THE RIGHT TIME
(Gen 15:13-16, Rom 1:18-32)
Have you ever wondered about God’s timing? It seems that His timing is usually not our timing. In the story of Abraham, God had promised him many descendants and that a great nation of people would come through him. Great news! But then He breaks some bad news along with some rather strange news. Genesis 15:13-16 “Then God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land (Egypt) that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.” (Bad news) “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.” (Good news) “… Then in the fourth generation they will return here (Canaan).” (Good news) Okay, now here comes the really interesting and strange part… “for the wrongdoing of the Amorite is not yet complete.” (Strange news)
What? Who? “For the wrongdoing of the Amorite is not yet complete.” What in the world does that mean, and what in the world does the Amorites have to do with Abraham or the Children of Israel? So, hang on for just a minute and I promise I’ll come back to that.
First, I want us to think about the 400 years in slavery that God forewarned Abraham would happen to his people. Let’s just think through a few possible reasons why they were in Egypt for so long. What good could possibly come from that 400 years in Egypt? Why? Remember that God is just forming this new nation through one man, Abraham. They are still young and just getting started. It seems that the 400 years in the land of Goshen, in Egypt, kind of secluded them. They started out living in security because of Joseph. They had freedom to worship, raise their families, raise their sheep, they had all the food they wanted. At first, for the most part they were left alone which allowed them to grow and multiply. Which they did! They entered Egypt with a family of only 70 people, and by the time that God delivers them out of Egypt they are a nation of 2 million people. That’s a lot of multiplying! We are not talking about a small little group of people. This was huge! This was something that no one had ever seen before! 2 million people leave at one time from one place and cross the desert to go to another place. This was quite a statement. And there is no way that 2 million people could come out unnoticed, but God even takes it up a notch…He brings them out with all the drama and attention of an extreme in-your-face rescue.
God did it with miracles, plagues, death, signs and wonders. He does it all! He brings them out to show the world who He is! He is the Almighty God and there is no other! Everyone in Egypt and everyone in Canaan and everyone in all the surrounding nations took notice! You can bet that everyone was talking about it. It was all over the news! God was introducing Himself and His people to the world. Everyone would know who the Israelites were. Everyone would know who their God was.
Now…while God is growing a nation of His own and preparing to introduce them to the world, He is also giving this other nation, the Amorites which are the Canaanites living in Canaan (The Promised Land), time to repent of their evil ways. So, God is telling Abraham that there is more to the story. He is also giving the Amorites time. Time for what? Time to repent. Their sin was not to its point of no return yet. It was not yet complete. But make no mistake, there would be a time when opportunity runs out for the Amorites and the time for judgement would come.
Of course, the Amorites did not repent. Their sin only continued to grow and multiply and they became more wicked and evil during those 400 years. Each generation’s sin grew from one generation to the next generation. But God gave them opportunity to turn from evil. Judgement would come to them.
We read in Romans 1:18-32 “…that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them… so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, …Therefore, God gave them up,…God gave them over to degrading passions… And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, …although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.”
Nothing really changes when it comes to sin and man, does it? Whether in the Old Testament or in the New Testament. King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “There is nothing new under the sun”. God, however, is gracious and long-suffering. He wants all to come to the saving knowledge of Him. The Amorites knew of God and they had been given the time to repent. But they refused. Just as in the days of Noah the people refused to repent…and just as it will be in the end of time. It is up to each person to repent. Each person must make that choice for themselves.
Sometimes we wonder why God is not answering our prayers right now when it seems like this is the perfect time. But what we don’t always see or understand is the bigger picture. While God was working things out for the Israelites He was also working behind the scenes with the Amorites. And so, when the fullness of sin was complete for the Amorites, and the burden of the Israelites grew heavy, the time of deliverance was just right. You can always trust God to know THE RIGHT TIME.