God waited 400 years because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full—He gave them centuries to repent before Israel could take the land.
In Genesis 15, God told Abraham that his descendants would be afflicted in a foreign land for 400 years, and only in the fourth generation would they return to Canaan. Les Feldick teaches that this delay allowed the Canaanite peoples, headed by the Amorites, time to turn from their wickedness. Instead of repenting, they sank deeper into immorality, so God could in justice command Israel to destroy them and give them the land.
Genesis 15:16 — This verse directly explains that the return in the fourth generation was delayed because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full.
Genesis 15:13 — God's prophecy that Abraham's seed would be strangers and be afflicted 400 years gives the timeframe for the wait.
In Genesis 15, after confirming His covenant with Abraham, God revealed why his descendants would not immediately possess the land. The Lord said: "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" (Genesis 15:13-14). Then, in Genesis 15:16, God gave the reason for the wait: "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."
Les explains that when God gave Abram the title deed to Canaan, He made clear the land could not be occupied for over 400 years. The reason was that God could not permit the Amorites to be removed until their iniquity reached full measure. God gave the Canaanite peoples 400 years to clean up their act, but instead of turning from their iniquity, they went deeper and deeper into immorality and abominations. By the time Joshua led Israel across the Jordan, God could justly command them to utterly destroy the Canaanites. Les also clarifies that the 430-year period from Abraham's call to the Exodus includes time before the Egyptian sojourn began; the children of Israel were not in slavery for the entire 400 years. God's prophecy in Genesis 15 was not accidental—it was part of His sovereign timetable.
Les teaches that the Canaanites, here called the Amorites, were given four centuries to turn from their iniquity. Their wickedness had not yet reached the full mark. But rather than change their ways, they degenerated further and further into immorality and abominations. Only when their iniquity was full could God, in justice, tell Israel to cleanse the land of them completely.
In Genesis 15:16, God promised Abraham that his descendants would return in the fourth generation. Les points out that this return would bring Abraham's children's children back to the land of Canaan, the same land where God spoke to Abraham. The verse connects the timing of the return with the Amorites' iniquity being complete.
Les observes that despite God's explicit instruction to leave no Canaanite alive, Israel became soft-hearted and made servants of them instead. As a result, the Canaanites were incorporated into Israel's lifestyle, and within a couple of generations Israel turned away from Jehovah and chased after Canaanite gods.
The Burning Bush & The Angel of the Lord: Who Did Moses Really See?
and nothing that I can say or anyone else can say that can make the difference. But to understand what God's Word says is what I hopefully am attempting to do. All right, now you remember last week that Moses made his presentation to the children of Israel and had hoped to be able to deliver them. Remember that he had everything going for him.
The Title Deed and the Delay
Les explains that God could not allow the Amorites to be removed from Canaan until 400 years had passed because their iniquity had not yet reached the full mark.
The Full Measure of Wickedness
Les says God waited nearly 490 years for the Canaanites to turn from their iniquity; instead, they sank deeper into immorality and abominations, so God could command total destruction.
The Fourth Generation Return
Les ties Genesis 15:16 with Deuteronomy 7: God waited until the fourth generation because the wickedness of the Amorites had to reach its full measure before Israel could return.
Israel's Failure to Fully Obey
After the 400 years, God commanded Israel to destroy every Canaanite, but Israel spared them and made servants of them, which led to Israel's idolatry.
The 430 vs. 400-Year Timeline
Les clarifies that the 430-year period began with Abraham's call and that Israel was not in Egyptian slavery for the full 400 years; 215 years elapsed before the sojourn in Egypt began.
Canaanite Degeneration
God gave the Canaanites 400 years, but they started on an immoral plane and kept going downward, so God could in justice give the land to Israel.
The Reason for Staying Out of Canaan
Les reiterates that God told Abraham his offspring would be in slavery 400 years and gave the reason: the iniquity of the Canaanites was not yet full; God gave them 400 years to straighten up their act.
Genesis 15:13: And he 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;
God reveals the 400-year period of affliction that would precede the return to Canaan.
Genesis 15:14: And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
God promises to judge Egypt and bring Israel out with great substance.
Genesis 15:16: But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
This verse explicitly gives the reason for the wait: the Amorites' iniquity was not yet complete.
God told Abraham in Genesis 15 that his descendants would be strangers and afflicted for 400 years, and then in the fourth generation they would return to Canaan. Les teaches that the delay was because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full; God gave the Canaanites centuries to repent before Israel could take the land.
No. Les clarifies that God's 430-year timetable begins with Abraham's call, and 215 years passed before Israel's sojourn in Egypt began. The 400 years of affliction in Genesis 15 was not a period of slavery from day one, though it led to the bondage in Egypt.
God gave the Canaanite peoples, led by the Amorites, 400 years to turn from their iniquity. Instead they went deeper into immorality and abominations, so God could justly tell Israel to cleanse the land and not spare any of them.
Watch the Teaching: The Burning Bush & The Angel of the Lord: Who Did Moses Really See?