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 than 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 years began 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 105:11 actually proves the 430 years began with Abraham. The idea being that Psalm 105:11 means God gave the land of Canaan to Abraham for an inheritance, and thus, the 430 years must begin with Abraham. This individual makes this statement without any reasoning whatsoever, as it is, to him at least, apparently obvious what the statement means. First, let's look at the verse in context:
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:
The first question one should ask in regard to verse 11 is who does "thee" refer to. The individual I mention above evidently believes "thee" must refer to Abraham, but he offers no rationale for this conclusion. Looking at the context, one could see several possibilities, as three individuals are mentioned in the preceding verses (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). In addition, verse 10 mentions "Israel", which can be a reference to either Jacob or those descendant from him, the nation of Israel. It would not be logical to think "thee" refers to all of these individuals collectively as it would be grammatically inconsistent to refer to a plurality of individuals with a singular pronoun. As we study the context of verse 11 we find some clues as to who the "thee" reference has in mind. For example, in verse 6 we find God is speaking to "ye seed of Abraham", "ye children of Jacob his chosen". Both these references are not to individuals, but to descendants, more specifically, to the nation of Israel. Note that this reference is to Israel as a people or nation, and would be consistent with the singular pronoun "thee" in verse 11. This fits very well with the greater context of the Psalm, which was a Psalm king David spoke to Israel in 1 Chronicles 16 in celebration,
1Ch 16:1 So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.
1Ch 16:2 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD.
1Ch 16:3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.
1Ch 16:4 And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, and to record, and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel:
1Ch 16:5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals;
1Ch 16:6 Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.
1Ch 16:7 Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.
That is, this psalm was originally spoken to
We also find in verse 10 that Israel is named, and based on verse 6, it is reasonable to think this must refer to the nation and not to Jacob as an individual.
Next, consider what is said about "thee" in verse 11, "unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance". This last part of the statement, "the lot of your inheritance" is very helpful in confirming whether the nation of Israel is the "thee" being referred to.
Let's look at verse 11 in particular. First, one must ask who is referred to by "thee" in this verse. Remember, "thee" is singular, so it cannot refer to all those of verses 9 and 10! It could refer to Abraham, or Isaac, or Jacob or Israel, but not all of them. But before making a guess, let's go back and look at the context starting with verse 6. There you will find that God is speaking to the "seed of Abraham", also called the "children of Jacob". These phrases identify with the nation of Israel, and it is this same Israel that verse 10 must be referring to. Notice again what God says to them: "unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance". This phrase, "the lot of your inheritance", is very important in confirming who God is speaking to. Now if one were to do a thorough check of all the statements to Jacob you will find that God never calls Canaan Jacob's inheritance. You do however find many places where the land of Canaan is called the inheritance of the children of Israel, i.e., the nation of Israel:
Jos 14:1 And these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them.
Jos 14:2 By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe.
Num 26:51 These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.
Num 26:52 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 26:53 Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names.
Num 34:2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:)
Num 13:2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.
By the mention of "the lot of your inheritance" it's clear that Psalm 105:11 is referring to the nation of Israel, who were the "seed of Abraham" and the "children of Jacob". Importantly, verse 11 is not referring to a quote God made to Jacob! In fact, the Bible doesn't teach anywhere that Jacob received the land of Canaan as an inheritance. Inheritance language is used specifically for the sons of Israel, Abraham's seed. And just as importantly, remember that it wasn't until Israel had overthrown the people of the land Canaan in the days of Joshua (430 years later) that Israel inherited the land, so the inheritance event didn't even occur until long after Jacob had died!
Now verse 12 and onward pick up again the historical account. Yes, Jacob was few in number and did travel from nation to nation, specifically, from Canaan to Haran, then from Haran to Canaan, then from Canaan to Egypt. This then, according to your theory, would mean that Israel's 430 years included time spent in Canaan, Haran and Egypt, so they were strangers in three lands, and enslaved to three nations. Except, of course, the land of Canaan was not under one rulership either, there were several nations and rulers in Canaan. So actually your position would be that during the 430 years Israel was under the rulership of many within Canaan, plus Haran and Egypt. But in any case, the fundemental point is that any theory which requires Israel's 400 years of affliction and bondage to be in multiple lands to multiple nations violates Genesis 15:13-16, as well as Acts 7:2-7,
Act 7:2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
Act 7:3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
Act 7:4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
Act 7:5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
Act 7:6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.
Act 7:7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.
Just like Genesis 15:13-16, we find in verses 6 and 7 that Abraham's seed would sojourn in a stange land (singular, i.e., just one land in view) and be brought into bondage and treated evilly by those of that land for 400 years. But God promised to judge that nation (singular, i.e., just one nation in view), and AFTER THAT (i.e., the judgment by God on that nation), Abraham's seed would come forth (i.e., the Exodus). Historically we know God's judgment upon Egypt did in fact occur BEFORE the Exodus, which harmonizes perfectly with these verses. But also remember that God's judgment upon the nations of Canaan occurred AFTER the Exodus, not before, so Canaan cannot possibly be included in the 400 years of Genesis 15 and Acts 7! These fundemental flaws in the short sojourn theory highlite the glaring error of their position.
Well, really, Genesis 15:13-16 and Acts 7:2-7 are overwhelming and sufficient proofs that the short sojourn view comes up short. But before retiring the point it would be worthwhile to consider the text of the LXX as it is often brought up in support of the idea the 430 years of Exodus 12:40 included Israel's sojourning in both Canaan and Egypt. Now if the LXX reading is accurate, then this would mean Abraham's seed was a stranger in two lands and afflicted by two nations. But it would seem the author of Genesis 15:13-16 and Acts 7:2-7 failed to realize this, and forgot to make "land" and "nation" plural to properly reflect the LXX reading of Exodus 12:40! Hmm, wonder how that might have happened? Surely if God inspired the LXX, no such gross error would have been made. But if the LXX was written by men of their own frail inspiration, well, it's quite easy to see how they could have missed such a subtle point when they were tweaking the verses. The writer of the LXX also failed to realize that God didn't judge the land of Canaan BEFORE the Exodus as both Genesis 15:14 and Acts 7:7 clearly indicate! For this reason one can be assured the LXX is unreliable and the ancient text maintained by the Masorite tradition is reliable.