And he (God) said unto Abram, 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 came to Abram and told him what would happen in the future to his people. At the time, Abram didn’t even have a son of his own to be an heir, and certainly didn’t have as many descendants as there were stars in the sky.

This happened several hundred years before the Israelites were even a nation of people. God wanted to show Abram what would happen to this chosen people who would come through him.

The thing that is very interesting about these verses is the last, verse 16. God specifically told Abram that the Amorites would be allowed to stay in the land until their iniquity had been fulfilled, or completed.

God already knew their heart and knew they would not change, but He still had a set time before He would pronounce judgment upon them. What a merciful God we have!

They were a heathen nation who worshiped all different kinds of idols, and probably never even recognized the One True God at all. Yet God gave them much more mercy than they ever could have deserved.

Many times it looks like evil people get away with things indefinitely, but God always has a timetable for everything. When the right time has come, the evil will be judged and God’s justice will prevail. This is why you can forgive the person and get on with your life.

They will be judged at some point because God said so. You can let it go and concentrate on constructive things instead of dwelling on revenge. If you make yourself do this, you will have a much more peaceful and joyful life.

Check out my other sites:

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living - Practical ways to learn to live a victorious Christian life

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

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3. Give God All Your Problems!