Today, we continue our trek through the Bible, examining God’s great promise to provide our Savior. In the book of Genesis, we see how God fulfilled His word to bolster faith and confidence in Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, enabling them to carry out His plan. In the closing chapters of Genesis, we see the passing of Jacob in Egypt at the age of 147, followed by Joseph at the age of 110. All seventy members of Jacob’s family who migrated to Egypt during the famine have died. This is the situation as we embark upon our journey in the book of Exodus.
What is to happen to the promise God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Exodus means “exit” or “going out.” It tells the story of how God called Moses to deliver the Israelites from slavery, forge them into a nation, give them His laws, and eventually bring them to the “Promised Land.” God promised Abraham this land after He called him to be the father of the nation through which our Savior would come; this was 430 years before Moses stood before Pharaoh to say, “Let my people go.”
Why did the Lord allow His chosen people to endure slavery and such harsh treatment from their Egyptian masters? Why does He allow His people to suffer unthinkable tragedies, heartbreaking losses, and pain? There is no simple answer to these questions, but we do know this: God loves us, and He sees the big picture, and He works through everything that happens to keep His promises to us.
Regarding Israel’s slavery, some have suggested that God was taking the time to build a mighty force that could dislodge the ungodly peoples inhabiting the land they would inherit. Also, the rigors of slavery could create the impetus and courage to be a free people. Sometimes, humans do not readily embrace change and danger unless we are put in difficult situations.
I don’t pretend to know the unsearchable mind of God about the why of Israel’s slavery, but I do know He was not surprised by it. He told Abraham it would happen 400 years in the future. Look at what Genesis 15:13-14,16 says about this,
“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 reached its full measure.”
If you look closely at the final part of this promise, you will discover more about the reason why God allowed His people to endure slavery: “For the sin of the Amorites has not reached its full measure.” Who were the Amorites? They were the people occupying Canaan when God promised it to Abraham and his posterity. And, what is meant by their sin “has not reached its full measure? ” As I said earlier, God sees the big picture and works out the details necessary to keep His promises. In this instance, with the Amorites, it appears that God is telling Abraham that this nation will continue in such depravity that He will no longer tolerate their existence. He will give their land to the nation of Israel.
Here are some observations of how God works out the details regarding His promise to Abraham:
How is God working on behalf of His Chosen People?
Jacob was 130 when he and seventy members of his family came to Egypt to escape the drought. God allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery in Egypt when he was 17 to raise him to a position where he could save his family from starvation. Joseph lived in Egypt for 93 years, dying at the age of 110.
Joseph and his relatives had lived rather comfortably, and the Israelite population was exploding. Exodus 1:7 says they “became so numerous that the land was filled with them.” So, what’s happening with the Israelites? God is blessing them with lots of children, growing the nation He will send out of Egypt to Canaan.
What would cause them to want to leave the land where they were born and being treated well for a land they knew little to nothing about?
Here are a couple of things that influenced their situation in Egypt. We are told in Exodus 1:6, “Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died.” Joseph, their great benefactor and hero, was dead. There was no person of his stature to influence the king of Egypt. Several years had passed, and a new leader took the throne of Egypt. We don’t know how much time had elapsed since Joseph died, but the new king was either ignorant of him, or didn’t care about him, or the Jewish people. The text about this says something like this about the new king, “He knew not Joseph.” Or, “the new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing.” Exodus 1:8.
Stay tuned, we will pick up here in the next blog. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think about the blogs. Cos