my family on vacation in North Dakota. We descended into a large cavern room, the guide then wanted us to experience how dark it was there and turned of all lighting. In an instant, the blackness overwhelm everyone. It was so dark you could "feel" it in your soul! People began to stir, and soon some cried out "turn the lights on, please!" I knew how they felt. Well, this is what the Egyptians felt in broad daylight which now was gone! How did this occur? The answer is it was a miracle of God! Remember, a miracle is an act of God whereby He bypasses or excludes the normal laws of nature to perform His will. We cannot answer how God hid the sun and all light, but what made it a miracle all the more was, the light of day in the Hebrew quarters of Goshen, still shown brightly.

Exo 10:22-23 (NIV) "So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived."

Some believe God used a natural occurrence to produce this miracle darkness, but the fact that the Israelites had light in the land of Goshen nearby, indicates this was no natural occurrence of some astronomical and atmospheric change, nor was this the "Khamsin," a unique wind from the desert that at times blew in bringing dense masses of fine sand that can darken the light of day. You see God chose the word "darkness" in our text to be the same one used in,

Gen 1:2 (NIV) "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."

Here the word "darkness" refers to the total absence of any light bearers, period! Yes this was a miracle of creation, one where God supernaturally altered matter, energy and order ¾ a genuine miracle which only the power of our sovereign Creator God could accomplish. All this of course was to get the attention of the Egyptians and Pharaoh himself. Why? I believe not only to cause Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, but also for them to turn to the living God themselves. How did the Egyptian Pharaoh respond?

Exo 10:28 (NIV) "Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.""

Here Pharaoh finally hardened his heart for the last time. God has given him nine opportunities to turn away from idolatry and sin and to turn to the God of Israel. But nine times Pharaoh refused, and now the last miracle was to occur. God was going to send death to the 1st born of all the Egyptians. It was now too late for any changes ¾ death was the only option left.

Oh friends, there is a very strong and serious lesson here. We discover this passage of Scripture answers yet another difficult one. In the New Testament we read,

Rom 9:18 (NIV) "Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden."

Some have misinterpreted this verse to say capriciously rejects some who might seek Him, and calls others to Himself who couldn't care less. This is hardly true. The Egyptian Pharaoh was given so many opportunities. Yet, a time came when God no longer extended His mercy and grace. This is an important truth. God is a God of mercy, grace and longsuffering, but His grace does have a limit. A person can drift past the grace of God, and God no longer extends opportunity to repent and be saved. Ho dangerous this is to reject God's calling to our hearts.

We read again in,

Heb 2:2-3 (NIV) "For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him."

How shall we escape if Pharaoh didn't? If perhaps hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, who do not want to hear the Good News message that God loves them. That He came to earth, became a man and died for their sins. Can we escape? Again the Bible tells us,

Heb 6:4-5 (NIV) "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age,"

The bible says there can come a time after God's grace, God wooing and calling and enlightening of our hearts fails to cause them to melt in His love, that God will pass by for all eternity those who refuse Him. Oh friend, has God spoken to you? Have you heard the message of God's love through Christ for a long time, but you've not responded with your heart and soul? Have you ignored, perhaps spurned, or put aside God's call for you to come to Him and be saved from your sins? Maybe you think, you'll do that after you `"sow some oats" and have a good time ¾ think again. Listen to what God did to Pharaoh,

Exo 10:1-2 (NIV) "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them 2 that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD.""

It was too late! The soul of the Pharaoh and his officials finally were hardened by God and they no longer could or would repent. Alas, they perish in Hell for all eternity. Even now four thousand years later their souls cry out in Hell in suffering, and anguish for refusing God's offer of love and salvation. But it's too late!

How about you? Does God have to perform miracles for your to come? If so, forget it. All the miracles Pharaoh saw never convinced him of God's power and might to rule and reign in his life. Neither will such change you. You must come by faith, and you must come with a decided action of your will ¾ for without faith, God cannot be pleased. But for now, God's pardon and amnesty is out! The whole world that lies in wickedness can be saved from its sins, if each individual will come to Christ confessing their sins, calling upon Christ to save them, and yielding their hearts and lives to God's control. Save this, all will be lost. It doesn't matter if you're a good Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Buddhist, or plain vanilla agnostic or atheist ¾ you will perish as Pharaoh did and die in your sins. Jesus makes it clear,

John 8:24 (NIV) "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.""

John 10:10-11 (NIV) "… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Mat 11:28 (NIV) ""Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Well, there you have it. Yes God is a God of miracles. The bible is filled with them, but God only performed them at specific times for the express purpose of extending His grace and failing that to bring judgment upon those who refuse His love and mercy. I trust you are not one of these who will perish for all eternity. The best thing you can do is walk out of the darkness of sin that shrouds your life and enter the light of God's grace and truth. God's light will shine brightly for all eternity on those whom He loves and have responded to grace…

… Yes, the greatest miracle of the darkness was not that it became dark, but that God wanted to bring light and restore those walking in darkness. Our whole world feels the darkness of sin. It shroud of death touches every life, until the light of Christ enters in by faith in Him. Trust Christ today, and enter that light of life.

The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 18 years, and serves as General Director.

These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are actual radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also.

For further information, reprints, or a listing of all topics, please write to our speaker, Dennis L. Finnan(dennis@wwy.org),or visit our webpage at http://www.wwy.org/