“Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions . . . In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”” (Genesis 15:13-14, 16, NIV)
This little parenthesis is a huge encouragement to those of us who doubt. Simply stated: not only does God tell the truth -- He tells the whole truth! Isn't it refreshing to learn that God not only knows the end, but knows the details in between? Isn't it refreshing that He not only knows, but has anticipated the difficulties; and more importantly He has ordained even the suffering as a means to the fulfillment of His promises.
The 400 years of captivity ". . . anticipates the length of the Israelites’ oppression by the Egyptians before the exodus from Egypt. and afterward they shall come out with great possessions." [1] God will bring His people into the land of promise and He will do that "through" their slavery in Egypt which will dispatch them with great possessions. Truly what Pharaoh will mean for harm, God will mean for good (Genesis 50:20).
Not only that the record shows that “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”” (Genesis 15:16, NIV). This is an important encouragement. "The Amorites are one of the main population groups in Canaan and are frequently listed alongside the Canaanites and others (see vv. 19–21) . . . God’s comment implies that the Amorites will be dispossessed of their land as an act of divine punishment. At that time, their accumulated iniquity will be so great that God will no longer tolerate their presence in the land." [1].
Like a massive chess game, God is ordering the events, superintending the choices, opening and closing doors -- all for the sake of His people, His promises and His glory. The conquering of oppressors is as much part of the redemptive work of God as deliverance of His people. Yet there is one more encouragement to Abram. “You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age.” (Genesis 15:15, NIV). For Abram, Canaan wasn't the ultimate blessing. No, “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10, NIV)
Father, my heart is full as I reflect on the truths inherent in this story. You are God alone. There is none like you. How true it is that You cause all things to work together for good. You are truthful and honest. You do not hide from me the expectation of suffering and detours along the road. But you have not only accommodated them into Your will, but You have ordained them to occur for your glory and for the everlasting joy of Your people. Thank you, Father.
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1. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (77). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
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