The Kingdom of Darkness vs. the Kingdom of Light
By Bill Wilson, KIN Senior Analyst
WASH—Jan 26—KIN--Exodus 10:1–13:16 is Bo, meaning Go. The portion opens with the LORD sending Moses back to Pharaoh, as his heart has been hardened for a greater purpose. God intensifies His judgments with locusts, darkness, and finally the death of the firstborn. These acts are not random displays of power. They are deliberate, escalating signs meant to reveal who truly rules Egypt. At the same time, Israel is instructed to prepare for redemption, to mark their homes with the blood of a lamb, and to leave in haste when deliverance comes. The exodus is more than freedom from slavery. It is the formation of a people who will remember what the LORD did and teach it to their children for generations, as we all should do even unto this day.
After the devastation of the locusts, Pharaoh still refuses to release Israel. Then comes a plague unlike any other. The LORD tells Moses to stretch out his hand, and a darkness falls over Egypt so thick it can be felt. For three days the Egyptians cannot see or move, and even lamps and torches provide no relief. This darkness not only punished Egypt, it exposed the complete powerlessness of its gods, especially the sun god who stood at the head of the Egyptian pantheon. Egypt’s greatest deity was silenced. The plague revealed a deeper truth. Though Egyptians ruled over Israel physically, they themselves were enslaved to false gods and spiritual darkness. Israel, though oppressed, had light in their dwellings. They belonged to the kingdom of light, set apart by the LORD.
This contrast carries forward into the final plague, the death of the firstborn. Scripture makes clear that this was not merely a wonder but a sign. A sign communicates meaning. At midnight, judgment strikes every unprotected home, from Pharaoh’s palace to the dungeon cell. This moment fulfills a warning God gave Moses long before, when Israel was called His firstborn son and Pharaoh was commanded to let him go or face the loss of his own firstborn. The judgment is measure for measure. Egypt had shed innocent blood, and now Egypt is confronted with that same sentence. The LORD reveals His justice to be precise and purposeful. Through signs, He communicates His sovereignty and moral authority over all nations and rulers. Running alongside judgment is mercy, revealed in the blood of the Passover lamb.
Death passed through Egypt that night without distinction, and even Israel’s firstborn were not exempt unless the blood was applied. The Hebrew word pesach means “to pass over,” and the blood marked the homes that belonged to God. Even Egyptians could have been spared had they trusted His word. Through Passover, God taught His people about substitution and atonement, preparing them for the greater redemption to come. As the Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 1:12-13, “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” As faith in the Passover lamb delivered Israel from death, faith in Yeshua (Jesus) delivers us into light. Blessed be the LORD God of Israel.