When God Darkens the Sky

Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

The ninth plague hits different. Three days of darkness so thick you could feel it. It’s a darkness that pinned Egyptians to their spots while Israel had light in their dwellings. This isn’t just another miracle in the showdown; it’s God dismantling their entire worldview. The Egyptians worshiped Ra, the sun god, their supreme deity who supposedly governed everything. And here’s Yahweh, casually switching off their god like a dead bulb.

But here’s what messes with me: Pharaoh gets so close. He’s ready to let the people go, almost. “Just leave your flocks and herds,” he says. It’s the partial surrender, the negotiated obedience, the “I’ll follow God but keep my options open” move we’ve all tried. Moses doesn’t budge. Not one hoof stays behind.

This connects beautifully with David’s words in Psalm 32: “blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them, in whose spirit is no deceit.” No deceit. No hidden agendas. No livestock secretly kept back. Pharaoh’s problem wasn’t just rebellion; it was his refusal to come clean, to let go completely. He kept thinking he could bargain with God, keep some control, maintain his pride.

We do this constantly. We’ll surrender this area of life but not that one. We’ll follow Jesus but keep our career ambitions untouched. We’ll pray but hedge our bets. God’s looking for people who know what Moses knew: partial obedience is just rebellion with better PR. The darkness over Egypt was more than judgment, it was an invitation to see clearly, to stop pretending, to acknowledge who actually runs the universe.

Devotional Prompts:

Where in your life are you negotiating with God instead of surrendering completely? What’s your “livestock” you’re trying to keep back?
How does our culture’s confidence in its own “gods” (technology, progress, self-sufficiency) mirror Pharaoh’s misplaced trust in Ra? What would it look like for God to expose these as powerless?
David connects concealment with spiritual misery in Psalm 32. What are you refusing to bring into the light, and how is that partial honesty corroding your relationship with God?
The Israelites had light in their dwellings during Egypt’s darkness. How does living in radical obedience create illumination even when the world around you can’t see?

Prayer: God who commands light and darkness, expose the false gods we’ve been serving and the half-truths we’ve been living. Give us the courage Moses had to demand full surrender; first in our own hearts. Strip away our negotiations and our pride until we stand before you with nothing hidden, nothing held back, knowing that in your light we truly see light. Amen.