We know that, in Genesis 15: 13, God spoke to Abraham and warned him that the Hebrews would live in a foreign land for 400 years, and then He would bring them out of there and take them to a "promised land" of their own. Later, in Exodus 12: 40, we read that the Israelites left Egypt on the very last night of the 430th year.
So my question is this: When God told Abraham 400 years, was that just an approximation, rather than an exact number? Or did God really want to see them set free in the 400th year, and the extra 30 years came about because Moses messed up and "wasted" several decades working as a shepherd in Midian?
If Moses hadn't tried to do things in his own strength, killing a man and then fleeing in fear, perhaps the Exodus would have happened thirty years sooner.
It's a sobering thought to realise that my disobedience or delayed obedience has the power to throw God's plan off track. Yes, He is all-powerful, but God never forces someone to do something against their will. Sometimes, when we refuse to obey, He finds someone else to do the task instead. But at other times, He allows Himself to be limited by our reluctance and waits patiently until we come to the point of making the right choice.
Where might I, or you, be delaying God's purposes today?
