You — Light to a Dark World
Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply
Title: You — Light to a Dark World ------------------- Date: 5/2/2002
Keywords:
"light"
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Passage: Genesis 10:21-23*
Note on the context of these verses: This is when God sent ten plagues against Egypt to convince Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go free from their 400 years of slavery. Eight plagues have passed — the Nile turned to blood, a plague of frogs, a plague of gnats, a plague of insects, pestilence on flocks and herds, sore boils on all the Egyptians, hail, and a plague of locusts. Each plague was increasingly severe. The ninth plague was a plague of thick darkness.
21. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt."
22. So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
23. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Questions
1. What was God communicating to the Egyptians by the way He dealt with them in this plague?
2. What was God saying to the Israelites by the way He dealt with them in this plague?
Practical help
God deemed that about the worst thing that could happen to a nation would be that it would be plunged into darkness. That’s why He waited on this plague until #9. Darkness is worse than blood and frogs and hail and locusts.
Darkness brings confusion. In darkness, we necessarily make bad choices. We are disoriented and lost in the darkness. That was the plight of the Egyptians for the three days in which they had no light.
God blessed His people, though, with light. The mechanics of this is not stated. We almost picture a luminous glow emanating from the homes of the Jews. In their homes, they enjoyed light, they could see all about them, and could go about their daily indoor tasks. AND, their dwellings would have stood out like lights on a hill for all the Egyptians to see.
There was an evangelistic "point" to the lights in the Israelites’ homes. The Egyptians, cut off from light, would be prompted to worship the God of Israel, who gave light to those who followed Him.
Today, God gives light — insight, guidance, spiritual and moral perception — to His people. It is not a literal light, but the light of the revelation of His will, found in Scripture. Our world is every bit as dark, morally, as ancient Egypt was, literally, for those three days of the plague. When we Christians lead lives lit by the revelation of the Bible, we have the same evangelistic punch that Israel was to have had in Egypt, 3500 years ago. People will see our good works and glorify our Father who is in Heaven!
Want one more reason for stop viewing the darkness of porn? Here it is: When you live in the light of what God’s word says about love and purity, you will draw others to Him like a candle draws moths on a hot summer’s night.
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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright
The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by
permission."
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