Patriarch and Prophet
In Genesis 20:7 we find the first mention of the word prophet (Heb. nabi’) in the Bible. What was the context in which it was used? What can we learn from the context about what a prophet was and how he or she functioned?
In the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), the word prophet describes the recipient of Divine revelation. During the time of the Judges the word seer (in Hebrew ro’eh) appears to have come into use (1 Sam. 9:9, 11, 18, 19); then, later, the usage reverted to the older term again.
Prophets were not only spokespersons for God but on occasion were also intermediaries between God and the people. Abraham in Genesis 20 was the intermediary between God and Abimelech—he was to pray to God on behalf of Abimelech.
Abraham is a towering figure in the Old Testament. Three times in Scripture he is called God’s friend (2 Chron. 20:7, Isa. 41:8, James 2:23). When he was 99 years old, God told him, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you” (Gen. 17:6, NKJV), a promise that, humanly speaking, seemed impossible. Because Abraham believed God in spite of what human reason told him, he became “the father of all those who believe” (Rom. 4:11, NKJV).
Considering that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son in response to God’s command (Gen. 22), it seems incredible that Abraham should have lied to Abimelech concerning Sarah (Gen. 20:2). However, the situation is only too true to life. “As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man” (Prov. 27:19, NIV). The occasional manifestation of the remaining old nature in the believer, the backsliding of God’s children in all ages, and our own sad departures from the path of righteousness are sufficient to explain the deplorable conduct of the “father of all those who believe.” How human Abraham was: moments of great faith, moments of deep lapses. What follower of Abraham’s God can’t relate?
| What encouragement can you take for yourself from the fact that, despite Abraham’s mistakes and lack of faith, God used him anyway, even mightily? How can we learn not to let our lapses turn us away from continuing to press on ahead in faith? |
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