It was shown in the discussion of Galatians 3:15-17 that Psalm 105:9-10 proves that God "making" the covenant with Abraham is a very different matter then God "confirming" the covenant with Jacob, and thus the statement in Galatians 3:17 (that God confirmed the covenant 430 years before the law) could not apply to Abraham, but must apply to Jacob. Thus, the 430 years of Galatians 3:17 must have begun with Jacob and his entrance into Egypt, not with Abraham and his entrance into Canaan. This conclusion is in perfect harmony with Exodus 12:40-41. However one individual, undeterred by the plain language of the Bible, asserts that Psalm 105:13 actually proves the 430 years began with Abraham. The idea being that Psalm 105:13 is speaking of the span of time from Abraham's entrance into Canaan up until the Exodus (that is, Israel's 430 years included both time in Canaan and Egypt). Unfortunately this idea disagrees with Genesis 15:13-16, where it is clear that Israel would be in a (singular) land, and afflicted by a (singular) nation for 400 years. But in addition, this individual failed to notice that Psalm 105 does not specify anywhere that verse 13 is speaking of the time frame he asserts it does. In fact, a careful study of the Psalm will show that his idea is excluded as a possibility! So the following summary will point out the chronological aspects of Psalm 105.
The Chronology of Psalm 105
In regard to Psalm 105 below:
Psa 105:6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
Psa 105:7 He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth.
Psa 105:8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
Psa 105:9 Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;
Psa 105:10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:
Psa 105:11 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:
Psa 105:12 When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.
Psa 105:13 When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people;
Psa 105:14 He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;
Psa 105:15 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
Psa 105:16 Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.
Psa 105:17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
Psa 105:18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
Psa 105:19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.
Psa 105:20 The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
Psa 105:21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:
Psa 105:22 To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.
Psa 105:23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
Psa 105:24 And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.
Psa 105:25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.
Psa 105:26 He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.
Psa 105:27 They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.
Psa 105:28 He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word.
Psa 105:29 He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.
Psa 105:30 Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.
Psa 105:31 He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.
Psa 105:32 He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.
Psa 105:33 He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts.
Psa 105:34 He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,
Psa 105:35 And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.
Psa 105:36 He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.
Psa 105:37 He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
Psa 105:38 Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.
Psa 105:39 He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
Psa 105:40 The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
Psa 105:41 He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.
Psa 105:42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
Psa 105:43 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
Psa 105:44 And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
Psa 105:45 That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD.
One can identify the events referred to as such:
> verse 16 is the 7 years of famine Joseph predicted to Pharaoh
> verses 17-18 are the sending of Joseph to Egypt
> verses 19-20 are Joseph in prison and then released
> verses 21-22 are Pharaoh making Joseph a ruler over Egypt (2nd in command)
> verse 23 is Jacob (Israel) coming to Egypt at 130 years old
> verse 24 is Israel's first 30 years in Egypt
> verse 25 is Egypt's reaction to God blessing Israel during those 30 years, and their persecution of Israel for 400 years
> verse 26 is God sending Moses to deliver them
> verses 27-36 are God's plagues upon Egypt and Pharaoh for not letting Israel go
> verses 37-38 are Israel's glorious exodus from Egypt with great wealth
> verse 39 is Christ leading Israel in the wilderness
> verses 40-41 are God's provision and blessing upon Israel in the wilderness
> verse 42 is speaking of God's promise to give Canaan to Israel
> verses 43-46 are Israel entering the promised land, and how they might remain their if the obey the gospel of Christ.
So what we find is that Psalm 105:16-46 provides a precise chronological accounting of events beginning with the seven years of famine predicted by Joseph through to God fulfilling His promise to give Israel the land of Canaan. It should be pointed out that the time which this psalm was spoken was in the days of king David, when the ark of the covenant was brought to Jerusalem. So king David was simply reciting to Israel the historical blessings which God had done from them (1 Chronicles 16:1).
Now having established the context of verses 16 onward, it is now evident that the things spoken of in verses 12-15 must have occurred before Jacob come to Egypt (verse 23)! Meaning that, the idea that verse 13 is referring to the time period from Abraham's entrance into Canaan until the Exodus, does not at all fit the context or chronology contained within the psalm. In fact, the statements of verses 12-15 refer to that period of time (215 years) from Abraham's entrance into Canaan, in which he, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob, wandered in Canaan, before Jacob finally went to Egypt. It should be remembered that the land of Canaan was a land of several nations and several kingdoms, so their wandering around Canaan perfectly identifies with the statement of Psalm 105:13.
One source of possible confusion people have is that the Bible refers to Israel as strangers in both Canaan and Egypt, and because of this they read Genesis 15:13 carelessly:
Gen 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;
Thus, when they see the word "stranger" in Genesis 15:13, they think, well, Israel was a stranger in Canaan, so maybe this verse is speaking of Canaan. But they also realize that the Bible speaks of Israel as a stranger in Egypt too, so maybe this verse is speaking of both Canaan and Egypt. But what they miss is Genesis 15:13 says "a land" (singular), not "lands" (plural), and so their conclusion this verse is referring to Canaan and Egypt is simply the result of careless reading. However, if one reads this verse carefully, along with Exodus 12:40-41, it is clear that Israel was in Egypt for 430 years, to the very day!
Exodus 12:40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
Exodus 12:41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.