At Mercy Hill Church, we’re continuing our Let My People Go series, journeying through the book of Exodus and seeing how God calls His people out of slavery and into His light. Week after week, we’ve seen the power of God displayed in both judgment and mercy. This week, as we explored Exodus 10, we were reminded of a hard but necessary truth: Negotiating isn’t obeying.
Too often, when God calls us to something, we want to keep control, to obey on our terms. But partial obedience is still disobedience. We try to make deals with God rather than surrender fully to His plan—just like Pharaoh, who refused to let the Israelites go without conditions. But as we’ll see, God doesn’t negotiate with rebellion. His call is for full surrender.
Darkness Immobilizes and Isolates People
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.’ So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.” -Exodus 10:21-23
At first glance, darkness might not seem like a devastating plague compared to the previous ones. But in the ancient world—before electricity, before even modern lanterns—darkness was absolutely debilitating. Darkness immobilizes and isolates people. Verse 23 says it plainly: “They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days.”
I live out in the country, and unfortunately, we’ve got a skunk problem right now at my house. A few weeks ago, one sprayed my dog, and I decided right then and there that this skunk was going to face judgment. So, every other night, you can find me and my boys outside, headlamps on, spotlight ready, scanning the field for that little terror.
We take that spotlight and shine it a hundred yards out into the darkness, looking for the enemy. That’s normal for us, but imagine living in a world where there is no light to push back darkness. That’s what Egypt experienced for three days. That’s also what sin does in our lives—it keeps us wandering in isolation, unable to see the way forward.
A Darkness to Be Felt
Look back at Exodus 10:21: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.’”
Imagine being trapped in a darkness so thick you could feel it. Some scholars suggest this might have been a massive sandstorm, blotting out the sun while covering people in hot, suffocating dust. Others compare it to a supernatural darkness, mirroring the deep despair of spiritual separation from God. Either way, this darkness was a warning—a glimpse of what happens when we reject God’s light.
Are you feeling that kind of darkness today? Are you stumbling through depression, isolation, or sin that you can’t seem to escape? If this is where you are, I’d call you to step into the light! The message of this passage is not just that darkness falls but that God’s people had light. 1 John 1:5 reminds us: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” Don’t continue down the path of rebellion. Whether it’s a destructive habit, hidden sin, or a life spiraling into despair, the invitation remains: step into the light of Christ.
Pharaoh’s Flea Market Faith
When Pharaoh finally responds to this plague, he does what he always does: he tries to negotiate with God.
“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
Pharaoh is waking up to the power of Yahweh, but he still refuses to surrender fully. He offers a compromise: the Israelites can leave, but they must leave their livestock behind. Maybe he wanted leverage to make them return, or maybe he just didn’t want to suffer more economic loss. Either way, he wasn’t obeying—he was bargaining. This is flea market faith. It’s like walking through a flea market, trying to get the best deal—”God, I’ll obey you, but let me keep this part of my life under my control.”
Honestly, I love flea markets. One time in Florida, I saw a guy with a Florida panther chained in the back of his truck, charging people five bucks to take a picture. Another time, I took two of our Mercy Hill pastors with me to Waldo Flea Market (I know you’re thinking, “Where’s Waldo?”—ha, don’t fall for that!), where a guy swore he had the skeleton of a mermaid (we paid to see it, of course). Another vendor had a wolf on a leash and a bottle of all-natural wolf repellent. Naturally, we asked for a demonstration, and the guy accidentally sprayed Pastor Jeremy Dager right in the face—eyes, nostrils, the whole deal!
All jokes aside, Pharaoh is acting just like someone at a flea market—trying to get the best deal. But God doesn’t negotiate partial obedience.
How Many Times Do We Want to Negotiate Rather Than Obey?
Before we’re quick to pass judgment on Pharaoh, think about the fact that we do the same thing Pharaoh did. We try to meet God halfway instead of fully surrendering:
- I’ll follow you, God, but I’m going to keep dating this person I know isn’t following you.
- I’ll come to church, but I won’t actually let people know me.
- I’ll tip God, but I won’t trust Him with my finances through a full tithe.
Almost obeying is disobeying. God calls for complete surrender, not partial deals.
Application: Choose Full Obedience Today
Where in your life are you negotiating instead of obeying? Where are you holding back?
Maybe it’s tithing, maybe it’s purity, maybe it’s fully committing to a church, or maybe it’s something deeply personal—only you and God know. But God is calling you to full surrender today.
Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” When He reveals those areas to you, will you repent and obey, or will you try to cut a deal?
The Gospel: Jesus Felt the Darkness of Death So That We Could Feel the Light of Life.
Pharaoh was unwilling to fully surrender, but unlike Pharaoh, God didn’t compromise in rescuing us. God could have left us in the darkness. In fact, in our sin, that’s exactly what we deserved. Instead, in His grace, He sent Jesus to take our place. Jesus didn’t just call down darkness to judge rebellion—He took the darkness of the grave for the sin of the world. He felt the weight of our sin, endured the agony of separation, and rose again to bring us into the light of life. The Exodus story points to the greater Exodus—the moment when our greater Moses, Jesus, died for us to bring us out of slavery to sin and death. And when we see a love like that, we don’t want to negotiate—our hearts are moved to want to obey. Let us walk in obedience as a response to the hope of the gospel and the gift of being welcomed into His glorious light.
-Andrew Hopper, Lead Pastor
Watch the full sermon from week six of the “Let My People Go” series below:
