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

Related posts:

1. Will you give all your burdens to God?
2. Are You Really Able to Give God Your Burdens?
3. Give God All Your Problems!

I grew up in church and have been a Christian for most of my life. For the majority of that time it was enough for me just to go to church every Sunday and participate in all the activities that were carried on there.

I got to the point that I felt I was a great Christian because I tried to participate in every event possible. I am certainly not putting down the activities of the church, it’s just that my motives and priorities were all wrong. I was doing things just because they were offered, and not because they were things that God had told me to do.

Even though I was incredibly busy, there was something huge missing in my life. I tried doing more and more “stuff” to fill the void, but it just didn’t work. In desperation I asked God to show me what was wrong.

He showed me that He has a plan for the life of every Christian. He has given me certain gifts and abilities, and He wants me to be able to use them to carry out His plan for my life.

I was doing good things to fill the time, but they were not always the things God wanted me to be doing. I was wasting a lot of effort and started to get very frustrated. I have since learned that there is no burn-out when you are perfectly in the Will of God.

I also learned that for every thing I had to say no to, God already had somebody else in mind to fill the position. Then they would be doing His Will and wouldn’t get burn-out either.

The name of this blog is Who God Is. On my journey of the last several years, I have come to see that God is certainly not who I thought He was. He is very relevant for today, and when I follow Him I am always in awe of what He chooses to do through me. My life is never dull and boring when I choose His Way over mine. I am always totally amazed at His grace and mercy towards me.

For further study, check out my other sites:

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living

The Power of the Living Word

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