Genesis 15:13-16

"... Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."

God is here speaking to Abraham making promises concerning the generations that would follow him. While it is not certain how old Abraham was at this time, it is certainly after his first recorded contact with God, at which time he was 75, and before the birth of Isaac, which was when Abraham was 100. In these promises to Abraham we get a glimpse of God's workings in the world. Careful thinking leads to the conclusion that the things that He has promised Abraham impact more than just Israel. The promises indicate a larger scope. It is safe to apply this observation to ourselves and modern-day events. And in doing this we can have comfort in the difficulties that come our way.

Notice that God starts by making promises specific to Abraham's descendants. He promises that they will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, that they will serve and be afflicted by the residents of that nation for 400 years, they will come out of that land with great substance (not bad for slaves), and that they will come into their own land. God also makes promises specific to Abraham, telling him that he will die in peace in a good old age. And God also makes promises concerning two nations. He promises that he will judge the nation in which Abraham's descendants will be servants, and He hints at the dislodging of the nation in which Abraham's descendants will ultimately arrive. Notice that the keeping of His promises to Abraham's descendants and the nations is for a specified time because of the iniquity of the Amorites. There is something about their iniquity that delays God's fulfilling of His promises for 400 years. Specifically, their iniquity is not yet full. One might rightly conclude that at the end of 400 years this condition was met.

Immediately it is apparent that while God has good intentions for Abraham's descendants, the Israelites, His working out of those intentions meshes with His other dealings in the world. God could have brought Abraham's descendants into the promised land at any time He chose, for He is God. But there is more that He is doing in the world than just giving Israel a chunk of real estate. He is giving Israel a chunk of real estate in the context of His dealings with the nation that held the land before them, the Amorites. From His statement to Abraham, it can be concluded that He was giving the Amorites all the chance they needed to turn to Him. But there would come a time 400 years hence when He would have to judge their sin. It is also fair to conclude that the Israelites would be His tool to carry out this judgment. For after 400 years they would come into the land of the Amorites, to own it for themselves. Upon interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream, recorded in Daniel 4, Daniel tells him that certain events would come to pass in his life that he may know that "God rules in the kingdom of men."

So, God's dealings with us are bigger than the things we see. We may be in a situation that we cannot understand. But, based on God's words to Abraham, we can conclude that He is doing something. Notice that it would take 400 years for His plans for the land of the Amorites to resolve. So He also may require of us large amounts of time in the waiting for a resolution of something in our lives. This does not mean He does not care. It means that His plans are bigger than us, and include far more than we can even comprehend. We tend to look at the pain or heartache and see that as looming large. Because of the apparent size of it, we want greatly to be relieved. He knows our trials, and is not careless of them. But He also is working something far greater. Ultimately, His resolution of the matter will be the best. His resolution will be a blessing to us (as was the promised land to Israel). It will also have other, far-reaching impact in the lives of others, the likes of which will astound us.

We should notice, too, that God is ultimately good for His word. He told Abraham that certain things would come to pass, and they did so without fail. Israel eventually went to Egypt, toward the end of their stay they were used as slaves, and when they left they spoiled the Egyptians. The country was a shambles when they left. And they didn't even fight with Egypt. So Egypt was judged by God in this way. And the promised land, in which the Amorites dwelt, was given to Israel. So the Amorites were also judged, as God promised. Not one single word of God's promises to Abraham was lost. God has promised that He will never leave nor forsake us. Ultimately, no matter the things that have come, He can be depended upon completely.

"If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart."

HJK