Well, one, it was part of the covenant God made with Abraham in Gen 15.
Genesis 15:13-16 – God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. 14 “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15 “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16 “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
Initially Israel’s settlement into Egypt was a peaceable settlement. Because of Joseph. It was actually Egypt being merciful to Israel. But God is a big picture God. So, in His covenant, God had a plan for them to be there in captivity for 400 years. Then God would deliver them to the promised land and judge those oppressing Israel. But vs 16 says that the Amorites were not quite ready be destroyed for their wickedness yet. Thus, we have God’s perfect, long, 400-year, wait.
God had a timeline. That timeline was there because God was fulfilling His promise to Abraham. Abraham’s descendants would number like the stars. It’s all about God’s promises being fulfilled. It had nothing to do with how Israel acted or if they were good or innocent. They weren’t. They’re sinners just lie the rest of us. They didn’t deserve to be saved just like we don’t deserve to be saved except for the grace and mercy of God.
Deuteronomy 9:5 – “It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
What did God do during those 400 years?
Well ,he grew a small/tiny group of people, about 70 into a nation. A nation that was mighty! And they were overpopulating the Egyptians
Exodus 1:7 – But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.
Even under the slavery Israel grew. Yes they were in subjection to Egypt but it wasn’t so bad that they didn’t long to go back to Egypt when things got hard in the wilderness.
Another reason was in Gen 15:14, God was allowing the possessions for Israel to grow. So that when they left Egypt they would not only populate the promised land but also be rich in the promised land. We have to look at Scripture in its totality to see God’s big picture. God’s big picture is a good one, not a negative one.
Pharaoh was an evil person. He was not following God. Thus, Pharaoh made evil choices. We can always look at the negative. But what was God doing for the bigger picture? He was building a nation. He was preparing a promise land for them to go to.
Israel’s slavery was because of Egypt. But in His big picture, God allowed it in order to demonstrate His identity and sovereign power as the only true God to both the Egyptians and the Israelites. Thus creating a nation that was worshiping Him from then on as their God, and obeying the Law that He handed down to them through Moses. All for His divine purpose to bring the Messiah, Jesus down through that lineage to save ETERNALLY those in faith and in Christ.
In the context of a theocracy, where we believe God is in charge, He doesn’t need to ask our or anyone’s opinion, that was legitimate and right for God to do. Look at the good, God’s plan. The 400-years of slavery had many examples of God’s provision, wisdom and might. God used Joseph to preserve the Israelites during a famine, Moses’ rose to leadership, and God did a bunch of super great miracles. The nation brought forth the Messiah. He died for our sins. We have an eternal, living hope now.
See the big picture. The big picture will always lead to Christ.
In Christ
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