Exodus 10:21-11:10 “Darkness and the Herald of Death”

“Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, ‘Go, serve the LORD; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.’”
Exodus 10:24 (ESV)

With the ninth plague came darkness throughout the land of Egypt, but where the Hebrews lived there was light. Pharaoh called for Moses and told him that he and the people could go worship the LORD. They could take their women and children and go out of the land. But Moses said that wasn’t good enough. They would also need to take their livestock for offerings, and they didn’t know which animals God would require until they arrived. Then the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the people go.

When Satan cannot stop a person from following Christ, he will often put up other roadblocks to hinder him or her. This was an attempt to get the children of Israel to withhold their livelihood from God. They could go ahead and worship God, but their material goods were to remain in the world. Satan uses this tactic to defund the Lord’s work. He seeks to spend our resources on temporal things so that we have nothing left for spiritual things.

Moses replied, “Not a hoof shall be left behind”, and we should also refuse to compromise with Satan. The truth is we never know what God will require from us. Therefore, the best strategy is to put everything in His hands. If we realize that everything belongs to Him, then we are merely stewards of His resources. We are free to invest in whatever He would have us invest, knowing that He will always provide for our needs. Besides, we can’t take any of it with us, but we can send it ahead of us!

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
Matthew 6:19–21 (NLT)