An Obscure Promise to Abraham of Egyptian Bondage

The book of Genesis is a book of beginnings. It is an account of the formation of the world. It also documents the creation of man and women, and it intimately portrays their struggles, something to which all of humanity can relate. From Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, to the great deluge of Noah's day, the words contained in Genesis become more and more exciting with each turn of the page.

Perhaps one of the most interesting historical notations found in Genesis is recorded in Genesis 15: 12-16. In the chapters previous we are introduced to Abraham. He is a righteous man who found favor in God's eyes.

In Genesis 12:1-3 the following words are penned.

"And the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

God tells Abram (his name changes in subsequent chapters to Abraham) that he must leave his country and his kindred and go to a new land. God promises that he will make his people a great nation, and through his children the nations of the Earth will be blessed. Of course, this blessing is fulfilled with the death of Christ whose lineage includes Abraham. Christ died for all of mankind, and simple obedience to His teachings, allows one to receive his blessings, hence all the Earth is blessed. (Ephesians 1:3)

While many often concentrate on the Messianic promises of God to Abraham, and rightly so, there is another, perhaps more obscure promise, which is promised in Genesis and fulfilled in Exodus. This promise is found in Genesis 15: 12-16. Abraham is promised that his seed will possess the land, something God has told him on several occasions, but this time He states that they will receive the land after his descendants are in captivity for 400 years, and that He will take judgment on their captors.

Genesis 15: 12-16 reads,

"As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." (ESV)

Perhaps most Bible scholars have thought about these verses much more than I have, but when I read the words contained in Genesis 15, I was amazed at the foretelling of the Egyptian captivity of the Israelites. I don't know if I had just never really read the words and comprehended them, but it really is a fascinating thought. You can see the ground work God laid from chapter until the end of Genesis where Joseph has brought his entire family into Egypt. Of course, all Bible students know what happens next, after years in captivity Moses leads his people out of Egyptian bondage and into the land of Canaan. If you haven't studied the book of Genesis, you really should. It is simply fascinating.