Les Feldick Bible Study

When were the 430 years completed?

The 430 years were completed when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and the nation gathered around Mount Sinai, at Exodus chapter 19. Another 215 years had passed since Jacob and his sons entered Egypt, and God was then preparing to do something new.

Les explains that Jacob was told to go down into Egypt, where God would make of him a great nation. Jacob ended up in Egypt with all his sons, and they came out 215 years later as 5, 6, 7 million souls. Then another 215 years passed, and Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. At that point the 430 years were completed, and the nation was gathered around Mount Sinai. God was getting ready to do something totally different than He had ever done before. From Genesis 1 until Exodus 20, there had been no written do's and don'ts from God, and no organized system of God-instituted worship until this point. They probably brought sacrifices, but there had been no organized system of worship.