The sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full
measure (Genesis 15:16).
God warns Abram that his descendants will be enslaved in a
foreign land for a time. Even though this sojourn in Egypt was one of
metamorphosis – they went down as a family and returned as a nation –
it has been portrayed as a tragic period in their lives.
But what was going on in Canaan during the 400 years
Abraham’s descendants were away? What was percolating under the surface? The
writer states that a wickedness was taking hold of the Amorite people – a
wickedness that had not yet reached its full measure.
What would have become of the Hebrew people (though they
weren’t yet called that) if they had remained in Canaan? Is it
possible the wickedness that had taken root in the Amorites, and was now
growing like a cancer, would have infected the twelve tribes of Jacob too?
Providence often works in the dark. What seems bad at the
time, just might turn out for good: And we know that in all things God
works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose (Romans 8:28). God loved Israel and was definitely working out his
purpose through them. As bad as the Egyptian enslavement might have been,
something even worse could have befallen them if they had remained in Canaan.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
Can you look back and see how
some of your hardest times have turned out for the best? Give thanks for two or
three specific examples.
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