Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.’  So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.”  – Exodus 10:21-23 

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I really can’t imagine being stuck in thick darkness for three days, nor do I want to. But the following story is my fictional piece of what it might have been like. You may read Exodus 10:21-29 here: Bible Gateway.

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Pharaoh paced through the night as sleep evaded him. This morning, he would rid Moses and his slave brother once and for all. If it weren’t for them and their desert god, Egypt would still thrive as the most powerful and influential nation on earth. A prosperous nation resulting from his genius alone. For if it weren’t for him seizing the moment, Egypt would be no different from surrounding nations. But being a god gave him extraordinary vision. None of Egypt’s great cities would exist without his insight and direction. Didn’t he seize the opportunity by using the Hebrews? With zero down payment, the cities flourished. And wealth just his kept multiplying.

Until now.

Egypt’s rich, fertile land now lay in waste. What little vegetation remained after the hail soon became ravaged from the last plague of locusts.

Re the mighty sun-god should be rising by now. But Re did not rise in her glory. In fact—not that the Pharaoh or the Egyptians could accurately calculate—Re failed to dominate the Egyptian skies for three entire days. Instead, a heavy darkness fell upon the land. A darkness so thick that it could actually be felt, like being tangled in a damp heavy curtain on a cold rainy day.

Even the most jovial-hearted Egyptian couldn’t climb out of the deep pit of despair this newest plague inflicted.

None of the Egyptians dared leave their homes. For just to eat, drink, and relieve themselves proved to be the challenge of their lives. By the time it took Moses to reach Pharaoh—after being summoned—almost every Egyptian family had incurred some sort of injury due to their sudden loss of vision.

But the Israelites remained free from the dark pit that imprisoned the rest of Egypt.

“Go!” Pharaoh shouted to Moses. “Take your children, but leave your flocks and herds here.”

Moses replied in a flat, even tone: “Our livestock must go with us. For they are needed in the worship of our God.”

Pharaoh’s muscles knotted while wielding his sword. “Then you and your people will remain!” Stepping forward, he pressed the cold blade against Moses’ throat. “And if I ever see your face again, you’re as good as dead!”

Pharaoh’s threat only seemed to fuel Moses’ audacious stubbornness. “Fine, have it your way,” Moses said in a calm voice. But his face burned red before turning on his heel. “You shall never see my face again!”

Reflect

The NIV Life Application Study Bible notes: “As each gloomy plague descended on the land, the Egyptian people realized how powerless their own gods were to stop it. . . . Amon-Re, the sun-god and chief of the Egyptian gods, could not stop an eerie darkness from covering the land for three full days. . . . [In contrast to the Egyptian gods] the God of the Hebrews was: (1) a living personal Being, (2) the only true God, and (3) the only God who should be worshiped. God was proving to both the Hebrews and the Egyptians that He alone is the living and all-powerful God.”