13:17
The gospel was the next step in God’s working with Israel and the whole of mankind. Indeed it was what the Old Testament had been pointing forward to. This was something the Jews, on the whole, failed to grasp. Paul starts with the Exodus from Egypt, the foundational event in Israel’s history. While they were in Egypt God had greatly increased their numbers (Ex 1:7). He had made them into a significant body of people, but clearly slavery in Egypt was not the state they were meant to be in. Indeed, it was a state which they hated and groaned under. And God never intended them to stay in that state, so at the right time He set them free from slavery in Egypt. Now Israel (along with all mankind) was a nation, but was in slavery to sin, and Christ had been sent to set them free from this greater slavery.
13:18,19
Paul then recounts the events following the exodus. Their wanderings in the desert, and their eventual taking of the land of Canaan. Note that Paul says God “put up with them”. Israel deserved nothing, she was no more deserving than any other nation, for they were a sinful people, as the record of the Old Testament amply demonstrates.
13:20
Paul continues to give a sweeping overview of Israel’s history. There are a couple of important points to note about this. The first is that this is similar to what Stephen did back in Acts 7. The history of Israel points towards Jesus and the gospel. The second point is that Paul’s theology, his understanding of the gospel, is based on history, and in later verses we will see references to specific incidents in Jesus’ life. There are those who seek to claim that Paul preached a different gospel, such people do not know what they are talking about. So there was a period of the judges from entering Canaan until Samuel.
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