renewal could not be the permanent answer. Thus God committed himself to bring permanent peace and order to a world made violent and chaotic by sin. God’s solution began with making Abraham and his descendents into a special people through whom all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:1–3). Before he could do this, however, this people would be enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. During that time, God increased their number and prepared the then-current occupants of the promised land for judgment (Genesis