God’s Chosen Darkness (Choshekh)

“He sent choshekh (darkness), and made it dark; and they rebelled not against His Devar (word).” – Psalm 105:28

This verse relates to the re-telling of Moses’ life in Egypt, and the plagues that God sent to Egypt. God sent the darkness, yet the children of Israel did not rebel against His word.

When God has sent times of darkness into my life, would His report about
me be the same as the children of Israel – this one (Barri) did not rebel? I don’t think so. I don’t know if I have ever gone through darkness and not complained, murmured or grumbled. And I am sure I complained to God, and even blamed Him for it.

Yes, God sends darkness for a time. But I am wrong when I complain to Him about it. There are lessons that He wants us to learn about the darkness that He has purposefully sent:

“I form light and create darkness.
I make shalom and create calamity.
I, ADONAI, do all these things.”
(Isaiah 45:7).

Cho-shekh is the Hebrew word for darkness – darkness, obscurity, night, misery. Darkness accompanied God’s appearance on Mt Sinai; darkness was present at creation:

And the earth was without form and void; and darkness (cho-shekh) was on the face of the deep (Gen.1:2).

Darkness was at Yeshua Jesus’ death, too:

“And it was about the sixth hour and there was a darkness (skotos in Greek) over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened (skotos) and the veil of the Temple was torn in two.
(Luke 23:44-45)

This is not the type of darkness that results from disobedience to God by us. There is a type of darkness sent by God (Isa.45:7) where sometimes it seems like we are all alone, that God has forsaken us. We don’t sense His moving in an area or areas of our lives, perhaps we are waiting for a medical diagnosis, something financial, a judgment, maybe a job. But the delay is maddening for us; the type of delay that brings forth the words—God, have You forsaken me?

It is at that point where one most identifies with Yeshua Jesus, as He uttered those words from the Cross at His death. But God indeed turned—from Jesus then; as Yeshua Jesus took our sins upon Himself, God cannot look upon sin, and had to turn from His Son. At the Cross, Yeshua Jesus took on all sin, He only could then note those words “Why have You forsaken Me?” so that we, His family, can say to God the Father, “Why have You so blessed me?”

God never forsakes us. If we have confessed with our mouths and believed in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we are saved from hell; it is a work of faith. We have much to rejoice in our times of darkness, for we are never alone.

Darkness had to surround Moses as he ascended up Mt Sinai to meet with God. For some, this is an opportunity to climb the mountain of God. Don’t spoil the moment by manipulating or enticing God. Sometimes we are called to go forth in darkness, in the cho-shekh. It takes all that we have to dig deep, to believe before we see. Yet we have God’s word to assure us, as He assured Moses in the wilderness: and He said, “My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14

Devotional written by Dr. Barri Seif – Sar Shalom Israel.