Pastor Rick, was Abraham a
prophet and if he was what did he prophesy?
According to Genesis 20:7, Abraham was described as a prophet. However, that raises an interesting point. Your question shows that today, many people see prophets as “prophesiers,” like fortune-tellers, mystics, or mediums who see the future and reveal its secrets to us.
The Hebrew word translated into English as prophet, is nabi. Nabi simply means, “spokesman.” If we could think of the Hebrew understanding of nabi rather than our cultural understanding of prophet, we would be much better off.
A prophet is merely a “mouthpiece” of God’s word and His will, and speaks by inspiration from God. I think the perfect example to give you is Moses and Aaron. When Moses complained to God that he didn’t feel qualified to speak to Pharaoh, God said to him, “Now you shall speak to [Aaron] and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you…” [Exodus 4:15-16].
According to Genesis 20:7, Abraham was described as a prophet. However, that raises an interesting point. Your question shows that today, many people see prophets as “prophesiers,” like fortune-tellers, mystics, or mediums who see the future and reveal its secrets to us.
The Hebrew word translated into English as prophet, is nabi. Nabi simply means, “spokesman.” If we could think of the Hebrew understanding of nabi rather than our cultural understanding of prophet, we would be much better off.
A prophet is merely a “mouthpiece” of God’s word and His will, and speaks by inspiration from God. I think the perfect example to give you is Moses and Aaron. When Moses complained to God that he didn’t feel qualified to speak to Pharaoh, God said to him, “Now you shall speak to [Aaron] and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you…” [Exodus 4:15-16].
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